Episodes

Denise Woodard, the founder and CEO of fast-growing allergen-friendly food brand Partake Foods, spoke about the benefits of “leaning into” cost-saving retailer programs, how she went from raising thousands of dollars at a time to multi-million, celebrity-led funding rounds, how the tragedy and social unrest of 2020 impacted Partake and why she sings the praises of a having a leadership coach.

Drew and Mac Anderson, co-founders of the fast-growing fermented food platform Cleveland Kitchen, spoke about how the brand drew its inspiration from their mother and from the city of Cleveland, their experience leaning into new use occasions for sauerkraut and why it was key to growth, the impact of data on its merchandising and sales and how the brothers balance family and business.

This special edition of Taste Radio Insider highlights actionable insights and advice from interviews with four founders, creators and investors who joined us on the show during the second half of 2020. Our guests include Greg Fleishman, Co-Founder/CEO, Foodstirs; Jing Gao, Founder & CEO, Fly By Jing; Carlton Fowler, Managing Partner, Goat Rodeo Capital; and Breezy Griffith, Co-Founder & CEO, SkinnyDipped.

In this episode, we’re joined by Francesco Amodeo, the president and co-founder of Don Ciccio & Figli, an acclaimed distiller of handcrafted Italian herbal liqueurs and ready-to-drink cocktails based in Washington, D.C. Within our expansive interview, Amodeo explained why obsession has been key to the company’s success and how brands can adopt a modern approach to a legacy category.

The co-founders of next-generation beverage company Future/Proof, spoke about why naiveté, scrappiness and business school connections were critical to the early development of their flagship brand, BeatBox Beverages. They also explained why over-preparation is key to fundraising and how the convergence of lifestyle and liquid play into the company’s trade and consumer marketing strategies.