On this episode, we’re joined by Eric Girard, VP of Sales & Marketing at Van Holten’s, to break down all things licensing and co-branding.

He explains how the first deal started when a Tapatío licensing agency approached them at a trade show, how he had to sell it internally (“why pay a royalty?”), and how mentioning Tapatío suddenly opened doors with category managers - 7-Eleven even helped launch it in 2019.

Eric details their development rule of thumb (have a signed deal or at least royalty/terms outlined before going too far) and why they aim for the “essence” of a partner’s flavor rather than an exact match (Tapatío took ~27 iterations; the vinegar system sets guardrails).

He gets specific on deal structure—keep royalties south of 10%, at least three-year terms, agreements focused on style guides—and differences by partner (e.g., Warner Bros/Pickle Rick is more structured than Impact Confections/Warheads). And Eric lays out the margin philosophy: the product must be profitable, but he’s okay with a lower margin if it helps sell core dill pickles and gets brokers and category managers leaning in.

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Episode Highlights:

🥒 Origin of the Pickle-In-A-Pouch and why ambient single-serve wins
🤝 Licensing & co-branding: choosing partners, briefs, and approvals
💸 Deal structure, royalties, MDF, and protecting margin
🧪 Multi-flavor production: brines, line changes, and QA at scale
🎨 Visual identity and packaging updates that drive velocity
⛽ C-store realities: planograms, secondary placement, and DSD
📣 Marketing resourcing: what to insource, what to outsource
🎪 Trade shows that matter and how to actually win them
🔭 Flavors, formats, and cultural trends Eric is tracking

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Table of Contents:

00:45:18 – Intro and overview, origin of the pouch
02:32:36 – How the pickle space has evolved, where it’s going
05:34:15 – Licensing and co-branding
14:13:16 – Licensing deal structure, margin philosophy
18:18:20 – Licensor and licensee commitments
22:01:27 – Recs for licensing-focused leaders
23:25:25 – Different flavors for different markets?
25:21:23 – Production logistics for multiple flavors, multiple formulations
27:20:12 – Visual identity and packaging design
29:44:06 – C-stores
31:24:03 – Marketing resources
32:53:19 – Winning at tradeshows
36:01:03 – Brands and trends Eric is tracking

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Links:

Van Holten’s – https://vanholtenpickles.com
Follow Eric on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-girard-a80782/
Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/
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