--- title: "How Brandon Whiteleather Launched Freeze Dry Buddy in 28 Days | BUILT BY FOUNDRY" description: "We turned Brandon Whiteleather's freeze-drying know-how into Freeze Dry Buddy: on the App Store in 28 days, then Android, with public ratings anyone can check." canonical: "https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/work/freeze-dry-buddy-whitepepper-farms" language: "en" representation: "text/markdown" --- [Creator app case studies](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/work.md)Freeze Dry Buddy Homesteading and food preservation · Food, batch logging, and pantry tracking # How Brandon Whiteleather Launched Freeze Dry Buddy in 28 Days We took Brandon Whiteleather's freeze-drying workflow and turned it into Freeze Dry Buddy — live on the App Store 28 days after our first conversation, then on Android, and still getting updates from us. On July 20, Google Play publicly showed 1K+ installs and a 4.8 rating across 61 reviews; Apple showed a 4.6 across 32 ratings, with a fresh production release from the day before. Written by Weston Bell-GeddesFacts checked 2026-09-08 ![Freeze Dry Buddy app by Brandon Whiteleather](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Ffreeze-drybuddy-sc.png&w=3840&q=75) Creator[Brandon Whiteleather (@whitepepperfarms)](https://www.instagram.com/whitepepperfarms/) Product[Freeze Dry Buddy](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/freeze-dry-buddy.md) Independent proof[Apple App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeze-dry-buddy-batch-log/id6763676080) The public record · Updated September 8, 2026 ## From first conversation to App Store in 28 days Everything below is checkable: both public store listings and one customer's review history. We don't publish private numbers — no revenue, no conversion data — so what's here is only what anyone can verify themselves. **28 days** ### First call to iOS launch 28 days from our first conversation with Brandon on April 24 to Apple's May 22 release date. Our dated record + Apple App Store metadata **1K+** ### Android installs (public range) Google Play publicly showed the 1K+ install range on July 20. Google Play public listing **4.8** ### Google Play rating A 4.8 across 61 public reviews on July 20. Google Play public listing **4.6** ### Apple rating A 4.6 across 32 public ratings on July 20, rounded to one decimal place. Apple public app metadata The problem · 2026-04-24 ## The problem that became the app > A freeze-dry batch finishes days after it starts. By then the settings, duration, prep, weight, and outcome are scattered across notebooks and memory. Owners needed one reliable place to keep all of it. Brandon's description of the problem, condensed. Build and run ## What we shipped, and when 1. 2026-04-24 ### Brandon told us the problem A freeze-dryer owner comes back days after starting a batch and can't reconstruct the settings, duration, prep, weight, or outcome. That moment became the product. Our dated record 2. 2026-05-22 ### Freeze Dry Buddy shipped on iOS Apple's public metadata records the first release — 28 calendar days after that conversation. Apple App Store metadata 3. 2026-07-15 to 2026-07-17 ### A customer complaint became a fix A reviewer reported wrong pantry labels and no way to correct a finished batch. Two days later, the same reviewer publicly thanked the team and said the app was working better. Google Play public review history 4. 2026-07-18 to 2026-07-19 ### Fresh releases on both stores Google Play showed a July 18 update, and Apple's metadata showed version 26.7.19, released July 19. Google Play and Apple public metadata 5. 2026-09-07 ### Making a successful batch easier to repeat Apple’s release notes for version 26.9.6 describe Save as Template preserving exact dial settings, starter recipes staying on the Today screen, and a Pro feature list reflecting available Harvest Right Wi-Fi monitoring. These changes return to the original problem: keeping the details that make the next batch easier. We verified the public US listing on September 8\. Their effect on repeat use remains unmeasured here. Apple public US listing and version 26.9.6 release notes, checked September 8, 2026 Listening after launch ## From user feedback to a shipped fix What we heard On July 15, a Google Play reviewer reported that four named batches all showed up in the pantry as strawberries — and that there was no way to correct a completed batch. What we did We treated the report as accurate and built the fix into the next release. Shipped The next update fixed the pantry labels, made completed batches editable, carried final weights through correctly, and made support easier to reach. Public result On July 17, the same reviewer updated their public review: 'Thank you for the fixes. Now working better.' [See the review for yourself on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.builtbyfoundry.freezedrybuddy) The limits ## What the evidence does not prove - We don't publish revenue, conversion data, retention data, or internal product analytics here — those stay private. - Store ratings and review counts are real, but they aren't proof of long-term retention or product-market fit. - Google Play's 1K+ is a range, not an exact download count — that's all Google shows publicly. - The 28-day figure runs from our first conversation with Brandon to Apple's public release date. It tells you how fast we shipped, not how the work happened behind the scenes. ## The opportunity A freeze-dry run takes days, and the details live wherever they landed — a notebook, a masking-tape label, a half-remembered video. Brandon's followers had his knowledge; they just couldn't get at it while standing in front of the machine wondering what worked last time. ## The app we built Freeze Dry Buddy puts all of it in one place: log a run as it happens, pull up what worked before, start from Brandon's own guidance, and watch the pantry fill up batch by batch. ### What the app does - Batch logging that captures the settings, prep, weight, and outcome of every run - Brandon's own recipes and guidance to start from, plus reusable settings of your own - A searchable batch history, so you can compare runs and repeat what worked - A visual pantry that grows as batches finish — a record of what you've actually put away ## What BUILT BY FOUNDRY handled - Turned Brandon's freeze-drying routine into a product his audience could actually use mid-run - Designed the batch log, recipes, history, and pantry around the way a real run unfolds over days - Built and shipped the app — iOS first, 28 days after our first conversation, then Android - Keep running it after launch: reading reviews, shipping fixes, and keeping both store listings current ## Public evidence Everything below is a fact you can check without taking our word for it. We deliberately leave out private revenue claims and projections — the links go to public pages that show the app is real, live, and genuinely this creator’s. - Apple's byline on the listing reads 'By White Pepper Farms.' - The App Store names BUILT BY FOUNDRY, INC. as the developer of record. - Apple's own description says the app was built with White Pepper Farms. - On July 20, 2026, Google Play showed 1K+ Android installs, along with dated creator responses to customer reviews. - Apple’s US listing showed version 26.9.6, released September 7, when checked on September 8, 2026. ## Sources and verification [**Freeze-Dry Buddy: Batch Log**Apple App StoreApple's public listing · accessed 2026-09-08](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeze-dry-buddy-batch-log/id6763676080)[**Freeze-Dry Buddy: Batch Log**Google PlayGoogle's public listing · accessed 2026-07-20](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.builtbyfoundry.freezedrybuddy)[**Whitepepper Farms**InstagramThe creator's public profile · accessed 2026-07-20](https://www.instagram.com/whitepepperfarms/)[**Freeze Dry Buddy product page**BUILT BY FOUNDRYOur own product page · accessed 2026-07-20](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/freeze-dry-buddy.md) ## How we wrote this We checked Apple’s public US listing on September 8, 2026 for version 26.9.6 and its release notes. The ratings, Android install range and customer review account below retain their July 20 observation date. Release notes describe announced changes; they do not establish adoption, retention or revenue. Private customer data and internal production records remain private. ![Weston Bell-Geddes, founder and CEO of BUILT BY FOUNDRY](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fweston-bell-geddes-founder-built-by-foundry-headshot.jpg&w=256&q=75) About the author ## Weston Bell-Geddes Weston Bell-Geddes is the founder and CEO of BUILT BY FOUNDRY. He writes about creator-owned software businesses, subscription app strategy, App Store launches, and the product operations that turn an audience into durable recurring revenue. [Author profile and latest articles →](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/authors/weston-bell-geddes.md) ## More creator app case studies [Ellie Fausett**Vector Guard**Epidemiologist Ellie Fausett and BUILT BY FOUNDRY turned years of field research into Vector Guard, an iOS app for identifying ticks and mosquitoes and staying safe outdoors.](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/work/vector-guard-ellie-fausett.md)[Samantha Mae**NineLives**Samantha Mae's community shared cat-care questions that vanished into comment threads. We built NineLives with her — an iOS app that keeps every cat's health history in one place.](https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/work/ninelives-samantha-mae.md)