Twenty years building consumer brands. Now we work with leadership teams and investors to launch, fix, and scale theirs, from first shelf to national.
Our Services
Leaven Brands works with leadership teams and investors who need an operator in the room. We’ve run the P&L, built the teams, sold into national retail, and raised the capital. Now we bring that experience to brands that are launching, stuck, or ready for the next stage.
-
Strategic Planning & Execution: Direction, prioritization, and accountability across the full business
Organization Design: Structure, and team design for the next stage of growth
Team Building & Leadership: Hiring, coaching, and building teams that perform.
P&L & Financial Management: Budgeting, forecasting, burn control, and financial planning
-
Sales Strategy & Distribution: Retail expansion, distributor management, and channel development
Marketing & Brand Development: Positioning, campaigns, and go to market planning
Innovation & Product Strategy: New product development, portfolio architecture, and launch planning
Operations Management: Supply chain, logistics, and operational efficiency
Pricing & Promotion: Price ladders, trade spend, and promo plans that hold margin
-
Due Diligence: Commercial and operational review before you buy or invest
Portfolio Support: An operator to assess, reset, and restart a stalled brand
Fundraising: The model, the story, and the materials for the next round
Planning Models: Forecasts that tie price, volume, and cash together, using AI tools where they help
Our Team
Nick Benz
Managing Partner
A CPG executive and founder with 20 years building and scaling consumer brands. As President of Caliwater, he led the company to national scale, growing distribution to include Costco, Walmart, Albertsons, Sprouts, HEB and Wegmans while driving rapid revenue growth and raising multiple rounds of capital. Previously, he co-founded Betera, led the turnaround of Barrel Creek Provisions, and held senior leadership roles at Jackson Family Wines and FIJI Water. Today he leads Leaven, working with leadership teams and investors to launch, fix, and scale consumer brands.
Paul Eschbach
Partner
A chef trained in Michelin starred kitchens, with over 20 years of experience across fine dining, global hospitality, brand building, and consumer experience. He has led operations for Jean-Georges restaurants in China and Hong Kong, including the reopening of Jean-Georges Shanghai, which earned its first Michelin Star in 2018, and played a key role in expanding the Mercato brand internationally. Paul later co-founded Betera, bringing his culinary background into consumer products, and currently serves as Executive Chef at The Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton, New York. He is also the author of Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Official Cookbook, reflecting his ability to connect food, storytelling, and brand, and has held senior culinary leadership roles at Perry Street, the Hermitage Resort, and Airbnb.
Contact Us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!