In this Born to Build episode, Didi Deane shares how a trip through South America sparked the idea for POPCO, and how she and her husband Tim turned that inspiration into a fast-growing South African frozen treat brand. She takes us from experimenting with recipes at their dining room table and selling at local markets, to navigating Covid, bootstrapping the business, building their own frozen distribution network, and expanding into major retailers.

It’s a practical conversation about building a great product, growing a consumer brand, scaling without shortcuts, and learning when to let go as a founder.

Chapters:

(00:00) Welcome & Meet Didi Deane
(01:08) The South American Inspiration Behind POPCO
(02:41) From Kitchen Experiments to the First Markets
(05:43) Building the POPCO Brand
(07:17) Developing the Perfect Product
(11:36) Building a Business With Your Spouse
(15:30) When POPCO Became a “Real” Business
(17:28) Bootstrapping, Funding & the Covid Challenge
(20:19) The Complexity of Frozen Distribution
(22:48) Scaling the Economics of a Consumer Brand
(24:29) Breaking Into Major Retailers
(26:02) Didi’s Advice for Food & Product Founders
(30:19) Building a Team & Learning to Let Go
(33:10) What’s Next for POPCO
(34:18) The Freedom Challenge & Rapid Fire

Check them out:https://ilovepopco.com/

About Born to Build:

Born to Build is a podcast featuring conversations with the builders, founders, and pioneers driving change from the ground up. Each episode highlights the real stories of SME owners – how they started, what they've overcome, and what keeps them building their business. It's honest, practical business insight from those shaping their industries one bold move at a time, equipping you with the tools to build and grow YOUR business.