Ep 634: 10,000 Orders in 6 Months Selling Protein Couscous: Bar Bruhis on Launching Boostcous
DTC Podcast · with Bar Bruhis · August 3, 2026 · 34 min
Summary
Bar Bruhis, founder of Boostcous, shares how he achieved 10,000 orders in six months for his protein-packed couscous brand, bootstrapped with a two-person team. This episode reveals his playbook for identifying a market gap, achieving first-order profitability on Meta Ads for a novel CPG product, and leveraging customer feedback for both product improvement and retail expansion. It's a masterclass for CPG founders looking to scale from DTC to retail.
Key takeaways
Identify unmet needs in established categories; Boostcous succeeded by offering protein couscous where only protein pasta existed.
Prioritize direct customer interaction in the early stages; Bruhis personally delivered first orders to gather crucial feedback on purchase drivers and objections.
Leverage post-purchase surveys (like KnoCommerce) to refine CRO by asking "what almost prevented you from buying," and gather retail interest by asking "which stores would you like to see us in."
Turn negative feedback into actionable improvements; Bruhis contacted a one-star reviewer, discovered a product usage issue, and updated packaging accordingly.
Utilize AI for marketing copy, as Boostcous successfully used an AI agent to craft their compelling tagline: "Finally a carb that pulls its weight."
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupBar Bruhis spent ten years building SaaS for Shopify brands. He helped start one of the first email capture tools in 2015, then co-founded KnoCommerce, the post-purchase survey tool 6,500 brands use. In December he finally took his own leap: Boostcous (boostcous.com), the first protein couscous. Six months later he's about to cross 10,000 orders, bootstrapped, with a team of two.Try it: boostcous.com. The tagline says it all: "Finally a carb that pulls its weight." (An AI copywriting agent wrote that. More on this below.)If you're sitting on a product idea you haven't launched, or you're a CPG founder trying to turn DTC numbers into retail meetings, this episode is the working playbook.What's inside:Why couscous: protein pasta has Banza, Brami, and Goodles. Couscous had nobody. Chickpea, lentil, and pea flour, gluten free, protein and fiber naturally derived from the legumes themselves.The launch: a front-page story in the local Carbondale paper and free pickup from his garage. The first 400 to 500 orders were handed over face to face, and he asked every customer why they bought.First-order profitable on Meta with a product almost nobody has ever bought online. "That doesn't really happen" in CPG.The KnoCommerce lessons applied to his own brand: "what almost prevented you from buying today" for CRO, and "which retail stores would you like to see Boostcous in" as ammo for buyer meetings. The pitch: in the last 30 days, this many of our customers asked for your store by name.The first one-star review, after 155 five-stars. He emailed her, got on a call, learned she was cooking it wrong, and updated the packaging. She rewrote the review herself as
Identify unmet needs in established categories; Boostcous succeeded by offering protein couscous where only protein pasta existed.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Prioritize direct customer interaction in the early stages; Bruhis personally delivered first orders to gather crucial feedback on purchase drivers and objections.
What does this episode say about supply chain & operations?
Leverage post-purchase surveys (like KnoCommerce) to refine CRO by asking "what almost prevented you from buying," and gather retail interest by asking "which stores would you like to see us in."
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Turn negative feedback into actionable improvements; Bruhis contacted a one-star reviewer, discovered a product usage issue, and updated packaging accordingly.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Utilize AI for marketing copy, as Boostcous successfully used an AI agent to craft their compelling tagline: "Finally a carb that pulls its weight."
