My Food Job Rocks!

Daniel has had a multitude of very impressive jobs but nothing satisfies him as much as showing data for a good cause. Daniel’s job is to gather data sets through either tests that he sends out or gathers other data points to convince huge, conventional companies to use their products such as JUST Egg. If you’re in the plant-based industry, there’s a lot to think about such as: who is your actual target market? Or What’s in a name? You’re also going to learn the value of networking. Perhaps the value of hard work is something you can’t put on a resume. I think what’s fascinating about Daniel is that he puts a ton of effort in his roles and people recognize it in each part of his career path. So much, he started his own networking group, SF CPG. You’ll also learn… one fun thing about JUST. They have a  band called the Super Fantastics and Daniel’s the drummer and singer Stay tuned. At the end of the episodes, you’ll hear a song from them We do this episode at the JUST office. Show Notes Smart Kitchen Summit SF CPG Or San Francisco Consumer Products Group Next Gen Chef MISTA Seeds of Change Burning Man What’s your role?: I’m the director of Strategy and Analytics and Insights How many Eggs are in JUST? 8 eggs per bottle Downstream Processing People are looking for plant-based are health reasons. Even if they don’t eat a lot of plant-based, it’s healthier. This plant-based product isn’t 2% of the population, but 40% of the population Primary Research: Surveys and trying to understand plant-based consumers Most research about customers and labels Just Egg: Made from plants, not chickens What’s a good survey plant?: You can do a 20-50 person sample and get good data as a litmus test Why did you choose psychology?: Kenyon College in Ohio, both of my parents are psycologists After my MBA, I got a job at Deloitte After Deloitte, I got into Mars How did you get into Mars?: I met this guy from old fashion networking. I would get referrals, and if anyone wanted to meet with me, I would ask them for time to meet and I met them in person. How did you get a job at JUST?: JUST reached out and asked for someone to understand pricing In general, the approach to pricing is to find the options (competition), test it, and see what works. What resources do you have on your disposal How did you change from pricing to analytics?: I saw the sales go in and pitch a story, but they need data SPINS Data Surveymonkey My Food Job Rocks: I get to do something meaningful and impactful Food Trends: Cultured Meat What is one thing you’d like to know more about?: It’s a privilege to hear about such exciting stuff that’s happening in other companies What type of resources would you like to share?: Think about your dream job and then find ways to get there. Podcasts: Taste Radio, How I Built This JUST has a house band with a band room The Super Fantastics Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lilian Cruz-Hand, is a Quality Specialist, but she does so much at her job at Save A Lot. From building a sensory lab, to working with product development. She's a rockstar, and listens to all of my episodes. So much, that her boss actually contacted me to interview her! Eric Iserman asked me to interview Lilian and I think that really says something about the team in Save A Lot and supporting one another. It's a sign of a good culture. Though a fun little segment, Lilian brings a ton of knowledge on the table about white-labeling, building labs, and an example of lifelong curiosity. Perhaps being a superstar specialist isn’t about digging deep into one field, but understanding how each field affects one another. You’ll also learn what goes behind making a white label product, you know, the store brand products in grocery stores. Lilian does an amazing job on describing what goes into it and what you might need to pay attention to in that role. About Lilian Lilian Cruz-Hand is a Quality Specialist Sensory Lead at the headquarters of Save A Lot Food Stores in St Ann, Missouri. With over 9 years of experience in the food industry, she has created prototypes to test with consumers against marketing concepts; and worked on bench top product development through commercialization. Lilian has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and is currently earning her Culinary Arts degree at St Louis Community College. Lilian has had the opportunity to explore many facets of the food industry ranging from quality, to R&D, and sensory in both small family-owned companies and global food competitors. Lilian combines all of her previous experience in her current cross-functional role working in a test kitchen and sensory laboratory where she is responsible for new product development, quality assurance and continuous improvement of products marketed under Save-A-Lot's private label portfolio. Show Notes Save-A-Lot is limited Assortment which is why products are a bit cheaper St. Anne Missouri We opened a space last year with a ton of open tablespace. Lots of equipment and lots of storage and equipment How did you find out about food science?: I have a chemistry degree and focused on biomedical research at first. Sometimes I shout EUREKA just to boost morale My first job was entry-level lab assistant stuff and worked more on analytics. Then I worked in Quality in a spice company Abbott Nutrition – Learned all things sensory DuPont in St. Louis with protein shakes Skillset: While you work, you’re always developing your technical skill How do you develop a sensory lab?: The bible for sensory labs: The Sensory Techniques Textbook Reference Organization of Sensory Professionals My Food Job Rocks: I get to make an impact, my team is amazing and I get to do something new. Where do you go to find food trends?: My local grocery stores but also many other competitors so I can see who’s there and what options exist? There’s a lot of growth on private labels What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Lack of high quality but low cost products Favorite Quote: I think food, culture and landscape are completely inseparable Favorite Book: Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook Junior’s Cheesecake Favorite kitchen item: Kitchen knives such as Henkel knives, Advice for the food industry: Don’t be afraid to try something else Where can we find you?: LinkedIn Sensory professionals: I’m in the directory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve had a couple of Fairtrade focused episodes such as Kim Chackal from Equifruit, so familiarize yourself with that episode if you haven’t already. Now we’re going to the East Coast and we’ll be talking about the amazing effect Fair Trade has on farmers and why big companies such as KIND are buying fair trade products. Learn about Bryan Lew’s career path and his advice for anyone when it comes to climbing to the top. You can do it too, even if you’re a cashier at a small grocery store. About Bryan Bryan Lew is the chief operating officer for Fairtrade America, where he leads the effort to expand awareness of Fairtrade America’s mission among U.S. businesses and consumers to ultimately increase revenue and grow the organization. Bryan brings expertise in the natural foods industry from his previous roles leading operations for Sur la Table and MOM’s Organic Market. Bryan was also an executive vice president at Whole Foods Market.  Show Notes Whole Foods (first started when there were 10 stores) Why did you decide to join Whole Foods?: Something felt different. They took advice to heart. What do you do?: Fair trade is simple. We try and balance the value of trade for things that we all love to eat. Chief Operating Officer: We mainly talk with other companies and see how we can streamline the process KIND BARK: They use fair trade cocoa in their product exclusively Most popular Fair Trade Product: Coffee!! Trip to origin Endangered Species Chocolate: a chocolate company who went to West Africa to see the process. How do you get Fair Trade?: For the farmer, it’s not super hard. When you’re ina  community of Farmers, people see the differences when Farmers can build a school or a hospital with a  fair trade certified. Why is coffee so cheap?: Brazil and other countries have invested very heavily in coffee What makes Fair Trade appealing?: Consumers want it, brands think it’s valuable and stores want it My Food Job Rocks: I love being in something my daughter can be proud of What trend or technology, is exciting you right now?: LOFT-Local, Organic or Fair Trade. On transparency: What are the tools to better communicate transparency? QR codes didn’t work. We have an App that might help too. What’s one thing in the food industry that you’d like to know more about?: Blockchain. I think it will do really well in showing where or food comes from The brand map that shows all of the companies owning something Greenwashing Leadership Books: Good to Great by Jim Collins Any advice for the food industry?: There are a few skills that are indespensible in any industry. The ability to Hustle is really important. You have to continue to follow up. What do you consider a finish?: Simplify, focus and execute. Sometimes it can take a while   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure when you started your job, you had to go through training videos that help you understand the importance of something. Before this was powerpoints but nowadays, the videos are much more engaging. Whether about car safety, good manufacturing practices, or even food safety, to get people to understand and care about important topics, it helps for the video to be engaging. This is where Austin Welch and Richard Fleming come in. Their company, SAGE Media, create engaging video stories by hacking into the behaviors of a culture and showcasing them in high quality training videoes Bare with me at the beginning of the interview as we try to crack down some really complex stuff. As soon as we get through that, and understand the underlying concepts, that’s where you get the nuggets of wisdom. If you want to know the insides and insights of making great, engaging stories, this episode will really get you interested. Since these guys do training videoes, you can find examples at sage.academy About Austin and Richard AUSTIN WELCH His learning films have earned three Brandon Hall Award’s and he has spoken about the emerging role of media and learning at the International Association of Food Protection, the International Conference for the Association of Talent Development, and TEDx. As a Kirkpatrick Certified Professional, Austin is always looking for ways to create emotionally intelligent training films that lead to measurable behavior change. RICHARD FLEMING Applying film theory, behavioral economics, and myth structure to his work at Sage Media, Richard designs and produces stories that impact action and modify the behaviors of viewers. With an extensive background marketing for companies like Microsoft, GP Strategies, and Hershey, Richard is no stranger to using stories to drive predictable emotional responses. He now uses his superpowers for good, helping to transform the lives of employees. Show Notes What do you guys do?: We’ve been struggling with this, but I think we’ve figured it out. We study how the human brain understands information and uses media to help understand it. Essentially, they’re a videographer that makes video training programs. We’re really trying to teach people how to be emotionally intelligence Emotional Intelligence: To read and glean information that is non-verbal Why we’re different: We take a consultancy approach where we give advice on storytelling. It’s hard for non-storytellers to tell stories Flannery O’Conner Aesop Fable Poisoned: A book about E.coil How do you research complex things like Food Safety?: We do our research and ask the client if we’re on the right course. Where did Hershey find you? Trade Show: Association of Talent Development – Hershey found us there and liked what we were doing We made a crime scene video with Hershey talking about Food Safety culture Foursight/JR Puccio’s 4 stages of Creativity: Clarify, Ideate, Develop, Implementors: A question well stated is a problem half-solved Great Courses on Foursight What do you outsource?: We do soup to nuts. We do everything In fact, a lot of companies ask us to consult for them to improve their storytelling value How do we get an actor?: We usually have a  casting director but now we know the strength and weaknesses of the actors in the community. How did you first meet?: At a local film event. We were introduced by a mutual contact IAFP Food Safety Culture and Food Safety Communication How do you solve criticism?: Read Marshall-Rosenburg’s Nonviolent Communication. Non-violent is all about clarification and communication How do you get buy-in from staff?: Sometimes you have to talk about multiple topics and you have to see their reaction The Challenger Sale The Challenger Customer Find the internal champion and cater to them What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to do what you do?: Learn about cognitive science. We’re very soft-skill driven. Though we get asked a lot of technical questions, the soft skills are what we accel at. Where can we find you?: We have some videos at sage.academy Richard@sage.media Austin@sage.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since this podcast is unscripted, I don't have a giant paragraph of text and complex show notes. To summarize the first 10 or so minutes: My excuse for not posting an episode is because I was playing video games all month Thanks to a few people, especially Karen Lee and Shahram Shafie for the warm welcome to Austin, Texas. It shows that you never know who'll reach out when you tell everyone on the internet you're moving My Food Job Rocks will probably end this year but Adam Yee podcasting will probably still happen Why Hampton Creek/JUST is a great example of the issues with bad publicity and what to do when it happens More writing. More advice on the food industry, more deep cuts about the ugliness of business  You probably won't change your ways unless something tragic happens Links Original Business for Good Podcast Shownotes for this episode Hampton Creek Bad Press JUST Good Press (2 years later) WeWork Food Labs and Adam is a Serial Entrepreneur I guess Life is about moments, not years     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you haven’t listened to episode 200 part 1, you can find it at myfoodjobrocks.com/200Wow So the past three weeks looked like this: I drove from Sacramento to Texas, met some friends in Los Angeles and Phoenix, and then flew to New York. Met up with my friend David Despain in long Island and then the next week, had an orientation in New York with my Friday getting familiar with the brand new Food Labs in Austin Texas, in the SXSW Center, my new home. There’s a ton of things planned, and I am thrilled to see what happens. For the second part, you’ll get a lot of the same as part 1. You’ll get aspiring new companies, inspiring past guests and everything in between. You can find timestamps on who’s on this section at our shownotes: myfoodjobrocks.com/200Wow2 So enjoy this live recording of the 200th episode at My Food Job Rocks. Thank you Alyssa Pizzaro from the San Francisco We Work Food Labs for the space. If there are any audio quality hiccups, let me know but keep in mind, that some things are out of my control because it is a live recording. But first, here’s a note from a guest who couldn’t make it because she was in another state, Katie Jones from the Food Heroes Podcast. [Timestamp: 1:40] Eleana Hsu – Koji Related Food Products [Timestamp: 3:25] I met Elana the week before this event at a house party hosted by Phil Saneski and friends. Elena will be leaving her job soon to start her own Koji company. Learn a  bit about the Koji world, where it comes from and what common foods it grows on. Learn also how to make your own and the types of experiments to explore further than soy sauce. My Food Job Rocks – You have to do what you love Sohail Nadepour – A La Carte Connections [Timestamp: 14:20] I met Sohail through a mutual friend, a college friend who’s not even in food science. Ken just happened to be in the same company as Sohail and one day they talked about passions. Sohail told him about food science and the first thing that popped up in Kendall’s head is me! After helping Sohail network, he ended up working for Rachel Zemser which is allowing him to start his food science career. Sohail is a really awesome example that it just takes one person to change someone’s life for the better and it makes me feel amazing. This short segment is the sole reason why I love doing the podcast and talking to people so that they too can have a career in food. My Food Job Rocks – Despite having the temptation to eat my products, I get to be creative. Amanda Drexler – Product Developer at CCD Innovation [Timestamp: 3:25] Next up is Amanda Drexler, an alumni from Cal Poly who just graduated this year. Amanda works at a consulting firm in Emeryville and for her first job, she’s gotten a lot of interesting projects. Because she's fresh out of college, I thought it would be a great opportunity to ask how she got her job. We give a shoutout to one of our favorite Cal poly professors too My Food Job Rocks – I can see a product from the first stages to the end Lauren Joyner, Founder of Loca Foods [Timestamp: 30:15] We catch up with Lauren Joyner and a lot of things have happened since about thirty episodes ago. Lauren found a manufacturer, will be launching a new formula, and Loca is growing. It’s so exciting seeing your friends grow so fast in this industry. Lauren also brought a friend, Lindsey, founder of Food-La-La who made these really interesting savory macarons. They are artistically made very well and the flavors are extremely well balanced. We do a live audio tasting with these macarons and they are really good. My Food Job Rocks – Connecting with people in the space that care deeply in what they’re doing Rachel Zemser – Consultant at A La Carte Connection [Timestamp: 38:55] We also catch up with Rachel Zemser, who had a kid! And now she’s learning a ton on taking care of a little human. The great thing about Rachel is that she can control her schedule. Well, sorta. Rachel also announces that she’ll be on TV in the very near future, which is super exciting. My Food Job Rocks – Every job I’ve ever had as a food scientist was fun and exciting Ellice Ogle – Food Safety Consulting Tamdem Food [Timestamp: 45:50] I think I met Elice at an IFT event, but not sure. I see her often in a variety of events in the San Francisco area. She’s a hustler, for sure. Elice recently started her own company and I asked about how she likes it so far. Lots of talk about startup life here My Food Job Rocks – I love food and meeting people who love food Darryl Neal – Podcast Host of Beer Talk Now [Timestamp: 49:00] I met Darryl at an IFT event. Definitively. I had such a good talk with him the first time I met him, he took me out for beer and we talked for hours. At the end of the night, he wanted to do a podcast and started…6 months later! But every time I met him, it reminded him to start step by step. Eventually, he started Beer Talk Now and it’s so amazing seeing his creativity flourish because of this little project. Darryl also had a kid! So congrats to Darryl! My Food Job Rocks – It’s fun to see people get engaged in food safety. Phil Saneski – VP of ReGrained [Timestamp: 55:30] Last but not least, is Phil Saneski, who’s been in two episodes, one where he was an intern at Rachel Zemser’s company and then last year with ReGrained! Phil and I have helped each other out throughout the years, with business, charity events, and other super fun stuff. Phil has been one of my greatest supporters and one of my best friends throughout my time doing My Food Job Rocks and I can’t thank him enough for his support. With some final introspection thanks to Phil’s question, I think this is the perfect ending interview for the night. My Food Job Rocks: Self-explanatory I’ll be taking a creative break from the podcast and will start again with episode 201 at the end of the month. Regarding the future of My Food Job Rocks, all I can say is that I’m seeing the end. I love podcasting, but I think theirs is much more to do than just My Food Job Rocks. There are many many other projects I want to explore using this platform. Because I don’t want to be known as the guy who does My Food Job Rocks, but perhaps the food scientist who does podcasts. But who knows? Like I told Phil, I don’t like to think that far. If I thought far, I would have never have ended up with a  podcast, or starting a company, or working in a beautiful building in Austin, Texas but I’ve learned that doing these things have made my life exciting! I’m just an average person with an average podcast but the people I’ve helped are special to me and perhaps that’s all you need to do something great. Again, I can’t thank you enough for listening to My Food Job Rocks. Whether you’ve consumed all 200 or just this episode, it really means a lot to me that you chose this podcast to listen to. Thanks for joining us, I’ll see you next time on My Food Job Rocks   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the 200th episode [part 1] I’m your host and food scientist, Adam Yee and you are listening to episode 200, where I interview a couple of dozen people about their food jobs. The party was super fun, a lot of my friends showed up and I loved interviewing them. You’ll get a variety of different guests. From young entrepreneurs to seasoned veterans, to people not even in the food industry. You’ll hear from some guests from past episodes as well, to see an update in their life. I’m so amazed that this little project could garner so much support, I don’t need to tell you this, you know. But thank you for supporting My Food Job Rocks. We have so many interviews that I have to split it up into two parts. Because I’m moving to Austin Texas and have a bunch of traveling to do before getting started at my new job at WeWork’s Food Labs, I’ll be launching the second part, next week. You can find timestamps on who’s on this section at our show notes: http://myfoodjobrocks.com/200Wow So enjoy this live recording of the 200th episode at My Food Job Rocks. Thank you Alyssa Pizzaro from the San Francisco WeWork Food Labs for the space. If there are any audio quality hiccups, let me know but keep in mind, that some things are out of my control. Let’s first start with a small message from Nicole Gallace from episode one and one-oh-one, who couldn’t make it. [Timestamp: 2:00] David Sheu CEO and Co-founder at Bear’s Nutrition [Timestamp: 2:30] A milk-based nutrition shake for kids. It’s been formulated by a certified child nutritionist and has funding from the American Milk Board. Thanks Brian Chau for inviting him. [Timestamp: 2:30] My Food Job Rocks -  I get to see the happy look on people’s faces when they try my product Geof Lambert from Sierra Nevada Farms [Timestamp: 9:18] Geof messaged me on facebook to see if he could use Better Meat Co products to enhance his pork products. He happened to be at the Salesforce event down the street so thanks Salesforce for bringing Geof to the event.  I mention a previous guest’s business, Crowd Cow that got Geof interested. My Food Job Rocks – I can meet with people who are passionate Jenise Vu  Founder of Side Hustle Wednesdays - Not a Food Company, but a friend in Sacramento [Timestamp: 15:15] Jenise drove all the way from Sacramento for this event and she’s not even in the food industry. Though she isn’t in the food industry, we’ve been kindred entrepreneurial spirits in Sacramento. She’s been a great person to bounce ideas and make tough decisions. We talk about the decision to move to Austin and what’s going through my head by doing this. Jenise has done some amazing things in Sacramento and I’m very proud of her growing into the mature entrepreneur she is today. We also talk about David Chan. I’ve interviewed David for a future episode, but you can check out his Instagram @Nichijou.ramen Michelle Flood Del Monte Manager [Timestamp: 26:00] I met Michelle at NCIFT as she and Erin were spearheading the NCIFT New Professionals Organization. I’d say it’s one of the most active groups in the IFT section. Meeting people who are around your age is super important especially professionally and I’m so glad to have been a part of helping them grow and I hope the people listening to this portion is that you can be like Michelle and start a young professionals organization. It just takes a small group of passionate individuals. My Food Job Rocks – The people, the company. I get to travel and I love the people. Relaxed atmosphere and Brian Chau CEO of Mycokind [Timestamp: 32:28] Brian Chau has been one of the most vital connection I’ve made in California and it started off with a mutual friend/roommate, Cory Yee. Thanks Cory! Brian and I have had super interesting career journies with different pathways and different perspectives so we always share the challenges of food entrepreneurship. Without Brian, I don’t think I could have survived as a food consultant. Anyways, Brian explains my new job at WeWork quite well, probably better than I would talk about it. Brain recently started Mycokind, his dream company. Can you guess what he sells? Innovative mushroom products! Brian will also be persuing a Phd soon so though our paths diverge, well, your paths never really diverge if you’re in food. Like me I guess, Brian’s journey is super diverse and you’ll be amazed in what he’s accomplished. Hear also, a rant about communicating food science to food businesses. My Food Job Rocks – Going back and humanizing the food component – It’s not just sterotypes, food humanizes Gesina Beckert  Partner Development at Fairtrade USA [Timestamp: 45:50] I met Gesina at Naturally Bay Area about two months ago and have been seeing her a lot over a short period of time. I love this because Naturally Bay Area has been a huge supporter in what I do and I really enjoyed supporting them. I’ve gotten a  ton of legitimate and powerful connections through the Naturally network, and from what I hear, Austin has a very big one. We talk a bit about Fair Trade and the fun Naturally Bay Area. My Food Job Rocks – I can connect people in distant countries and get them into the discussion Andrea Zeng Chocolate Technologist in Ghirardelli [Timestamp 54:31] Next guest is Andrea Zeng, a friend I knew since high school, someone I begged to interview at Lundberg Farms and we once in a while, keep in touch. Currently, she’s a chocolate technologist in Ghirardelli in the Bay Area. Andrea has always had a goal to work at a well-known chocolate company making new flavors and she did it. I too, had a goal and did it, but then I didn’t do it. So I talk a bit to Andrea about how it felt to achieve your dream, and to try and find something new. I ask Andrea how to become a product developer in something you love, and we both give some awesome advice. My Food Job Rocks – I get to work in a chocolate factory every day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Miller is a food industry executive with experience ranging from high growth start-ups to Fortune 500 companies which includes companies like PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Bimbo Bakeries, Heinz, Rudi’s Organic Bakery, and now Lily’s Sweets. What I love about Jane is her transparency and clear explanations on the complex questions I ask such as how to build a network, how to climb the corporate ladder, and how to not quit a job I think it’s because she also has an awesome career advice blog. We get into an interesting discussion about writing, and how it might improve your career and your life. And writing doesn’t have to be a blog, perhaps just a notebook will do. About Jane Miller Jane Miller has 30-years of executive experience in the food industry. She has worked with both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. She is also the founder of Janeknows.com, a career advice website geared towards young leaders starting their careers. Jane is the author of Sleep your Way to the Top (and other myths about business success), a sassy business book targeted at Millennials. Jane is currently the CEO of Lily’s Sweets and has held several other CEO roles in the natural and organic industry, including Rudi’s Bakery, ProYo High Protein Ice Cream, and HannahMax Cookie Chips. Over the course of her career Jane was part of an executive team that brought Hostess out of bankruptcy, worked for HJ Heinz as the Chief Growth Officer and then the President of the UK & Ireland Division. She also ran the Western division of Bestfoods Baking. Jane spent the first fourteen years of her career at PepsiCo, where she rose to be the President of the Central division of Frito-Lay. Jane currently serves as a board member at the University of Colorado Leeds Business School and Eldorado Springs Artesian Water. In 2013 the Denver Business Journal named Jane the Lifetime Achievement Award Winner for her work mentoring young professionals and start-ups. Her other honors include the Boulder Chamber of Commerce’s Women Who Light the Community Award in 2015 and the Naturally Boulder Industry Leader Award in 2016. In 2015, Jane established the Jane Knows Scholarship Fund at Leeds supporting students who are the first in their family to go to college. In 2018, Leeds recognized Jane with a non-alumni service award. Jane has a degree in Russian Studies from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, where she received a 2017 Alumni Achievement Award. She earned her MBA degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you say?: I run a no-sugar added confections company What’s Lily’s:  we sell delicious tasting no-sugar chocolate Cynthia Tice – Founder of Lily’s We are going through a rebrand and are launching new SKUs like chocolate peanut butter cups What’s the history of Lily’s?: They got an account at Whole Foods in 2012 and grew a lot thanks to keto. We’re very popular with keto. When does a company need a CEO?: To fix something or to fulfill a skillset Who was your first hire?: I had a team consisting of head of Ops, head of Sales, head of marketing, and other things It’s very important to create a backbone to deliver a lot of value. You need processes in place if you’re hypergrowing How do you find A-players and how do you hire them to run a small company?: I knew my A-players very well. Reputation matters too. Always be out there and network. Since food is a collaborative effort, it’s not as hard as you think What’s your favorite networking tool?: Naturally Boulder and a lot of Naturally events Naturally: Bay Area, Chicago, Boulder How to get comfortable with networking: Everybody is interesting. Be confident and not be shy Did you ever think you’d be in the food industry?: I have a Russian major and I wanted to be a lawyer Though I got rejected from Frito-Lay at first, I got accepted a year later How do you progress?: You want to grow as a person and you have to do risky things and you have to be comfortable with change and growth Lily’s career: Frito Lay Kraft-Heinz Bimbo Bakery Rudi’s Hain’s Celestial Proyo HannahMax Cookie Chips Lilys Chocolate Jane Knows Blog – my second passion is to mentor the next generation of leaders. It’s not scaleable on a one-to-one basis Writing things down helps a ton and helps refine what you do and how you think My Food Job Rocks: I can’t wait to start work every single day Food Trends and Technology: The plant-based movement and how it’s affecting our food system Also how do we make natural and organic foods accessible to everyone? What is the biggest challenge in the industry?: Making great food affordable in the business perspective. Big companies require big changes and it can be slow What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Sustainability and innovative packaging PAC Expo – no sustainable packaging Book recommendations: Sleep your Way to the Top: And other Myths on Business Success Book about Mt. Everest – Into Thin Air Wild by Cheryl Strayed Tiny Beautiful Things Any advice going into the food industry?: Pick a company that’s lied up with your values, work hard, be adaptable, flexible, and have some fun. Where can we find you for advice?: Janeknows.com LinkedIn: I post more about Lily’s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Lerner started his career in the military, then jumped into an MBA, then in toilet paper, then food companies, then founded his own sparkling beverage company. And has been a CEO for multiple high growth startups and with that, tons of unique experiences to help you think differently and grow better. Since this episode is a long one, I’ll keep it short, you’ll get tons of advice about growing a world-class network and how to navigate the crazy waters when it comes to growing food businesses. I ask Scott some really challenging questions when it comes to finding good people and making tough decisions so I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes When someone asks what you do, what do you tell people?: I’m the CEO of farmhouse culture. I’m paid to run this company You’ve had multiple CEO roles. What does CEO mean to you?: The responsibility to have the final say on any decision. The CEO’s role is to first recruit the best talent and be the quality control person How do you hire the best people?: Later in my career, I’ve created a great network. When I work with great people, I hire them. I also like to “date” prospects. If I could spend some time over the course of weeks with them, I get to learn more about them. How do you meet people?: Trade shows work. I’ve also taught Entrepreneurship in Northwestern and I tell people to talk to people when you’re on the plane or even at tasting booths. I have a  goal to meet people in the industry. LinkedIn helps a ton too. Pepsi ConAgra Did you ever think that you’d get into food?: Not really but after my MBA, I was interested in CPG Kimberley Clark: Toilet paper company Marine Corps ConAgra Foods. Managing the Parque Brands – Margarine Why did you jump into your own company?: I worked on Naked Juice and then I had an opportunity to start a company. Solixer, a sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice wand botanicals. It was in 2008 but it was hard because the Beverage is super competitive. What was the most shocking thing about starting your own company?: You have to do everything. In the corporate world, you don’t even know how the product is shipped. Then after your job, you kept on jumping into CEO roles Tell me more about Farmhouse Culture?: Brand was started in 2008 by Kathrine Lurker. She was doing it on her own for a while and then brought on more investment. I came in when the company was plateauing, which is usually the case with new leadership. I like fixing things and I like having a gun to my head We’re now pruning the bush with getting rid of old products. We’re also rebranding and launching things like chips. I joined the company because the brand is super strong. Gut Shot Hard Things About Hard Things How do you transition in certain stages?: If your team is comfortable, then they’re losing and you have to make them uncomfortable to get them to grow How did you go into the Marine Corps?: I was recruited during college. However, I knew that it would be beneficial no matter what. My Food job Rocks: I love doing 100 different things because all of the things are interesting. For food, it not only gives you instant gratification but also to help the planet. With this company, we provide healthy food too, which is a plus. What type of trends are you noticing?: There’s a ton of new, healthy products but it’s hard to communicate to the consumers Most advocates are becoming food producers Plant-based meat is getting huge but is it healthy? Do you have a  favorite book?: I don’t read much, but I get a lot of my information from posts and conversations. I’ve read my share of books. I can get information from everywhere, even Shark Tank Any advice for anyone who wants to go into the food industry?: dabble in it. Go to a company and ask “hey can I help you out?”. Find out what you’re passionate about. Where can we find you for advice?: Hit me up through LinkedIn or Farmhouse Culture’s website. TERP1302 instagram The world doesn’t need another granola but you need to be different There’s not any more rocketships to land on, it’s competitive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evan Holod is the CEO of Michel Et Augustin, a cookie company located in France, but Evan is bringing it to the states with a colorful brand and personality Evan is a funny guy with a candid sense of humor but has a lot of wisdom to share about marketing brands like Bazooka Joe, Ring Pop, and Coca-Cola. Michel et Augustine is recently pushing into retail launching in many different grocery stores around the United States. We talk about how to reset your career trajectory, as Evan worked in finance for 7 years before getting a degree in marketing and starting as a marketing assistant for food, then worked his way up to CEO for food. We also talk about marketing tactics. From packaging to convincing people to go with your crazy ideas. About Evan Evan Holod is the CEO (and Chief Troublemaker) at Michel et Augustin, a leading French manufacturer founded in 2004 and known in Europe for their unique approach to everything. A lifelong eater, Evan spends his days with the unenviable task of introducing French pastry know-how to unsuspecting Americans. Whether ideating the next great Franco-American food innovation, securing a distribution deal, or participating in another grueling cookie taste test, Evan and his team of trublions (French for ‘troublemaker’) will stop at nothing to make sure that Americans of all ages have access to delicious, honestly indulgent cookies like their bestselling Cookie Squares (buttery shortbread cookie squares filled with a variety of different chocolate ganache recipes). Prior to his current adventure, Evan was the Brand Director for Coca-Cola in the U.S., responsible for developing and implementing the U.S. brand strategy, targeted marketing communications and advertising, and creating and executing programs like the “Share a Coke” campaign. Evan spent his early years in marketing at glacéau, working on the team that helped drive the growth of smartwater. Evan holds multiple degrees in unrelated and peculiar subjects, with a B.A. from Duke University in History and a Masters in Sports Marketing from NYU. Married for over 10 years and with 2 often lovable children, Evan and his family moved back to NY in 2018 and now reside in Brooklyn, NY. Sponsor The Cultured Meat Symposium is taking place in San Francisco on November 14-15th. Join experts from science, food, and tech industries to discuss the future of food. Join speakers from Aleph Farms, Finless Foods, Memphis Meats, Wild Type, IntegriCulture, VOW, the American Meat Science Association and more. Use coupon code MYFOODJOBROCKS20 for 20% off General Admission tickets. Or use this link here I’ll be there with a mobile podcast studio. See you there! Show Notes First sentences: I’m the chief troublemaker. We’re a cookie company that helps people brighten their day. Michel En Augustin – people who traded their suits for pastry hats. Our employees have to pass the French pastry exam We have one card for everyone. We have 11 of us in the United States so we all have it on the card. Michele and Augustin have been around for 15 years in France, but it’s so different in the United States Danone buyout Coca Cola Who was a mutual friend who introduced you to Augustine?: A French friend in Coca Cola How did you get to where you are today?: I used to work in investing but hated it after 7 years. I wanted to work in sports but my investor friend said to work in consumer goods. I got my degree in marketing and then got a job as a marketing assistant and rose to Coca-Cola and ended up having sports as my portfolio because Coca-Cola is the best brand in the world My role in coca-cola: my job is to recruit a new generation of coke drinkers There are tons of marketing divisions in coca-cola from stores Mexican Coke How do you convince people?: People need to trust you, but you have to bring people along in the beginning. People like to be involved Where do you manufacture?: In Europe, sometimes we have to ship by air to the US Where are you available?: Some SF stores, available at Safeway, Target, Shoprite, Fairway, 20% Coupon if you message Evan on LinkedIn We were slow on retail. We mostly focused on food service and front-end We decided to focus on multipacks. We had to do a lot of different ways to repackage. We had to do some of our manufacturing in the US such as packing products What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: The science and the technical side. It’s a language I don’t speak or understand. I don’t like having to tap out of the conversation How do you learn?: I don’t read anymore. I’ve reached to a point where it’s more curated. Tom Goodwin, Mark Rittztons Where can we find you?: First Thrusday at 98 4th Street Open House 7-8pm at Brooklyn Facebook Page: Michel et Augustin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices