Vine to Bar with Ed Klein and Scott Forsberg

Sold a little, learned a lot.

Most brands try to skip this part.

They go straight to scale.
More distribution.
More spend.
More everything. And then wonder why nothing sticks.

I interviewed Scott Forsberg and Ed Klein on the podcast this week, the founders behind a chocolate brand called Vine to Bar.

On the surface, it’s already a great story:

Upcycled Chardonnay grapes
Science-backed benefits
Better-for-you chocolate

But that’s not the most interesting part.

The most compelling part Is what they didn’t do

They had everything you could want in a brand:

• Taste

• Health

• Sustainability

• A strong founder story

• Real science (not marketing fluff)

Most brands would take that…
and try to say all of it. They did that too—at first. And it didn’t work.

So They Did What Most Founders Don’t. They slowed down.

They tested. They paid attention. They sold a little and learned a lot.

And what they learned changed everything.

The Shift

They had multiple directions they could go: Wine + chocolate lifestyle.

General “better for you”. Cardiovascular health

All valid. None of them landed.

But one did. Gut health. That shift didn’t change the product. It changed the focus. And it unlocked the business.

Most founders think more is better. More SKUs. More claims. More messaging

This brand isn’t growing because it has more.

It’s growing because it’s focused enough for people to care.

A Final Thought
You don’t need more ideas.

You need to figure out:

• What people understand instantly

• What they actually care about

• What makes them come back

And then stay there long enough for it to work.

Most brands won’t do that.Because it feels slower. But it’s the way things stick.

If you’re building something right now, this one’s worth a listen.