My Food Job Rocks!

The Institute for the Future? What does that even mean? It’s a non-profit organization that thinks differently and uses specific tactics to think about the future. Max Elder does a better job explaining it than I do so I brought him on to talk about how we as people in the food industry can be more insightful in our future decisions. I’ve always wanted Max on the show ever since he gave a presentation at the Cultured Meat Symposium a year ago. By the way, it’s digital this year. His presentation about relics seared into my mind. What are the relics we are showing now? Especially new concepts, and how will they be perceived in the future? We dive into nascent concepts like edible beer packaging and more developed concepts like plant-based burgers. Pay attention on how Max thinks about these innovations. One of the most far-out and futuristic topics is of course, cultured meat/clean meat/ meat grown without animals. This technology is not yet commercialized and is a very foreign concept even for me and probably for you too. At the beginning, we mention Alex Shirazi, who gave me a quick shoutout on a recent webinar at the Alt Protein Conference. I helped them with the questions, got a speaker, but that’s about all. Can you guess which one? I’ll link it to the show notes. A disclaimer is that we had some data transfer issues in this episode and content, in the end, was cut out! Do apologize for this, but I hope you get a lot out of this episode. Show Notes Alex Shirazi Cultured Meat Symposium Importance of Imagery in Shaping the Future - Max Elder Presentation Oxford University – Animal Ethics Fetal Bovine Serum Cultured Meat Database Creative Commons Roy Amara – With any new technology, we overestimate the shortrun and underestimate the long run The Institute for the Future is a spinoff of the RAND Corporation in the 60s RAND began in the 40s What do companies ask you to do?: An example is the Bill and Melinda Gates asking the private sector to help them think more broadly Good Food is Good Business Futures Thinking – making better decisions today Food Industry dumps tons of products because of pandemic COVID-19 has exposed some systematic flaws in our system James Beard Foundation One Fair Wage Our research to find trends with signals to create forecasts. Generally, we get these from the past and present Once we find a signal, we go through exercises Then we also go through multiple signals that might combine or clash with them Saltwater Brewery. Use their food waste to create sustainable packaging Think about First order and Second order consequences that might happen if it scales The Pandemic has created the insight in foresight – Why we weren’t prepared and how can we be in the future? COVID is an accelerant Where should we focus our time?: New systemic solutions to our food system, not symptomatic such as robots What are the tools I need to be a futurist? Radical Empathy Befrending Uncertainty Thinking of where will you be in 5 years? Favorite Books The Future is Faster Than You Think Teaching about the future In order to be a really good futurist, you have to be a good historian James McWilliams – Food Historian Just Food Eating Promiscuously The Modern Savage Contact: https://twitter.com/maximilianelder?lang=en https://www.iftf.org/maxelder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back baby, and I’m currently in smokey California but this week, I’ll be in Boston for the foreseeable future. What a trip! Today we have Chris Robb to talk about one of the blind spots I have in the food industry, stocking shelves or merchandising. I’m probably not doing the description justice, but it’s the workhorses that not only coordinate putting items on the store shelves but also how to strategize the best way to promote your product and these guys don’t just wing it, they give you data to make smarter decisions. But it doesn’t stop there. Chris is an entrepreneur, specifically in the CPG industry and his story is fascinating. Mainly because even as a baby, he’s been surrounded by food businesses and has gone through the evolution of the food industry in such a hands-on way. A lot of sage advice for aspiring and current food entrepreneurs. We also talk about the fact that sometimes, it’s ok for an entrepreneur to join a corporate job and your skills might be more suited because you think just a bit differently. Show Notes Neal Gottlieb from Three Twins Ice Cream What do you do?: I manage a full service retail company that tocks other company’s shelves Generally we don’t get companies into stores but we’re in charge after that Head Quarter Call: A bigger strategy that involves multiple stores Our job is to restock and give visibility in the store shelves Filling voids: authorized but not there. A big misstep for products Go Spot Check software Have you ever had a promo that fell flat?: Yea, personally. My own company had the wrong tags and didn’t have anyone to fix it How do you talk to companies?: Mainly through the headquarter calls, you set up the promos. We also do a lot of data and share with the company How do you make a good relationship with your retailer?: Sell a lot of product but also make them a priority. These guys want to grow too. Accounts that are small but matter, for example Berkeley Bowl Rainbow Groceries Gus’ Market Value of small store, high volumes This industry is really unique is that people do care and it’s a people forward business Did your parents work in the food industry?: Yes, they hustled. My dad sold rice in the back of a Lynx and my Mom was in the deli while I was a baby I’ve been to every Expo West since 2003. How do you predict timing?: It’s hard. Our shrub business for instance had too much sugar in a low-sugar age. In almond milk, we nailed the timing. The way we started almond milk is when a buyer from Whole Foods asked us to make a new almond milk. A huge opportunity for emerging entrepenuers is through the buyers’ insights Why did you decide to work for a company?: I fell in love with a nitty-gritty profession that Dirty Hands did. High Touch Why does your food job rock?: Working for an amazing culture How is the pandemic affecting what you do?: We’re still helping stores continuing to thrive. When stores are overwhelmed, the whole team helps out the stores. Suprisingly, we see sustained lift. The Sales are general higher actually in retail Aluminum Cans in Shortage Advice for startups: don’t create a me-too product. Find an inspiration Baa-Chan’s Sauce A startup is a seed. When it sprouts, it’s your job to protect it chrisrobb@dhsupport.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blended Sense is a media technology company that matches the right creator to the right local projects to distribute and produce digital assets quickly such as video, audio, anything digital. Albert Baez is a wonderful communicator who does an amazing job of breaking down strategies and concepts. During the pandemic, I was impressed on one of his webinars and invited him to do a webinar for WeWork Food Labs. (On the show notes, I linked the top-secret recording of the webinar that I’m not supposed to give out, but who cares? -->note, can't find it) Albert’s Austin-based company is rapidly growing and adapting quickly to the ongoing chaotic nature of the pandemic. We get into many topics ranging from social media platforms to selling solutions to help companies in crisis. Not only are you going to get some really smart digital marketing tips, but also a lot of talk about strategy. Not only useful advice and actionable tips for your company but through Albert’s own journey building Blended Sense. About Blended Sense Blended Sense is a Media Technology company that matches the right creative teams to the right projects to produce and distribute digital assets quickly. Capital Factory's Startup of the Year, is creating a new kind of production that supports the small business owner and activates the creative community. About Albert Albert is a sales & service growth expert with 7 years of building high-performance teams for technology companies. He serves as the President of Blended Sense and is passionate about supporting small business owners with technology. Albert is also Bi-lingual and is obsessed with serving the growing segment of spanish speaking businesses in the US. Show Notes Media Tech Ventures Got some Angel investors from that Incubator I worked for YODLE and got an opportunity to grow the Austin office Abbie is a commercial film actor Surprisingly, there’s a lot of film opportunities in Film in Austin Tim Ferriss After YODLE, I built out OpCity that got sold, and MainStreetHub who got sold to GoDaddy The aha moment came from Main Street Hub as I saw the potential to figure out digital media services RINGR Why did you go into CPG/Ecommerce?: It was against my will actually but my cofounders insisted. But the community convinced me it was a good segment Was the CPG segment hard to get?: Yes, we had to position it differently. One example is with expansion, you need the assets there right away. One of our first clients was Cocina 54 Education that’s personal, educating and passionate is what we kind of recommendations for clients Welcome emails should be in audio and videos Focusing versus spreading: If you’re starting, you should spread on different platforms. Until you have customers and they’re giving you feedback, you have to see if the social media platform resonates with your audience What’s the most underrated social media platform?: It depends, but Pinterest for B2C, Linkedin for B2B What’s your least favorite?: Facebook. We wrote a post about it on our website comparing it to a popular diner Facebook now has cheaper ads so it might be good to test ads at this time What have you noticed about marketing during 2020?: Everything has changed but ultimately, people are still the same. There has to be a social interaction before a business transaction Consumers now have to like you before they buy from you How do you prove authenticity?: Consistency and Documentation. It’s low cost Gary Vee model Audio is a low friction way of introducing that We document things such as interviews with black entrepreneurs and also training You can do as much as possible and you can’t convince them. What can you do?: People are selfish generally, there’s a deeper root. Being authentic is not authentic for some people too. Generally, good content is making compelling stories based off of your Serenity Kids – Healthy Foods for Kids. An example of adapting The Dominican New Technologies ClubHouse – A terrible new networking apps Canva Do you think the pandemic has improved technology?: It’s now more focused and practical What is one thing in the food industry that you’d like to know more about?: Actually, cooking and chemistry in food products OxTail Tampopo in Phoenix Ramen Tatsu-ya in Austin What’s your favorite learning platform?: Audio is practical and I can multitask What’s your favorite podcast?: Gary Vee Podcast Cannabis Podcast Blunt Tannis My Favorite DnD Podcast Blended Sense Podcast- Tea with Abbie What were the challenges with Blended Sense?: Surprisingly, we changed by asking our customers why they couldn’t use our services even though they needed it. We made a revival kit to help all struggling services Any advice for starting entrepreneurs?: Curb your expectations. You have to havea  positive mental attitude throughout your journey Blendedsense.com Albert@blendedsense.com Most active platform: Instagram and Linkedin Instagram: @AB.postive_    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have an amazing episode all about recruiting. This is a bit different from previous recruiting interviews. George McGehrin’s agency is focused on finding top brass, executive-level people, and putting these into companies. The shocker is that the salaries these top executives are offered, hit the seven-figure mark. So this interview gives you some tips on interviewing whether on a  podcast or on a Zoom call. They’re more similar than you think. If you’re an introvert, don’t worry. We have tips on that too. You’ll also learn that the interview process differs between hiring for a 50k paycheck versus a million-dollar paycheck. We get super crunchy in the hiring process and it kind of works as a bit of an evaluation for me. This is probably the most technical recruiting advice I’ve ever gotten so if that tickles your scientific fancy, then this will be very useful if you are deciding your next move. We also talk a little bit about mentoring and coaching. It’s an interesting topic that a lot of executives use to invest in their careers. Show Notes McGehrin's agency I’ve been on 50 podcasts so far and will be hitting around 80 at the end of the year First Podcast: Adam Tourez – Money Matters Podcast Podcasting allows you to see your own story and shows you what’s important in your story Advice for Introverted Interviews: Keep It Simple. A great trick is to ask a lot of questions The Culture Piece: When we vet people, we always analyze culture. It’s actually super hard right now because we can’t interview on Zoom. Meeting people in person matters for culture How did the interview go?: Usually, if the interview is awkward, it could actually be a good thing. Not everyone is skilled at having a two-way conversation. It’s a symbiotic relationship How does it feel to gain everything and lose everything for business? : I think you have to think about what bad really means. In the US, bad isn’t so bad. Other countries have so much better. If you have housing and food, you’re probably good. How to get a job: It’s a math problem. You have to track everything. Lead, resume feedback, phone calls, in-person interview. Makes no difference whether 500k or $4 million Generally, as you progress in your career, you will get more hits via connection or recruitment How do you get a job at a different category? (eg protein bars to plant-based meat): Look on LinkedIn and see where they’re hiring. You can also look at food scientists who have had a category change and you can see trends based on company culture. Then you can contact them and ask them for their advice. You have to do this a lot. Most people like to mitigate their risks when they get hired so the easier the referral is, the better. What’s the difference between a million-dollar paycheck versus a 5-6 figure paycheck?: Everyone knows everyone. Most of the time, it’s referral. Some issues: Reputation Repair. Some executives are hard to hire because of the reputation even though they are good people. The opposite is true. Good Companys have bad deals Easiest hack to progress the career ladder: change companies. You’ll always get more money. Disney Executive leaves to go to TikTok Common Executives Practices: They’re generally fit, they’re generally learning, they like to plan, and they like to do achievements Getting an Executive Coach: I did it when I started making $200,000 a year To be an executive you, have to invest in yourself Who do you follow?: Tim Ferriss James Clear’s Blog on Habits What is one advice you’d give to people looking for a job: Activity breeds activity. It’s a number’s game. Where can we find you for advice?: George McGehrin on LinkedIn Instagram @exec_headhunter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We showcase the After Animals Podcast, a podcast that focuses on the future of food, and in this case, a world without having to use animals to feed people. This podcast is created by Ulara Nakagawa and Sharanya Krishna Prasad and every month, they share a high-quality interview with a change-maker in the alternative meat/other product space. Though I’ve met both, I have had some personal discussions with Ulara. She was first introduced to me by Alex Shirazi from the Cultured Meat Symposium and I gave her some advice for her podcast while I was in San Francisco. She uses my podcast equipment gear while at a conference to interview Japanese Clean Meat Scientist and founder, Yuki Hanyu, CEO of Integriculture who did this fascinating presentation on how to grow meat in your apartment using various devices such as a mini fan, a warm towel rack, and an egg. I guess that’s cheating a bit, but still, gotta start somewhere. Yuki has a fascinating imagination that he got from anime and manga and being somewhat of a closeted Japanese culture fan, I actually vibed with him quite well. Enjoy this episode. If you like this podcast, check out afteranimals.com for several other interviews including episodes of the people who lead Shiok Meats and Spearo Foods and NovaMeat Show Notes After Animals Podcast Cultured Meat Symposium Intregriculture Yuki Hanyu Funding for Integriculture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was recorded when I was still living in the Bay Area! This was planned to be another podcast but things fall through. I always had this episode in the back of my mind one, because Nona Lim is just a really cool person, but also her story showcases the tenacity and perseverance of an entrepreneur. We do this outside in Marin County I would say around August 2019, wow, such a different time where you can go outside, and talk to people with a cough, which Nona Lim has in this interview. I remember it was such a beautiful day by the sea. Nona was around the area after speaking with a mutual friend so I brought my gear, planted it in the middle of the plaza, and recorded. So a disclaimer, this has some background noise. This is a short episode because we’ll be having a Podcast Showcase later in the week. Tuesday or Wednesday. This will be the After Animals podcast hosted by Ulara Nakagawa and Sharyna Krishna Prasad. I let Ulara borrow my equipment during the Cultured Meat Symposium to talk to an eccentric Japanese cell-based meat scientist. This is a short episode, so after about 20ish minutes, after the episode, I’ll give you an update on my life and an update on the future of My Food Job Rocks. Enjoy the episode. Show Notes Robyn Rutledge Why did you name your company Nona Lim?: Easy to pronounce, and gets to the point LaraBar was a last-minute name Lara Bar sells to General Mills I started in Singapore, did consulting in London, and move to the Bay Area I started a meal kit business but it wasn’t the right timing Then a detox online business How does Fencing help you with business?: The hustle and the stress honestly. You’re worried about your competition but you have to shut it all out. Competition makes you go into winning. For Business, you might not want to set high goals. Risks and comfortability: Accept the fact that it may not be successful and all you have to do is to enjoy the journey. You should want to do it, but it might fail. In 2019, there’s a lot of money (some still argue that there still is) raising money, unfortunately, has an expectation How did you start Nona Lim?: After the detox/ meal kit program, I thought of what food I enjoyed? Noodles. Whole Foods was interested so I created rice noodles and bone broth before bone broth got big I since learned to pace the innovation because some people can’t understand it If you have a  bunch of resources, then you can invest in earlier projects but without money, it might be better to catch tailwind Dave Chang Is it hard to get funding?: It’s mainly timing but it’s always hard Serial founders have it easy to get money What is the best way to grow a food company?: Depends on what you want in life. Some people want to grow it quickly, or a lifestyle business, or even serving the next generation Some categories are faster than others What’s next for Nona Lim?: We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation. We tend to be the thought leaders in Asian food, especially in the fresh area Any advice in starting a food business?: Don’t. Just kidding. Think product. Multiply three to four time the funding and timing What would be your first hire?: It should complement your skillset. If you are good at technical, do a first hire in sales Contact me at Nona@nonalim.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  I’m really excited about this episode. Today, we have a jam-packed episode full of startup advice, inspiring challenges, and an accelerator breakdown all in one with founder, Andrew Ive. One of my favorite parts of this interview is the talk about startup ecosystems. Not only on how we think they are formed, but how they can be transferred. Other questions such as investing is also brought up. Why do people invest in companies? And has COVID changed the way we think of investing? Last, I don’t think we’ve talked too much about the structure of accelerators on this podcast. Andrew delivers a breakdown of the flaws of a typical accelerator and what Big Ideas does differently to help accelerate their cohorts to the next level. Though Big Idea Ventures only focuses on alternative meat innovation, don’t let that discourage you! There are plenty of problems in today’s world so the lessons here are transferrable and I hope that within this interview, you can find your big idea and try it out on the world. Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you say?: I find and back great entrepreneurs in the food space. I find founders and teams to change the world for the better What’s your job title?: General Managing Partner Why is it called that?: In funds, a general partnership is an entity Are you a VC?: I think of myself as an entrepreneur by bringing people together. A VC to me, is a numbers guy What did you study at college?: I studied geography at Kings College with a mix of politics I came up with this game in college called the Brain Game. It was the opposite of Trivial Pursuits My first job was in Proctor and Gamble and I learned a ton about marketing and product development It’s easy to be sucked into corporate life when you first start. If I haven’t have reset and gotten my MBA, I wouldn’t have pursued entrepreneurship When you moved to the US, what did you feel was the entrepreneurial magic in the US?: After 8 years, we went back to London. After 6 months, we missed “home” or the US. What we noticed in the English system was that English financial systems like to make older systems more productive. America has a more developed ecosystem of investors. As a founder you know who to talk to at the beginning stages. Generally, Investor ecosystems are made to pay it forward through the entrepreneur always assumes that the point of investing is to make money Some people are focused on other big factors than just money What made you get into food?: I was the Managing Director for Food X, which was a food Accelerator spinoff As I started to invest in companies, I found our about plant-based and cell-based meat Our first fund focuses on Plant-based, Cell-based meat, seafood and dairy We ended up getting around 800 applicants and chose 12-13 companies. The 2nd cohort, we have 25 plant-based and cell-based companies What do you look for when you choose companies?: Whenever I would go to conferences, I would step up and ask for big ideas. We are looking for big ideas that is moving the industry forward. Has the chance to be successful globally Product, Business ideas that have the potential to have a  global impact. They have to be popular everywhere Though Cell-based isn’t available en mass right now, it’s a technique available in 5 years where it can grow Has COVID affected the way you invest?: We will continue to invest. However, a lot of investors are re-evaluating their potential or current investments. Technically, it doesn’t matter about funding and validation. All that really matters is your product is solving a big problem, you’ll get traction. Accelerators: There’s a new accelerator almost every day Shawn Roderick: Tech Crunch guy taught me how to develop an Accelerator What you really need to do in an accelerator is be much more focused on your current problem. You have to rapidly find a problem, and get it done but it has to be incremental by making progress and covering gaps Y-Combinator Tech Crunch SOSV People who are creating Accelerators and you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re potentially killing them Crunch Base has a report that shows the most valuable Accelerators The Accelerator community generally know each other For food ProVeg is a good one SOSV is a good one Most Accelerators are 12 week programs but the first 4 weeks you spend looking for problems, the next 4 weeks, you are fixing them, last 4, demo day. We are doing a 5 month model instead of a 3 month model Christian Cadeo from Singapore Tom Mastrobuoni We have over 100 mentors and a list of Investors Mentor Page (some guests have been on My Food Job Rocks) I truly believe we can solve the world’s greatest problems as long as we back them Bigideaventures.com Page on LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have returning guest Dr. Maya Warren, who is now a co-founder of Ice Cream for Change, a soon-to-be non profit that’s a platform of ice cream lovers and makers advocating for social change and civic action. Maya joins me as we talk about life as a food scientist in quarantine, such as how traveling has given us the opportunity to try new things, but also the different ways we optimize our homes into our R+D kitchen. A great takeaway from this episode is that you get a delicious recipe for No-Churn Ice Cream. Maya has been perfecting and sharing this recipe on her Instagram and it has exploded in popularity. I also personally ask Maya what we do as individuals to make the world a better place? Especially at a time where all of this socialite unrest is happening. Her perspective here is profound and important. If you want to hear about Maya’s fascinating life and her job at Coldstone Ice Cream, check out episode 181 for an inspiring interview with this ice cream rockstar. Enjoy the episode. About Ice Cream for Change Ice Cream for Change is a platform created by Dr. Maya Warren, also known as “The Ice Cream Doctor” and the face of ice cream, as well as Mona B. Lipson, AKA Miss Mona Makes Ice Cream, to bring together ice cream lovers and makers advocating for social change and civic action. From dismantling racial injustice to fighting climate change, their goal is to use the power of ice cream (it really does have a special way of bringing people together) as a force for good by helping to raise money and awareness for organizations that are driving solutions and making real-world impact across the globe. Learn more by visiting www.icecreamforchange.org About Dr. Maya Warren Dr. Maya (The Ice Cream Doctor) a native of St. Louis, MO, is an ice cream scientist, motivational speaker, and world traveler. She has a PhD (UW-Madison) in Food Science, specializing in the microstructure, sensorial, and behavioral properties of frozen aerated desserts. She is also part of the winning duo (#SweetScientists) from the 25th season of the Emmy Award winning reality show, The Amazing Race (alongside her friend and former lab mate, Dr. Amy DeJong). Currently, Dr. Maya uses her knowledge and skills to travel the world teaching, researching, and exploring frozen aerated desserts. She is also the creator and host of Ice Cream Sundays with Dr. Maya (Instagram Live - @maya.warren) where she brings people of all ages together and teaches how to make No-Churn Ice Cream right at home. Show Notes How did you survive the lockdown?: I’m in Los Angeles California right now. Usually, I have to fly 150-200 flights a year and it came to a screeching halt During quarantine, I saw that people were making bread but I wanted to make ice cream Very few people actually don’t have ice cream makers so I decided to make a  non churn ice cream and share it on Instagram Ice Cream Sundays with Dr. Maya Ice Cream for Change Mona Lipson My word for 2020 is: pivot How has not traveling affected your life?: I dread cooking for myself. I also have to create ice cream every day so the dishes pile up How do you separate your lab life to your kitchen life?: I separate my stuff in the kitchen from lab mode. For offices, try to vary it up and like to swith where I do my work. Adam’s the opposite: Everything Is together in one place, and I only like to work in one place Tik Tok content: Why not post on Tik Tok? I’m still getting my feet wet on Instagram so I don’t want to stretch myself too thin. Personal branding is a full-time job Ice Cream for Change – organization of ice cream makers Inspired by Bakers Against Racism Bakers Against Racism BLM Ice Cream always makes people happy How can we use the power of ice cream to combat systemic racism? How does Ice Cream for Change work?: Whoever wants to, can participate and part of the profits go to a nonprofit that focuses on systemic inequalities Memorial Funds from Victims NAACP Power Play NYC Black Girls Code Black Girls Rock What can enthusiasts do to get involved in ice cream for change?: Reach out to us! Salt and Straw Slack- The ice cream collective (ask to join) How to make No-churn ice cream: Heavy Whipping Cream Fold sweetened condensed milk Fold in evaporated milk add flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, key lime pie Recipe here: https://www.mayawarren.com/new-page What’s the weirdest ice cream request you’ve gotten? Not really weird, but key lime pie is next. People want coffee too Dragonfruit powder - Pitaya Powder How can we as individuals and companies do better in solving today’s problems?: Walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Take time to step back and think and then do change. In 2020, change is starting to happen. Cops is off the air after 30 something years Where can we find you?: Find me at MayaWarren.com or @maya.warren. icecreamforchange.org or @icecreamforchange   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ashish Jogi connected with me through Siddharth Bhide. You might remember him when we interviewed him at JUST but now he’s at the Good Food Institute in India, an organization that we also have interviews with. The plant-based scene in India is growing and Ashish is one of the people helping companies over there launch products. We talk a variety of topics ranging from Intellectual Property, product development, food trends, and of course, current issues such as the pandemic. How do they look at things differently than we do at the United States? Though we are the forefront of alternative meat here, do Indians, whoa r emostly vegetarian strive for the same protein experience we do? I really liked the answer in this interview. Disclaimer, I did this interview really early so if I sound like a mess, I was tired! We do this call with me in Texas and Ashish in Mumbai. Enjoy! Show Notes I used to be an IP lawyer and used to work for Novartus. A pharma giant company How did you start the company?: My wife actually started it. She’s a food scientist How hard is it to get IP: Really hard How did you get your first client?: Abuli, my wife, worked with DOW Chemicals and worked with a cchef who wanted to make his own product There are over 100 startups in India Good Dot Big Idea Ventures Plant-based Egg India What plant-based products are Indian replicating?: We’re a bit different than other countries I thought beyond meat tasted like actual meat but I didn’t like it because I don’t taste like meat Plant-based dairy is trending because of lactose intolerance and environmental concerns Siddharth Bhide – Used to work in JUST Egg, now at Good Food Institute What plant-based proteins are interesting in India?: Oat milk, chickpea protein, but now people are blending their own Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: I meet with people who are full of enthusiasm and ideas Cell-based meat in India: Plant-based is more easy to convince in india than cell-based. It would be a mixed result How is GFI helping the ecosystem?: They are building networking opportunities and resources. Such as processing and materials Biggest Challenge in the Food Industry Right now: Manpower in the industry post-COVID. No one wants to be in Mumbai because of the pandemic In terms of the supply chain, certain things are open, and certain things are not. This will be a problem in terms of supply. All industries are important but how do we live with it? Do you think technology will spread to cities?: It’s difficult because there’s no technology infrastructure outside the cities Do you have any advice for someone to go into the food industry?: Make sure you love food, curious about food, how it’s made Website: fudtekey.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stacie Waters is the CEO and owner of Bilinski’s Sausage company. A Multi-generational sausage company that thinks about sausage a bit differently. Instead of the standard beef or pork sausages, Bilinski’s focuses on chicken and plant-based sausages. This wasn’t always the case, and there is a bit of an unorthodox legacy in how Bilinski innovates. There is always a struggle when it comes to keeping or breaking legacies and there are a ton of examples in this episode of keeping legacies and breaking them and it’s very fascinating all of the strategies Stacie used to build Bilinski’s This includes considering a name change to a family company, or growing the chicken sausage as their most valuable product, or how to properly try and introduce a plant-based line. One of the most powerful messages in this interview is changing the legacy of leadership. When Stacie joined Bilinski’s, all of the old management didn’t like her and left and Stacie had to work hard to not only right the ship, but to accelerate it. Not only did Stacie change the philosophy of Balinski’s, but grew it into a national, agile brand. That and a rant about wheat-gluten in this episode. Enjoy! About Stacie Waters Stacie is CEO and owner of Bilinski Sausage Co, a third-generation family business, headquartered in Cohoes, New York. Under her direction, Bilinski’s transformed from a regional old-world sausage company to a one of the country’s most innovative and respected organic meat processors, committed to making sausages from responsibly-raised organic chicken and simple, every-day ingredients. Stacie grew up in the meat business but began her career in the technology industry after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University.  Later, she earned a Masters degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and served as an advisor to the US government on national security policy issues. In 2004, she returned to New York’s Capital Region to reinvent and grow the family business. Stacie lives in Clifton Park, NY with her husband and two sons and enjoys hiking, training for triathlons, and inventing new flavors of sausages in her home kitchen.  Show Notes What do you say to people when you introduce yourself?: I own a sausage factory. A natural and organic sausage manufacturing plant Why do you focus on chicken?: It’s better for you from a health perspective and more sustainable than pork and beef. Chicken also mixes flavors very well I’m actually not related to Joseph Bilinski, the original founder but my family was involved in the food industry as a food distributor. My parents bought Bilinski’s Why did your parents decide to keep the name?: Bilinski’s is well known regionally and we wanted to keep that legacy. Certified Organic: The customer who was interested in organic was interested in healthier, newer flavors. Why did you create a plant-based sausage line?: It’s a reflection on how our customer eats. We use real food in a convenient form. Wheat is the oldest form of plant-based meat and it’s a lot less processed than pea protein Seitan Wheat is generally a lot less processed than all other protein isolates High Peaks Plant-based meat doesn’t have to taste like meat, it can taste like something new. Plant-based meat can fill all sorts of different niches For Bilinski’s, we choose a customer who wants minimally processed Because you do both meat and vegetarian, how have sales been during the pandemic?: Unfortunately, it’s really hard to tell. Our meat products are still at the forefront because they’re easy ti buy and stock up We know our products solve a sustainability problem both chicken and plant-based We’re scaling back on new flavors and focusing on our core sellers Why go with High Peaks instead of the Bilinski’s brand?: Two reasons. To not confuse our core base but also because it’s fun to come up with a fresh start. My Food Job Rocks: I love the feedback my customers give me when they try our products I had won an award in highschool on an essay about how I wanted to take over the family business Where did you work before?: I was a policy analyst working on weapons of mass destruction My father one day said he might sell the business and I decided to take over the family business at that time What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Fermentation. The food science involved is really interesting What flavor products are you thinking out?: Because our R+D team is stuck at home, we are actually thinking a lot more and we’re focusing on chicken-bake type foods like chicken pot pie or lemon pepper. Curry is hard because everyone has an opinion about meat Any advice for anyone going into the food industry?: You really have to like it. It’s a 24/7 job Where can we find you?: info@bilinski.com. It actually comes to me, Stacie. highpeaks.life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices