Danielle Calabrese – The CPG School Launch Course

The CPG School Launch Course by Danielle Calabrese is a self-paced program for emerging food, beverage and supplement founders. Its approach centers on practical assets for the work involved in bringing a packaged product to market.

The materials combine video lessons with documents, PDF templates and spreadsheet calculators. Founders can work through the resources on their own timeline and return to individual tools as launch milestones arise.

What you’ll learn in the CPG launch system

• Master the CPG launch playbook Danielle Calabrese uses with emerging brands
• Develop pitch decks and sell sheets that work with real retail buyers
• Learn the manufacturer and distributor shortlist strategy for food and beverage
• Apply Danielle’s pricing calculators to protect margins at wholesale
• Build a launch toolkit covering product, packaging, and shelf strategy
• Implement the self-paced CPG School system instead of waitlisted cohorts

A toolkit-first approach to launching a CPG brand

The CPG School Launch Course is built around the tasks an emerging brand faces while preparing a product for market. These include pricing a first SKU, presenting the brand to a retail buyer and preparing to brief a co-packer.

Its self-paced format is intended for founders who are already managing an operating business. Rather than organizing the material around a scheduled cohort, the program gives founders assets they can use as they work through their own launch.

What the complete launch toolkit covers

The toolkit brings together financial calculators, presentation templates and curated sourcing resources. Each asset corresponds to a practical part of getting a food, beverage or supplement brand ready for launch or retail rollout.

• Margin and pricing calculators: Work through the pricing of a first SKU and the math involved in extending a product line.
• Investor pitch deck template: Prepare a presentation for a friends-and-family or pre-seed fundraising round.
• Retail buyer pitch deck: Use a presentation format intended for grocery and specialty buyers.
• Sell sheet template: Create a one-page document for a broker or buyer to take away.
• Manufacturer resources: Explore vetted contacts Danielle curated through her work with CPG brands.
• Distributor resources: Use vetted resources while planning a retail rollout.

Who the course is built for

The program focuses on emerging consumer packaged goods brands rather than general direct-to-consumer instruction. It addresses the needs of first-time food founders preparing for a retail launch and beverage founders planning direct-to-consumer and retail channels in parallel.

It is also relevant to supplement founders navigating compliance and co-packer selection, as well as packaged goods founders preparing a friends-and-family or pre-seed raise. Operators moving from a kitchen hobby toward a registered brand are another intended audience.

Founders can use the course materials at the point they need them: for example, working on pricing and pitch decks during launch preparation, then returning to sourcing or distributor resources as their plans progress.

Danielle Calabrese and the CPG School method

Danielle Calabrese is a CPG brand consultant and the founder of CPG School, an education platform for emerging food, beverage and supplement founders. She describes working directly with early-stage brands on pricing, pitching and sourcing.

Those three areas shape the course toolkit. Its method puts usable assets at the center of the learning experience, from calculators and deck templates to the curated manufacturer and distributor resources founders can consult as they develop their launch plans.

Course materials and format

The course combines video lessons with downloadable documents, PDFs and spreadsheets. The spreadsheet calculators cover pricing and margin work, while the templates include an investor deck, a retail buyer deck and a one-page sell sheet.

The manufacturer and distributor resources sit alongside those materials, bringing sourcing and retail rollout into the same toolkit as financial planning and pitching. Founders can move through the resources at their own pace rather than following a cohort schedule.

Also on GenkiCourses for ecommerce: Traian Turcu – The Blueprint 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the CPG School Launch Course?

It is Danielle Calabrese’s self-paced program for emerging consumer packaged goods founders. The course combines launch materials for pricing, pitching, sourcing and retail rollout.

Who is the CPG School Launch Course for?

It is designed for food, beverage and supplement founders, including first-time founders preparing for retail and operators planning direct-to-consumer and retail sales. It also addresses packaged goods founders preparing a friends-and-family or pre-seed raise.

What materials are included in the course?

The materials include video lessons, documents, PDF templates and spreadsheet calculators. The toolkit also contains curated manufacturer and distributor resources.

Does the course include help finding a co-packer?

The course includes vetted manufacturer resources that founders can use as a starting point when looking for a co-packer. Supplement founders navigating co-packer selection are among the people the program is designed for.

How long does it take to complete the course?

The program is self-paced, so founders can work through the calculators and pitch decks on their own timeline. The templates can also be revisited as specific launch milestones come up.