In this conversation, Lex Evan ®, founder and CEO of Lexington Bakes, discusses the growth of his brand, focusing on the wildly successful launch of his new chilled oat bars and the strategic decisions made to optimize product offerings for retail. The conversation highlights the brand's commitment to organic ingredients and radical ingredient transparency, the challenges and successes in co-manufacturing, and the importance of maintaining product quality. Lex discusses the recent $1 Million investment round and how that will help unlock the next stage of growth, including new product innovations, scaled manufacturing, and increased marketing efforts. As he grows the brand, Lex plans to remain committed to sustainability and organic ingredients, emphasizing the impact of consumer choices on the planet.

Takeaways:

• Lexington Bakes focuses on luxury baked goods with organic ingredients.
• The brand emphasizes radical ingredient transparency for consumer empowerment.
• Oat bars were developed and launched in under three months.
• The oat bars have significantly less sugar, yet still taste indulgent.
• Packaging design has evolved to enhance clarity at retail and appeal for social media posting.
• The brand is optimizing product sizes to drive trial and increase velocities in retail.
• Lex raised $1 million to enhance marketing and production.
• Finding the right co-manufacturer was a significant challenge.
• Maintaining product quality is crucial for brand integrity.
• Lex's oat bar launch received amazing consumer feedback, retail traction, and a Good Housekeeping Award.
• A new peanut butter cookie formula increases the protein content.
• The brand focuses on using organic ingredients for sustainability.
• A better world means making conscious consumer choices.

Sound bites:

• "We make luxury brownies, cookies, and oat bars from scratch with real organic and air trade ingredients – no naughty ingredients."
• “The oat bars have 40 % less sugar than our cookies and brownies.”
• "I got very lucky finding the right co-manufacturer."
• “We won two good housekeeping best snack awards, one of which is for the oat bar that I developed in three months.”
• "We sold 30 or 40 units in two hours."
• “We're going to be more nutrient dense than one of the most prominent protein cookies out there.”
• “We all have the power to make decisions that positively impact.”

Links:

Lex Evan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexevan/

Lexington Bakes - https://lexingtonbakes.com/

Lexington Bakes on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/lexingtonbakes

Lexington Bakes on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lexingtonbakes

Lexington Bakes on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@lexingtonbakes

Lexington Bakes on X - https://x.com/lexingtonbakes

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Elk Marketing - https://elkhq.com/

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Brands for a Better World Episode Archive - http://brandsforabetterworld.com/

Brands for a Better World on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-for-a-better-world/

Modern Species - https://modernspecies.com/

Modern Species on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-species/

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagemitchell/

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Print Magazine Design Podcasts - https://www.printmag.com/categories/printcast/

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Heritage Radio Network - https://heritageradionetwork.org/

Heritage Radio Network on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-radio-network/posts/

Heritage Radio Network on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeritageRadioNetwork

Heritage Radio Network on X - https://x.com/Heritage_Radio

Heritage Radio Network on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heritage_radio/

Heritage Radio Network on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@heritage_radio

Chapters:

03:00 Introduction to Lexington Bakes

05:16 The Journey of Oat Bar Development

12:51 Consumer Response and Market Strategy

18:56 Packaging Evolution and Design Optimization

30:41 Bootstrapping and Growth Strategies

39:00 Navigating Co-Manufacturing Challenges

40:58 Celebrating Wins and Learning from Challenges

51:45 Product Innovations and Future Plans

57:37 Vision for a Better World

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