Eric Skae is the CEO and co-founder of Carbone Fine Food, the fastest growing pasta sauce brand in America. In just five years, Carbone Fine Food has gone from zero to over $130 million through the register, adding an average of 156,000 new households every single month. And before that, Eric ran Rao's, where he took it from the number six pasta sauce brand in America and set the foundation that would eventually make it the number one premium sauce in the country.

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Eric for one of the most candid, educational, and genuinely fun conversations The Perfect Bite has ever had. Eric doesn't sugarcoat anything— not the $3.2 million personal loss he absorbed when his first brand, New Leaf Iced Tea, went through hard times, not the shareholder battle that forced the sale of Rao's, and not the very specific competitive mindset he brings to a category he has now shaped twice.

What makes Carbone Fine Food special isn't just the branding. It's all about the product. Open kettle cooking. Italian tomatoes from southern Italy. Monthly taste sessions with chef Rich Torrisi. Eric personally tasted every single batch in year one, logging 100,000 miles on United without leaving the country. That obsession with quality is the moat and he knows it!

This conversation covers the full picture: The origin story of building Carbone Fine Food from a handshake deal with Chef Mario Carbone to shelves in five months, why the brand's marketing flywheel is PR, event, and social rather than TV spend, how Costco became their biggest trial driver, what he thinks about the premiumization of pantry staples, and what's coming next, including a brand new Italian chili crunch launching in July that he previewed for the first time right here on The Perfect Bite!

There's also a conversation about tariffs, board dynamics, founder lessons, and what it actually means to stay unapologetically true to your brand in a world where every trend is trying to pull you somewhere new.

If you love Carbone Fine Food, the Carbone brand, work in CPG, or are building anything of your own, this one is unmissable.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up in a big Irish family where food meant togetherness
• 20+ years in beverage and how the fundamentals of CPG are simpler than people think
• Founding New Leaf Iced Tea, losing $3.2 million in 2008, and rebuilding in his forties
• The call that led to meeting Mario Carbone—and saying yes immediately
• Building the brand from scratch: recipes, branding, co-packing, and shelves in five months
• Tasting every single batch in year one and logging 100,000 miles domestically
• Monthly taste sessions with Rich Torrisi and why consistency is the real product
• The marketing flywheel: PR, events, and social over TV spend
• Carbone Beach, Post Malone, Alex Cooper, Jimmy Fallon and pop culture authenticity
• Why Mario Carbone is a superpower advantage
• 6,000 Costco demos planned for this year and why trial is everything
• Household penetration growing from 0.08% to 4% in two years
• The premiumization of pantry staples and how generational shifts are driving it
• Why he refuses to add fiber or protein to the sauce ("Add a piece of steak")
• EXCLUSIVE: Italian chili crunch launching July 2025! Look for the green and red flavors
• His take on tariffs, Italian tomatoes, and solving for quality no matter what
• Picking the right board and why smart advisors beat cheerleaders every time
• Staying frugal on someone else's money: flying coach and staying at Fairfield Inns
• His advice for new founders
• What's next, including a potential return to his original brand, New Leaf

Find Carbone Fine Food:

• Website: carbonefinefood.com
• Available at most major retailers nationwide
• Instagram: @carbonefinefood

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