Operations & supply chain for growth-stage CPG
Understory Ops installs the S&OP, procurement, co-manufacturing, and COGS discipline that keeps a growth-stage CPG brand from breaking as it scales.
In a forest, the understory is the layer just below the canopy. It's where the roots hold, where diverse growth happens, and where the whole ecosystem stays standing when the wind picks up. Founders build for the sunlight. Understory Ops works below the canopy, in the operations that keep a growth-stage brand from breaking as it scales.
What we do
Planning, procurement, production, and cost — the systems that let demand grow without breaking what got you here.
Match supply to real demand.
A supply base you can count on.
Production that holds under growth.
Know your unit economics cold.
Who it's for
Emerging CPG brands hit a wall: the growth curve outpaces the systems that got them there, and the fragility gets exposed fast. We help founders install the operational discipline they need before the wall arrives — not after it's already cost them a season of stockouts, a blown margin, or a co-man that couldn't keep up.
About
I'm Alan Berkel, founder of Understory Ops.
Twelve years building the operational infrastructure that lets high-growth CPG brands scale — now helping founders install that discipline before the wall arrives.
Tell us where the strain is showing and we'll tell you how we'd approach it — a straight read, no pitch.
Get in touch