Episode Details

From Kitchen Startup to National Brand: How Lewis Goldstein Is Betting Big on Buckwheat

Season 2 Episode 41 Published 2 months, 2 weeks ago

Description

On this episode of Gluten-Free Unwrapped, I chat with Lewis Goldstein, CEO of Maine Crisps and Better with Buckwheat, to talk about what it takes to scale a small, mission-driven CPG brand.

Lewis joined Maine Crisps in 2022 with a bold goal: to transform a beloved mom-and-pop gluten-free cracker brand into a nationally recognized company built around the power of buckwheat. Since then, the brand has seen impressive growth, expanded into major retailers, and continued to highlight buckwheat as a nutritious, naturally gluten-free superfood.

In our conversation, Lewis shares how founder Karen Getz first created Maine Crisps in her kitchen. We talk about how the company evolved from a small regional brand into a fast-growing national business.

Lewis also explains why buckwheat deserves more attention, from its status as a complete protein to its naturally gluten- and grain-free nutrition profile, and how sourcing Maine-grown buckwheat supports regenerative agriculture and sustainable farming practices.

We also dive into the realities of scaling a food company: navigating distribution and balancing growth with the integrity of a clean-ingredient brand.

In this episode, we discuss: