Your packaging was built for where you started.
Not where you’re going.
The reset window doesn’t wait. If your packaging isn’t ready before that buyer conversation, you could be sitting on inventory that never makes it to shelf.
At specialty retail, your founder story opens doors. As you expand into new channels, buyers are deciding quickly whether your packaging belongs on their shelf, and they’re doing it without you in the room.
You know the packaging you have now won’t cut it. The gap isn’t a design problem. It’s the decisions that weren’t locked before the brief.
Who the shopper actually is. Which shelf you’re competing on. What has to lead on pack to earn that first pick-up. Get those wrong and no matter how good the design, it still misses.
I work with better-for-you food and beverage founders at exactly this moment to lock those decisions first, then build the packaging around them.
Not sure where to start? Book a Brand Fit Check
Twenty minutes. One honest read of where your brand actually stands.
How it works
Before design starts, we lock three decisions.
01 · Shopper
Who actually picks your product off the shelf. Not who you wish they were. Who the evidence and the context say.
02 · Shelf
Which set you belong in and what you're up against. Including the Big Food brands moving into your category right now.
03 · Pack
What leads on front of pack. Whether you lead with brand equity or benefit-forward messaging first.
Once those are locked, the brief doesn’t drift. Neither does the design.
Where Do You Start?
Brand Fit Check · Free
A 20-minute conversation. Get a clear picture of any existing brand gap and the right next step to close it.
Brand strategy and packaging design services made for where you’re at and built for where you’re going.
Shelf-Strong Brand Program
Strategy and packaging design built together as one integrated program. Three phases, six to eight weeks. One outcome: packaging that is retail-ready in strategy, story, and structure.
Monthly Brand Sessions
Ongoing review of how your brand is performing against the shelf and shopper context you’ve established, what’s drifted, what needs attention, and one prioritized action for the month ahead.
Limited engagements available.
Is this for you?
The right fit.
You are a BFY CPG founder with a product already selling or ready for retail. You know your brand needs work before the next buyer conversation. You are willing to make decisions, follow a process, and do the work between sessions. You understand that strategy comes before design.
You have:
A proven product with sales traction in specialty or independent retail.
A new retail channel on the horizon and packaging that won’t cut it.
A buyer conversation, a reset window, or a change in pack specs already in motion.
Authority to make decisions, not just explore options.
Been searching for a brand strategy that holds after the engagement ends.
Why MIGHTY CPG
I’m Mike Lopez. I’ve spent 25 years building at retail. My work ran in-store, across shopper marketing, integrated trade campaigns, and packaging design systems for global CPG companies.
I’ve also built enduring brand identities for independent founders from storefront retail to entertainment and hospitality.
I started MIGHTY CPG because founder-led better-for-you brands are raising the standard of what food can be, and that work deserves to be built strong.
Read more About
Mike Lopez, Founder – MIGHTY CPG
Brand Strategist & Creative Director
“He doesn't just deliver recommendations, he builds a strategic foundation that you can actually use to guide decisions long after the engagement ends.”
— Sonia, Founder (LinkedIn recommendation)
“Working with Mike was a pleasure from beginning to end. He researched and determined exactly what we need and then put his skill, knowledge and creativity to work resulting in a final product that everyone on the City of Toronto, Arts Services team was happy with. In addition, he was incredibly organized and is a proficient communicator, making our working together one of the easiest and most pleasant experiences we’ve had.”
— City of Toronto, Arts Services (Client project testimonial)
“Mike took me through the branding process of my [business] like a true professional. He has in-depth knowledge of design and he intensely studied [my] market, which was exactly what I needed. He delivered an impressive product.”
— Christine, Founder (Google review)
“[Mike] is one of the best designers I’ve ever worked with. […] He expertly delivered on a multitude of re-staging projects across Instant [Brands]’s portfolio of brands. He has a unique set of skills that helped us move forward on a variety of creative challenges. I so appreciate his thoughtful process.”
— Hannah, Creative Director (LinkedIn recommendation)
“[Mike’s] passion for progressive creativity set a refreshing tone way ahead of its time, combined with goal-oriented direction and an attitude of constant improvement.”
— Barron, Marketing Director/ CPG Brand Founder (LinkedIn recommendation)
Here are some kind words from good people I’ve worked with…
Not sure where to start? Book a Brand Fit Check
Twenty minutes. One honest read of where your brand stands today.