Episodes

This episode is the first in a special series in which we examine the state of Black food and beverage entrepreneurship within the CPG landscape. The series highlights conversations on various aspects of the challenges felt by all entrepreneurs filtered through the experience of Black founders.

If you’ve ever wanted to get inside the mind of a retail buyer or merchandiser, this episode, in which we sit down with key executives representing mass, specialty and natural grocery retail chains, is required listening.

Peloton icon Kendall Toole discusses her involvement as a partner with active lifestyle beverage brand Don’t Quit, including how she incorporates her everyday consumption of its products into her social media posts and how she attempts to spur conversation and “give people a platform to be seen.”

NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes and former BodyArmor executive Michael Fedele, the lead investor and founder, respectively, of better-for-you coffee brand Throne Sport Coffee, explain how a genuine connection helped formalize a business relationship, why Throne’s target audience includes both health-minded athletes and blue-collar workers, and the company’s initial focus on C-stores.

Jacqui’s recap of the recently held Vegan Women’s Summit spurs a conversation about consumer perception of plant-based food and meat alternatives, in particular. We also sit down with Dr. Farnoush Fadavi, the co-founder of Bala Enzyme, an innovative brand of plant-based drink mixes developed to speed recovery and reduce inflammation.

Serial entrepreneur Lance Collins – creator of some of the most successful beverage brands of the past two decades, including BodyArmor, Fuze, NOS and Core – talks about his current and past ventures, lessons from successes and missteps, the reason that founders fail and why he encourages them to make “fast mistakes.”

Dates, consumed for millenia, are having a modern moment. But can the superfood maintain its momentum, particularly among mainstream consumers? And, while we’re asking: has “superfood” lost its luster? Taste Radio’s hosts have their say. We also sit down with MMA icon Quentin “Rampage” Jackson, who is a partner with upstart beverage brand F3 Energy.

Chamberlain Coffee founder Emma Chamberlain and CEO Christopher Gallant join us for a conversation about the brand’s growth strategy and why its identity is anchored by love and modernity. We also unpack Albertsons’ merchandising strategy with Buster Houston, its VP of national merchandising.

When the world’s largest retailer launches a private label brand of better-for-you and affordable food and beverage staples, it stands to reason that their customers will benefit. But how will Walmart's new bettergoods brand impact its existing CPG suppliers? The Taste Radio crew weighs in.