Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders Todd Lachman, President and CEO at Sovos Brands – Secret Sauce: Disrupting the food aisle with premium brands
Summary:
Being a disruptor in business can be as uncomplicated as putting out high quality products, in a small-but-mighty category. And that's what today's guest has done, with incredible success. On this episode we're talking to Todd Lachman, the founder, President and CEO of Sovos Brands.
For 25 years, Todd's delivered growth and value creation for some of the biggest names in consumer packaged goods. He served as Global President of Mars Pet Care, President of Mars Chocolate, North America and Latin America, and Executive Vice President of Del Monte Foods Company. He also held senior management roles at H.J. Heinz Company after moving up the marketing ranks at Proctor and Gamble.
Outside of his extensive professional experience, Todd's an active board member with Big Brothers and Big Sisters in the Bay Area, and he's a super active guy who's into skiing, cycling and hiking with his family and two dogs.
I managed to tear him away from his busy life for a conversation about how he built Sovos Brands into the huge success it is today, and what made him start the company in the first place.
Highlights:
- Todd talks about starting Sovos and how he arrived at the idea (2:57)
- How each of the Sovos brands fit together (5:15)
- Why Sovos went public when they did (7:10)
- All about Rao's Sauce and why it's so successful (8:04)
- Becoming a billion dollar brand (11:03)
- Todd discusses their approach to international sales (13:13)
- Pricing premium products during a tricky economic and political time (14:25)
- Todd discusses efficiencies when it comes to P and L (16:00)
- The Sovos approach to innovation and new brands (18:24)
- The horizontal culture at Sovos (20:46)
- The achievements at Sovos this year (22:02)
- Todd's approach to M and A (23:40)
- The advantages of being a CEO who is from the marketing side (24:40)
- What Todd is most proud of with Sovos (26:49)
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If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.