Founder and Creative Director at Truly Creative, a San Francisco Bay Area based strategic brand and package design firm specializing in building consumer brands that stand out on-shelf, connect emotionally, and leave a lasting impression.

Clients have included Williams-Sonoma, Traditional Medicinals, Eggland's Best, Jovial Foods, Ajinomoto Frozen Foods, Annie Chun's, ConAgra Foods, Alexia Foods, Mommy's Bliss, So Delicious, Kalmbach Feeds, and Alex's Awesome Sourdough.

Specialties: 
-Brand Development (Strategy & Positioning, Naming, Identity) 
-Package Design (Structural Design, Package Design, Brand Extensions)
-Marketing Materials (Promotional Materials, Corporate Collateral, Product Literature)
-Environmental Design (Point of Purchase, Trade Shows, Signage)

Carrie Dufour

Packaging eye candy from day 2 at the Specialty Food Association #WinterFancyFaire. I'm always impressed by the hustle and creativity in this industry. So many interesting package designs, flavors, and formats. 

Off to soak up a few more flavor-filled hours before wrapping up!

Good morning from #WinterFancyFaire in sunny San Diego!

I’ve only seen about a third of the show so far, but here are a few early standouts...

🍎 Vinegar:
You might know Gold Ridge Organic Farms incredible olive oils, but their apple cider vinegar really stood out too. Much richer, with smoky, caramelized notes you don’t usually find.

🍋 Drink: 
Land + Local, another awesome Sonoma County brand. Their seasonal shrubs and syrups are all delicious, but the Rose Cardamom Meyer Lemon Mixer particularly blew me away.

🍁 Syrup:
Deep Mountain Ginger Maple Syrup… I had no idea ginger would pair so perfectly with maple. A match made in culinary heaven.

🧄 Condiment you could put on anything: 
Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic… whoever I talked to after tasting this, I’m sorry about my breath, but dang this was so good.

🔥 Brand Name: 
Hey Grill Hey. Fun, memorable, easy to pronounce, and tells you what they’re all about.

If you are here at the show let me know. It’s always nice to connect IRL with LinkedIn friends.

If you’ve heard me talk about trends lately, you know sauces are in big time. They’re basically a Gen Z accessory at this point. Well, Kraft Heinz just solved a real consumer pain point and made it easier and less messy to get your sauce on the go. The Heinz Dipper is coming to restaurants and sports stadiums around the globe.

I’m already imagining the possibilities…
Ranch + veggie sticks.
Mustard + pretzels.
Chamoy + mango spears. 

Sometimes innovation is less about reinventing the product and more about fixing the small, everyday annoyances.

Kudos to Rethink for the design. 👏👏👏
Link to press release in comments.👇

I’m leaning into analog this year. Who’s with me?

While embracing AI I’ve learned just how important it is to counterbalance all that machine help with analog practices that keep the rest of my brain strong and creatively sharp.

I have to remember how to see. Really see. Not what my brain assumes is there, but what’s actually in front of me.

So, I’m challenging myself to sit down daily (or close to it) and sketch for 10 minutes.

That sounds doable. And yet it took me the first seven days of the year to actually put my butt in a chair and start. Once I did, the 10 minutes flew by.

I used to sketch often in the design process, and I miss it. The beauty of sketching is that you explore ideas quickly without polish getting in the way.

Daily sketching…

🧠 Boosts creativity and problem solving
By engaging multiple brain regions, it fosters new connections and sharpens mental agility to solve visual problems. 

🎯 Improves focus and memory
Practicing sustained attention and discipline strengthens both your short- and long-term memory. 

🔍 Enhances observation
You’ll begin to look more closely at subjects, noticing details, angles, and relationships you used to miss.

😌 Reduces stress and anxiety
It's a therapeutic activity that lowers cortisol levels and shifts the mind into a more relaxed state.

… at least that’s what AI told me. 🤣

Am I super proud of this sketch and excited to share it on LinkedIn? Nope.

But I’m doing it anyway, in the name of Creative Bravery (a core value at Truly Creative). Hopefully by the end of the year there will be noticeable improvement.

Want to join me?

One of my favorite tote bags from the #WinterFancyFaire show. 
Pretty simple, yet it made me happy in a familiar, comforting way. I couldn’t quite place why.

Then I got home later that night with my favorite burrito and it clicked.

Someone at Bitchin'​ Sauce found inspiration in an everyday, mass-produced object that I overlook on a weekly basis. And then they turned it into a brand moment that fits their vibe perfectly. 

Inspiration can be found literally anywhere, if we're paying attention. 

Well done Bitchin'.👏👏👏

Private label is winning shoppers over with innovative, well-designed, trend-forward, value-priced options. For independent brands to compete, a couple things matter more than ever: 

Humanity and expertise.

In this article for FoodBevy, I unpack what private label has figured out and, more importantly, how independent brands can still stand out without racing to the bottom on price.

Thanks to Jordan Buckner for the opportunity to write about something impacting so many entrepreneurs and brand teams right now. 

Article link in comments. 👇

Loved this feature on Babsy from Healthcare Packaging magazine. 

Such a smart move leaning into playful packaging and product design that feels like a creative kit, not a sterile healthcare chore. It taps into the rise of personalized wellness products and self-expression, with interchangeable pieces.

In a category that tends to focus on tech advances, they’ve taken a quieter, more analog approach to innovation. No batteries or apps needed.

Big credit to Leadoff Studio for the industrial design and for bringing more creativity into healthcare. 👏👏👏

Link to article in the comments.

I help founder-led, sales-driven brands make the leap to brand-led, strategy-powered companies — so they can break out of the pack, scale without burnout, and stay true to what made them great.

With 20+ years in food, beverage, and consumer brands, I’ve helped build household names and category disrupters — including Freshpet (founding team; led marketing through IPO) and Farmer Focus (as CMO/CCO; grew into the #2-selling organic chicken brand).

What I do:
I guide founders through the leap from instinct- and sales-led growth to strategy-led scale — turning your vision, product strengths, and team capabilities into a compelling brand and integrated strategy your entire company can use.

The result?
A brand that stands out. A strategy that scales.
A business that grows — without needing the founder to do it all.

For Growth-Stage Brands ($10–50M):
• Refocus around what’s working
• Align execution across sales, product, and ops
• Get the founder out of the bottleneck

For Emerging Brands (Pre-scale):
• Turn expertise into a clear, compelling story
• Build a focused, founder-led plan for growth
• Launch with clarity and confidence

Best fit for:
✓ Founder-led CPG brands
✓ Fresh Food, Beverage, and Pet
✓ Natural, Organic & Better-for-You
✓ Brands ready to scale with brand, not just hustle


Kathryn Winstanley Tuttle

Kathryn Tuttle

In case you don't recognize it, this is women uplifting women. 

Today, twelve women—who have known each other for nearly 25 years—reconnected to celebrate one of our own. Some of us spoke yesterday. Some of us hadn’t spoken in twenty years. 

We reconnected today to celebrate our friend Vicki Johnson, PhD whose book 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 launched today. 

What you see in that thread is a group of highly competitive, driven women—leaders across academia, biotech, philanthropy, business, and family life—showing up wholeheartedly for someone else’s success. No comparison. No scarcity. Just pride.
 
And that says everything about the person at the center of it.
 
If you read Vicki’s book, you’ll learn that her path was anything but predictable. She came from an unexpected background, navigated uniquely challenging circumstances, and built her career with resolve and integrity. She is the kind of person who can reach out to a dozen people, years later, and be met with genuine admiration—because she earned it.
 
So if you’re wondering whether you can build something exceptional…  If you’re questioning whether your story, your background, or your timing is “enough”…  Read Vicki’s book.
 
𝘗𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 introduces her MATCH ME Formula®—a clear, practical framework for crafting winning applications and personal pitches for the world’s most competitive jobs, programs, fellowships, and opportunities. More than that, it reminds you that excellence isn’t accidental—and neither is community.
 
She inspired us. I have no doubt she’ll inspire you too.

ProFellow Ryan Johnson 
Tagging some of the ladies who frequent LI Alison Hardgrove, Amy (Cunningham) Ganderson 
#dosomethingexceptional #cornelluniversity #deltadeltadelta

Turning Good Products into Breakthrough Brands | Strategist & Advisor to Purpose Driven CPG Founders & Teams | $10-$100 MM | Ex-Freshpet Founding Team VP, Farmer Focus CMO

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