Retail media for CPG operators
Practical frameworks built on real account work — covering Instacart ROAS, Amazon Ads, and retail media waste diagnostics for CPG operators who run their own programs.
9 posts in Maple Made — clear
Three Farmers: How Three Saskatchewan Farming Families Built a National Pulse Snack Brand (Maple Made #009)
Three Farmers Foods is a Saskatoon-based snack brand built by three prairie farming families and led by sister CEOs Natasha and Elysia Vandenhurk. Roasted Crunchy Little Peas, lentils, and Camelina Oil — stocked at Sobeys, Loblaws, Save-On-Foods, Walmart Canada, and on Instacart Canada.
Acid League: How Two Guelph Food Scientists Turned Vinegar Into a 3,000-Store Pantry Brand (Maple Made #008)
Acid League is a Toronto pantry brand making living vinegars, non-alcoholic Wine Proxy, hot sauces, and shrubs. Co-founder Cole Pearsall made Forbes 30 Under 30. Stocked in 3,000+ stores across Canada and the US, including Loblaws, Whole Foods, Walmart, and Instacart Canada.
Evive Nutrition: The Quebec Frozen Smoothie Cube Brand That Won All Five Dragons (Maple Made #007)
Evive Nutrition makes frozen smoothie cubes sold in 5,000+ stores across Canada, including Instacart, Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Metro, and Sobeys.
Comeback Snacks: The Hamilton Popcorn Brand Born Inside a Prison Cell (Maple Made #006)
Comeback Snacks is a Hamilton, Ontario specialty popcorn brand founded by Emily O'Brien after her release from prison in 2018. Mission-driven, Instacart-native, available at Loblaws, Walmart, and Sobeys across Canada. 2025 Sobeys Diversity Award winner.
Sushi Pocket: Inside the Canadian Frozen Brand That Cracked Sushi for the Grocery Aisle (Maple Made #005)
Sushi Pocket by Goodwave Technology is a Canadian frozen sushi brand — Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards finalist, available at Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, and Instacart Canada.
Benny: Inside the BC Energy Drink That Made Forbes 30 Under 30 and Hit 500+ Canadian Stores (Maple Made #004)
Benny is a BC energy drink made with yerba mate and adaptogens by two UVic grads. Forbes 30 Under 30 2026. In 500+ Canadian stores and on Instacart Canada.
Dose Juice: How a Montreal Couple Built Canada's Female-Founded Organic Cold-Pressed Juice Brand (Maple Made #003)
A Montreal couple cold-pressing in their Old-Port kitchen turned Dose Juice into a certified-organic brand stocked at Costco, Walmart, Metro, Whole Foods, IGA, and across roughly 18 SKUs on Instacart Canada.
Triple X.O.G.: Inside Canada's First Canned Cognac Green Tea Cocktail (Maple Made #001)
Canada's first ready-to-drink canned cocktail made from cognac, jasmine green tea, and Canadian honey. Inside the Vancouver brand: the founders, the Dragons' Den deal, and where to buy it.
Maple 3: Inside the Quebec Maple Water Brand Selling in 10 Countries (Maple Made #002)
A fourth-generation maple producer turned a single Quebec sugar bush into a beverage brand stocked in IGA, Metro, Whole Foods, Costco US, and ten countries, without a venture round.
From the community
Curated weekly from r/InstacartAds, r/Google_Ads, and r/DigitalMarketing.
CPG digital ad recommendations
Marketers sharing channel recommendations for CPG brands — where to spend, what benchmarks to target, and which platforms deliver real retail lift.
Open thread →r/Google_AdsHow is CPC 10x less on Google-generated ads?
Discussion on why AI-generated Google ads can show dramatically lower CPCs and whether the quality of traffic actually holds up for conversion campaigns.
Open thread →r/InstacartAdsI tested Instacart Acquire (New-to-Brand) with optimized bidding
Real-world test results from running Instacart's Acquire NTB campaign type with optimized bidding — including ROAS, NTB rate, and spend efficiency findings.
Open thread →r/InstacartAdsDoes optimized or autobidding on Instacart actually work?
Operators comparing manual bidding vs. autobid on Instacart campaigns — sharing spend data and whether ceding bid control improves or hurts efficiency.
Open thread →Want a second opinion on your retail media program?
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