# Founder Feature: Bringing Froyo Back, Building in Public, and Why Pressure is a Privilege - Ashley Whalen of Chara

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast-1235739/founder-feature-bringing-froyo-back-building-in-public-and-why-pressure-is-a-privilege-ashley-whalen-of-chara
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast-1235739/founder-feature-bringing-froyo-back-building-in-public-and-why-pressure-is-a-privilege-ashley-whalen-of-chara.md
Podcast: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast-1235739)
Published: 2026-05-29T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/ff6df81e
Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/pdst.fm/e/media.transistor.fm/ff6df81e/c33d9dd4.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-startup-cpg-podcast-1235739/episodes/founder-feature-bringing-froyo-back-building-in-public-and-why-pressure-is-a-privilege-ashley-whalen-of-chara
Duration seconds: 1620

## Resource

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Ashley Whalen, founder of Chara — a Greek frozen yogurt brand bringing back the joy of froyo with a modern, better-for-you twist. High in protein, packed with certified living probiotics, naturally sweetened with maple and agave, and completely lactose free, Chara is the frozen treat today's health-conscious consumer has been waiting for. Ashley started the brand during her senior year at USC, launched less than a year ago, and is already in retail, doing pop-ups across SoCal in a renovated vintage Volkswagen bus, and landing brand collaborations with everyone from Fabletics to the Bureau Padel Classic. Caitlin and Ashley get into all of it — from the college apartment origin story and the seven roommates who inspired the product, to how Ashley is differentiating Chara in a crowded protein frozen dessert space by leaning into joy, natural ingredients, and a Mediterranean-inspired stripe aesthetic that nobody else in the freezer aisle has thought to own. Ashley also shares how she landed her first retail chain through a connection made at Nootopia Now, why she bought a vintage VW bus instead of running ads, and the founder mindset shift that changed everything for her: pressure is a privilege. Listen in as they cover: How Chara was born in a college apartment with seven roommates and a lot of Greek yogurt bowls Why Ashley chose maple and agave over artificial sweeteners — and why that decision is paying off How Chara is differentiating from the protein ice cream category by decentralizing the narrative of protein The story behind the name Chara — and what the Greek word for joy has to do with frozen yogurt Why Ashley bought a vintage Volkswagen bus and renovated it into a froyo pop-up vehicl…

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