How to Build a Food Brand That Wins at Retail: 12 Lessons from Fly By Jing Founder Jing Gao

Every successful retail brand starts with a product, but the brands that stand the test of time begin with something much bigger: a problem worth solving.

Many founders spend months perfecting a recipe, designing beautiful packaging, or dreaming about seeing their product on the shelves of retailers like Whole Foods, Target, or Walmart. While those milestones are exciting, they are rarely the reason a brand succeeds. Retail buyers are looking for products that solve a consumer need, tell a compelling story, and demonstrate that customers are already willing to buy.

Jing Gao, founder and CEO of Fly By Jing, built one of the fastest-growing premium food brands in America by doing exactly that. Today, Fly By Jing products are available in more than 12,000 retail stores nationwide, but the company didn't begin with a massive manufacturing facility or investor backing. It started with a supper club, a passion for authentic Sichuan flavors, and an observation that consumers were missing something they didn't even know existed.

On this episode of the Shelf Talks Podcast, Jing shares the lessons that helped transform Fly By Jing from a small kitchen operation into a nationally recognized brand. Whether you're launching your first product or preparing to pitch retail buyers, these strategies can help you build a stronger business from the ground up.

1. Start With a Consumer Problem, Not Just a Great Product

One of the biggest mistakes founders make is falling in love with their product before understanding whether it solves a real consumer need.

Jing's journey didn't begin with the goal of creating a food company. After growing up in the West and reconnecting with her heritage while living in China, she immersed herself in authentic Sichuan cuisine, studying with chefs in Chengdu and hosting supper clubs throughout Shanghai and cities around the world. During those experiences she noticed something surprising. People loved the flavors they were tasting, but they couldn't find the ingredients or products needed to recreate those meals themselves. Authentic Sichuan ingredients were difficult to source, and many consumers had never been introduced to Chinese cuisine beyond the limited options commonly found in American grocery stores.

That insight became the foundation of Fly By Jing.

Instead of asking, "What product should I create?" Jing asked, "What problem needs to be solved?"

Retail buyers consistently look for products that fill a gap in the marketplace. A unique flavor, package design, or ingredient list isn't enough unless it addresses an unmet consumer need.

Founder Takeaway: Before investing heavily in product development, ask yourself what problem your product solves and why consumers will choose it over everything already on the shelf.

2. Validate Demand Before You Scale

One of the smartest decisions Jing made was proving there was demand before investing in large-scale manufacturing.

While hosting her supper clubs, she began preparing signature sauces ahead of time to simplify the cooking process. Guests quickly started asking if they could purchase the sauces themselves. Rather than ignoring the opportunity, she began producing small batches in her own kitchen and selling them locally in Shanghai.

That early feedback confirmed she wasn't simply serving great meals. She was creating a product people wanted to buy.

Many founders assume validation comes after launching in retail. In reality, retail buyers want to see evidence that consumers are already purchasing your product.

Jing continued validating demand through Kickstarter before officially launching her direct-to-consumer business. The crowdfunding campaign allowed customers to preorder the product, giving her proof that consumers were willing to spend money long before she invested heavily in inventory or national distribution.

Kickstarter also helped build an email list, generate excitement, and create a community of early supporters who became advocates for the brand.

Too often founders believe validation requires expensive market research. Sometimes validation simply means getting your product into people's hands and paying attention to what happens next. This is such an important step not to miss!

Founder Takeaway: Every preorder, farmers market sale, local event, and online order gives you valuable proof that can strengthen future retail pitches.

3. Trade Shows Can Reveal Opportunities You Didn't Know Existed

Many founders attend trade shows with one objective: sell their products.

Jing attended Expo West for an entirely different reason.

She wanted to understand the food industry.

Walking the show floor in 2018, she sampled products, observed trends, and explored hundreds of booths. By the end of the event, she realized something unexpected.

She hadn't experienced authentic Asian flavors the entire week.

That realization became one of the defining moments in Fly By Jing's journey. Rather than seeing a crowded marketplace, she saw a category with enormous opportunity. Authentic Chinese products were dramatically underrepresented, and there were very few founders bringing premium cultural food experiences to mainstream consumers.

This is one of the greatest benefits of attending trade shows.

Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't who you meet.

It's what you notice.

Trade shows allow founders to evaluate competitive landscapes, identify whitespace opportunities, study packaging trends, observe merchandising strategies, and better understand where consumer demand is heading.

Instead of asking, "How can I sell my product here?" ask, "What is missing?"

That simple shift in perspective can completely change the direction of your business.

Founder Takeaway: Walk every aisle with curiosity. Some of your biggest business opportunities won't be inside your booth. They'll be discovered while observing what isn't there.

4. Resourcefulness Is More Valuable Than Experience

One of the most inspiring parts of Jing's story is how she found a manufacturer.

She didn't have decades of manufacturing experience.

She didn't have industry connections.

She simply got resourceful.

Because food labels in China list the manufacturing facility, Jing began walking grocery store aisles, reading labels, writing down factory names, and calling them one by one. Most of them rejected her immediately. Some refused to take meetings altogether.

Instead of interpreting rejection as failure, she treated each "no" as another step toward finding the right partner. Eventually, one manufacturer decided to take a chance on her vision.

That decision changed the trajectory of the business.

Founders often believe success comes from knowing the right people.

More often, success comes from taking consistent action until someone says yes.

The same principle applies whether you're looking for manufacturers, brokers, distributors, retailers, investors, or media opportunities.

Persistence frequently outperforms experience.

Founder Takeaway: Don't wait until you know everything before taking action. Resourcefulness and persistence often open doors that credentials cannot.

5. Expect Your Product to Change During Manufacturing

Many founders believe their product development is complete once they've perfected their recipe at home.

Scaling tells a different story.

Jing explained that moving from small-batch production to commercial manufacturing required months of testing and refinement. Ingredients behaved differently, cooking times changed, sourcing evolved, and production methods had to be adapted without compromising flavor. It took approximately five months of continuous iteration before the product was ready for market.

This is a reality every founder should expect.

Commercial production is not simply making larger batches.

It's an entirely different process.

Successful founders embrace iteration rather than resisting it.

The goal isn't to preserve every detail of your kitchen process.

The goal is to deliver a consistent consumer experience at scale.

That often requires flexibility, patience, and strong collaboration with manufacturing partners.

Founder Takeaway: Expect multiple rounds of testing before commercialization. Building time into your product development timeline will reduce frustration and improve the final result. Dont get discourged many founders that have shared their journey on the podcast spent months and even years perfecting formulations and now win in retail stores.

6. Direct-to-Consumer Can Prepare You for Retail

Although retail eventually became Fly By Jing's long-term growth strategy, Jing intentionally focused on direct-to-consumer first.

Her Kickstarter campaign created an initial customer base, while Shopify made it possible to launch an online store without massive upfront investment. Those first customers didn't just purchase products. They provided reviews, reordered, shared recipes, recommended the brand to friends, and created valuable word-of-mouth marketing.

By the time Fly By Jing expanded beyond Kickstarter, the company already had thousands of engaged customers waiting for replenishment.

That foundation became incredibly valuable.

Many founders view direct-to-consumer and retail as competing strategies.

They're actually complementary.

Direct-to-consumer allows founders to learn who their customers are, understand purchasing behaviors, refine messaging, test pricing, and gather consumer insights before presenting the brand to retailers.

Retail buyers are significantly more confident bringing in brands that already demonstrate consumer demand.

The stronger your direct-to-consumer business becomes, the stronger your retail story becomes.

Founder Takeaway: Build a loyal customer base before chasing national distribution. Retail becomes much easier when consumers are already asking for your product.

7. Word of Mouth Is Still One of the Most Powerful Marketing Strategies

One of the biggest misconceptions among founders is that successful brands are built through massive advertising budgets. While paid marketing certainly has its place, Fly By Jing's early growth came from something far more valuable: people genuinely talking about the product.

Before the brand ever appeared on grocery shelves, Jing understood the importance of telling a compelling story. As she prepared to launch her Kickstarter campaign, she personally reached out to journalists who had previously written about Asian food and shared the vision behind the brand. Two major publications covered the launch, creating immediate awareness and credibility.

That early press created momentum, but it didn't stop there.

As customers received their orders, they began sharing Fly By Jing across social media, Reddit, Twitter, and food communities. Consumers weren't simply recommending another hot sauce. They were introducing friends to flavors many had never experienced before.

This type of organic advocacy is incredibly powerful because it comes from trust rather than advertising.

Consumers are far more likely to purchase a product recommended by someone they know or someone they already follow than one introduced through a traditional advertisement.

For founders preparing to enter retail, this is an important lesson.

Retail buyers want products that already have conversations happening around them. When shoppers walk into a store looking specifically for your brand because they've heard about it from friends, influencers, media, or social platforms, you've already created demand before your product reaches the shelf.

Instead of asking, "How much should I spend on advertising?" consider asking, "How can I create an experience people naturally want to share?"

Whether that's exceptional packaging, remarkable product quality, educational content, recipes, sampling events, or founder storytelling, memorable experiences fuel word-of-mouth marketing.

Founder Takeaway: The strongest marketing strategy isn't always the most expensive. Create products and stories people can't wait to recommend.

8. Sometimes the Best Retail Decision Is Saying "Not Yet"

Many founders dream about receiving an email from a major retailer asking to carry their product.

Fly By Jing received exactly that opportunity.

Whole Foods reached out early in the company's journey after one of its buyers discovered the brand through Kickstarter. For many founders, this would have been an automatic yes.

Jing said no.

Not because she didn't want the business, but because she understood something many founders overlook.

Getting onto retail shelves is only the beginning.

Staying there requires consistent inventory, reliable manufacturing, operational systems, forecasting, logistics, and the ability to support growing consumer demand. At that stage, Fly By Jing was still focused on serving its direct-to-consumer customers and simply wasn't prepared to scale into retail successfully.

Rather than risking an unsuccessful launch, Jing waited nearly two years before revisiting the opportunity.

That patience paid off.

When the company eventually entered Whole Foods, it was prepared to support the business and quickly expanded from a regional test into national distribution.

Many founders believe every retail opportunity should be accepted immediately.

In reality, timing matters.

Launching before your business is operationally ready can create out-of-stocks, inconsistent service, disappointed buyers, and lost opportunities that may be difficult to recover from.

Sometimes protecting your long-term business means delaying short-term excitement.

Founder Takeaway: The right retailer at the wrong time can become the wrong opportunity. Make sure your business is ready before saying yes.

9. Your Supply Chain Determines Your Ability to Scale

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged supply chains across nearly every consumer packaged goods category.

For Fly By Jing, it became one of the most important learning experiences in the company's history.

As demand accelerated, maintaining inventory became increasingly difficult. Manufacturing disruptions, shipping delays, and uncertainty forced the company to rethink how it approached operations. Rather than relying on a single manufacturing partner, Jing diversified production across multiple facilities to strengthen the business for future growth.

This operational work happened behind the scenes, but it became the foundation for retail expansion.

Consumers rarely think about supply chains when shopping.

Retail buyers think about them every day.

No matter how innovative your product may be, retailers need confidence that you can consistently deliver inventory, replenish shelves, and support promotional activity.

One out-of-stock item can affect an entire category.

Strong operations create strong retail partnerships.

Founders often spend hundreds of hours perfecting branding while overlooking inventory planning, manufacturing redundancy, and logistics.

The brands that successfully scale do both.

Founder Takeaway: Before expanding distribution, strengthen the systems that support growth. Your supply chain is just as important as your product.

10. Packaging Should Evolve as Your Business Evolves

Packaging serves different purposes depending on where consumers discover your brand.

When Fly By Jing launched online, packaging primarily needed to capture attention on a screen and communicate the premium quality of the product.

Retail changed everything.

Once products appeared on store shelves, consumers had only a few seconds to notice the brand, understand what it was, and decide whether to place it in their shopping cart.

That required a different approach.

Jing explained that Fly By Jing has refreshed its branding multiple times throughout its journey. Each evolution reflected the company's growth, changing consumer behavior, and retail environment. While the earliest packaging focused on standing out visually, later updates emphasized storytelling, ingredient quality, and communicating the brand's purpose more quickly at shelf.

This is an important reminder for founders.

Your first package design doesn't have to be your forever package design.

As your business grows, your packaging should continue solving new challenges.

Questions to continually ask include:

• Can shoppers understand my product within three seconds?

• Does my packaging communicate the product benefit immediately?

• Does it stand out against competitors?

• Does it reflect my current customer rather than my original customer?

The strongest retail brands continually evolve while remaining recognizable.

Founder Takeaway: Packaging isn't just beautiful design. It's one of your most important sales tools.

11. Grow Distribution Strategically, Not Everywhere at Once

Many founders define success by the number of retail doors they enter.

Jing focused on something different.

She focused on entering the right doors first.

Rather than immediately pursuing mass retail, Fly By Jing built credibility through specialty retailers, independent stores, natural grocery chains, and regional expansion before moving into larger national accounts. This thoughtful approach allowed the company to learn, refine operations, and establish consumer demand before dramatically increasing distribution.

Each new retailer became another opportunity to gather insights, improve execution, and strengthen relationships.

This measured growth also reduced operational risk.

Expanding into hundreds or thousands of stores too quickly can overwhelm production, create inventory shortages, and stretch marketing resources.

Growing strategically gives brands the opportunity to prove sell-through before expanding further.

Retail buyers appreciate founders who prioritize long-term success over rapid expansion.

Founder Takeaway: More stores don't automatically equal more success. Sustainable growth often comes from expanding thoughtfully rather than quickly.

12. Innovation Should Make Your Brand Easier to Experience

One of Fly By Jing's most successful innovations wasn't simply introducing another sauce.

It was introducing products that made authentic Sichuan flavors even more approachable.

Noodles became a natural extension of the brand because consumers already understood how to prepare them. For someone unfamiliar with chili crisp, noodles created an easy entry point into the Fly By Jing portfolio. Limited-edition products, seasonal collections, and collaborations with complementary brands also introduced new audiences to the company's flavors while creating excitement among existing customers.

Innovation isn't always about creating something consumers have never seen before.

Sometimes it's about reducing barriers.

Ask yourself:

How can I make my product easier to understand?

How can I simplify trial?

How can I encourage repeat purchases?

The most successful innovations often remove friction rather than add complexity.

Founder Takeaway: Every new SKU should solve a customer problem, expand accessibility, or strengthen your brand story.

13. Stay True to Your Mission While Scaling

As Fly By Jing expanded nationally, one principle remained unchanged.

Quality came first.

Although the company found efficiencies in packaging, logistics, and operations that allowed it to reduce pricing over time, Jing made it clear that the ingredients themselves never changed. Maintaining authenticity remained central to the brand's mission, even as distribution expanded across thousands of stores.

For many founders, growth introduces pressure to cut costs, simplify formulas, or compromise quality.

Long-term brands resist that temptation.

Consumers notice consistency.

Retail buyers notice consistency.

Strong brands are built by continually finding smarter ways to operate without sacrificing the promise made to customers.

Fly By Jing's journey demonstrates that authenticity and scalability are not mutually exclusive. When your mission remains clear, growth becomes an opportunity to introduce more consumers to what makes your brand special rather than changing who you are to appeal to the masses.

Founder Takeaway: Scale should amplify your mission, not replace it.

Building a retail brand isn't about getting lucky with one buyer meeting or one viral social media post. It's about consistently making thoughtful decisions that strengthen your business over time. Jing Gao's journey with Fly By Jing demonstrates that successful founders don't simply create great products. They identify meaningful consumer problems, validate demand before scaling, invest in operational excellence, adapt as their business evolves, and remain committed to the mission that inspired their brand from the very beginning. Today, Fly By Jing is available in more than 12,000 retail locations, but that success was built one deliberate decision at a time. Whether you're preparing to launch your first product, pitching national retailers, or looking to grow your existing business, these lessons provide a practical roadmap for building a brand that can thrive both on the shelf and beyond it. If you'd like to hear Jing Gao share her journey in her own words, listen to the full conversation on the Shelf Talks Podcast and discover even more insights for building a product-based business that's ready for retail success.

Listen to her episode and let me know you actionable steps you will take away to grow your brand, I would love to hear in the comments.

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