Ep 13: Most Brands Don't Even Know What Stores They're In
EPISODE: #13
Sourmilk co-founder Elan Halpern on flying blind with independent distributors, and why most early-stage brands don't even know which stores they're in.
27 min
•
June 23, 2026
Episode Description
Elan Halpern, co-founder of Sourmilk, doesn't sugarcoat it: at the early stages of retail distribution, brands are often flying blind. In this episode of Know Thy Shelf, Elan and Jordan unpack what data visibility actually looks like when you're working with local independent distributors in New York, and why the gap between what a distributor knows and what a brand knows quietly works against you at every level, from event planning to customer communication to understanding your own velocity.
For founders navigating their first distributor relationships, this is a candid, real-time look at the data landscape before you reach Whole Foods scale.
Key Insights & Quotes
“I didn’t want people to know it was mine. I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me.”
“If I go up to a grocery store and say, ‘Hey, if you carry this product, I will buy it from you,’ that’s a whole different messaging than a founder coming to a grocery store.”
