Insider Ep. 14: The Trends That May Shape 2019; A HotShot Takes on The Coffee Biz

What will 2019 hold for funding, innovation, and emerging categories in the food and non-alcoholic beverage industries? In this episode, BevNET and NOSH editors offered their predictions on how they see the business of food and beverage evolving over the next 12 months.

Also in this episode: an interview with Danny Grossfeld, the founder of HotShot Coffee, a brand of canned coffees that are served hot. Grossfeld was inspired by a trip to Japan where warmed beverages are commonly sold in vending machines throughout the country. In our conversation, we discussed the opportunities and challenges in bringing an international food/beverage concept stateside, his experience on Shark Tank and how he’s incubated HotShot in non-traditional retail channels.

Show notes:

0:53: Review and Reward -- A call to action! Rate and review Taste Radio Insider on iTunes, let us know that you did by sending an email to ask@tasteradio.com, and we’ll send you a brand spanking new Taste Radio t-shirt. It’s soft and high quality and you’ll be the envy of all of your fellow entrepreneurs. The hosts also discussed upcoming travel in January for the Taste Radio/BevNET/NOSH teams, including visits to Bend, Ore., Sonoma County and San Francisco, where we’ll be attending the 2019 Winter Fancy Food Show. They also examined a recent rebrand and new product from Nomad Trading Co.

11:00: Trendspotting for 2019 -- In a series of short interviews, John Craven, Carol Ortenberg, Martín Caballero and Jeff Klineman shared their perspective on factors that could shape the food and beverage industry in 2019, including the continued emergence of cannabis, the environment for funding and M&A, plant-based brands, global flavors and micro-diets.

31:23: Interview: Danny Grossfeld, Founder/CEO, HotShot Coffee -- Grossfeld discussed the origins and development of HotShot Coffee, which is merchandised in heating cabinets that warm the cans to 140 degrees and sold in a mish-mash of convenience stores, sporting venues, movie theaters; the brand also has a presence at Cirque du Soleil. He also explained why it took six years and $2 million to launch HotShot, which debuted in 2015 -- the same year he presented the brand on the ABC reality show Shark Tank.

Brands in this episode: Nomad Trading Co., Bai, Oatly, Quaker Oats, Starbucks, Califia, Brew Dr. Kombucha, Humm Kombucha, GT’s Kombucha, Revive Kombucha, Peet’s Coffee, HotShot Coffee