This week’s episode of Taste Radio features a wide-ranging conversation with Krave Jerky and Sonoma Brands founder Jon Sebastiani. Recorded at the 2017 Summer Fancy Food Show, Sebastiani delved into his background in the food and beverage industry as an heir to a legacy wine family and talked about what spurred him to strike out on his own with Krave. He reflected on the meteoric growth of the meat snack brand, which launched in 2009 and was acquired by The Hershey Co. in 2015 for $240 million, ...
Aug 04, 2017•1 hr 4 min
This week’s edition of Taste Radio features an interview with Jennie Ripps, the co-founder and CEO of Owl’s Brew, a maker of tea-based cocktail mixers and tea-and-beer Radlers. In our conversation, Ripps spoke about the development of Owl’s Brew, which has been at the forefront of the premium cocktail mixer category since its launch in 2013. She also discussed the company’s relationship with Zx Ventures, the global incubation arm of Anheuser Busch, which is an investor in the brand, including ho...
Jul 28, 2017•56 min
On this week’s episode of Taste Radio, Project NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and BevNET’s Jon Landis are joined by Scott Norton, founder of natural condiment brand Sir Kensington’s. Fueled by a mission to create “condiments with character,” the New York-based company, which was acquired by food and consumer product giant Unilever in April, is using a commitment to clean ingredients and responsible sourcing to reshape how consumers think about ketchup, mayonnaise and the entire condiment category. ...
Jul 21, 2017•1 hr 5 min
On this week's episode of Taste Radio, BevNET CEO John Craven joins Brewbound editor Chris Furnari for a conversation with Andy Thomas, CEO of the Craft Brew Alliance. As the head of one of the largest craft beer companies in the U.S., Thomas oversees a portfolio that includes Kona, Widmer, Redhook and others. During his segment, Thomas shares insight into topics such as the commercial evolution of the category, the importance of being patient with innovations (and where to find the inspiration ...
Jul 17, 2017•1 hr
This week’s episode of the Taste Radio podcast includes a feature conversation with Alex Galindez, the CEO of Runa, a maker of guayusa-based teas and energy drinks driven by social and environmental causes. Galindez, a veteran marketing executive in the food, beverage and media industries, discussed how she’s drawing on strategies and lessons from past roles to elevate communication of Runa’s social mission and brand story to a broader audience. Also in this episode: members of the BevNET and Pr...
Jul 07, 2017•56 min
For this week’s episode of the Taste Radio podcast, we’re bringing you an Independence Day-length conversation with Gary Hirshberg, the co-founder and chairman of dairy company Stonyfield Farm and a highly influential figure in the organic food movement. Hirshberg shares war stories ranging from the company’s pastoral beginnings, to its decade-long struggle for financing, and on to its eventual sale, mining them for wisdom that will resonate with any food and beverage professional. Also included...
Jun 30, 2017•1 hr 21 min
In short, the life of Todd Carmichael can be defined by his zealous thirst for adventure and his unbridled passion for coffee. Brevity, however, doesn’t quite capture the scope of Carmichael’s incredible journey as the co-founder and CEO of super-premium coffee company La Colombe. His story is deserving of ample time, and in an interview for the Taste Radio podcast, we sat down with Carmichael for an extensive conversation on everything from his origins in the coffee business and vision for La C...
Jun 23, 2017•1 hr 16 min
KeVita co-founder and former CEO Bill Moses is keeping busy. In the seven months since PepsiCo’s acquisition of KeVita, a maker of probiotic drinks and kombucha, Moses has been actively investing in and advising a range of early-stage food and beverage companies. This edition of the Taste Radio podcast features an interview with Moses, who discussed the key elements of his investment philosophy and his work with upstart brands, including Koia and ChiaViva. Recorded at the NOSH Live Summer 2017 c...
Jun 16, 2017•37 min
Over his three decades as an executive and consultant in the natural products industry, Bob Burke has been recognized as one of the foremost experts in the space. This episode of the BevNET Podcast features a wide-ranging conversation with Burke, whose career includes 11 years in sales and marketing at organic dairy giant Stonyfield Farm and nearly 20 years as an advisor to early-stage and entrepreneurial food and beverage companies. Along with a discussion about the evolution of the natural foo...
Jun 02, 2017•1 hr 9 min
In this episode of the BevNET Podcast, we sat down with Mark Mahoney, the co-founder and CEO of premium cocktail mixer brand Powell & Mahoney, who joined us for a discussion about his background as a beverage entrepreneur, the rapid development of the premium mixer space and what's next for the thriving category. This episode also includes a segment with BevNET editor-in-chief Jeffrey Klineman, who examined recent investment deals in the food and beverage industry, including First Beverage V...
May 26, 2017•57 min
Earlier this month, BevNET CEO John Craven met with Juice Press founder Marcus Antebi and chairman Michael Karsch at the cold-pressed juice chain’s Long Island City headquarters and production facility, where the trio recorded a wide-ranging interview for this episode of the BevNET Podcast. Antebi, who launched Juice Press in 2010 and now presides over a chain of 62 stores across the Northeast, explained his belief that “common innovation is complete” and that it’s incumbent upon food and bevera...
May 19, 2017•1 hr
Tim Sperry spent nearly 25 years as an executive at Whole Foods and was a key figure in the company’s ascent from a small grocery chain to a household name and natural foods powerhouse. Eleven years removed from his role as the company’s director of grocery, Sperry is concerned that Whole Foods’ merchandising prowess and brand identity have fallen into neglect -- and he’s not alone. The retailer has lost some of its luster with customers, suppliers and investors, and the news is filled with talk...
May 12, 2017•1 hr 3 min
In an interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET Podcast, we sat down with Gigi Lee Chang, the managing director of cause-oriented food business accelerator FoodFutureCo. Chang, who also founded baby food brand Plum Organics, explained FoodFutureCo’s work in advising and supporting early- and mid-stage food and beverage companies, particularly those that are providing unique products and solutions for the food system. Chang also offered her perspective on how the opportunities and challen...
May 05, 2017•47 min
In this episode of the podcast, BevNET’s John Craven and Jeff Klineman discussed some of the big stories in the food and beverage business, including tough press for Juicero, operational issues for brands like Soylent and Reed’s, and the ways the largest, publicly-traded food and beverage companies are attempting to refresh their lineups through transactions -- and through change at the top. Also included in this edition of the podcast: a chat on packaging trends and innovation with Zuckerman Ho...
Apr 28, 2017•1 hr
Livio Bisterzo thinks millennials are the new hippies. And he’s got just the snack for them. A longtime entrepreneur, Bisterzo is the founder and CEO of Green Park Brands, a self-described “food innovation company” based in Los Angeles. Approximately 18 months ago, the company launched its first brand, Hippeas, a line of organic chickpea puffs available in six varieties. The vegan snacks are high in fiber and protein and sold in wide range of natural and conventional grocery retailers; they’re a...
Apr 21, 2017•53 min
Last week IRI, a global market research firm based in Chicago, held its annual “Growth Summit,” a three-day conference designed to help CPG manufacturers, retailers and media industry executives understand the opportunities and challenges presented by big data. The event, held in Nashville’s Opryland district, included a range of educational and strategy-oriented sessions on cross-category dynamics, fragmented media, consumer personalization, digital marketing and e-commerce. Amid the sprawling ...
Apr 14, 2017•1 hr 6 min
Adam Melonas has a pretty simple mission: he wants you to eat tasty, healthy snacks. The Australian-born chef and entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of Chew LLC, a Boston-based food incubator focused on recreating legacy snack brands. Melonas said the products are being renovated from “the ground up, inventing new processes to make them more nutritious and delicious every time.” BevNET recently visited Chew’s new innovation lab in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood where we recorded a wide-ranging in...
Apr 07, 2017•54 min
Mining trends at the recently held Natural Products Expo West 2017, Howard Telford, a senior beverages analyst with market research firm Euromonitor, said he saw the event as the embodiment of the health and wellness movement that has reshaped the beverage industry in recent years. In an interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET Podcast, Telford shared his thoughts on pertinent trends affecting new product development as viewed at Expo West and beyond. Telford, who is an expert on the gl...
Mar 31, 2017•1 hr 6 min
Zak Normandin is a determinedly practical entrepreneur. As a new father, he was concerned that there were few companies selling organic foods for babies and toddlers. So he created his own: Little Duck Organics, a maker of USDA organic snacks. A few years after its launch, he sold the company. Although he had been successful in the food business, he wasn't satisfied with traditional distribution models. Seeing an opportunity to sell direct-to-consumer, two years ago Normandin launched Dirty Lemo...
Mar 24, 2017•1 hr 17 min
As the founder and CEO of Bulletproof Nutrition, Dave Asprey presides over a company dedicated to hacking human biology through nutrient-dense food and beverages. A former tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, Asprey first came to fame as the creator of Bulletproof coffee, a blend of hot coffee, butter from grass-fed cows and coconut oil. The recipe won acclaim for its purported benefits of weight loss and improved brain function, and Asprey has since built Bulletproof into a multi-pronged brand,...
Mar 17, 2017•48 min
In this edition of the BevNET Podcast, we’re joined by prominent food and beverage attorney Nick Giannuzzi. The founder and managing partner of the The Giannuzzi Group, he has for over a decade provided legal representation to hundreds of small to mid-sized CPG companies and been involved in the biggest M&A deals in the space, including the sale of vitaminwater to The Coca-Cola Co., Krave Jerky to The Hershey Co. and KeVita to PepsiCo. Our conversation with Giannuzzi includes his take on how...
Mar 09, 2017•53 min
Kevin Klock, the president and CEO of Talking Rain, believes that while timing and some luck played a role in the remarkable success of Sparkling Ice, execution is the primary reason that it’s currently a $600 million brand at retail. A focused business strategy and the development of a national DSD network and seasoned sales organization helped position Sparkling Ice for eye-popping sales growth -- 6,000 percent since 2010. But Klock, who joined Talking Rain in 2006 and took the helm four years...
Mar 02, 2017•46 min
In this edition of the BevNET Podcast, we’re joined by Michael Schwartz, the co-founder and managing partner of Organic Food Incubator, a shared production facility and resource center for early-stage food and beverage companies. In our conversation with Schwartz, who is also the founder of BAO, a brand of fermented foods and drinks, we delved into the current landscape for start-up brands in metro New York, and discuss top-of-mind ingredient and formulations embraced by entrepreneurs in the reg...
Feb 24, 2017•47 min
Big Geyser, the largest independent beverage distributor in metro New York, has played a critical role in the development of some of the most successful entrepreneurial beverage brands in recent years, including vitaminwater, Zico and Honest Tea. Jerry Reda, the company’s COO, oversees a distribution network that includes over 25,000 retail accounts -- and navigating the day-to-day challenges as Big Geyser’s trucks traverse the tri-state area brings an extra level of headache to the gig. In the ...
Feb 17, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Mike Repole, the co-founder of BodyArmor, is unsatisfied. Why? Because BodyArmor, despite its impressive growth in recent years, is not the world’s top-selling sports drink brand. Repole, who also co-founded vitaminwater and is a horse-racing magnate and billionaire, clearly does not lack ambition. As part of a wide-ranging interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET Podcast, Repole, who joined BodyArmor as a co-founder through an investment in the brand in 2012, said that despite Gatorade...
Feb 10, 2017•55 min
Last week, the podcast team visited the Boston offices of Bevi, a high-tech water cooler that customizes still and sparkling water with unsweetened, zero-calorie, or organically sweetened natural flavors. We spoke with Bevi co-founder and CEO Sean Grundy about the internet-connected machines, which are placed in corporate clients, health gyms and hotels, and provide real-time data to the company about usage and service needs. Grundy also discussed the company’s mission “to make the bottled bever...
Feb 03, 2017•53 min
In the past two years, crowd investing firm CircleUp has morphed from solely a platform for investors to fund innovative, early-stage consumer brands into one that is also an investor itself. Last week the podcast team visited CircleUp’s San Francisco office to speak with Ben Lee, the managing director of CircleUp Funds, the company’s investment arm. We sat down with him to discuss the ways in which CircleUp aims to support early-stage fundraising for beverage entrepreneurs. Lee, who has oversee...
Jan 27, 2017•35 min
BevNET’s podcast team recently visited with Mike Burgmaier, the co-founder and managing director of Whipstitch Capital, an investment bank that provides mergers and acquisitions and private placement advisory services to consumer products companies. In this edition of the podcast, Burgmaier, who’s worked with several fast-growing and high-profile beverage brands, including Essentia, Spindrift and KeVita, discussed the current climate for CPG financing, competition for investment dollars and what...
Jan 13, 2017•37 min
Year two of the BevNET Podcast begins with a discussion on trends to watch in the worlds of non-alcoholic beverages, craft beer and natural foods. In this edition, the podcast team is joined by BevNET editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and the editors of BevNET’s sister sites, Brewbound’s Chris Furnari and Project NOSH’s Carol Ortenberg, each of whom offered their take on the most pertinent trends and issues within the industries they cover.
Jan 06, 2017•46 min
It took us a couple of weeks to recover from the biggest BevNET Live conference yet, but in this edition of the podcast, we reflected on the three-day event, which was held from Dec. 4-6 in Santa Monica, Calif. With over 600 attendees and more than 150 beverage brands represented at the show, BevNET Live Winter 2016 showcased the breadth of cutting-edge trends and innovative beverage concepts, including many that appeared on the main stage during New Beverage Showdown 12. We discussed some of th...
Dec 22, 2016•36 min
