· By Katie Loepker
Hard Signal Podcast: When Retail Data Has Limited Visibility
Chelsey Maschhoff, co-founder of Lottie’s Meats, joins the Hard Signal Podcast to discuss what it really takes to scale a small CPG food brand tied directly to a family hog farm.
In this conversation, Chelsey explains how Lottie’s sources pork from their sixth-generation family farm, works with a co-packer to produce four sausage varieties, and manages the challenge of balancing animal commitments, production runs, and retail demand as the company expands into 200+ stores across nearly 20 states.
The discussion explores what happens when one product suddenly outpaces the others, how small brands make production decisions with limited visibility into retail sell-through, and why many early-stage CPG operations still rely on manual processes, spreadsheets, and direct conversations with store managers to understand what’s actually selling.