Most CPG mistakes happen before launch. But talking to customers early and making tough calls can help avoid most of them.
Oh So Easy! makes baking mixes that look familiar, but taste distinctly different.
Ube blondies. Miso caramel brownies. Spiced yellow cake. These aren’t limited runs or seasonal releases. They’re core products, built on heritage, third-culture experience, and a clear point of view.
As the first globally inspired baking mix brand in the U.S., Oh So Easy! puts culture into every product itself, not just the story told around it.
Consumer feedback doesn’t start at launch. It starts when the company does. Oh So Easy! began building relationships with influencers long before there was anything to promote. They reached out early, sent samples, and listened to what people shared. By the time the mixes were ready, they didn’t need to go find an audience.
Build the network that actually builds your product. Ava doesn’t spend time in CPG groups or founder communities because “I don't really find them that helpful. There's a lot of fluff.” The conversations that mattered happened with co-manufacturers, suppliers, vendors, food scientists... The people who touch the product are the ones to learn from.
Not every product needs to be healthier. It just needs to be worth eating. Oh So Easy! didn’t chase functional or nutritional claims. “I don’t look for cake to be the protein or fiber of my day,” Bianca says. “I get that from other food. What makes dessert good is sugar, fat, carbs… everything delicious.” Deciding what not to optimize for makes every other product decision easier.
If your values don’t change product decisions, they’re just branding. Global flavors. Third-culture identity. Transparency. These weren’t talking points. They determined Oh So Easy!’s product flavors, chef collaborations, and brand messaging.
Surveys are most useful when they capture behavior, not just preference. Ava’s original vision centered on cake mixes. But the surveys showed something else: people buy brownie mixes more often. That insight led to the addition of brownies and blondies, now Oh So Easy! bestsellers. Use surveys to check assumptions before they turn into inventory.
Market insight → Product differentiation is shifting away from claims and toward conviction. Founders who make clearer tradeoffs on flavor, health, and values are the ones breaking through.
Focus on just doing delicious
Check-your-assumptions survey
Use this to verify your SKUs, formulation, and production run.
1. What do you actually buy
Question: Which of these products have you purchased in the last 90 days? How often?
Why: Frequency beats preference.
2. What does this replace
Question: What do you buy today? What brand is your default?
Why: You’re displacing a habit, not creating demand.
3. What matters most if you had to choose?
Question: Rank taste, price, ingredients, and convenience.
Why: This shows what to stop optimizing for.
4. When and why do you use it?
Question: Is this a staple or a treat? Who’s it for?
Why: Context prevents category confusion (dessert ≠ health food).
5. What price is acceptable?
Question: How much do you usually pay? Do you think that’s cheap or expensive?
Why: Anchors pricing in reality, not founder optimism.