Fractional CMO, Growth Advisor & Operating Partner for CPG Brands
Thirty years building brands and driving growth in the consumer products industry, now working directly with founders and CEOs.
About
Mario DiFalco has spent three decades building brands and driving growth in the consumer products industry, from PowerBar and Keen Footwear in their early, high-growth years to leading a $2B+ turnaround at Del Monte Foods. As VP of Innovation, he grew Del Monte's innovation portfolio 500% to $300MM in retail sales and won 9 Product of the Year awards. As VP of Marketing for the $1B+ Snacking Business Unit, he took full P&L ownership and launched JOYBA bubble tea, one of the category's most successful new beverage launches.
Today, Mario is founder of Illuminate Growth Partners, working directly with CPG founders and CEOs as a fractional CMO, growth advisor, and operating partner. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and serves on the board of Naturally NorCal.
What I Provide
1. Brand Strategy & Positioning - Clarify what makes your brand different and build the message architecture to carry it into market.
2. Innovation Strategy - Prioritize your pipeline, pressure-test your bets, and build a roadmap you can actually execute.
3. Fractional CMO / Growth Advisory - Embedded marketing leadership for brands that need senior-level direction without a full-time hire.
4. Growth Operating Sprint - A focused one-day engagement to leave with clarity on your 3-4 most important growth decisions and a six-month roadmap.
My Shining Track Record
I take pride in successfully creating iconic brands and launching more than 250 new products across a wide range of CPG categories.
Illuminating Case Studies
Some examples of how I've helped brands sparkle
Strategic GTM Positioning & Partnership Development
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Working with Mario was extremely valuable during an important stage of our GTM and partnership development at AuX Labs. He helped us sharpen our messaging, improve our outbound and commercialization thinking, and bring more structure to how we approached strategic outreach and business development.
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Mario has a strong ability to help technical founders translate complex innovation into a clearer go-to-market story and practical execution plan. He was thoughtful, collaborative, and easy to work with throughout the engagement.
Ted Jin, Founder & CEO, AuX Labs
Accelerating US Market Entry for a Novel Probiotic Ingredient
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We engaged Mario to support U.S. business development for KimKik Probiotic, CJ CheilJedang Food’s novel probiotic ingredient. This innovation opportunity required an experienced and agile partner who could move quickly, identify qualified prospects, and help shape a clear and effective go-to-market approach.
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Mario led the engagement with focus and structure. He rapidly mapped the F&B landscape to produce a tiered outreach list focused on high-priority categories, guided targeting and positioning decisions, and initiated outreach to 100+ companies. Leveraging his industry relationships and tailored messaging, the program generated a strong engagement rate, resulting in actionable feedback.
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Throughout the project, Mario brought strategic clarity and operational rigor. He maintained a live commercial pipeline, ensured tight coordination with our internal Innovation team, and surfaced insights that now support CJ CheilJedang Food’s broader U.S. strategy for KimKik Probiotic.
Yi Xin Seow, former Director, Innovation Acceleration
Focusing Brand Strategy & Driving Growth Opportunities
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In Valley Fine Foods' journey to refine the Three Bridges brand and pave the way for future growth, we teamed up with Illuminate Growth Partners. Together, we aimed to bring strategic clarity and alignment to our branded efforts.
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To refine the Three Bridges brand positioning, packaging, and communication strategy, Illuminate led a dynamic, collaborative process that brought sharp consumer and competitive insight. Their work was pivotal in uniting our team around a stronger, more compelling identity within the refrigerated breakfast category. They also delivered critical tools, including a new brand pyramid, manifesto, and design brief, that helped sharpen our positioning and support future growth.
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Throughout the project, Illuminate was a valued partner who brought brand strategy expertise, consumer & category insight, innovative thinking, and practical execution know-how. I would recommend them to anyone looking to strengthen their brand or chart a strategic path forward.
Todd Nettleton, CEO, Valley Fine Foods
Setting Strategic Direction During Leadership Transition
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Targeted Pet Care engaged Illuminate Growth Partners to develop strategic relaunch options for one of our brands at a time when we were recruiting for an open VP of Marketing role. Illuminate quickly stepped in to guide us through its process to evaluate and develop differentiated relaunch scenarios. They conducted an in-depth evaluation of our brand, providing us with roadmap options for consideration and growth.
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Their deliverables included a thorough consumer landscape analysis, new umbrella brand positioning, product line extensions, and three testable concepts with support materials that define and differentiate them. They facilitated collaborative brainstorming sessions that led to the creation of an optimized brand architecture, setting the stage for a successful relaunch.
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Thanks to Illuminate’s work, we now have a clear path for sustainable growth in a highly competitive market. I highly recommend Illuminate Growth Partners to any company looking for innovative and hands-on marketing support.
Matt Miller, CEO, Targeted PetCare
Launched transformative foodtech brand with innovative products
Challenge: Foodtech startup seeking to establish brand in ground-breaking protein-based sweetener category.
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Created Oobli™ Chocolate Bars and Oobli™ Sweet Iced Teas - developed formulas, package structure and design
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Secured multiple new co-manufacturing facilities
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Established supply chain & procurement practices
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Led sweet protein ingredient application with international food & beverage brands
Created a breakthrough RTD Beverage category & products for Gen Z
Challenge: How does an established brand tap into the fast-growing experiential snacking trend with young consumers?
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Led strategy, testing, concepting and development of a new brand from Del Monte Foods that would resonate with Gen Z and younger Millennials
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Created brand positioning and name, winning flavor combinations, award-winning package design & structure to mimic the boba shop experience
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Go-to-market plan achieved 3x velocity expectations; with demand outstripping supply in the first 6 months
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Developed 3-year product pipeline & growth plan
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On track to be Del Monte’s most successful innovation launch
Privacy Policy
Illuminate Growth Partners respects your privacy. We collect personal data, such as name and email address, to provide services such as consultations and updates on our offerings. We do not share or sell your information. For questions about your data, contact us at mario@illuminategrowth.net.