From Zero to $300K In 3 Years | How Myey Moens Launched Theo & Brom
Executive Summary
Moens describes creating a Filipino-Belgian chocolate brand after moving to Belgium. The interview follows finding a cacao expert, crowdfunding, building a network, moving operations during pandemic disruption and improving systems after growth exposed delivery problems. Mollie Flynn, Foundr community manager, interviews Myey Moens in From Zero to Foundr, a student-story series separate from Nathan Chan's main interview show. These notes cover selected business themes from the public captions, not a timestamped account of every passage. Official series RSS dates original audio episode #001 March 18, 2021; YouTube upload is March 20, 2021. The revenue number in the title is a historical self-report; currency is not explicit in captions, and the million figure was a goal, not a completed result. Foundr promotes its courses and explicitly says results are not guaranteed. Supply-chain arrangements, ad channels and operating plans are historical, not current policy or a recommendation to buy a course. Quotes retain exact caption wording; verified publisher names replace caption misspellings in prose.
Key Takeaways
Use your setting to find a distinctive story
She combined Belgian chocolate expertise with a Filipino product tradition and her own move between the countries. The idea did not require her to already be a chocolate chef.
Persist while finding specialist help
More than thirty manufacturer approaches were unsuccessful before a cacao specialist understood her idea and introduced a producer. She outsourced the expertise she lacked rather than claiming it.
Start with a small proof
The first experimental beans weighed twenty kilos and the launch offered one hundred boxes. She treated the small steps as progress, not as evidence the opportunity was too small.
Build a network beyond immediate sales
She sought local connections and joined an accelerator. A corporate order arrived months after her initial pitch, showing that relationship-building can have a delayed result.
Change the operating model when logistics fail
Export costs threatened the original setup during the pandemic. The brand moved operations to the Philippines and used its base chocolate in cakes and a spread.
Test channels you previously dismissed
She initially resisted Facebook ads, then tried a campaign during the pivot. The result made her reconsider that assumption and later explore email as a customer relationship channel.
Repair systems before scaling again
Delayed shipping and one-star reviews exposed limits in team experience and process. The next phase was an internal audit and stronger operations rather than simply adding more products.
The Conversation Breakdown
Use your setting to find a distinctive story
⏱ Untimed topicShe combined Belgian chocolate expertise with a Filipino product tradition and her own move between the countries. The idea did not require her to already be a chocolate chef.
Persist while finding specialist help
⏱ Untimed topicMore than thirty manufacturer approaches were unsuccessful before a cacao specialist understood her idea and introduced a producer. She outsourced the expertise she lacked rather than claiming it.
Start with a small proof
⏱ Untimed topicThe first experimental beans weighed twenty kilos and the launch offered one hundred boxes. She treated the small steps as progress, not as evidence the opportunity was too small.
Build a network beyond immediate sales
⏱ Untimed topicShe sought local connections and joined an accelerator. A corporate order arrived months after her initial pitch, showing that relationship-building can have a delayed result.
Change the operating model when logistics fail
⏱ Untimed topicExport costs threatened the original setup during the pandemic. The brand moved operations to the Philippines and used its base chocolate in cakes and a spread.
Test channels you previously dismissed
⏱ Untimed topicShe initially resisted Facebook ads, then tried a campaign during the pivot. The result made her reconsider that assumption and later explore email as a customer relationship channel.
Repair systems before scaling again
⏱ Untimed topicDelayed shipping and one-star reviews exposed limits in team experience and process. The next phase was an internal audit and stronger operations rather than simply adding more products.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Small proof before a larger supply chain
Moens begins with a 20-kilo prototype and a hundred boxes, then uses crowdfunding and corporate demand to finance the next stage.
Let delivery failures set the next priority
Growth generated shipping delays and one-star reviews. She describes auditing operations and strengthening existing products before another expansion.
Brand identity must connect audience and story
For Moens, colors and a name work only when they communicate what the business represents and whom it serves. Theo & Brom connects Filipino origins and Belgian chocolate skills.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓List which specialist skills you need and which can be outsourced for a first small batch.
- ✓Audit delivery and support capacity before pushing another large marketing campaign.
Notable Quotes
“just focus on you and you know beat your personal best”
“it's not just about nice colors and a cool sounding name”
“we learn more when we lose than when we win i'd say”
The One Thing to Remember
A good product needs a supply chain and service system that can keep up with demand.