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Gail Becker, founder & CEO of Caulipower, discussed the swift rise of her vegetable-forward frozen food brand, including why she left a successful career behind to start the company, the value of taking risks, how she identified and partnered with early-stage investors and why humility is critical for success.
In this episode, Matt Weiss, founder/CEO of RIND Snacks, discussed his approach to incubating the skin-on dried fruit brand while maintaining his full-time job. Weiss spoke about how he assessed the financial and opportunity costs of entrepreneurship, the importance of open and honest communication with his employer while incubating RIND and why he believes in “relentless networking.”
Josh Zad, founder of trendsetting cafe chain Alfred Coffee, spoke about how the brand’s appeal is derived from its foundation as “a creative platform” focused on customer experience, why he believes that Alfred isn’t “doing anything groundbreaking” and how he’s attempting to replicate Alfred’s success with Calidad Beer, an upstart brand of Mexican-style lagers.
This special edition of Taste Radio Insider highlights actionable insights and advice from interviews with six founders, creators and investors who joined us on the show during the second half of 2019. Our guests include Zico founder and Powerplant Ventures co-founder Mark Rampolla; Zoe Feldman, the director of the Chobani Incubator; Rick’s Picks founder and CEO Rick Field; Mike Cessario, the founder and CEO of Liquid Death; Harbinger Ventures founder Megan Bent and Chris Kirby, the founder of Ithaca Craft Hummus.
In this highlight episode culled from interviews with six of the leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs who joined us on the podcast during the second half of 2019, we examine the role that relationships play in the development of great businesses. Our guests include “The Beverage Whisperer” Ken Sadowsky, Whole30 founder and CEO Melissa Hartwig Urban, [...]
This week, members of the BevNET and NOSH editorial teams joined us for a discussion of some of the major news stories, trends and innovation from 2019. Among the topics of conversation were developments in the burgeoning cannabis CPG segment, explosive growth in the oat milk and sparkling water categories and the evolution of frozen food and plant-based meats.
Bryan Crowley, CEO of Soylent, spoke about how his career experience shaped his leadership style and helped frame his vision for the future of the fast-growing “complete food” brand. He also explained how the brand’s mission and growth strategy have each evolved, why it has embraced GMO ingredients and what the notion of “better for you” means for modern consumers. This episode is presented by Flavorman, the beverage architects.
Megan Bent, founder and managing partner of Harbinger Ventures, spoke about why launching the investment firm was about “rethinking some of the fundamentals in how capital is invested,” why funding decisions are “probably more relational than anything else” and why she encourages “bite-sized actions” to support greater diversity in business.
Elizabeth Stein, founder and CEO of Purely Elizabeth, discussed how the brand’s focus on creating delicious, nutrient-dense foods has paid dividends since its launch in 2009. She also spoke about how the company has strategized around opportunities and challenges within a rapidly growing market for natural foods.
Zoe Feldman, the director of Chobani Incubator, spoke about why she’s emphasized the incubator’s focus on diversity as part of its selection criteria, how prior roles as an executive at PepsiCo and in venture capital shaped her perspective on the importance of diversity in business and why “representation is hugely critical” to the future of our industry.