Todd Goldstein has worked with entrepreneurs and startups for years as the co-founder and CEO of coworking organization LaunchHouse. He's helped launch startups himself, and he's served as an owner or investor in companies.
But Whoa Dough is the first time he's really taken a product from idea to store shelves.
Whoa Dough is an edible cookie dough bar that Goldstein first introduced to the market in late summer 2019. The product comes in a range of flavors, from sugar cookie to peanut butter chocolate chip. The bars can be eaten as is, or they can be baked or chilled. And now, the company, which is based at LaunchHouse in Highland Heights, is in the midst of a relaunch.
Goldstein was diagnosed with gluten intolerance in 2011. His sons, who were born in 2015 and 2017, also have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance. That all set Goldstein on the path toward Whoa Dough.
He started looking for a treat that could fit in the gluten-free market and noticed that edible cookie dough was starting to take off as a trend.
"It's something that everyone loves," he said. "It's nostalgic."
He decided to pursue a cookie dough bar that could be eaten on the go. Ultimately, it took 19 iterations to get to the company's first product for public release. That took place in 2019, with grocers such as Heinen's and Miles Farmers Market agreeing to carry the bars.
Goldstein quickly started to face some of the same challenges he's seen other entrepreneurs face.
"It's been really, I want to say, a roller coaster ever since," he said.
The big problem was that the product he created wasn't really what he wanted to be selling. Goldstein said he had been aiming for a "healthy indulgence," not a protein bar. But what he was selling was much closer to a protein bar than cookie dough.
Early on, Goldstein had worked to tweak the formula, changing the ingredients slightly to avoid a sour aftertaste.
"But, ultimately, it didn't matter what one ingredient I switched, we had completely missed the mark," Goldstein said.
And customers weren't wowed with the taste. Goldstein said the company's Amazon reviews should have led him to reformulate almost immediately.
Goldstein went back to the drawing board, working with a food scientist to completely redevelop the bars. The result is a new formula that goes back to Goldstein's "healthy indulgence" idea that's in the process of hitting store shelves.
In November, local shoppers will be able to find the new bars at Heinen's, Miles Market and Dave's Markets locations. The new bars also will be available on Amazon in mid-November. Whole Foods shoppers will still see the old formula through at least the end of 2020.
One of Whoa Dough's partners throughout this process has been Cleveland-based brand design agency Twist.
One of Twist's areas of focus is "innovative, somewhat-natural" food or home goods products, said CEO and chief creative officer Michael Ozan. Whoa Dough was a good fit.
Through the product reformulation, Whoa Dough's logo has stayed the same, but the packaging and messaging has been updated to put a stronger focus on the new ingredients. Ozan said he views everything up to the relaunch an "experiment."
"This formula will be the real product," he said.
The new formula aims to taste more like real cookie dough instead of a protein bar. It's lower calorie than the previous iteration and less protein-focused. And it's been reformulated to be vegan in addition to being gluten free. It also aims to be allergy friendly, though the peanut butter flavors obviously include that common allergen.
Part of the relaunch also included moving production to a new manufacturer in Youngstown. Manufacturing had started at a company in California, which meant Goldstein couldn't always get to and from the plant for product testing. And the costs at the former manufacturer didn't leave much room for profit.
The new manufacturer's prices were better, and setting up production close by meant Goldstein could get more directly involved. And with his years of experience at LaunchHouse, getting to give work to a local company is something of a "dream come true," Goldstein said.
"To me, starting LaunchHouse was a way to bring people together to allow them to start businesses," he said. "But I think I had always imagined that, whether it was through investing or creating my own businesses, I would be able to have a larger impact here."
Admittedly, the company is still just getting its start. Currently, there are four employees, in addition to Goldstein. He hopes that reaches 20 in the next five years.
And last year, Whoa Dough saw gross sales of about $45,000, Goldstein said. So far this year, sales are a bit above $50,000. He's transparent about those figures, because he wants other entrepreneurs to understand the process.
"You don't go to a million dollars overnight," he said.
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November 15, 2020 at 04:00PM
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LaunchHouse co-founder aims to hit sweet spot with new Whoa Dough product - Crain's Cleveland Business
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