Scaling to Mainstream with Doug Behrens of Catalina Crunch

Oct 23, 2025

1h 2m

Episode Description

In this conversation, Doug Behrens, CEO of Catalina Crunch, shares the inspiring story of the brand's inception, rooted in founder Krishna Kaliannan’s personal journey with Type 1 Diabetes. The discussion delves into the early success, fast growth, and eventual plateau of the brand that warranted a new approach if they wanted to grow past $75 million. Doug highlights the need for profitability in today's market, which empowers them to grow without the need for outside capital, and explains how they took a fresh look at their products and team to reignite growth – emphasizing the importance of mainstream taste, brand authenticity, and consumer trust as they push toward $200 million this year. We wrap up with Doug sharing his vision for a kinder, more sustainable world through better-for-you snacks.

Takeaways:

Krishna's journey began with a personal need for better snacks.
Catalina Crunch started as a DTC brand but retail unlocked real growth.
The brand focuses on snack nostalgia while providing healthier options.
Doug emphasizes the importance of appealing to mainstream taste when scaling food products.
Transitioning from founder-led organization to a scale-experienced leadership team is crucial.
Maintaining authenticity and trust is vital for brand success.
Profitability is prioritized over speed of growth in today's market.
Consumer preferences are shifting towards healthier, low-sugar, high-fiber, and high-protein options.
The company is methodical about product expansion and innovation.
Sustainability and community connection are key to a better world.

Sound bites:

“He realized, holy cow, I can actually scale this.”
“They decided to take it to retail and built it to about a $75 million business the end of 2023.”
“The keto trend was on its way down and we were positioned as a keto brand.”
“Taste is king of everything.”
“Retailers are making decisions inside three to six months. You either have an item that performs or it's gone.”
“He stays incredibly frugal in everything he does. For example, if you want to spend more marketing, you have to have more sales.”
“Being able to build this business profitably without having to raise more and more money is pretty impressive”
“You've got to have purpose has to be aligned with consumer values.”
“I think a brand that puts people first, pays people fair, safe working conditions, dignity across everything they do is important.”

Links:

Doug Behrens - https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-behrens-43bb422/

Catalina Crunch - https://us.catalinacrunch.com/

Catalina Crunch on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/catalina-crunch/

Catalina Crunch on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/catalinacrunch/

Catalina Crunch on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/catalinacrunch

…

Brands for a Better World Episode Archive - http://brandsforabetterworld.com/

Brands for a Better World on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-for-a-better-world/

Modern Species - https://modernspecies.com/

Modern Species on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-species/

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagemitchell/