Episodes

Fresh off the conclusion of the 2023 Winter Fancy Food Show, Taste Radio editor Ray Latif highlighted new, innovative and better-for-you products from over a dozen exhibitors at the annual event, including a plant-centric soup brand, spicy and chewy candy, sunflower seed-based milk, non-alcoholic wine alternatives and gourmet marshmallows.

Tara Bosch, the founder of better-for-you candy brand SmartSweets, explained how prioritizing a lean business model in its early development enabled the company to be nimble and outpace its competitors, why its growth strategy is built around “patient urgency” and how the brand’s highly effective social media strategy drives consumers to its retailers.

Greater Than co-founders Mark and Jon Sider spoke about how timing and humility played into the brand’s dramatic repositioning, a shift that elicited over $8 million in DTC sales in each of the past two years. They also explained how they effectively incorporated user-generated content into digital media initiatives and opened up about how their relationship and those with others have been impacted by the challenges of entrepreneurship.

Taste Radio’s hosts discussed the relative value of making resolutions and shared advice from a highly successful entrepreneur on how to set achievable goals. They also spoke about the arrival of 2023 trade shows, an effective way that early-stage brands can build awareness and riffed on a handful of new products and brand updates.

This special edition of the podcast features highlights from interviews with seven founders, creators and innovators who joined us on the show during the second half of 2022. Our guests include Alison Cayne, the founder and CEO of Haven’s Kitchen; Dan Lourenco and Ryan Hughes, the co-founders of Ghost; Anna-Lena Kamenetzky, the founder and CEO of Touch Capital; Ibraheem Basir, the founder and CEO of A Dozen Cousins; Chitra Agrawal, the founder and CEO of Brooklyn Delhi; and Maxime Pouvreau, the founder of Petit Pot.

Jack McGarry, the co-founder of globally renowned bar The Dead Rabbit, spoke about why chasing and receiving accolades caused him to reassess his values, how he’s using his influence to spread awareness about mental health and sobriety, the ways in which he’s aligning modernity and authenticity in the bar's ambience and why he’s bullish on no- and low-alcohol spirits and cocktails.

With a new year on the horizon, the hosts shared their expectations for the food and beverage industry in 2023, including the most pertinent opportunities and challenges faced by growing brands. They also opined on the value of Twitter for entrepreneurs and executives and highlighted notable and new products. This episode also features the second edition of Special Ops with Andrew Guard, in which the operations expert offers guidance on timely issues affecting food and beverage companies.

Their flagship products have a suggested retail price that is nearly double those of legacy and competing brands. And, yet, Serenity Kids is outpacing them all. In this episode, founders Serenity and Joe Carr spoke about why maintaining a premium price point is key to the brand’s value proposition, their thoughtful sourcing and operations strategies, how they developed a sophisticated understanding of the packaged food industry and their rigorous hiring process.

Mauro Porcini, the Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo, discussed his definition of design, both in the abstract and specific to his work in consumer products, how he convinces colleagues to align with his vision, and where he takes his cues as a creator and leader. He also explained his hiring process and the value of technical expertise versus personality or cultural savvy and how social media influences his perspective on design.