Sep 24, 2025
From Sunday suppers to 2,000 stores… and almost losing
them all.
Andrew
Arbogast turned his dad’s cheese dip recipe into a fast-growing
CPG brand, only to face the harsh realities of shelf life,
co-packing, and retailer expectations.
In this episode, he joins
Liz Sertl to share how he scaled Arbo’s Cheese Dip, what
nearly sank the business, and the turning point that gave him a
second chance.
Listeners will hear the unfiltered story behind
bringing a homemade recipe to the national stage, and the
resilience, partnerships, and supply chain decisions that made
survival possible.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
-
How shelf life testing and packaging decisions directly impact scalability
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Why rapid national expansion without brand awareness creates costly supply and demand mismatches
-
What strategies helped Arbo stabilize its operations
Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Introducing Next Level Supply Chain
(02:33) Family traditions that inspired Arbo’s recipe
(04:25) Why barcodes matter for brand credibility
(06:03) Shelf life challenges with early co-packers
(08:11) Reformulating products for large-scale production
(09:24) Rapid retail expansion that backfired
(11:31) Winning Walmart Open Call and scaling mistakes
(13:28) Debt crisis and asking for help
(17:33) Grants and innovation with Real California Milk
(19:31) Favorite flavors and unexpected uses for
cheese dip
Connect with GS1 US:
Our website - www.gs1us.org
GS1 US on
LinkedIn
Connect
with the guests:
Andrew Arbogast on LinkedIn
Check out Arbo’s Cheese
Dip