Episodes

This week we’re joined by Teresa Tsou and Jeff Martin, co-founders of Pipsnacks, which markets classic salty snacks made with a base of heirloom corn. The pair spoke about the brand’s unique positioning, how they navigated a tumultuous funding round and a key partnership that has boosted its innovation strategy.

This week we’re joined by Benjamin Chesler, the co-founder of Imperfect Foods, a pioneering online grocery service that specializes in selling produce and surplus food that would otherwise be discarded. Chesler discussed Imperfect’s roots and mission to reduce food waste on a massive scale, the process for incorporating branded items into its product selection and how the company communicates quality as a seller of “imperfect” food.

Taste Radio hosts Ray Latif, Jacqui Brugliera and Mike Schneider highlighted several new products and innovative brands sent to the office in recent weeks, including a line of non-alcoholic cocktails billed as “the world’s first plant powered social elixirs,” thin-cut fruit chips, an avocado-based hot sauce, hydration tonics and everything (bagel) in between.

This week, we’re joined by Charles Coristine, president and CEO of LesserEvil, who spoke about the better-for-you snack brand’s turnaround from industry outcast to a vertically integrated platform that emphasizes gross margin and innovation. Within our conversation, he explained why he leans on retail buyers to guide product development and why he’s a proponent of “failing fast and falling forward.”

As Foxtrot Market, one of the most hyped retailers in recent memory, prepares to open dozens of new locations, we sat down with co-founder/CEO Mike LaVitola to talk about how the company cultivates an intimate understanding of its consumers, its uniquely curated product selection and why the chain is simultaneously going head-to-head with the likes of Starbucks, 7-Eleven and DoorDash.

Joshua Ellis, the founder and CEO of super-premium mixer brand WithCo, explained how, despite being the company’s sole employee in early 2020, he weaved together a DIY and paid social marketing strategy that fueled a surge in direct-to-consumer sales, how he’s thoughtfully expanding the brand’s retail footprint and what he means when he says that he’s “building to sell.”

This episode features an interview with Wes Henderson, the co-founder and chief innovation officer of Angel's Envy, who chronicled the history and development of the revered whiskey brand and how the company rapidly scaled while staying true to its values. This podcast also includes a conversation with the founders of two innovative brands that focuses on how each landed placement in their dream retailers. Teresa Tsou, the co-founder of better-for-you snack brand Pipcorn, and Andrew Suzuka, the founder of organic, vegetable-infused tomato sauce brand Otamot, discussed their respective paths into Whole Foods and Sprouts, and revealed key steps along the way.

This is a special edition of the podcast which highlights interviews with six founders, creators and innovators who joined us on the show during the first half of 2021, including Denise Woodard, the founder and CEO of Partake Foods; Mike Fata, the founder of Manitoba Harvest; Lezlie Karls Saltarelli, Nick Saltarelli and Jake Karls, the co-founders of Mid-Day Squares; Bill Moses, the founder and CEO of Flying Embers; Ayeshah Abuelhiga, the founder and CEO of Mason Dixie Foods; and Seth Goldman, the co-founder of Honest Tea and Eat The Change and the chair of the board for Beyond Meat.

Amy’s Kitchen co-founders Andy and Rachel Berliner spoke about how they’ve maintained their vision and focus for the prepared food brand over the years, how a retirement-aged accountant became the company’s most significant hire, why they are extremely patient when it comes to new product development and why their happiness has never been tied to financial gain.

Alexander Harik, founder and CEO of Zesty Z, a brand of condiments, popcorn and seasonings inspired by the Mediterranean diet, discussed company’s positioning as an authentic food brand designed to reach a broad set of consumers, the process of scaling from a single product to a platform brand and how he’s navigated challenges and surprising roadblocks as an Arab-American food entrepreneur.