OM DENNE EPISODE
What happens when a Topgolf, World Poker Tour and Virgin Games veteran takes over a bread company? YuChiang "YC" Cheng invested in Hero Bread through his family office, fell in love with the product and ended up as CEO. Now he's running Hero like an entertainment company runs a fan base, and the data says it's working.
Dave Knox and YC dig into why Hero walked away from its early "Beyond Meat of bread" positioning, how DTC became the brand's fan community while retail delivers value, what it took to land nationwide at Target, and why Hero bakes, freezes and ships its bread frozen when the industry told them that was crazy. YC also shares his "10% bets" rule for risk-taking, the story behind the Auntie Anne's collaboration, and what resisting the frame of traditional CPG really looks like.
YuChiang "YC" Cheng is CEO of Hero Bread. Before Hero, he helped build Topgolf, World Poker Tour and Virgin Games, and he invests in founders through his family office.
**In this episode:**
- Why Hero dropped the "Beyond Meat of bread" story
- DTC as a fan community, retail as the value channel
- The retailer data showing shoppers returning to bread
- Hero's "10% bets" approach to risk and innovation
- Freezing bread for nutrition, and building with regional bakeries instead of big capex
