Eric Skae's Blueprint for Scaling Premium CPG Brands | Eric Skae, Carbone Fine Foods

The consumer packaged goods industry has never been more challenging. Rising costs, shifting consumer preferences, and intense competition make it harder than ever to build a breakout brand. Yet some leaders not only navigate these headwinds—they turn them into competitive advantages. On this episode of Beyond the Bottom Line, host Bert Miller sits down with Eric Skae, CEO of Carbone Fine Foods, to explore how a restaurant-heritage brand became one of the fastest-growing premium sauce companies in America. 

What Makes Carbone Fine Foods Different? 

Carbone Fine Foods is the CPG extension of the legendary Carbone restaurant experience, the red-sauce Italian-American dining destination that has captivated food lovers from New York City to Miami, London, and beyond. Under Eric Skae's leadership, the brand has grown from startup to over $100 million in projected revenue for 2025, surpassing legacy competitors in record time. 

But this success didn't happen by accident. It's the result of deliberate choices about quality, authenticity, and strategic scaling that Eric has refined over 35 years in the CPG industry. 

The Non-Negotiables of Premium Brand Building 

When asked about his fundamental principles for building high-growth brands, Eric's answer is immediate: "It starts with product quality, what goes in that jar." 

Eric's commitment to restaurant-quality standards is so intense that during Carbone's first year, he personally tasted every single batch before it could be jarred and shipped. With 187,500 cases produced that year, this meant countless flights from Las Vegas to New Jersey to ensure each batch met his exacting standards. 

The manufacturing process mirrors what happens in Carbone's restaurants: chopping onions on-site, mincing garlic fresh, hand-stripping basil, cooking in small 200-400 gallon kettles for an hour, then filling at 190 degrees. This creates a clean label with just eight ingredients: imported Italian tomatoes, tomato puree, sea salt, basil, onions, olive oil, garlic, and oregano. 

Building Teams That Scale With Success 

Eric's approach to team building reflects what successful CPG leaders understand about scaling organizations. His strategy starts with a simple principle: "Start with someone you know and trust." 

About a third of Carbone's team has worked with Eric at least twice before, including veterans from his time at Rao's and Iceland Spring. For new hires, Eric focuses on "hiring for attitude and training for skill," looking for intellectual curiosity that extends beyond specific roles. 

"When you can get outside of the particular job that you're being interviewed for," Eric notes, "it's always a green flag for me." This approach aligns with what top CPG talent experts identify as critical success factors. 

The Art of Managing Hypergrowth 

Scaling from startup to $100 million brings unique challenges that Eric describes as balancing growth with operational capacity. Currently, Carbone adds 150,000 new households monthly with velocity up 33% year-over-year. 

"You gotta balance your spend and you've got to throttle growth," Eric explains. "If I were to double or triple that too fast, we may not be able to manage it." 

This disciplined approach extends to operational planning. Even at $100 million in revenue, Eric's team is already preparing for the next phase: "Do we have the right team for the next five years?" This forward-thinking reflects what successful CPG scaling strategies require: anticipating talent needs before they become critical gaps. 

Marketing Authenticity in a Digital World 

One of Eric's most significant strategic pivots involved marketing approach. Initially, Carbone tried traditional advertising methods like connected TV, but the results were disappointing. 

"It did nothing for the brand," Eric admits. The breakthrough came when he realized that Carbone's marketing had to mirror how people discover the restaurants: "You don't find out about Carbone on TV, right?" 

Instead, Carbone focuses on events, social media, and public relations, generating 10 billion PR impressions annually. The tagline evolved from "All That at Home" to emphasizing Mario Carbone's philosophy that "dinner is the show," positioning the brand around creating exceptional home entertaining experiences. 

The Restaurant-Retail Synergy 

The relationship between Carbone restaurants and Carbone Fine Foods creates unique marketing opportunities. When hosting events, Eric uses Major Food Group's venues and staff, including the iconic "burgundy boys" servers in burgundy tuxedos who are signature elements of the restaurant experience. 

Mario Carbone himself serves as an invaluable marketing asset, personally appearing at events. "His name's on the jar," Eric notes. "I couldn't have a better asset." This synergy extends to product development, with Mario and business partner Rich Torrisi making multiple early-morning drives to taste-test batches during development. 

Global Expansion and Strategic Thinking 

When tariffs created a 25% cost increase for Canadian sales, Eric moved production to Italy, not just to solve the immediate problem, but to create global supply chain flexibility. "I'm now set up with a more global supply chain," he explains. 

With Carbone restaurants operating in London, the Middle East, and Hong Kong, international expansion for the CPG brand is a natural next step, with the UK likely first. This demonstrates Eric's sophisticated approach to operational planning, using immediate challenges as opportunities to build long-term competitive advantages. 

Consumer Education and Basket Building 

Carbone's spicy vodka sauce presents an interesting challenge: it requires cream to achieve the authentic restaurant taste. Eric's approach combines clear labeling ("Just Add Cream" button), social media education, and influencer partnerships. 

The strategy focuses on "building the basket" turning a $9 jar of sauce into a $20 purchase by encouraging consumers to buy pasta, cream, and butter. All recipes on Carbone's website are created by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, or their in-house culinary chef, ensuring authenticity while driving additional purchases. 

Operational Excellence Through Technology 

As Carbone has scaled, Eric has invested in systematic operational capabilities that enable growth management. The company recently implemented advanced trade promotion management systems that allow them to handle 4X growth planning while maintaining financial integration. 

Lessons from Industry Veterans 

Eric's approach was shaped early in his career by Mike Schott at Arizona Iced Tea, who taught him that the CPG business is "a very simple business, but it's the most complex, simple business that you'll ever find." 

The lesson: create simple, repeatable mantras that everyone can execute. This philosophy of making complex operations feel simple has guided Eric through every brand he's led, including Carbone's current success. 

The Future of Premium CPG 

Eric's experience offers valuable insights for premium CPG brands: quality as non-negotiable differentiation, team building that combines proven performers with curious newcomers, authentic marketing that stays true to brand identity, and operational discipline that enables sustainable growth. 

As Eric puts it: "This business is a very simple business, but it's the most complex, simple business that you'll ever find." Success comes from making that complexity feel simple—and never compromising on what makes your brand truly different. 

For CPG leaders facing scaling challenges, Carbone's story demonstrates that with the right approach to quality, team building, marketing authenticity, and operational excellence, even the most challenging market conditions can become opportunities for exceptional growth. 

To learn more about building winning CPG leadership teams, explore Protis Global's insights and listen to more episodes of Beyond the Bottom Line.