On this episode, we’re joined by Lex Evan, the Founder and CEO of Lexington Bakes. My audio isn't great so apologies in advance....

Lexington Bakes is a radically transparent dessert brand crafting nostalgic American treats with organic and fair-trade ingredients. What started as a pandemic side hustle quickly grew into a national CPG brand known for its bold design, clean labels, and radically honest sourcing.

From $5,000 in brownie pre-sales and a self-built Shopify store to landing in Erewhon, Foxtrot, and scaling toward 1,000 retail doors, Lex has built Lexington Bakes into a category-defining brand with just one full-time employee: himself.

In this episode, Lex shares how his background in design and brand strategy shaped the business, how he's preparing to scale with a co-manufacturer, why ingredient integrity is non-negotiable.

We chat with Lex about how to pitch retailers, package for impact, navigate a solo founder journey, and his recent journey to raising a $1M seed round.

Episode Highlights:
🍫 How a $50 brownie box launched the brand
📦 Designing a brand rooted in emotional connection
🌱 Why Lexington Bakes lists its ingredient partners on every package
🧁 The “No Naughty Ingredients™” standard
🔧 Moving from kitchen to co-manufacturer
🛒 What retailers actually want to see in a pitch
🎨 Packaging tips from a J&J design alum
🚀 How Lex is scaling while staying solo
💰 Fundraising as a first-time founder
💡 Why being “great to work with” is Lex’s superpower

⏱️ Table of Contents
00:00 – Intro & Origin Story
03:00 – Radical Ingredient Transparency
06:00 – Brand Building & Solo Founder Journey
10:00 – Packaging Design Advice
14:00 – Co-Manufacturing & Scaling Production
21:00 – Retail Strategy & Launching in Stores
28:00 – Fundraising & Investor Tips
40:00 – Final Thoughts & Where to Find Lex

Links:
Lexington Bakes – https://www.lexingtonbakes.com
Follow Lex on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexevan/

Follow me on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/) and check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.