723 Jordan Nathan: Founder & CEO of Caraway

0:00I am unwilling to give up, but I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be.

0:09Kara Goldin:You just want to make sure you will get knocked down, but just make sure you don't get knocked out. So your only choice should be, go focus on what you can control. Hi everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world's greatest leaders. We'll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can't wait to get started. Let's go. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Kara Golden Show. Today's guest is someone who has completely transformed the way we think about what we bring into our kitchens.

0:52Kara Goldin:Jordan Nathan is the founder and CEO of Carraway, and it is the non-toxic design-forward cookware brand that has become a go-to for home cooks, interior design lovers, and anyone who wants a healthier, more beautiful kitchen. As I was just telling Jordan, he has incredible fans here at the Golden House, and my sons are convinced that you can make better eggs with the caraway pans. So he definitely got some new consumers going for sure. But since launching in 2019 with a wait list of over 150 ,000, Jordan has scaled caraway into one of the fastest growing home brands of the decade. So what started with stylish, toxic-free cookware has expanded now into bakeware, food storage, kettles, prepware, you name it.

1:51Kara Goldin:And what really sets Carraway apart, Jordan's commitment to making products that don't just look good, but they also are doing good. So I cannot wait to talk to Jordan about this a bit more and hear really what the secret sauce is to building the brand that he has thus far. So welcome, Jordan. How are you? Doing great. Thanks so much for having me on the show. Absolutely. I'm very excited to have you here. And as I said, I'm a fan of Caraway. So it's, you know, I really always love to hear the story behind the brands. So I'm very excited to have you here. So let's start with the basics. How would you describe the Caraway brand that you've built and why do you think it resonates so deeply with consumers?

2:40Kara Goldin:This message is a paid partnership with AT &T Business. Hey everyone, Kara here. Let's get real about those early days of building a business. Not the highlight reel, the actual day-to-day, the friction, trying to manage everything across time zones, across teams, across locations, and realizing how much depends on staying connected. I remember those days at Hint, a retailer call, an order, a decision, all of it. And you realize quickly, connection isn't a nice to have, it's the lifeblood of your business. As a founder, you don't want to think about your connectivity. You just need it to work every time.

3:24Kara Goldin:That's why AT &T Business matters. AT &T Business is the reliable provider for small business owners. And when you have that kind of reliability behind you, you can focus on what actually moves your business forward. Powered by AT &T Business, built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. Yeah, so we founded the brand back in late 2019. And, you know, we started with cookware and really the impetus to start the brand was I actually got Teflon poisoning accidentally while cooking at my home one night. I had taken a Teflon pan to the burner one night, turned on the flame, ended up getting a phone call and walked away from the kitchen for about 45 minutes, came back and the pan was black, actually got sick from the fumes from the pan, called Poison Control and found out that I had what's called Teflon flu, which is kind of flu like symptoms that you get from overheating a Teflon pan.

4:30And, you know, when we kind of set out to build Carraway, the goal was really to create cookware that was clean and non-toxic. And, you know, I think today we're really looking to create a brand that stands for the clean home and clean living. And, you know, for us, that mission of always looking to improve, always looking to offer consumers the safest products and access to safer homes and kitchen is, you know, really what our core mission is and what we set out to build.

5:02Kara Goldin:You had this personal experience with Teflon that led you to not only have a, you know, recognition of what the problem was in and out there, but it's one thing to have, like, hey, I wish somebody else would do this. Maybe you even give other people the idea. But then you just decide, I need to go do this. I need to go and develop not just a product or a series of products, but actually launch a company. So can you walk us through how, like, what were you thinking? That's a good question. It's been a fun but challenging road. Um, you know, I, I kind of went through this experience and really felt uniquely suited to tackle this problem.

5:50I think, you know, all the best businesses are built from personal experiences and challenges. And I think as a consumer, I've always been really into design and clean living and kind of going through this process, um, you know, found out how dangerous most kind of kitchenware was in the industry. And, you know, I think for me, I grew up in a household where both parents were entrepreneurs and actually looked to launch my first business out of college, which didn't make it, but was an awesome experience and was always looking for my next thing and kind of going through this scary experience of getting Teflon flu.

6:28Everything kind of clicked, you know, as a perfect marriage of kind of consumer products, clean materials, design, Um, and, you know, when we were looking to launch the brand, um, really wanted to create something that would be around in a hundred years. And so, you know, everything we do at Carraway is to take a really intentional and thoughtful approach. And, um, you know, it's been a really fun journey and, um, obviously a lot of challenges along the way, but, um, you know, I think, um, yeah, really glad I took the leap and, uh, went for it.

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8:43Kara Goldin:Hey, everyone, Kara here. Let's get real about those early days of building a business, not the highlight reel. the actual day-to-day, the friction, trying to manage everything across time zones, across teams, across locations, and realizing how much depends on staying connected. I remember those days at Hint, a retailer call, an order, a decision, all of it. And you realize quickly, connection isn't a nice-to-have, it's the lifeblood of your business. As a founder, you don't want to think about your connectivity. You just need it to work every time. That's why AT &T Business matters. AT &T Business is the reliable provider for small business owners.

9:31Kara Goldin:And when you have that kind of reliability behind you, you can focus on what actually moves your business forward. Powered by AT &T Business, built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. That's awesome. So you launch, I read that you had 150 ,000 person plus wait list, and that's no small feat. So wasn't that just incredibly scary? I mean, it's great. But then all of a sudden, you're like, oh, boy, I've got to actually make sure that I can fulfill so that I don't lose these consumers. It took us about 18 months to get to market. And in that timeframe, when you're building a product, I'm sure you went through this.

10:20You're really focused on building the brand and product. And I wouldn't say you have a lot of free time on your hands, but you really want to get going on building the business. And, you know, we look back at a lot of the early consumer brands and Harry's specifically was really successful at launching with the waitlist. And so we wanted to build something very similar. And what was really fun was in the pre-launch process was we really brought the consumer with us throughout the journey. And I think most importantly, is we had a defined launch date of November 2019. So as you're building that list, it was really important to keep the consumers updated.

10:57It was also a great base to kind of share designs and surveys with. But really throughout the process, we were sending content on the R &D process and kind of shared a lot of the brand learnings and development. in. And I think having that wait list also held us accountable to that launch date. For us, it was kind of make or break for our category. Most sales in the kitchen category are all holiday-based and about 50%. And so for us to have a really successful launch, we had to hit that launch date. And I think building the wait list was a great way to get the brand off the ground and kind of launched with a subset of consumers who've been invested in kind of the building of it.

11:42And then also, I think, created a sense of accountability of we have to hit the state, we have to get it out, and people are kind of counting on us.

11:51Kara Goldin:This message is a paid partnership with AT &T Business. Hey, everyone, Kara here. Let's get real about those early days of building a business, Not the highlight reel, the actual day-to-day, the friction, trying to manage everything across time zones, across teams, across locations, and realizing how much depends on staying connected. I remember those days at Hint, a retailer call, an order, a decision, all of it. And you realize quickly, connection isn't a nice-to-have, it's the lifeblood of your business. As a founder, you don't want to think about your connectivity. You just need it to work every time.

12:35Kara Goldin:That's why AT &T Business matters. AT &T Business is the reliable provider for small business owners. And when you have that kind of reliability behind you, you can focus on what actually moves your business forward. Powered by AT &T Business, built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. Yeah, definitely. So obviously you're not using Teflon to coat the pans, but, you know, they're nonstick. They're non-toxic. So can you talk a little bit about the makeup of each of your products? Yeah, so we use a ceramic-based nonstick. It's a soul gel technology, has no PFAS, no lead, no cadmium. We do a ton of third-party testing.

13:25And when we looked to launch the brand, interestingly, Ceramic had existed on the market for about a decade. And it kind of just sat on retail shelves. Nobody explained why it existed or how it was different. And a lot of the brands who were selling Teflon were touting kind of the eco benefits of it. and really saw this gap in the market along, you know, using kind of a digital presence to tell the story and build that relationship with the customer. And so for us, you know, we didn't come up with the technology. We have our own proprietary coding. But, you know, saw an opportunity where there was this great alternative.

14:06Consumers didn't know about it. And building a digital business, we could tell that story. We could introduce consumers to the concept of ceramic. and start building the market, which was really small at the time when we launched.

14:19Kara Goldin:It's amazing. They're really great. I mean, they're heavy, but they're not too heavy. But they're just solid. And I will believe you that they will last for a very long time. I also love the different colors that you have, that you can have it with navy blue, sort of a, how do you describe it? Like a, what's it called? The access, not an accessory, but a lid holder and storage and information. Yeah, exactly. It's super, super great. So can you talk about how that has been really beneficial? Because not a lot of people do it. Typically, it's like a pan, but it's not something that is a little bit more personalized, I guess.

15:08So design in general is really core to our DNA at Carraway. When we look at the space, especially when we first launched, mostly what was in market were black cookware, stainless steel. And if there was color, it was really loud pops of red or powdery blue, colors that don't really mix in your home. And as a consumer, none of those were attractive for me personally. And so we kind of looked at your home space and wanted to create a palette that would really mesh well with the rest of your home decor and design where you could express some of your personality, but it didn't need to be so bold and so loud.

15:48And for us, we always really love the home decor kind of side of the business. Even when we launched and still today, we work with a ton of interior designers. You know, we obviously sell cookware and kitchenware and touch food, but live a lot more in that design world. And so, you know, similar to like an Apple or a Dyson, we're spending three to five years designing every product, thinking through every detail. most products in the categories are just sourced off the shelf. So you'll go to a manufacturer, you'll say, show me a handle catalog, a body catalog, I'll slap my logo on it. We design everything from the ground up.

16:29And I think for us, one of the things we do very uniquely is we really ask the consumer, what challenges do you have in the kitchen? And we really re-engineer that with how can we solve that through product. So when we were going through the initial R &D, one of the things that we discovered was most people didn't know how to store their pots and pans. And one of the challenges is if you have, you know, let's say, Teflon coated cookware or ceramic, you want to ensure that it's not scratching because that's when, you know, the leaching happens, especially with PFAS coated cookware. So for us, we really love the idea that a cookware set wasn't complete without the storage organization included.

17:09And if you think about it, you're probably storing your cookware 23 hours out of the day and you're probably using it for an hour. And so, you know, it felt like a really big missed opportunity by the market to not address how do you actually store these products when they're not in use? It's such a core fundamental part of the experience. And so every product we launch, we always take a sets-based approach where you can buy everything you need in one purchase. And with that, we'd really try to organize your cabinets. And today, consumers call it the Carraway cabinet. But essentially, we start seeing consumers building their kitchens around the Carraway experience, which is super cool.

17:50Kara Goldin:I love it. So when you first started out, you were a D2C only brand, and then you decided to expand into Omni Channel. Can you talk about how that decision has really impacted your growth? And I guess, why did you decide that it was the time to do it? We've always built the business to be multi-channel. So even before launch, we started talking with retailers. They didn't have the trust at that point to bring us in. But we wanted to launch digitally. It was lowest barriers to entry. We could tell our story. We could test pricing and messaging. And I think for us, our goal is to make all homes non-toxic homes and to really achieve that.

18:38We physically need to displace, you know, Teflon pans and plastic products on shelf. And for us, getting in store has always been a big piece of the mission. It was, you know, start first, test on site. And kind of over time, we've rolled out a number of retailers today. Caraway is in a thousand different locations through Target, Crate and Barrel, a ton of other retailers. And it's been a great proof point to get folks to go in and actually touch and feel the product. And then today, too, we also have a large business on Amazon, which we launched in 2022. And so I think for us, we're not too precious about where someone purchases, we want them to purchase where they're comfortable.

19:21We do see the different channels impacting each other in very positive ways. So you might see an ad on Instagram and then go into Target and And you'll know what the product is because you've seen it before. And so, you know, we're very focused on going wide, but also very intentional on the partners that we work with. And, you know, I think looking back, it was really great to kind of, similar to how we built the waitlist for the website, start building relationships with retailers early on so that we kind of brought them through the process. We got their thoughts on the product specs. and when the brand picked up some steam, they were really comfortable bringing us in store or to their online shops.

20:04Kara Goldin:That's amazing. So do you actually do the same products then for all the different retailers as you do on D2C or how do you think about that? Yeah, we're unique in that we spend so much time on R &D and product that anything we launch, we feel like is the best version of that product. And so different than a lot of brands out there, we sell the same items that we install them that we do on our site. There are a few retailers we might do a custom color strategy with. If we get an end cap, maybe we'll do like a holiday drop with a special color or skew. But, you know, for us, we really want the consumer to be able to access the products that we sell on our site anywhere.

20:50And, you know, to date, we haven't done any, you know, unique SKUs or combinations for different retail partners.

20:57Kara Goldin:So as your consumer base has grown and evolved, how have you kept the brand evolving with those consumers? Yeah, I think when we launched, you know, we had a strong thesis that, you know, consumers would want something that was safe, something that looked good, something that was easy to use. Fast forward five years, those same three principles still deeply apply. But I think the consumers also evolved quite a bit since 2019. So, you know, when we launched, COVID hadn't happened yet. COVID got people into their kitchens, working from home, really creating the home as a sanctuary and an area that folks really wanted to express themselves a little bit more.

21:40And then on top of that, consumers also have become a lot more aware of what they're putting in their body. What started in food has made its way to beauty and now household products. And so I think today we're very deeply committed to continuing investing in that non-toxic mission. And, you know, I think for us, we want to be educational. But that word non-toxic has really expanded in its meaning. When we first tackled the market, we started, you know, with how do we get rid of Teflon? Today, we're, you know, selling a lot of products like food storage, cutting boards that get rid of plastic.

22:20And so for us, you know, I think we're equally going deeper in some categories. And, you know, with that expanding audience. And then, you know, on the other side, I think growing with the modern consumer who is wanting design and something that's easy to cook off of. And for us as a business, you know, five or six years in, we want to keep growing that base. And that means kind of evolving with where the consumer is going. And part of that as well is expanding across the kitchen and home into new categories. Yeah, definitely.

22:56Kara Goldin:So what's the process for choosing new product categories? How do you think about the new products that you are getting into? Maybe even start with how many SKUs did you actually feel like you had to start with in order to say you were launching and it was a company and all of those things? Yeah, we launched with one core product, which is our cookware set. Came in five or six colors at launch. And we actually had no intention of selling single pieces ever. when we first launched, it was, we're just going to do sets. We've done the work to kind of choose what you need in your kitchen. We got feedback about six to 12 months in that people wanted fry pans and individual products.

23:36And so, you know, we listened to the consumer and kind of made that pivot. Also during COVID, a lot of consumers were concerned on, you know, costs going up. And so that was also a great way to meet the consumer where they were. But, you know, So over time, we've gotten really excited about this idea of the clean home and kitchen. And for us, we actually built five years into the future. So our current roadmap goes to 2030. We're always working five years out. I think we've got like 25 to 30 products in development right now. And what that allows us to do is to kind of shift the marketing calendar and launch calendar with the business needs, R &D timelines, and very similar to cookware, we always come back to the same kind of analysis of a category.

24:26One, is it a big market? Two, is there an opportunity to bring a new clean material or approach to the market? Do we feel like we've got a design POV or organization POV? And for us, I think if we can hit those few things, we feel comfortable going in. and kind of one approach we've also taken which we really love is there are some markets in the kitchen that have never had a premium or high end of that market so our food storage for example if you were to search prior to caraway's product existing in the market it was all cheap plastic and sub-50 sets and we got really excited about the category because as consumers we wanted something that looked great, was safe.

25:10And, you know, we love opportunities where we can go in and actually establish a premium side of the category.

25:18Kara Goldin:Yeah, definitely. I, you were talking to somebody that I, I remember when we had offices, when we went into the office, I was so particular about when people would stick plastic into the microwave, it would just make me not just because I thought it was not so great for them, but also just the smell. It's horrible, right? And I just, it's really toxic. And I think that what you guys have done is super terrific and convenient too. So I love, love what you've done. So what are some of the earliest decisions you had to make as a founder that were really tough decisions? Too many to remember, but, you know, every day there's tough decisions, I think.

26:12One thing I think we did really well in hindsight, and I see a lot of brands make this mistake, is launching too many products too quickly. You know, as we just talked about, the brand is really built on product development and launches. And it took a lot of patience to make sure that we could sustain cookware and, you know, win and grow in one category. And there's, you know, always this like internal angst to like launch more and do more. And, you know, I think we made some tough decisions around let's just focus on cookware to start. And it took us about two years to launch Bakeware, which is our second product.