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Henry Chen, founder/CEO of SPI West Port, the owner of ALO Drink, ALO Snacks, Jen Collagen and Woodridge Snacks, spoke about the importance of staying true to the company’s core focus, who he views as the ultimate industry gatekeeper, how the company strategizes around retail placement and the key element entrepreneurs can’t overlook when scaling.
Chuck Casano, founder of Pitaya Foods and HiTouch Distribution, spoke about navigating the food industry on two fronts, how a social mission guided his foray into entrepreneurship, the failure that propelled his decision to launch HiTouch, the elements of successful brand relationships and being on the front lines of food distribution during the pandemic.
NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis and Megan Bushell, co-founders of CBD-infused beverage brand DEFY, discussed how the company is navigating a murky regulatory environment for CBD, the positioning of the beverages as “performance drinks” and how Davis is advising current NFL players about incorporating hemp- and cannabis-based products into their lifestyles.
Alex French, co-founder & CEO of Bizzy Coffee, spoke about how online research sparked the launch of Bizzy, how the company sourced data from retail partners and customers via its packaging, learnings from the failure of the brand’s coffee shots, why buyer presentations are as important as the product itself and valuable tips about how to stand out on Amazon.
In this episode, we’re joined by Jon Taffer, host of popular reality TV show “Bar Rescue” and the creator of Taffer’s Mixologist, a brand of handcrafted cocktail mixes and hard seltzers. Known for his opinionated and often bombastic on-screen personality, Taffer was instead reserved and thoughtful in discussing several timely topics, including how bar owners [...]
Serial entrepreneur Ashley Rogers spoke how she has applied lessons from her first two businesses to the development of her current brand, Spudsy. She also shared the remarkable story about how she identified and partnered with a co-packer, why she is more thoughtful about retailer relationships than in the past and how outsourced staff has supported Spudsy’s rapid growth.
Justin Baldwin, founder of the acclaimed Justin Winery, chronicled the development of his highly awarded brand and spoke about the importance of leveraging one’s skill sets and admitting their weaknesses, mitigating risk through financial discipline and how entrepreneurs can best position their companies for success in good times and bad.
Allison & Stephen Ellsworth, co-founders of prebiotic soda brand Poppi, spoke about lessons learned from their first year in business, the keys to winning investment on “Shark Tank,” how they navigated a brand overhaul and maintaining their independence while aligned with influential and experienced strategic partners.
Brendan Brazier, co-founder of pioneering plant-based protein brand Vega and “hard” cold-pressed juice brand Pulp Culture, spoke about how his passion for plant-based nutrition culminated in Vega, why the company embraced the saying “ignorance is our only competition,” how he assessed the opportunity for a better-for-you alcoholic beverages and his perspective on the evolution of plant-based foods.
GT Dave, founder & CEO of GT’s Kombucha, spoke about the brand’s recent packaging refresh and what he viewed as significant problems in how consumers perceived each of the company’s product lines, how his perspective as a category creator impacted the moves, why he’s embraced a more public persona than in the past and reacted to the provocative “Forbes” profile of him.