On this episode, we’re joined by Brandon Castaneda, Co-founder and CEO of EZ Bombs - a breakout Hispanic food brand that went from zero to $20 million in just one year by turning traditional Mexican recipes into viral “bath bombs” - and Ben Amaya, the brand’s Director of Marketing.

What started in Brandon’s mom’s kitchen exploded on TikTok Shop, where EZ Bombs quickly became the #1 food brand on the platform. Built on an authentic birria recipe, a family-first ethos, and a network of over 10,000 affiliate creators, the brand has rewritten the playbook on viral food and modern CPG growth.

Brandon and Ben share the full blueprint behind EZ Bombs’ rocketship trajectory - from finding and scaling with the right co-packer to managing 245,000 monthly orders, building a creator army, and preparing for national retail. We dig into packaging strategy, flavor formulation, TikTok algorithms, and the biggest mistakes brands make when they try to scale without a community.

Episode Highlights:

🌮 The viral origin story behind EZ Bombs
📦 What Brandon looks for in a great co-packer
📱 TikTok Shop mechanics that still work today
🎯 How to get creator content that actually converts
🔥 Designing for retail and the feed
🥘 Flavor formulation & CPG product dev 101
🛒 Winning the shelf: where EZ Bombs fits in-store
💸 Fundraising strategy and brand positioning
🧠 Mistakes most food founders make on TikTok

Table of Contents:

00:00 – Intro
00:54 – EZ Bombs Intro and launch story
03:21 – Family business dynamics
10:37 – Exploding on TikTok Shop
12:59 – Scaling up with a co-packer
15:39 – Seeing the TikTok Shop opportunity early
17:25 – Recommendations for launching via TikTok Shop today
22:53 – Product dev and formulation
27:27 – Nailing down a co-packer
31:57 – Packaging design
38:20 – Expanding into retail
42:51 – Fitting into the right aisle
45:12 – Fundraising

Links:

EZ Bombs – https://www.ezbombs.com
Follow Brandon on LinkedIn – Brandon Castaneda
Follow Ben on LinkedIn – Ben Amaya
Follow me on LinkedIn – Adam Steinberg
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.