Episodes

The gang’s all here… in San Diego. The hosts convene at BevNET’s west coast office where they talk about how Fly By Jing nailed its foray into a popular food category and also highlight the debut of a convenient ethnic comfort food brand and Olipop’s upgrade on a legacy soda flavor.

Matt Roberts, the founder of groundbreaking instant coffee brand Comeeter Coffee, talks about how he disrupted the category by delivering a high quality drinking experience and how his constant desire to learn more has helped him become a better leader.

When worlds collide, do consumers benefit? The hosts weigh in on Lunchly, the much hyped new Lunchables competitor launched by uber influencers and entrepreneurs Mr. Beast, Logan Paul and KSI. They also highlight unusual collaborations between fashion and consumer brands, and reach for healthy soups and shots.

Kaveh Zamanian, the founder of Rabbit Hole Distillery, talks about how his personal passion for whiskey became an entrepreneurial journey, how he assembled a team of industry veterans early into the development of the company, why he credits a strong social support network as key to his career transition and pitching 1,000 investors over the course of two years and how he got 110 to say “yes.”

It’s another drag for canna-brands. The hosts discuss an emergency regulation in California that would remove food and beverage brands containing hemp-derived THC from stores in the state. They also wonder about the runway for a trendy flavor and highlight several new and unusual products.

Tero Isokauppila, the founder and CEO of Four Sigmatic, a pioneering brand of mushroom-infused coffee, tea and supplements, talks about navigating an ahead-of-its-time trend, how he overcame “making every mistake a founder can make,” and how the company aligns category insights and innovation.

Was Newtopia Now worth a visit? Why are founders flocking to San Diego? Is “Side Hustlers” the new “Shark Tank”? What’s going on with instant noodles? And, is drinking pastrami a real thing? All good questions. The hosts have answers.

Influential advisor and investor Ken Sadowsky and Taste Radio editor Ray Latif sip their way through an assemblage of beverages, as the former shares his perspective on trendy concepts, categories on the rise, package design, his investment thesis and successful retail strategies.

A recent Linkedin post penned by an executive of online distribution platform Pod Foods ignited a passionate discussion about the limited routes to market for emerging brands and whether things might be changing for the better… or worse. Taste Radio’s hosts have their say on the matter.