How Keith Bearden Acquired a Premium CPG Brand—and What Every CEO Should Know About PE Deals

Keith Bearden isn’t your typical CPG CEO.

He’s led multiple private equity-backed companies, built and sold his own consulting firm, and most recently—used investor capital to acquire Alter Eco Foods, the premium chocolate brand he now leads.

While Keith didn’t previously own Alter Eco, he was on the board when the PE group decided to sell—and raised his hand to step in and run the business. In this episode, he breaks down what most founders get wrong about PE and how to grow without giving up your company’s soul.

🔥 In this episode, we covered:

🔥 How he stepped in to acquire Alter Eco through investor capital 🔥 Why most PE firms miss the mark with founder-led businesses 🔥 What deal terms to watch out for—before you give up control 🔥 How he blends profit with purpose in a mission-driven brand 🔥 Why operators make better turnaround CEOs than finance guys

We also talked about:

Why he thinks the next generation of PE needs more empathy What it takes to scale a brand in the regenerative CPG space And the real risk in chasing growth too fast with outside money

If you’re a founder or CEO considering PE—or trying to win inside it—this episode gives you the playbook from someone who’s been on both sides of the deal.