Hey, packaging fam! Adam Peek!
I just had a total “fanboy” moment listening back to this conversation between my good friend Tom Seymour and the absolute powerhouse that is Jessica Kwong. If you aren’t following Jessica yet, fix that immediately. She’s a Cornell food scientist turned founder who is literally redefining what’s possible in the CPG space with Jack & Friends Jerky and Moka Energy.
Tom and Jessica go deep on the “behind the scenes” of the founder journey—the stuff that isn’t always pretty but is totally necessary.
Check out the show notes below for the highlights!
Episode Highlights: Beyond the Dieline with Jessica Kwong
The Origin Story: From Food Science to Founder
Jessica didn’t just wake up and decide to make jerky. Her journey started at Cornell University, where she led product development teams and entered national competitions. The inspiration for Jack & Friends actually came from a personal place: her father developed severe food allergies later in life.
“I saw firsthand how difficult it was for him to essentially upend his whole lifestyle... I wanted to make his life easier and find a solution for him.” — Jessica Kwong
The “Unfiltered” Founder Reality
One of the most refreshing parts of this episode is the honesty about the early days. Jessica talks about:
The 3 AM Kitchen Shifts: Working the most affordable (and most exhausting) shifts in commercial kitchens to bootstrap the brand.
DIY Design Woes: Designing her first packaging in Photoshop, only to realize (at 2 AM!) that professional packaging requires vector artwork in Illustrator.
The NYT “High-Low”: Getting featured in the New York Times was a massive win, but it also meant hand-packing orders for four straight weeks to meet the demand.
Packaging & Partnerships: The Secret Sauce
As a packaging guy, I loved hearing Jessica talk about her refresh with Wagon Design Studio. She emphasizes the importance of custom-printed packaging from the start.
Pro Tip: Don’t be the “most expensive label applicator” by doing it all yourself. Custom printing looks more professional and saves you time to work on your business, not in it.
The Power of “My Bad”: In manufacturing, things will go wrong. Jessica and Tom discuss how the best partners are the ones who own their mistakes and work to fix them immediately, rather than “ducking and covering”.
What’s Next? Moka Energy
Jessica isn’t stopping at jerky. She’s also a co-founder of Moka Energy, applying everything she learned from Jack & Friends to a new category. It’s a testament to the power of a “village” of proven operators coming together to build something great.
Connect with Jessica & Tom
Jack & Friends: jackandfriendsjerky.com
Moka Energy: mokaenergy.com
Tom Seymour: Follow him on LinkedIn for more Beyond the Dieline episodes!
Jessica Kwon: Connect on LinkedIn
Want more content like this? Make sure you’re following me on LinkedIn and over on TikTok @thelabelking.
