Scaling the Brand: Ops, Systems, and Simplicity with Mezcla and Doss | Startup CPG Podcast

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Yoga Acharya, President and COO of Mezcla, and Sebastiaan Debrouwe of Doss — the operations cloud built for high-growth CPG brands — to trace the rise of one of the most exciting brands to come out of the Startup CPG community. Mezcla makes plant-based puff crispy protein bars and has grown 2–3x annually for years. They're in Whole Foods nationally, Target, Publix, Safeway, Albertsons, Costco, and more — with a remarkably lean team. This episode is about how. Yoga walks through Mezcla's origin story, the product philosophy behind the bar, and the brand strategy that took them from specialty retail toehold to full national distribution. More importantly, he breaks down the operational model that makes it all work: one 3PL, a fully turnkey co-manufacturer relationship with direct supplier contracts on key ingredients, a single ops hire empowered by the right tools, and a commitment to the principle that simplicity scales. Sebastiaan brings the outside view — what Doss sees across the fast-growing brands they support, when brands typically reach for a real system of record, and what separates clean operational growth from operational debt that compounds. Key Moments: 00:00 – Intro: Mezcla, Doss, and the ops story behind a breakout CPG brand 02:50 – Meet Yoga Acharya: Mezcla's growth story and recent Series B 04:00 – The two drivers behind Mezcla's success: product and execution 05:21 – Brand strategy: front-of-pack honesty and the specialty retail toehold 09:44 – Land and expand: from Juice Land in Austin to full Whole Foods national distribution 12:31 – Driving trial: retail media, Instacart, Roundel, and Costco 14:22 – What changes operationally as you scale — and how to stay ahead of it 19:51 – Meet Sebastiaan Debrouwere: what Doss sees across fast-growing CPG brands 23:10 – What wasn't working in the early days: manual sample orders and growing pains 26:21 – Yoga's background and the learning curve of startup ops 36:35 – "Simplicity scales": one warehouse, turnkey coman, one tier-one operator 43:05 – Implementing Doss: OMS first, then TMS, then IMS — and what that process was like 45:28 – Sebastiaan's three rules for brands implementing new systems Connect with the guests: Yoga Acharya – President & COO, Mezcla LinkedIn:   / yogaacharya   Mezcla LinkedIn:   / eat-mezcla   Website: https://eatmezcla.com/ Sebastiaan Debrouwere – Doss LinkedIn:   / sdebrouwere   Doss LinkedIn:   / doss-com   Website: https://www.doss.com Daniel Scharff – Founder, Startup CPG LinkedIn:   / danscharff   About Startup CPG: Startup CPG is the largest community for emerging brands: 30,000+ Slack members, the #1 podcast in CPG, 100+ events per year, and award-winning resources to help brands grow. Join free today: https://startupcpg.com/sign-up Stay connected: 📸 Instagram:   / startupcpg   🔗 LinkedIn:   / startupcpg   If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! #StartupCPG #CPGPodcast #Mezcla #Doss #CPGOperations #ProteinBar #ERPforCPG #CPGFounders #SupplyChain #ConsumerBrands #EmergingBrands #FoodAndBeverage #CPGCommunity #NaturalFood #SimplicityScales