How a Cold Email to a CEO Landed Gheelish on National Shelves

The brand, which produces popcorn and chips made with organic ghee, represents a pivot for Alpert following his exit from the app Find Me Gluten Free. Driven by his own dietary restrictions, Alpert identified a gap for snacks utilizing ghee—a clarified butter rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K—for consumers seeking lactose-friendly, clean ingredients. His co-founder, Nick Bilotti, managed the operational heavy lifting required to scale from a home kitchen to national retail.

Alpert credits his aggressive approach to mentorship from investors like Gary Vaynerchuk, emphasizing that execution routinely triumphs over raw ideation. The team also overhauled their original branding, pivoting toward a 1950s drive-in aesthetic to make the niche ingredient feel more accessible to the average shopper. Beyond the logistics of distribution, Alpert maintains his focus through a disciplined morning routine that includes pre-7 a.m. exercise and cold showers. His advice to aspiring CPG founders is blunt: avoid testing products exclusively on friends and family, who are often too polite to offer honest feedback, and instead get the product into the hands of strangers who provide a true market signal.