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When we first spoke to Michael Fisher, Rotten had just launched a single product online. Now, the brand is stocked in 1,000+ retail locations including Zumiez, Safeway, Sprouts, and Hy‑Vee. In this follow-up episode, we unpack exactly how Rotten scaled while preserving product quality, unique branding, and a lean team.

This episode dives into:

Building a better-for-you candy that actually tastes great (60% less sugar, no synthetic dyes)
How Rotten validated demand and used Kickstarter as a test lab
What Michael learned about launching in retail through shippers and “in‑and‑out” placements
Why brand IP and world-building (Dr. Rotten, Frankie Freak) is key to long-term value
Real talk on packaging sustainability, operational scaling, and team-building

You’ll learn tactical insights on:

How to evaluate retail partners and assert boundaries
What content drives impulse candy purchases on TikTok Shop
Using surveys to prove incremental retail value without buying expensive syndicated data
Balancing DTC bleed-in and retail velocity
Creating a brand that stops people in the aisle and online

Rotten’s growth is a masterclass in starting lean, staying weird, and scaling smart. Don’t miss it.

Timestamps

00:00 Rotten’s Growth Journey and TikTok Shop Strategy

02:00 Launching Gummy Crunchies and Multi-Texture Candy Trends

04:00 Retail Expansion: From Zumiez to Hy-Vee

06:00 Shippers, In-and-Outs, and Driving Off-Shelf Sales

08:00 Better-for-You Candy Positioning and Merch Strategy

10:00 Building the Rotten Brand World and Characters

12:00 Halloween Marketing and Seasonal Retail Momentum

14:00 Setting Boundaries with Retailers and Sampling Strategy

16:00 TikTok Shop Flywheel and Content That Converts

18:00 Measuring Retail Pickup and The Digital Bleed Effect

20:00 Using DTC Data to Win Retail Buyers

22:00 Scaling Challenges, Team Growth, and Culture

24:00 Aggressive Growth Goals, Profitability, and New Doors

Hashtags

#DTC #Podcast #Ecommerce #CPG #CandyBrand #TikTokShop #RetailStrategy #ScalingBrands #MarketingPodcast #ConsumerBrands

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Ep 543: Rotten’s Retail Expansion: Seeding Strategy, Brand IP, and Standing Out at Checkout

DTC Podcast