Taste Radio Insider
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 39 ratingsPLEASE NOTE: All new episodes of Taste Radio Insider are now posted on the feed for our flagship show, Taste Radio.
Taste Radio Insider is a podcast focused on news, trends and innovation in business of food and beverage. The show features interviews with the industry’s movers and shakers and feature discussion on emerging trends, innovation and news of the week from our regular cadre of hosts from the BevNET and NOSH teams.
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Episodes
Ep: 40: Fancy a Conversation About Innovative Concepts?
June 28, 2019 17:00 - 31 minutes - 43.7 MBOn the heels of the 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show, this week’s episode explores new and innovative concepts in the food and beverage industries as viewed through the lens of the annual trade show. As part of our conversation, BevNET’s John Craven, Mike Schneider, Jon Landis and Ray Latif discussed the event’s “Incubator Village,” which showcased a number of food and beverage incubators from across the U.S., including Chobani’s unit, The Hatchery and Commonwealth Kitchen, along with several of ...
Ep. 39: The Art and Science of Getting Investors to Say 'Yes'
June 21, 2019 21:15 - 47 minutes - 65.2 MBIn this episode, we’re joined by Sebastian Dreher, the managing director of Dohler Ventures U.S., the Los Angeles-based venture capital arm of Dohler, a global supplier of natural ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Dohler Ventures is specifically focused on investment in early-stage companies and its portfolio includes stakes in a number of fast-growing consumer brands. As part of our conversation, Dreher discussed Dohler Ventures’ funding philosophy and why he believes that i...
Ep. 38: How To Create a Foundation for Breakout Success
June 14, 2019 12:11 - 40 minutes - 56.3 MBThis episode features an interview with Sisun Lee, the co-founder and CEO of More Labs, a next-generation maker of functional beverages best known for hangover relief supplement Morning Recovery. Launched in 2017 via an Indiegogo campaign, the brand was an instant hit; Morning Recovery pulled in $3 million in revenue in its first six months on the market. Early success powered an $8 million Series A round -- based on a $33 million valuation -- in 2018 and new distribution at retailers like...
Ep. 37: The ‘Most Vital Tool’ For Brand-Building… And How To Use It
June 07, 2019 19:45 - 45 minutes - 62.8 MBBefore teaRIOT established a multi-channel retail footprint that stretches across the U.S., and before its acceptance into the Chobani Incubator program, and before its recent $3 million Series A funding round, co-founders Laura and Steve Jakobsen were simply focused on building a brand. “What does [teaRIOT] look like?,” Laura asked in an interview included in this episode. “How does it stand out on shelf? What are our consumers saying? How do we need to change it from the inside of the ...
Ep. 36: The Sudden Plan to Revolutionize a $40 Billion Category
May 31, 2019 17:00 - 37 minutes - 52.6 MBIn this week’s episode of Taste Radio Insider, we’re joined by Josh Zloof, the co-founder and CEO of Sudden Coffee, an innovative brand of specialty instant coffee. Founded in 2015, Sudden is attempting to revolutionize the $40 billion market for instant coffee by emphasizing its proprietary production process and by focusing on “scalable hospitality.” As part of our conversation, Zloof spoke about Sudden’s mission of using an instant product to democratize access to speciality coffee and ...
Ep. 35: What Happened To Kumbaya In Kombucha? And Is Fat Truly Back?
May 24, 2019 16:00 - 40 minutes - 55.6 MBIn the latest installment of Taste Radio Insider, the hosts discussed the fallout from a controversial profile of GT’s Kombucha creator GT Dave in Forbes magazine. Dave’s comments about competing brands ignited a debate on LinkedIn about production standards and the impact of strategic investment in the kombucha category. Later in the show, we feature an interview with entrepreneur Suzie Yorke, the founder and CEO of Love Good Fats, a fast-growing brand of keto-friendly snack bars and shak...
Ep. 34: Why Small Businesses ‘Have An Obligation To Push The Envelope‘
May 17, 2019 17:00 - 46 minutes - 64.2 MBIn this episode, we sit down with Darren Marshall and Ravi Kroesen, the CEO and Head Teamaker, respectively, of specialty tea company Smith Teamaker for a discussion exploring how a small company can influence an entire industry. Portland, Ore.-based Smith Teamaker was founded in 2009 by Steven Smith, a legendary figure in the tea world best known as the creator of Tazo. The company is renowned for its expertise in blending and commitment to high quality sourcing, as well as its contribut...
Ep. 33: Whether It’s Food or Apparel, Patagonia Starts With a Problem
May 10, 2019 17:00 - 26 minutes - 37 MBGetting into the food business was a “no-brainer” for Patagonia. That’s according to Birgit Cameron, the managing director of Patagonia Provisions, the food and beverage arm of the environmentally-focused apparel company. Launched in 2013, the brand markets a variety of responsibly sourced products, including bison jerky, tinned mussels, seeds and even beer. In an interview included in this episode, Cameron explained that “if you think of Patagonia as this overarching environmental compa...
Ep. 32: The ‘First’ Name in Investment Opens Up Its Playbook
May 03, 2019 17:00 - 30 minutes - 42 MBWhen assessing funding opportunities for early- and mid-stage companies, First Beverage Group, an investment and advisory firm that works with and invests in brands across the beverage spectrum, has a category-first mindset. First Beverage believes that “the tail winds of a strong category -- no what that dynamic might be -- can always help a business as it’s starting to get off the ground early,” according to vice president Joe Angiuli, who, along with managing partner Jack Belsito and ma...
Ep. 31: Who Really Owns Your Brand? Hint: It’s Not You.
April 26, 2019 17:00 - 43 minutes - 60.7 MBYou might have put time, money, blood, sweat and tears into building your brand, but at the end of the day it doesn’t belong to you. That’s the perspective of Christian Krogstad and Thomas Mooney, the co-founders of Westward Whiskey, which helped establish the rapidly growing American single-malt whiskey category. As part of a wide-ranging conversation included in this episode, Krogstad and Mooney explained that consumers, via their palates and wallets, are Westward’s true owners. “We sh...
Ep. 30: The Goal Is To Become a Billion-Dollar Brand
April 19, 2019 17:00 - 32 minutes - 44.7 MBAugust Vega is a “go big or go home” kind of entrepreneur. The founder and CEO of MALK, a super-premium brand of organic nut milks, Vega cut her teeth in the beverage business selling her wares at farmers markets in Houston. From the outset, Vega had lofty ambitions: she wanted to develop MALK into a billion-dollar brand. “I believe that we are in control of our own destiny, and why shoot for a low bar?” she said in an interview included in this episode. “It is a high bar… but we’re seei...
Ep. 29: Why This Two-Second Business Pitch Is So Powerful
April 12, 2019 17:00 - 33 minutes - 46.2 MBAs the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words." When evaluating investment opportunities, Chris Hollod, a venture capitalist focused on early-stage consumer brands, takes the adage to heart. “I tell every brand: ‘I judge you within the first two seconds of looking at your Instagram page,’” he said in an interview included in this episode. “I think it’s the most important piece of the puzzle aside from the actual packaging itself.” That perspective has helped shape Hollod’s por...
Ep. 28: This Is What It Takes to Become a Category Leader
April 05, 2019 17:00 - 47 minutes - 64.6 MBIn this episode, we examine brand-building and retail strategies for center store grocery in interviews with the founders of two category-leading brands: Katlin Smith, the founder and CEO of fast-growing baking mix brand Simple Mills, and David Eben, the founder of Carrington Farms, a leading brand of organic seeds, grains and oils. Smith is the founder and CEO of Simple Mills, a brand of natural baking mixes, crackers and cookies, that she launched in 2013. Over the past six years, Simple...
Ep. 27: Is Bend The New Boulder?
March 29, 2019 14:20 - 38 minutes - 53 MBBend, the small, yet fast-growing city in Central Oregon, has become a haven for entrepreneurship. Although the local economy had been driven by the lumber industry for over a century, Bend has in recent years seen an influx of innovative companies -- from tech to food and beverage -- launched within its borders. According the office of Oregon’s Secretary of State, Bend registers more new businesses each year than any other city in the state. Entrepreneurs often point to the Bend lifesty...
Ep. 26: Feeling The Vybes on CBD & THC, Brands Prepare for The Future of Cannabis
March 22, 2019 17:00 - 46 minutes - 64.8 MBThis episode features interviews with two entrepreneurs that are advancing the conversation for cannabis-infused food and beverage brands: Jonathan Eppers, founder and CEO of Vybes, and Kristy Knoblick Palmer,co-founder and COO of Kiva Confections. A tech executive-turned-beverage entrepreneur, Eppers joined us for a discussion about the launch and development of Vybes, a CBD-infused water brand that leads with the tagline “Mind + Body Function.” Eppers discussed why he’s embraced CBD, why...
Ep. 25: How To Get This $100 Million Fund To Invest In Your Brand
March 15, 2019 15:36 - 37 minutes - 52 MBIf you want to get the attention of Boulder Food Group (BFG), a venture capital firm that recently launched a new $100 million fund, having a memorable package design is a good way to start. Launched in 2014 by industry veterans Tom Spier and Dayton Miller, BFG has made early-stage investments in several innovative and socially conscious food and beverage brands, including Chameleon Cold-Brew, Caulipower, Birch Benders and MALK. In an interview included in this episode of Taste Radio, Spie...
Ep. 24: Hey Siri, How Do You Build a Millennial Brand?
March 08, 2019 18:00 - 54 minutes - 75.1 MBJust three and a half months since its debut, Recess, a sparkling water brand infused with CBD and adaptogens, has generated an incredible amount of buzz. Profiled in mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, Forbes and CNBC, Recess has been dubbed the “LaCroix of CBD” and within days of its launch the products were backordered for weeks. So what’s behind the hype? In an interview included in this episode, Recess founder/CEO Benjamin Witte spoke about the brand’s creation and...
Ep. 23: How Successful Entrepreneurs Network, Use Equity & Partner With Celebs
March 01, 2019 01:49 - 50 minutes - 69.9 MBOver the course of his career, Ryan Lewendon, a partner with influential CPG law firm The Giannuzzi Group, has worked with hundreds of CPG brands, including Vitaminwater, Krave Jerky, Vita Coco and BodyArmor. His experience has provided him with a window into how successful entrepreneurs think and operate. In an interview included in this episode, Lewendon offered his perspective on the elements of a winning brand and what it takes to succeed. As part of our conversation, he discussed how ...
Ep. 22: Plant-Based Brands Are Changing The Food Industry Faster Than You Think
February 22, 2019 13:46 - 51 minutes - 71.8 MBIn this episode, we explored the evolving landscape for plant-based foods through conversations with Ben Mand, the CEO of coconut beverage brand Harmless Harvest and Michele Simon, the founder and executive director of industry trade group the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA). Mand, who joined Harmless Harvest last year, spoke about the company’s recent revamp of its dairy-free, coconut-based yogurt drink and how lessons from its initial launch have shaped the company’s innovation stra...
Ep. 21: This is Why Nestlé Invested a Half-Billion in Blue Bottle Coffee
February 15, 2019 14:01 - 39 minutes - 54.4 MBBlue Bottle Coffee CEO Bryan Meehan is well aware of the increasingly competitive landscape for coffee. Yet while some companies are racing to expand and innovate, Blue Bottle, one of the most admired coffee roasters and retailers in the world, is taking a patient and restrained approach. “Our way is not the right way if we want to be the most commercially successful company in the country. Meehan said in an interview included in this episode. “There are companies ahead of us that are doin...
Ep. 20: The Secret to a Successful E-Commerce Strategy? Here’s a Hint: Start Small.
February 08, 2019 19:11 - 55 minutes - 76.5 MBHint founder and CEO Kara Goldin knows a thing or two about building a brand around a successful e-commerce strategy. Approximately 40 percent of the flavored water company’s $100 million in annual revenue comes from online sales, a majority of which is from its website, drinkhint.com. When advising entrepreneurs on how to build a foundation for success online, Goldin encourages them to keep it simple. “Whether you’re a $500,000 brand or you’re a $1 billion brand, start small,” she said in...
Ep. 19: Think You’re Outworking Your Competition? Try Knocking on 500 Doors in 25 Days.
February 01, 2019 14:49 - 49 minutes - 68.1 MBTwo years after launching their loose leaf tea company, Tiesta Tea co-founders Patrick Tannous and Dan Klein arrived at a crossroads. Amid slumping sales, their advisors exhorted the young entrepreneurs to find new retail accounts. Tannous and Klein replied that they’d already visited hundreds of retailers throughout their home market of Chicago and other cities in the Midwest. “What do you want us to do?” Tannous recounted. “And they looked at us and said, ‘Did you guys go door-to-door in...
Ep. 18: From Trader Joe’s to Tap Rooms: Chomps, Riff Cold Brewed Discuss Winning at Retail
January 25, 2019 16:39 - 56 minutes - 77.7 MBIn an episode that covers retail strategies from Trader Joe’s to tap rooms, we feature interviews with entrepreneurs behind two innovative companies: Pete Maldonado, the co-founder of fast-growing meat stick brand Chomps, and the co-founders of upstart coffee brand Riff Cold Brewed, Paul Evers and Steve Barham. Launched in 2012, Chomps has gradually evolved from a small direct-to-consumer brand focused on consumers with specialized diets to one that reached over $20 million in sales in 201...
Ep. 17: Crafted & Fancy -- Where The Money Is Flowing in Specialty & Spirits
January 18, 2019 14:38 - 46 minutes - 64.2 MBFrom artisanal foods to craft spirits, this episode explores the evolving business landscape for specialty food and distilled beverages. Steven Rannekleiv, the global sector strategist for beverages at global financial services firm Rabobank, has covered the alcoholic beverage industry for over a decade and in our conversation, we explored the emerging market for craft spirits, including parallels to and differences in the development of the craft beer category. Rannekleiv also discussed how...
Ep. 16: How to Win Online: Strategies For DTC and Influencer Marketing
January 11, 2019 15:10 - 45 minutes - 63.7 MBMadeline Haydon, the founder and CEO of non-dairy creamer brand Nutpods, isn’t fazed by the occasional negative review of her products. On the contrary, she welcomes all customer feedback, good or bad. It’s the follow up that matters. “You have to know you’re not going to get everyone and you have to be open to hearing what your customers really think about your product,” she said in an interview included in this episode. “We have very strict protocols with customer service because what I’...
Ep. 15: How To Win Over Venture Capitalists... And What They Don’t Want to Hear In Your Pitch
January 03, 2019 22:17 - 39 minutes - 54.8 MBLarry Kahn, a partner and managing director with private equity and venture capital firm Beechwood Capital, is not a fan of surprises. In his five years with Beechwood, Kahn has invested in a variety of entrepreneurial companies, including baby food brand Once Upon a Farm, chickpea pasta company Banza and fresh, organic food maker Urban Remedy. In an interview included in this episode, he stated that forthrightness about both successes and failures has been critical to Beechwood’s relation...
Ep. 14: The Trends That May Shape 2019; A HotShot Takes on The Coffee Biz
December 28, 2018 15:53 - 49 minutes - 69.1 MBWhat will 2019 hold for funding, innovation, and emerging categories in the food and non-alcoholic beverage industries? In this episode, BevNET and NOSH editors offered their predictions on how they see the business of food and beverage evolving over the next 12 months. Also in this episode: an interview with Danny Grossfeld, the founder of HotShot Coffee, a brand of canned coffees that are served hot. Grossfeld was inspired by a trip to Japan where warmed beverages are commonly sold in ve...
Ep. 13: The Keys to Creating a New Category; How This Nation Won It All
December 21, 2018 17:17 - 49 minutes - 68 MB“I’m starting a new category.” It’s a familiar refrain often heard in the food and beverage industry, even if most times what’s spoken isn’t necessarily true. But in the rare cases in which an entrepreneur is indeed breaking new ground, the challenges are plentiful. GT Dave, the founder of GT’s Living Foods and a pioneer in packaged kombucha, has experienced firsthand the difficulties of introducing an entirely new category to the market after launching his brandin 1995. For years, GT’s w...
Ep. 12: On The Brink of Collapse, How Aloha Found Its Footing; Why Tea + Hops = Victory
December 13, 2018 22:38 - 42 minutes - 59.3 MBAloha, a brand of organic, plant-based protein bars and powders, almost said goodbye to the market. Serial entrepreneur Constantin Bisanz created the company in 2014 with grand aspirations to democratize access to organic, healthy and better-for you food. At launch, the brand’s direct-to-consumer platform featured a wide variety of products, including snack bars, elixirs, vitamin supplements and teas, that were promoted as nutritious and made from sustainably-sourced ingredients. Althoug...
Ep. 11: We’re Talking BevNET Live, British Booch & Moju Juice
December 07, 2018 15:08 - 37 minutes - 51.6 MBIn this episode of Taste Radio Insider, we continued our exploration into the evolving food and beverage market in the U.K. from the perspective of two London-based entrepreneurs: Jarr Kombucha co-founder Adam Vanni and Moju Drinks co-founder Rich Goldsmith. Each discussed how they are scaling their brands in the emerging categories of kombucha and cold-pressed juice in the U.K., and what they view as the biggest opportunities for their respective companies. Note that our interview with Vann...
Ep. 10: How Beanfields is Winning Consumers One Package at a Time
November 30, 2018 17:04 - 32 minutes - 44.8 MBVeteran CPG executive Arnold Ventura cut his teeth in food and beverage as the founder of bottled aguas frescas brand Coba. While ultimately unsuccessful, his experience as a beverage entrepreneur laid the foundation for his career, as he went on to take leadership roles at PepsiCo as part of its emerging brands unit and at Califia Farms, where he spearheaded the company’s business development and e-commerce divisions. In July Ventura was tapped as the CEO of bean snack brand Beanfields an...
Ep. 9: Barnana’s Co-Founder Explains Why Package Design Is Everything; Beyond The Headlines: Nootropics and CBD
November 23, 2018 16:40 - 46 minutes - 106 MBNik Ingersöll spends a lot of time thinking about ugly bananas. The co-founder and CMO of Barnana, a fast-growing producer of snack foods made from imperfect and misshapen bananas, Ingersöll is responsible for the brand’s marketing and design strategy. To put it another way, his job is to get people excited about snacks that might not be the most visually appealing. And he’s been lauded for his efforts; Barnana is known for its bold packaging and quirky promotions, which includes the Barna...
Ep. 8: Why 'Digital First' Is The Ugly Way to Succeed
November 16, 2018 15:00 - 26 minutes - 37 MBHugh Thomas and Joe Benn say the best insights and feedback about their brand come from an “Ugly Mob.” It may sound unseemly, but the mob is actually a group of loyal consumers of Ugly Drinks, a flavored sparkling water brand co-founded by Thomas and Benn. Based in the U.K., Ugly made its U.S. debut earlier this year via a direct-to-consumer platform and at independent retailers in metro New York. Despite differences in the British and American beverage markets, Thomas and Benn use a simil...
Ep. 7: Just How Did This Tiny Brand Pick Up $7 Million In New Funding?
November 09, 2018 16:54 - 31 minutes - 43.7 MBHow did a three-year-old brand with a retail footprint of less than 2,000 locations land $7 million in new capital? Wyatt Taubman, the founder and CEO of wellness shot maker Vive Organic, explained it in three words: “test and learn.” In an interview included in this episode, Taubman offered a detailed look at the Vive’s strategy for raising money since its debut in 2015. From friends and family, to seed funding to the recent completion of the aforementioned $7 million Series A round, Taub...
Ep. 6: The CBD Gold Rush; David Yeung's Dream of a Green Monday and Omnipork For All
November 02, 2018 15:55 - 49 minutes - 69.1 MBThe latest installment of Taste Radio Insider kicks off with a discussion about the hottest ingredient in food and beverage, CBD. Amid surging interest for the cannabidiol, the hosts examined CBD’s influence on innovation strategies and discussed the factors affecting its future. Later in the show, we feature an interview with entrepreneur, investor, and author David Yeung, who’s the co-founder and CEO of Green Monday, a global platform for plant-based food and lifestyles. Yeung was recent...
Ep. 5: Why Not Dwelling On The Competition Has Helped Spindrift Continue to Sparkle
October 25, 2018 14:27 - 44 minutes - 61.8 MBTaste Radio listeners may recall that we first featured Spindrift founder and CEO Bill Creelman on the podcast in 2016. At the time, Spindrift was undergoing a major shift in its business strategy, discontinuing the craft sodas upon which it was founded to focus on its fast-growing sparkling water line. In the years since, Spindrift has continued to thoughtfully evolve its positioning as a premium and differentiated sparkling water brand in various ways, such as curbing its use of added natu...
Ep. 4: How Sandows Is Using the Power of Design to Pave a Path for Cold Brew Across the Pond
October 19, 2018 14:29 - 37 minutes - 51.7 MBWhile cold brew has been the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. coffee business in recent years, it’s just now starting to heat up across the pond. London-based Sandows is one of a handful of British coffee companies paving a path for cold brew in the U.K. and was first to market in the country, according to co-founder Hugh Duffie. Taking their cue from speciality coffee brands in the U.S., Duffie and co-founder Luke Suddards created a foundation for Sandows based on direct trade sourcing...
Ep. 3: How to Get Sonoma Brands Founder Jon Sebastiani To Invest In Your Business; Hot Trends from NACS 2018
October 12, 2018 14:09 - 44 minutes - 61.4 MBJon Sebastiani, the founder of Krave Jerky and Sonoma Brands, might want to invest in your company. Just make sure that you’re not chasing the latest hot trend. He’s really not into that. Sebastiani founded Sonoma Brands, a unique consumer product incubator and private equity firm, in 2015 following the sale of Krave Jerky to The Hershey Co. for $240 million. Earlier this year, Sonoma Brands launched a new $60 million fund and has in recent months deployed the capital to expand its holding...
Ep. 2: Want Brand Loyalty? ‘Be Consistently Great,’ Says Uncle Matt’s Founder; Insight Into the KDP/Core Deal
October 05, 2018 20:05 - 40 minutes - 56.3 MBMatt McLean, founder and titular figure of organic beverage company Uncle Matt‘s, is fond of saying that orange juice is ounce-for-ounce the most nutritious beverage on the market. He might be a little biased; after all, orange juice is the brand’s flagship line. There are, however, a few qualifiers to his promotion of orange juice, notably organic sourcing and high quality standards, each of which are rooted in Uncle Matt’s business philosophy. “We want to be consistently great at every...
Ep. 1: How Country Archer Turned Rejection Into a Multi-Million Dollar Idea
September 28, 2018 17:24 - 43 minutes - 60.9 MBIt would be fair to say that things are going well for Country Archer. But it wasn’t always that way. A maker of clean-label meat snacks, the brand’s flagship jerky line is the fastest growing in its category among natural retailers, and the company recently announced $10 million in new funding from its primary investor, Monogram Capital. Nevertheless, not too long ago, Country Archer faced rejection in the very retail channel in which it’s now the fastest growing; in fact, it had been wri...
Ep. 0: Listen Up. It's Our New Podcast.
September 26, 2018 21:31 - 2 minutes - 4.16 MBBevNET is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of Taste Radio Insider, a new podcast focused on news, trends and innovation in business of food and beverage. Taste Radio Insider will feature interviews with the industry’s movers and shakers and feature discussion on emerging trends, innovation and news of the week from our regular cadre of hosts from the BevNET and NOSH teams. The addition of Taste Radio Insider creates opportunities to extend our long-form interviews with food and beve...