Episodes

Ignite20 isn’t just cutting checks. The new $7 million venture capital fund and hybrid accelerator is lighting a fire under the next wave of CPG innovators. Gabriela Morales, Ignite20’s co-founder and managing director, talks about how the fund is rethinking early-stage investing.

Is 2025 the year of the acquisition? The hosts highlight two more headline-grabbing deals announced over the past week: Hershey’s $750M purchase of BFY snack maker LesserEvil and the sale of watermelon water brand Mela to King Juice. We also speak with Jesse Bongiovi, who alongside rockstar father Jon Bon Jovi, co-founded Hampton Water Wine, a rosé brand that’s taken the industry by storm.

Even after 15 years and a majority sale of the company he founded – one reportedly valued at over $650 million – Bill Creelman remains convinced that Spindrift is just at the beginning of a “real” revolution.

When Walmart calls, you answer. When the retail giant offers you shelf space in 2,700 of its stores, you say “yes.” But turning that opportunity into success? That’s where the real challenge begins. Alan Scholnick, the founder of Datefix, a date-based nutrition snack brand, talks about how its two-year development from nascent idea to Walmart shelves has shaped the company’s path forward.

Kevin McCray, the co-founder behind groundbreaking brand Kevin's Natural Foods, reveals the strategic playbook that propelled his namesake brand to an $800 million acquisition by Mars, Inc. in 2023, and how he's applying those same winning principles to his latest CPG venture, Wild Fox Foods.

Is West Virginia’s groundbreaking move to ban artificial dyes in food the pebble that causes an avalanche? And, is Ben Stiller really leaping into an already crowded pool for BFY soda? Lots to discuss. We also sit down with Dan Grim, the CEO of functional drink manufacturer Lucky To Be Beverage Co.

Gail Becker has a bold message for CPG entrepreneurs: if your brand isn’t built to truly improve the lives of your consumers, “you should stay the hell out.”

Poppi just popped – big time. But was PepsiCo’s $1.65 billion acquisition driven by TikTok virality, perfect timing, or industry heavyweights like Rohan Oza? (Sorry, prebiotics, this one's not about you.) And now that the first major deal has landed, is the BFY soda space about to see a gold rush – or a bubble burst? The hosts break it all down. Plus, we revisit standout interviews from our Miami meetup.

Rosa Li, the founder and CEO of fast-growing functional beverage brand Wildwonder, explains how a focus on steady, incremental growth has been key to maintaining integrity. She also discusses how the brand aligns its expansion with core values, its unique position at the intersection of kombucha and soda, and the power of social listening in shaping the company’s future.

We're not exactly at odds, but there's definitely some healthy debate among the hosts around how to assess Expo West 2025. And it turns out, we're not alone. The biggest question on everyone's mind: how do we truly evaluate innovation, and what does it mean for the future of the food and beverage industry in the near term?