How Ross Mackay Built Daring Foods into a Premium Brand Without Luck or Shortcuts

“There was no luck. Just clarity, consistency, and courage.” — Ross Mackay, Founder of Daring Foods

In a wide-ranging and revealing interview on The 505 Podcast, serial entrepreneur Ross Mackay broke down exactly how he built Daring Foods — and now Cadence — into category-defining, premium brands.

This wasn’t luck. It wasn’t timing. It was a masterclass in brand obsession, strategic discipline, and unapologetic speed.

From selling plant-based chicken with swagger to making a $2 beverage feel like luxury, Ross shows what it really takes to build a breakout brand — and why most founders move too slow, dilute their focus, and don’t bet big enough on themselves.

Here’s what every entrepreneur can learn from his blueprint.

1. Start with a Market-Worthy Obsession, Not a Product

Most early founders ask, “What product should I build?”

Ross flipped that: he asked, “What mission is so urgent that the world needs me to solve it?”

That mission? Disrupting the $300B global chicken industry with a healthier, more ethical alternative.

But unlike most plant-based brands, he refused to chase vegans.

“The consumer we were going after wasn’t the vegan. It was the chicken lover,” Ross explained. “They’re not giving up chicken. So how do we meet them where they are?”

By focusing on flexitarians — the growing population who still eat meat but are open to cutting back — Ross opened up a massive market mainstream brands weren’t serving well.

2. Build Brand Like It’s Your Product

Before Daring had full distribution or celebrity investors, it had something even more powerful: a premium, consistent, ownable brand.

Ross didn’t see brand as “marketing.” He saw it as a product in itself — one that could earn trust, demand shelf space, and command premium pricing.

Three keys he nailed from day one:

• Clarity: Daring had a single promise — this is not chicken.
• Design: The packaging looked like it belonged in Erewhon before they ever got there.
• Tone: Confident, punchy, and direct — a bold voice in a sea of sameness.

“If you want to build a premium brand, it has to look and feel premium before anyone knows who you are,” he said on The 505 Podcast.

Most wantrepreneurs wait until traction to invest in brand. Ross did the opposite — and it became his wedge.

3. Ruthless Focus Is a Superpower

One of the most striking parts of Ross’s story is what he didn’t do.

He didn’t chase multiple SKUs. He didn’t pivot to “whatever works.” He didn’t broaden the product line too fast.

“We had one product for three years,” Ross said. “We didn’t launch nuggets, wings, or tenders until we knew we’d won with the core.”

That kind of restraint is rare in the startup world — especially when investors push for fast growth. But for Ross, discipline created distinction.

His advice for founders?

• Pick your lane early — and stay in it until you own it.
• Say no more than you say yes — especially when you're gaining traction.
• Don’t diversify until your foundation is bulletproof.

4. Play Big — Even When You’re Small

Ross admits it: in the early days, Daring was just “two Scots and a dream.”

But they never acted small.

He cold-emailed Whole Foods buyers with deck mockups. He booked flights to LA without meetings just to get in front of the right people. He pitched his product like it already belonged on the national stage — even when it was made in a test kitchen.

“I didn’t need people to believe in me,” he said. “I needed them to believe in the brand.”

This mindset — acting like the company you want to become — created a self-fulfilling momentum. Doors opened faster. Press coverage followed. And eventually, so did A-list investors like Drake.

But none of that happened by accident. Ross made belief look inevitable.

5. Don’t Outsource Belief

One of Ross’s most powerful insights was personal, not tactical:

“You can’t outsource belief. If you’re not obsessed, no one else will.”

In the chaotic early days, what kept Daring (and now Cadence) moving wasn’t product-market fit. It was founder-market fit — Ross’s unwavering obsession with the mission, and his refusal to let doubt infect the team or the brand.

That kind of belief is contagious — and it’s often the difference between fading out and breaking through.

Key Takeaways for Entrepreneurs

• Mission beats product. Build around an urgent belief.
• Brand is your moat. Treat it like a core product, not a wrapper.
• Do less, better. Ruthless focus beats endless feature creep.
• Act big, early. Your ambition sets the tone for how others treat you.
• Believe louder. Conviction is your most scalable asset.