atomic blog:
Solving CPG Marketing Problems, one blog post at a time

Powered by big-CPG veterans, our posts give founders, executives, and marketing leaders practical strategies to improve velocity, build positioning that sells, manage agencies effectively, and scale without overspending.

If you’re growing a food & beverage brand, this is your playbook for accelerating market penetration and building a brand that lasts.

What Two Years of Building átomos Taught Us About CPG Growth

What Two Years of Building átomos Taught Us About CPG Growth

Two years into building átomos, one conviction is clear: CPG growth does not come from more marketing activity. It comes from architecture. These are 11 honest lessons from working with food, beverage, and CPG founders trying to build brands that actually scale.

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Why Every Beverage Brand Is Changing Right Now
Rich Rodríguez-Mahé Rich Rodríguez-Mahé

Why Every Beverage Brand Is Changing Right Now

The beverage category is changing fast — but not because of trend noise. From wellness saturation and GLP-1 to Gen Z’s shift away from alcohol and the pressure of retail velocity, these structural changes are redefining how CPG brands need to position, package, and grow.

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5 Things Every Clear CPG Brand Does. Most Founders Skip #3.
Rich Rodríguez-Mahé Rich Rodríguez-Mahé

5 Things Every Clear CPG Brand Does. Most Founders Skip #3.

With private label at $330B and 58% of consumers saying brand is irrelevant, CPG brand strategy is now a survival skill. The clearest food and beverage brands make five specific moves — and most founders skip the one that holds the other four together.

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Should I Hire a Fractional CMO or an Agency First?
Rich Rodríguez-Mahé Rich Rodríguez-Mahé

Should I Hire a Fractional CMO or an Agency First?

If you’re a founder or exec at a growing food or beverage brand, you’ve probably wrestled with this question.

You know you need marketing help — but do you start with a strategic leader who sets direction, or go straight to an agency to get campaigns running?

The truth is, the order matters. Get it right and you save money, time, and headaches. Get it wrong and you risk burning budget on campaigns that don’t convert or building brand assets that don’t support your long-term goals.

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Why should I focus on Velocity for my Food & Beverage Brand?
Rich Rodríguez-Mahé Rich Rodríguez-Mahé

Why should I focus on Velocity for my Food & Beverage Brand?

It all begins with an idea.Velocity: The #1 KPI for Emerging and Early-Stage Food & Beverage Brands

When you’re building a food or beverage brand, it’s easy to obsess over the wrong numbers. Impressions, followers, ad click-through rates — they all feel like progress.

But here’s the truth: none of that matters if your product isn’t moving off the shelf.

If you want to know whether you’ve nailed product–market fit — whether you’ve built something people will actually buy again — the single most important metric to watch is velocity.

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