Ray DeRosa, the founder and CEO of dandelion-based tea brand Lion Tea, knows that it’s an uphill battle getting consumers to understand why they should drink his products. How do you communicate the detoxifying and digestive health benefits of the beverages without a significant financial investment in consumer education that start-up companies like his rarely have? As DeRosa explained in an interview included in this episode, he’s tackled this issue by using a simple, yet powerful and efficient...
Aug 02, 2019•29 min
Immersed in the booming business of esports, G Fuel, a fast-growing brand of gamer-focused energy powders and ready-to-drink beverages, is pressing all the right buttons. Since its debut in 2014, G Fuel’s rapid ascent has mirrored that of competitive video gaming, an industry expected to top $1 billion in revenue this year. Having amassed a loyal following of esports participants and enthusiasts, G Fuel products generated overall sales of $25 million last year; according to Cliff Morgan, founder...
Jul 30, 2019•36 min
In this episode, we’re joined by Rizal Hamdallah, the Global Chief Innovation Officer of Ocean Spray, for a discussion about how companies of all sizes can use innovation to positively impact the food system. Hamdallah recently arrived at Ocean Spray from Tyson Foods, where he served as managing director of the company’s Innovation Lab, an incubation unit designed to rapidly bring new and potentially disruptive products to market. In his current role, he’s focused on a similar mission: helping t...
Jul 26, 2019•39 min
If you’re familiar with yerba mate, you’re probably familiar with Guayaki. Founded in 1996, Guayaki was one of the first companies to introduce yerba mate -- a naturally caffeinated herbal infusion native to South America -- to U.S. consumers. In the years since, the brand, which markets a range of ready-to-drink and loose leaf products, helped create a loyal and rapidly expanding market for the beverage, while establishing itself as a vertically integrated company driven by responsible and sust...
Jul 23, 2019•35 min
This week’s episode features interviews with the founders of three innovative brands and focuses on how each landed placement in their dream retailers. Jesse Wolfe, the founder of dressing brand O’Dang Hummus, Lisa Curtis, the founder of Kuli Kuli, a brand of moringa-based foods and beverages and Tyler Noyes, the co-founder of meat snack brand Kalahari Biltong, discussed their respective paths into popular chains, including Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Wegmans, and revealed key steps along th...
Jul 19, 2019•1 hr 4 min
A pioneer of premium candy, Jelly Belly made its name by infusing jelly beans with innovative and oddball flavors, like buttered popcorn, juicy pear, strawberry cheesecake and toasted marshmallow. Driven by consumer demand for new and interesting flavor experiences, the brand has consistently pushed the envelope with product development, an innovation strategy that’s resulted in plenty of wins, along with a few howlers. However, in an interview included in this episode Jelly Belly president/CEO ...
Jul 16, 2019•36 min
In his fourteenth year as an entrepreneur, Rick Field, the founder and CEO of premium pickle brand Rick’s Picks, says he’s always happy to share advice and insights on what it takes to make it in the food business. However, in an interview included in this episode, he noted that every meeting with a potential entrepreneur starts with one question that will determine the length of their conversation. “If you answer it ‘yes,’ we can talk for an hour," he said. "If you answer it ‘no,’ the interview...
Jul 12, 2019•38 min
How did Stew Leonard’s, a small, family-owned and operated grocery chain based in Connecticut, become known as ‘America’s Favorite Grocery Store’? According to Stew Leonard Jr., the company’s president and CEO, there’s a simple secret to its success: an emphasis on meeting and engaging with its customers in the aisles of its stores. “Being on the store floor is critical to the success of a company, and if people start trying to manage from an office I think the company is going to run into probl...
Jul 09, 2019•42 min
This edition of Taste Radio Insider features highlights from interviews with six founders, creators and industry experts who joined us on the show during the first half of 2019, including Hint founder and CEO Kara Goldin, venture capitalist Chris Hollod, Recess founder and CEO Benjamin Witte, attorney and investor Ryan Lewendon, MALK founder and CEO August Vega and nutpods founder and CEO Madeline Haydon. This episode is presented by BevSource , an integrated provider of beverage development, pr...
Jul 05, 2019•27 min
In this highlight episode culled from interviews with six innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs who joined us on Taste Radio during the first half of 2019, we explore the role that innovation plays several for category-leading brands. Our guests include Vita Coco co-founder Mike Kirban, Lifeway Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky, Justin’s founder Justin Gold, Sailor Jerry Rum and Hendricks Gin creator Steve Grasse and WTRMLN WTR co-founder Jody Levy. This episode is presented by BevSource , an integrate...
Jul 02, 2019•37 min
On 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 thei...
Jun 28, 2019•31 min
Doss Cunningham was just a few years out of college when he was unexpectedly thrust into the role of CEO at sports nutrition company Nutrabolt in 2007. His primary focus: “don’t screw it up.” Cunningham’s transition was not only successful, he since transformed Nutrabolt from a middling category player into an industry-leading powerhouse. Anchored by best-selling pre-workout brand C4, Nutrabolt is the largest independently owned nutraceutical company in the world, with retail sales exceeding $65...
Jun 25, 2019•38 min
In 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 investi...
Jun 21, 2019•47 min
Thirteen years ago, Siggi Hilmarsson began selling the first versions of his Icelandic-style yogurt on the streets of Manhattan. At the time, the Siggi’s brand he would eventually create didn’t exist; the products were simply promoted as “really delicious thick yogurt” with “lots of protein,” “low in fat” and “not so much sugar.” While the marketing has since evolved, the company’s core values remain unchanged, according to Hilmarsson; both were key to its development and eventual acquisition by...
Jun 18, 2019•53 min
This 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 7-Ele...
Jun 14, 2019•41 min
As the founder of Popchips, Keith Belling helped usher in a new era for healthy snacking. Twelve years after the brand’s launch, he’s attempting to do the same for rice with RightRice, Belling’s second food brand that debuted in February. In an interview included in this episode, Belling explained that RightRice is in many ways the culmination of an entrepreneurial career that’s spanned law, real estate, online publishing and consumer products. At every stage, Belling said, his passion to solve ...
Jun 11, 2019•34 min
Before 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 bottle ...
Jun 06, 2019•45 min
It’s the first name in espresso and, not coincidentally, the last name of our interview guest in this week’s episode. Illy has for decades been one of the world’s most enduring coffee companies and is renowned for its singular, signature blend of coffee, commitment to quality standards and ethical responsibility. Led by chairman Andrea Illy, the third-generation leader of the Italian company and one of the global coffee industry’s most influential figures, Illy revenues topped $540 million in 20...
Jun 04, 2019•40 min
In 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 why it...
May 31, 2019•38 min
Mike Kirban is unquestionably one of the most successful beverage entrepreneurs of all time, but if our interview with him offers any indication, his legacy is far from complete. Since co-founding Vita Coco in 2004, Kirban has guided the brand to domination in the coconut water space. Distributed over four continents, Vita Coco holds a 26 percent share of the global market for coconut water, which is estimated to be worth $2.5 billion, according to market research firm Euromonitor. Success has a...
May 28, 2019•51 min
In 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 shakes. Le...
May 24, 2019•40 min
Just as the brand was shifting into high gear, the engine driving one of the hottest brands in food and beverage had basically stalled. Oatly, a Swedish-based brand of oat milk and oat milk-based products, has been available in Europe for over 25 years and entered the American market in 2016. The U.S. launch was timed to meet surging interest in plant-based dairy alternatives, but while Oatly anticipated a strong start, the overwhelming demand for product was more than the company could handle. ...
May 21, 2019•43 min
In 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 contribution in ...
May 17, 2019•46 min
Better-for-you booze? It may sound like an oxymoron, but a growing cohort of healthier alcoholic beverages have been finding a receptive audience in recent years. Often promoted as low-calorie, low-carb, or infused functional benefits, these products are resonating with a growing number of consumers focused on health and wellness. That’s certainly the case for Boochcraft, a three-year-old hard kombucha brand that has been making waves in its home market of Southern California. In an interview in...
May 14, 2019•33 min
Getting 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 company that’...
May 10, 2019•27 min
As Mamma Chia was sprinting to runaway success, an error in judgment nearly caused its demise. Up until that point, the company’s star was on a steady rise. Within a year of its market debut in 2010, its innovative chia-based beverages were distributed in thousands of stores, including nationally at Whole Foods. A few months later, founder Janie Hoffman was highlighted in a widely-read New York Times article about growing consumer demand for chia. Mamma Chia has since evolved into a platform bra...
May 07, 2019•46 min
When 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 managing...
May 03, 2019•30 min
Nearly 20 years ago Jesse Laflamme came home from college to find his family’s egg brand, Pete and Gerry’s, on the precipice. Consolidation in the egg and retail grocery industries left the company in turmoil and on the verge of bankruptcy. Despite the urging of his parents to consider another career, Laflamme, now the CEO of Pete and Gerry’s, was committed to the brand and solving its problems. Over the past two decades, Laflamme has led a turnaround that’s seen the company grow from a struggli...
Apr 30, 2019•44 min
You 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 share a be...
Apr 26, 2019•44 min
It’s remarkable to hear John Bello’s current take on SoBe, the lifestyle beverage brand that he co-founded and sold to PepsiCo for nearly $400 million. Already an accomplished marketing executive when he launched the brand in 1996, Bello helped shape SoBe’s healthy halo and exotic vibe by infusing its drinks with trendy functional ingredients like ginseng and ginkgo biloba. However, he admits that SoBe was essentially “sugar water” packaged and designed to give consumers what they believed to be...
Apr 23, 2019•38 min
