When it comes to trade shows, Rhythm Superfoods CEO Scott Jensen isn’t a fan of expensive hotels and opulent dinners; he’d rather double up with co-workers and eat affordably. It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate a little luxury. Rather, Jensen, a successful entrepreneur whose nearly 30 years in the food business include co-founding gourmet barbeque sauce brand Stubb’s, believes that frugality is a critical element of success, particularly for growing companies. In an interview included in this e...
Feb 26, 2018•1 hr 20 min
Sheryl O’Loughlin is ready for a change. It’s not that O'Loughlin, the CEO of adaptogenic beverage brand REBBL, doesn’t love her current job; since joining the company in 2015, she’s embraced the role, the company and its passionate commitment to social responsibility. Rather, she believes that a business’ ability to constantly evolve and to take a progressive approach to the times at hand can ultimately spell the difference between success or failure. In an interview included in this episode of...
Feb 20, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Beyond Meat’s first attempt at its signature product, a plant-based burger, while hailed as innovative and groundbreaking, had a big problem: it just didn’t taste very good. Perhaps folks along the coasts would be willing to sacrifice some flavor for a vegan option, but founder and CEO Ethan Brown knew that to win over mainstream American consumers, Beyond Meat, which makes a variety of plant-based meat products, had to nail the taste, texture and experience of eating beef. The company has since...
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Josh Tetrick has some big ideas. Like “revolutionize the food industry” big. The founder and CEO of JUST (formerly Hampton Creek), Tetrick is at the helm of a company whose stated mission is to “help create a food system where everyone can eat food that nourishes their bodies and nourishes the planet.” Known for its vegan mayo and cookie dough, JUST merges biotechnology and plant-based ingredients to create environmentally friendly and healthier foods. The company recently introduced a vegan scr...
Feb 06, 2018•59 min
Ask most folks in the food and beverage business how the industry has evolved over the past decade and you’ll likely hear the terms “natural, organic, and better-for-you” to name a few. But long before companies embraced the health and wellness fervor that permeates every aspect of the industry today, D'Artagnan Foods co-founder and CEO Ariane Daguin was paving a path for better food. Born into a French restaurateur and food dynasty, Ariane is often recognized as one of the pioneers of organic, ...
Jan 30, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Tyler Merrick is attempting to save the world, one pack of gum at a time. A serial entrepreneur, Merrick is the founder and CEO of Project 7, a premium gum, mint and candy brand built around a core social mission. Launched in 2009, the company donates a portion from each purchase to support seven areas of need in the U.S. and across the globe, including hunger, homelessness, clean water, and anti-bullying initiatives. Merrick initially envisioned Project 7 as a “Newman’s Own 2.0” brand for commo...
Jan 23, 2018•1 hr 9 min
Sean Lovett had a serious Coke habit -- until he found kombucha. That change had been long in the making. Like many other consumers, Lovett remained a loyal Coke drinker for years, despite creeping concerns about its high sugar and calorie count. Seeking a soda alternative with a healthy halo, he took his first sip of kombucha nearly a decade ago and has never looked back. It was an experience that launched a mission: create a brand that could serve as “the Coke of the kombucha world.” In 2010 L...
Jan 16, 2018•54 min
A super-premium ice cream brand that got its start slinging sweet treats out of a repurposed, beat-up postal van, Coolhaus is changing the perception of frozen pints, one scoop at a time. Known for its off-beat style and inventive, indulgent flavors -- think Fried Chicken & Waffles and Balsamic Fig -- Coolhaus is certainly not your father’s ice cream. But it’s not for him. Lauded by food critics and adored by celebrities and social influencers who’ve championed the Los Angeles-based brand si...
Jan 09, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Cold brew won’t save the world. Just ask Chris Campbell. The co-founder and CEO of Chameleon Cold-Brew, Campbell is well aware of cold brew’s vaunted status as one of the hottest trends in food and beverage. He’s also extremely proud of Chameleon’s commitment to quality, its devoted consumer base and its leadership position within the space, all of which were key elements to its recent acquisition by Nestlé. Yet, in a conversation included in this episode of Taste Radio, Campbell stressed that a...
Jan 02, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Everyone’s heard “15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more in car insurance.” Well folks, we don’t know much about the business of insuring your 2009 Honda Accord, but we can tell you that taking 15 minutes to listen to this special edition of Taste Radio could be a game-changer for you and your company. Culled from 50 episodes published over this past year, Taste Radio’s Best of 2017 features a select collection of quips and quotes from interviews with some of the brightest minds in the foo...
Dec 27, 2017•15 min
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to break into the food and beverage business… but it doesn’t hurt. Just ask Kurt Seidensticker. A former NASA aerospace engineer, Seidensticker is the founder and CEO of Vital Proteins, a fast-growing brand immersed in a hot trend: ingestible collagen. An avid runner who was drawn to the recovery benefits of collagen, his path from space shuttles to grocery store aisles was two decades in the making, bisected by a successful career as a digital strategy co...
Dec 21, 2017•59 min
Distributors called her a “relentless bitch,” but Sharelle Klaus paid little mind to their insecurities. She was too busy building a business. Instead, Klaus, the founder and CEO of DRY Soda, a Seattle-based maker of premium carbonated soft drinks, wore the slur as a badge of honor. Standing at the forefront of the emerging craft soda segment since the launch of DRY in 2005, Klaus acknowledges that she is indeed relentless — and deeply passionate about her vision to deliver better soda to Americ...
Dec 15, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Stephen Williamson, the co-founder and CEO of organic plant-based food and beverage company Forager Project, embraces a non-traditional approach to innovation. “We are great believers in ‘Ready. Fire. Aim.’” he said in a recent interview included in this episode of Taste Radio. “We have tried to leverage anything where we’ve seen success.” Launched in 2013, the San Francisco-based company has built a brand platform that extends from juices to smoothies to snacks and yogurts, all based around the...
Dec 08, 2017•1 hr 6 min
Back to the Roots, which markets indoor gardening kits and organic breakfast cereal, has come a long way. Having started out making mushrooms out of coffee waste, the company has evolved into an ambitious sustainable food brand that envisions a future when it’s recognized as “The Pixar of Food.” In this week’s episode of Taste Radio, co-founder Nikhil Arora discussed how Back to the Roots is positioning itself to achieve that lofty goal through a consumer-centric approach to innovation and worki...
Dec 01, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Barry Nalebuff believes that food and beverage entrepreneurs should focus on solving what he calls “a real problem.” When he co-founded organic beverage brand Honest Tea 20 years ago, that meant delivering healthier bottled drinks to consumers at a time when few such options existed. Nalebuff has since integrated that philosophy into other ventures, including alcoholic kombucha company Kombrewcha and Maker Oats, a new brand of organic overnight oats that he developed in partnership with Quaker O...
Nov 24, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Halen Brands, a privately held operating company that invests in, acquires, and operates food and beverage brands, describes itself as “created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.” It’s an appropriate tagline given Halen’s leadership team, which is headed by founder and co-CEO Jason Cohen, a highly successful entrepreneur and investor who’s grown and sold brands including Mamma Says, Sensible Portions, Rickland Orchards and partnered with the founders of Skinny Pop for a combined total of over $...
Nov 17, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Adnan Durrani was once known as “The Suit.” A former Wall Street executive, Durrani’s first experience at a natural foods show was a clash in styles: a buttoned-up banker dressed in Brooks Brothers amid hippie entrepreneurs clad in raggedy jeans and sandals. Despite the difference in style, Durrani found himself embraced by the community and in particular by Stonyfield Farm co-founder Gary Hirshberg, for whom Durrani served as a board member and investor. Durrani is currently the CEO of American...
Nov 10, 2017•1 hr 8 min
A former software engineer, John Coogan says that programmers are often pondering ways to “automate ourselves out of a job.” Coogan, who in 2013 co-founded fast-growing meal replacement products brand Soylent, has a similar perspective when it comes to entrepreneurship. In a recent interview featured in this week’s episode of Taste Radio, Coogan, who recently stepped down as Soylent’s CTO, said that “as entrepreneurs, we should be thinking about how we can manage ourselves out of a job.” Amid th...
Nov 03, 2017•1 hr 2 min
A tech executive-turned-beverage entrepreneur, Kara Goldin has incorporated many of the lessons from her career in Silicon Valley into the development of Hint, an unsweetened, flavored water brand that she launched in 2005. In this week’s episode of Taste Radio, we spoke with Goldin about how her experiences in the tech world helped shape the business strategy for Hint, which markets a variety of still and sparkling water products and is nearing $100 million in annual sales. Goldin also explaine...
Oct 27, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Earlier this month the Taste Radio team met with GT Dave, the founder of best-selling kombucha brand GT’s Kombucha. In an interview recorded for this episode, Dave discussed the origins of GT’s, a brand he created 22 years ago and its pioneering role in the fast-growing and high-profile kombucha category. Recorded at the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles, Dave explained his belief that most "successful businesses come from a pure place" and stressed that brands should attempt to connect with...
Oct 20, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Joy Bauer believes snacking should be simple. Bauer, the nutrition and health expert for NBC’s “Today” show and founder of granola bites company Nourish Snacks, is concerned that an ever-increasing number of product certifications and overwrought marketing callouts are confusing consumers. In an interview included in this week’s episode of Taste Radio, Bauer stated her belief that most consumers simply want clean labels, easily understood ingredients and delicious flavors, a perspective that ins...
Oct 13, 2017•53 min
Episode 78 of BevNET’s Taste Radio podcast features a conversation with Chris Hunter, the co-founder of plant-based protein drink brand Koia and a co-founder of Phusion Projects, the Chicago-based alcoholic beverage company best known as the maker of Four Loko. In our interview, recorded at Natural Products Expo East 2017, Hunter discussed the remarkable rise (and notorious reputation) of Four Loko and why a focus on branding and merchandising was key to its success. Hunter also explained his be...
Oct 06, 2017•54 min
In this week’s episode of BevNET’s Taste Radio, we’re joined by Pat Brown, the founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, a food tech company focused on the development of meat, dairy and fish products derived from plant-based material. Best known as the maker of the Impossible Burger, a juicy, meatless patty that’s served in trendy restaurants nationwide, the company has reportedly raised over $300 million to date, including investment from GV and Bill Gates. Project NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and B...
Sep 29, 2017•1 hr
Episode 76 of BevNET’s Taste Radio podcast spotlights a wide-ranging conversation with Spindrift founder and CEO Bill Creelman. Recorded at Spindrift headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Creelman waxed about cutting his teeth in the beverage business and the launch, development and sale of his first company, Stirrings, a maker of premium cocktail mixers. He also discussed how the origins of Spindrift, a fast-growing brand of fruit-infused sparkling water, continue to play a critical role in the brand...
Sep 21, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Taste Radio episode 75, presented by Virun, features a compelling conversation with Aaron Anker and Nat Peirce, who are the co-founders of Grandy Oats, a maker, wholesaler and retailer of organic granola. BevNET editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman met with Anker and Peirce at Grandy Oats’ headquarters in Hiram, Maine, where the trio spoke about the company’s development and evolution since its launch in 1979. Over the past two years, Grandy Oats, which has remained independent since its founding, has ...
Sep 15, 2017•1 hr 3 min
In this week’s episode of BevNET’s Taste Radio, we’re joined by Matt Thomas, the founder and CEO of Townshend’s Tea Company and Brew Dr. Kombucha. In a conversation with BevNET assistant editor Marty Caballero, Thomas discussed the origins of Townshend's, a premium tea retailer based in Portland, Ore., and its development of Brew Dr., which has become one of the fastest-growing brands in the breakout kombucha category. Thomas explained how a tea-forward approach to formulation continues to reson...
Sep 08, 2017•59 min
This week’s episode of Taste Radio features a captivating interview with veteran beverage executive with Joth Ricci, a veteran beverage executive Joth Ricci with one of the most diverse, interesting and impactful track records of anyone in the industry. Over a 17-year career, Ricci has held roles as president of Stumptown Coffee, president and CEO of Jones Soda and managing director with beverage investment and advisory firm First Beverage Group. BevNET assistant editor Marty Caballero recently ...
Sep 01, 2017•1 hr 3 min
In episode 72 of Taste Radio, we feature a conversation with Poorvi Patodia, who is the founder and CEO of Biena, a fast-growing maker of roasted chickpea snacks. Just five years since its launch, Biena is distributed at 15,000 locations across the U.S. and available at Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts and Stop & Shop. Patodia outlined her vision for roasted chickpeas and how the combination of familiar snack flavors and a healthy, whole food option continues to win over investors, distributors,...
Aug 25, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Doug Zell believes in “chasing perfection with the hope of never catching it.” That concept guides the core mission of Intelligentsia, a super-premium coffee roaster and retailer that Zell co-founded 22 years ago. In a conversation included as part of this week’s episode, Zell expounded on how Intelligentsia’s relentless pursuit for improvement permeates its retail and packaged coffee business. He also discussed why the “totality of the impression” carries so much significance for the company, t...
Aug 18, 2017•1 hr 7 min
Episode 70 of BevNET’s Taste Radio podcast spotlights a recent conversation with Jeff Church, the co-founder and CEO of Suja, a maker of organic beverages, including high-pressure processed juices, drinking vinegars, and kombucha. At the helm since 2012, Church has guided Suja’s remarkable ascent as the leading brand in a highly competitive cold-pressed juice category and was instrumental in its partnership with the Coca-Cola Co., which in 2015 acquired a 30 percent stake in the company. Recorde...
Aug 11, 2017•59 min
