The Ops Playbook Behind Seed, Celsius, & Liquid I.V.

Natan Bershtel is the Director of Business Development at Pelagic, a fractional supply chain partner for growing brands and CPG companies. Before Pelagic, Natan spent nearly 20 years as a public school teacher before joining and eventually running his family’s contract packaging business—where he was exposed to innovative brand builders and witnessed the growth of brands like Liquid I.V., Celsius, and LMNT, as well as John Morgan's work with Seed. After his company’s exit, Natan teamed up with John to help brands avoid common operational pitfalls and build supply chains that scale.

In this episode of DTC Pod, Natan breaks down what it takes to build a resilient supply chain at every stage of brand growth. He shares practical strategies to avoid common pitfalls, tips on sourcing the right partners, and insights on how successful brands approach manufacturing, fulfillment, and logistics. Natan also highlights why supply chain is core to a brand’s success and how founders can create real competitive advantages by making supply chain decisions based on quality, relationships, and flexibility.

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What you’ll learn:

• Why building a bulletproof supply chain is the foundation for any successful CPG or DTC brand, no matter how beautiful your packaging or how clever your marketing.

• The most overlooked pitfalls in early-stage supply chain planning and how even veteran founders run into them—especially when scaling too fast or picking the wrong partners.

• The real reason the best suppliers and co-packers are hard to find (hint: they’re not advertising)—and how word-of-mouth, relationships, and experienced connectors can shortcut years of trial and error.

• Proven frameworks for choosing between overseas vs. local manufacturing, when to switch to a 3PL, and identifying the right moment to revisit your logistics as the business evolves.

• How to approach your suppliers, manufacturers, and logistics partners as true partners (not just vendors), and why showing up in person makes an outsize difference.

• How brands can use the “ask the right way” principle to get more from suppliers—and avoid false assumptions around timelines, minimum order quantities, and capabilities.

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Some takeaways:

• Operational strength is what lets brands scale. Beautiful branding is meaningless if your product arrives broken or late. The brands that win are the ones who invest in strong operations and logistics from the start.

• Execution is everything. Innovative ideas only matter if you can actually produce and fulfill your product consistently—operational discipline is what separates the winners from the rest.

• Find suppliers through relationships, not Google. Top suppliers and manufacturers almost never advertise. You find them through trusted referrals and connections.

• Partner fit is crucial. The right manufacturer, co-packer, or 3PL for one brand may be a poor fit for another. Always match your vendors to your exact needs, scale, product type, and stage of growth.

• The right partner depends on your needs. There’s no “best” manufacturer or 3PL for everyone—fit depends on your product, volume, and growth plans.

• Ask clearly and creatively. Don’t just accept standard MOQs or timelines—directly express your needs or goals, and ask suppliers what it would take to achieve them. This often opens new doors and leads to creative solutions.

• Do your own fulfillment as long as possible. Handling your product builds your QA skills and deepens your understanding of the customer experience. Move to a 3PL only when the volume truly demands it.

• Revisit logistics as you grow. Your best option at launch may no longer fit by the time you scale. Regularly challenge your supply chain assumptions for new efficiencies.

• Relationships get you out of jams. Showing up in person and nurturing genuine partnerships means partners will go the extra mile when things (inevitably) go wrong.

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Where to find Natan Bershtel and Pelagic:

Natan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natan-bershtel/

Pelagic Website: https://www.pelagic.co/

Pelagic LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pelagicllc/

In this episode, we cover:

00:00 Intro and the state of supply chain in DTC

01:40 Natan Bershtel’s background and path to Pelagic

02:24 Lessons from growing a contract packaging family business

04:11 Why supply chain is the backbone of every brand

05:28 The role of execution vs. creative vision in CPG

07:09 How to find and vet the best manufacturing/packaging partners

11:15 The agency advantage: getting reps and sharing supply chain intel

12:41 Core players in bringing a product to market

15:04 Aligning supply chain strategy with brand vision and goals

16:56 Two playbooks for scaling: bootstrap profit vs. capital-intensive growth

19:48 Timelines—how to ask supply partners the right questions

21:41 How and when to ask for what you need from partners

26:32 End-to-end product launch: manufacturing, packaging, and fulfillment

28:42 When to move fulfillment to a 3PL (and when to keep it in-house)

33:15 Tech and process innovation at leading 3PLs

35:14 Strategic decisions: packaging, location, and unit economics

38:58 Challenging assumptions and reviewing supply chain regularly

42:08 Supply chain as brand moat and advantage

44:13 Final tips: Always go in-person and build real relationships

Referenced:

Seed: https://seed.com/

Liquid I.V.: https://www.liquid-iv.com/

Celsius: https://www.celsius.com/

LMNT: https://www.drinklmnt.com/ 

Important Notes:

• Pay extra attention to the handoffs between different supply chain partners—these are common failure points and require clear communication.

• Run small pilot batches before scaling production or fulfillment to catch issues early and reduce costly mistakes.

• Build redundancy into your network by identifying backup suppliers and logistics partners as you grow.

• Track inventory and order data across partners—real-time visibility prevents stockouts and fulfillment disasters.

• Regularly check in with partners on industry changes, capacity, or new challenges to anticipate disruptions before they hit.

Mastering your supply chain is more than a business function—it’s your edge in a crowded market. Whether you’re launching or scaling, the relationships you build, the questions you ask, and your willingness to revisit operational assumptions will define your brand’s ability to deliver for customers and outpace the competition.