In short, the life of Todd Carmichael can be defined by his zealous thirst for adventure and his unbridled passion for coffee. Brevity, however, doesn’t quite capture the scope of Carmichael’s incredible journey as the co-founder and CEO of super-premium coffee company La Colombe. His story is deserving of ample time, and in an interview for the Taste Radio podcast, we sat down with Carmichael for an extensive conversation on everything from his origins in the coffee business and vision for La Colombe, to his former role as the young personal attache to a Saudi prince and his record-breaking trek across Antarctica.
Also included in this episode of the podcast: a segment with BevNET editor-in-chief Jeffrey Klineman examining Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods and potential ramifications of the deal; an interview with Andy Ellwood, the president of Basket, a shopping app that uses crowdsourced data to help consumers find the best prices on grocery items; and the latest edition of Elevator Talk with Venessa Dobson, founder of artisanal popcorn brand Pop Art Snacks.
Show Notes:
0:00 – Intro with hosts Ray Latif, John Craven, Mike Schneider and Jon Landis. The hosts are recovering from the NY events with a little help from drinking vinegar and Advil. Ray mentions the Summer Fancy Food Show coming up.
6:26 – Interview: Todd Carmichael, Co-Founder & CEO, La Colombe. Ray and Craven sit down with Todd Carmichael, Co-Founder and CEO of La Colombe at BevNET Live Summer 2017. Todd goes way back to the beginning of his journey, building the super-premium coffee company from the ground up. His mission is to change the world by “bringing America better coffee”. The conversation expands to the vision for la Colombe, Todd’s former role as the young personal attache to a Saudi prince and his record-breaking trek across Antarctica. The take away note – be your own hero.
33:56 – Hot Seat: The Amazon/Whole Foods Deal: Mike and Jeff talk the Amazon/ Whole Foods deal. Jeff thinks this deal is not only something big happening in the world of food and beverage and in the world of technology, but also in retailing and analytics. He speaks of the potential ramifications of the deal and how the rest of the supply chain will react.
48:27 – Interview: Andy Ellwood, President, Basket. At NOSH Live Summer 2017, Mike interviews Andy Ellwood, President of Basket, the smart shopping list. The shopping app uses crowdsourced data to help consumers find the best prices on grocery items. Andy expresses the importance of new companies “being embedded with your clients”.
1:11:44 – Elevator Talk: Venessa Dobson, CEO, Pop Art Snacks, the artisanal pop corn brand. Pop Art Snacks are excited about their growth and a new flavor being released in 2018. Vanessa has been geeking out on sugar free kids snacks.
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