#346 - Scaling Sourdough: How Wildgrain Baked Up 80K+ Subscribers

Ismail Salhi is the co-founder and CEO of Wildgrain, a fast-growing DTC subscription service that delivers artisanal breads, pastries, and pasta directly to customers' doorsteps.  In this episode of DTC Pod, Ismail shares his journey of rapidly scaling Wildgrain to over 80,000 subscribers since launching during the pandemic in 2020. He shares the key strategies that have driven Wildgrain's success: focusing on product quality, customer experience, and efficient operations. Ismail discusses their decision to outsource baking to local bakeries—a move that  positioned them as a larger buyer than Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in some markets. He also emphasizes the importance of investing in logistics tech to optimize product delivery and streamline processes. This focus on tech integration across all business areas has been crucial to their ability to scale effectively. We also explore Wildgrain's customer acquisition strategies, which involve education marketing, meta, and influencers. Interact with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack. On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover: 1. Business Model and Sustainability 2. Entrepreneurial Advice 3. Logistics and Distribution 4. Customer Support Tools and Efficiency 5. Customer Acquisition and Retention 6. Product Development and Market Introduction 7. Tech and Operations Partnership 8. Seasonal Growth and Marketing 9. Consumer Behavior Dynamics 10. Marketing and Product Differentiation 11. Consumer Engagement and Customization 12. Scalability and Operational Management 13. Market Insights and Future Plans Timestamps 00:00 Ismail Salhi’s background; Wildgrain’s founding story 04:24 From starting a home bakery to outsourcing production 07:23 Wildgrain’s product and customer experience 08:56 Working with partner bakeries and distribution centers 10:08 Building tech for reliable, temperature-sensitive deliveries 13:58 Automated system streamlines tasks across all departments 15:47 Initial customer acquisition, education marketing, influencers 20:06 Product mix and how it affects inventory  23:07 Creating different custom boxes to cater to different diets 24:28 Optimizing product operations, automating, outsourcing 27:06 Shipping carriers, tech for allocating orders 28:42 Seasonal growth and effects on marketing spend 31:50 Ismail Salhi on running the business with his wife 33:41 Time and lifestyle management as a parent entrepreneur 36:14 Ismail Salhi’s advice for DTC founders Show notes powered by Castmagic Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.   Additional episodes you might like: • #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth • #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content • #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views • #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands • #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook • ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands ----- Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further? Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you. Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox? Check out our newsletter here. Projects the DTC Pod team is working on: DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internet Olivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplement Castmagic - AI Workspace for Content Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates! DTCPod Instagram DTCPod Twitter DTCPod TikTok   Ismail Salhi - Co-Founder and CEO of Wildgrain Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic