My Food Job Rocks!

After the pandemic hit, I started to post in a few food startup groups if they’d like to be interviewed. It was my impulsive way of giving back. My Food Job Rocks now does have a bit of a barrier of entry just because I get so many PR inquiries so this was an opportunity to ask businesses who might not have made it, about what’s going on in their world. So I have a couple of interviews where I talk to businesses that are a bit new and interview them. This is one of them and I learned a ton from this. I think it’s always refreshing interviewing people who’ve just started because the idea of how they started and what resources they use is just so fresh in their heads. Today we have Michael Mitchell, from Acari Fish. This is a bit of a short episode but it brings some interesting perspectives. How do you turn trash into treasure? In this case, Michael shares with me the devil fish of Mexico and how he found an opportunity to turn it into Jerky. Properly named, El Diablito Jerky. I also found it fascinating the global political confusion when it comes to selling catfish products. Enjoy! Sponsor for the Episode: WeStock Grocery is changing daily due to the current environment and we know it is an uncertain time for your brand. At WeStock we are working to help our brand partners continue to grow even now. WeStock streamlines the request process providing your brand with consistent retail leads and gives you the insights needed to grow your business. Learn more at WeStock.io and use promo code MyFoodJobRocks for 25% off your first year. Show Notes El Diablito Jerky Armored Catfish Big Ideas Social Venture Competition Global Social Venture Competition Vietnamese Catfish FDA controls all seafood USDA actually controls catfish How did the pandemic affect your sales?: It canceled sales plans usch as demos but luckily we have a shelf-stable products We're also trying influencer channels: We’re testing keto/gluten-free fitness influencers What advice would you give someone in the CPG industry?: Keep battling. There’s a lot of challenges. The community for the Startup CPG community is extremely well-connected Naturally Network Webinars Acarifrish.com Follow us on Instagram and Canada Article at the end of the episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sari Kimbell is a food business consultant who helps people from the idea stage to getting into retail channels. She runs the website, food business success. Sari's experience being a broker at Whole Foods and running a commissary kitchen makes her an expert in understanding the challenges and needs to starting a food business so I ask her some pretty real questions. I try to ask super blunt question like how much money do you need to start and Sari does an excellent job really honing in on the endgame, or goal. We take a dive deep into maximizing margins before even launching your product, sell sheets and price sheets and how to use them properly, and things like that. A disclaimer is that this interview is before the pandemic and we talk about ecommerce! Though the game has changed, I think Sari’s advice is still very valid. Perhaps the only outdated thing is something I’ve said. There’s a comment that I don’t buy food online and IT’S STILL TRUE. I might have bought maybe a couple of food items from Amazon, but that’s all. If you want to know more about Sari’s offerings, check out our shownotes for this episode About Sari Sari Kimbell has held just about every position in the CPG food industry from grocery buyer to selling local produce wholesale into stores, running a commissary kitchen to starting her own food business and helping food brands get off the shelves as the Marketing Director at Whole Foods Market. In 2015 she launched Sari Kimbell Consulting with a mission to help packaged food and beverage entrepreneurs start and scale profitable businesses. When she isn’t working on pricing and projection spreadsheets or go-to-market strategies, her passion is to help the “I just have an idea” entrepreneurs navigate the tricky food industry. This includes a number of women and English as a second language entrepreneurs wanting to bring their delicious ideas to life. As a consultant at her local Small Business Development Center,  Sari explored their pain points and built up a bank of resources for those who were committed to bootstrapping their business (ie: figuring it out themselves).  Her goal is to help more startups launch and scale up, and in 2019 Sari introduced Food Business Success™ that provides online courses and accelerators that combine self-directed learning with one-on-one business strategy sessions or group calls to answer specific questions and provide accountability to help this early stage entrepreneur. Food Business Success has a ton of great resources you should check out if you're considering starting a food business. Including a Free Masterclass for Farmer’s markets and a 21 week accelerator program. Sponsor for the Episode: WeStock Grocery is changing daily due to the current environment and we know it is an uncertain time for your brand. At WeStock we are working to help our brand partners continue to grow even now. WeStock streamlines the request process providing your brand with consistent retail leads and gives you the insights needed to grow your business. Learn more at WeStock.io and use promo code MyFoodJobRocks for 25% off your first year. Show Notes Alli Ball Consulting We’re similar but we have different niches. Sari focuses before you start, Ali is later in the game What's your history?: I was a whole foods market buyer, vendor onboarding. I found my passion to help really early stage entrepreneurs. I then managed a commissary kitchen Food Business Success What would you tell someone who has an idea?: Really focus on why you want to do it. Do you really have a  deep drive or conviction of doing this? What should your budget be in starting a food business?: Depends on the goal. Farmers market or national push? Cottage Food Laws Questions to ask: What’s your launch strategy? Avery Labels Online Labels.com Uline Packaging Do you have any success stories on people working in stores?: You kind of see what people are made of. You have to plan well in advanced for those capital needs. Numbers don’t lie. They hurt, but they don’t lie. I have a Pricing for Profitability course COGS – Cost of Goods For workshops, I generally throw a number on when you should pay yourself: $250,000 dollars. People are aghast when you hear the numbers. Unfortunately, profitability is small competition is high How do you convince a store how to take on your product?: What’s in it for your buyer? Sell Sheets – a professional sell sheet is super important It usually takes 9-12 months for a buyer to re-evaluate a category in a big store Sell-sheet Price sheet Online Retail Market Goldbelly Bubble Thrive Market People generally don’t buy from people’s websites. When was the last time you do? (answer for me is never) Wholesale: FAIR and Hubba Expo West was canceled When should you go to a trade show?: Go beforehand and walk it. Most food shows have the same structure Eat Colorado Food Show Some tricks: Have a private party in a suite or a booth Connections in the industry are also super important. Not just buyers For more awesome content Food Business SuccessOr Sari Kimbell Consulting Youtube Channel Instagram @FoodBizSuccess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For those of you who don’t know Gary Nowacki, he built TraceGains, a very popular supply chain management software that allows you to digitize your documentation. For those of you in product development, you can see how useful this is. But TraceGains does so much more than just digitize paperwork, it’s a network, so it becomes valuable when it comes to understanding how to navigate through the pandemic. You’ll learn a lot more about TraceGains during this interview. Learn about how Gary found the opportunity of digitizing the spec sheets, about how Gary transitioned from programmer to Sales Manager, and also some sage career advice on how to find what you’re good at. It’s more about doing something than saying something. Also note, My Food Job Rocks has had several collaboration opportunities with TraceGains. I was a guest on Gary’s own podcast where he interviews experts in the food industry, I’ve had the VP of marketing Mark Simony, and we've collaborated on several guest posts. Collaborations with TraceGains Adam Yee on Gary’s podcast – CtoC podcast VP of Marketing - Mark Simony on My Food Job Rocks Blog Post -  The Seeds Have Been Planted For Meat and Dairy Alternatives Blog Post -  The Five Biggest Mistakes in Product Development Blog Post -  Sustainability is Here to Stay Blog Post - Consumers Support Stronger Supplement Regulations Blog Post - Top Five Food and Beverage Trends for the New Year Show Notes What is TraceGains?: We’re a software company and connect ingredient and packaging suppliers. We are supply chain management software and we’re increasingly expanding our platform. Before TraceGains, people were using faxes, emails, etc. Now, everything is digital and we found an opportunity there Why did you look into food? Was that your industry?: I was in the ERP/shipping tracking business and most of my clients were food. We felt the world needed supply chain trading When did you know that you were gaining feedback: consistent praise that their product solved a lot of problems. Crossing the Chasm book Early Adopters David Benzaquean – Ocean Hugger Foods Sushi Best chicken nugget on Food Network - plant-based hybrid nuggets Barry Nalebuff – Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman Mission in a bottle Why Does Your Food Job Rocks?: I really like to build things. If you want to build something, you need to make something truly exciting and can build things in a unique way. What about Pandemic stuff?: We did a survey with our customer base. We asked how this pandemic affects your business 18% of our customers believe this is neutral 11% have a negative effect 71% has a positive effect The negative effect affects companies in food service and selling B2B significantly Small Companies are doing pretty fine but startups who just started might be getting crushed. Some small companies are getting 600x orders but the small companies can’t really fulfill the order. Elaine Watson article about data and plant-based products Impossible Foods Recent Raise It’s always good to have a job in food because people have to eat Helen Timothy We acquired a company in the dietary supplement space and I’ve been getting a lot of media inquiries about that Health Notes What you’re Feeling is Grief This is a Human Tragedy What advice would you give people in the food industry?: Really reflect how consumer behavior has changed. Look at your stock and evaluate Where can we find you? Tracegains.com My podcast is called CtoC or Conception to Creation email me: gary.nowacki@tracegains.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have Christine Rico, the consulting CFO for CFO on Speed Dial equips business owners and entrepreneurs with the accounting and financial strategies needed to maximize both profit and social impact. We dive into what loans are good and what loans are bad and how to really think about it. You’ll learn some cool resources like the Small Business Development Centers, or KIVA, or what a bridge loan is. We also talk a lot about Business Plans and current events. How did Christine spend time with her clients during the great shutdown in New York? Though this episode was recorded a week ago, I’ve asked Christine to give me an update today. So if you’re a small business struggling in this environment, stay toward the end. We frontload this episode with the strategies first, and then learn a bit more about Christine! About Christine Christine Rico is a financial consultant, business growth expert and social entrepreneur who got her start in financial management while keeping the books for Cooperative Home Care Associates in the Bronx, NY more than 20 years ago. (Cooperative was then a startup and is now the country’s largest worker-owned business) At CFO on Speeddial, Christine & her team help business owners set and reach financial goals and build companies that are making a positive social impact on their communities with a focus on healthy, local and sustainable food products. To address the sudden shift in business due to the Corona Virus, CFO on Speeddial is focused on business resilience:  the pivot points, cash needs and overall strategies business owners can use to adapt, survive and thrive in 2020 and beyond.  Christine is also co-Chair of the board of Slow Money NYC and a mentor in the Food Future Co accelerator. Show Notes #OMGCPG Facebook Group When someone asks what you do, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I help the finances of many food companies What is the million dollar mark?: It’s an arbitrary number but with the margins of the industry, it’s hard to afford a deep level of financial support earlier than that My pricing should be around 2% or less of your revenue How does a CFO help a business?: We see Profit First professionals group Mike McCallowitz What are the most common pitfalls for a balance sheet?: Usually excessive debt (credit card, accounts payable, bank debt) Some debt is good debt An example is a loan versus a salesperson Bridge Loan Stimulus Bill Bad loans are generally NOT transparent Good Loan Sources: KIVA a nonprofit social enterprise lender SBA Loans can take a long time (Small Business Development Centers help a lot) Before you think about finance, work on your business model 5 financial fundamentals Figure out your business plan first then match the money to the model Timeframe, scope, and what you’re building is very important No Business Plan Survives First Contact Business Canvas How many people get Forecasting wrong?: Everyone. For us, we have to take 6-8weeks to make a model fit for you SLOW Money Biggest thing to cut in a recession: salaries and rent payments Figure out February and March weekly expenses and go from there Communicate with your loan people Look at the biggest number you got and make it smaller Four and Twenty Black Birds Carlitos Cocina (Vending Machine) Bodegas are still running because they still have food Korean Markets (Corner Vegetable Stores) are also stocked Bodega tech company gets ousted My Food Job Rocks: I love the diversity of clients Where can we find you? CFOonSpeedDial.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have returning guest Cesare Varallo, an Italian lawyer who is the global advisor on food safety, food labeling, and food regulatory issues talk about what's happening right now. More specifically, he’s a crisis consultant for food and one would say we’re in a crisis. I wanted his perspective on the pandemic because well, he’s in Italy, and also because Cesare interacts with so many global players. Though I learn a bit about what’s happening in Italy, for my own curiosity, this episode shines from a systems point of view. When the pandemic happens, what are the chain reactions that happen> And how many are driven by fear? We dive into that and it’s quite interesting. A quick disclaimer is that neither of us are experts on COVID from a health perspective so our point of view is just our observations. Please do your part in researching things in terms of news of the pandemic. This is considered a piece of knowledge, specifically, economically. Enjoy and stay safe out there. General Topics Include -How are you? -How is Italy? -How is it affecting businesses? -How is it affecting food supply chain? -How is it affecting exports? -How is it affecting food safety? -What are companies doing? -Ecommerce and remote work perspectives Show Notes Bloomberg article Where do you get your information?: I usually read financial data to get more economic perspectives Financial Times Guardian I try to get the news from all the angles I read a ton of studies about COVID-19 Cesare’s LinkedIn profile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a crossover episode Don Schaffner and Ben Chapman, host of the Food Safety Talk Podcast have both been busy doing interviews about well, COVID-19. Everyone from popular national news, to local news, to celebrity chefs are asking about how coronavirus will affect food. Mainly, can it survive on food in any way, shape or form? Don and ben tell us what they’ve found.  Ideally, the lessons for this episode is how you can make informed decisions using science. I’m really glad they both took the time to do this episode with me. I ask them a lot of questions on what’s happening right now as I feel they are one of the most knowledgable food industry experts on the topic. So questions like who we should follow and what are the best practices to be comfortable about it, are all answered in this podcast. A disclaimer, if you’re never heard of the Food Safety Talk podcast, take a listen. We have a lot of their energy in this podcast. Mainly the fact that they sometimes go off really funny tangents. If you want to get to my questions, go to minute 33:00. If you enjoy Food Safety Talk, I left 30 minutes of familiar content in the beginning. We’ll be having a few more COVID-19 episodes in the near future. I think it’s a very important topic right now and the best I can do in this situation is to share as many perspectives as possible. Show Notes * [Bruce Springsteen Lyrics database : My hometown](http://www.brucespringsteen.it/DB/sd3.aspx?sid=392) * [Handjob Princess | Do By Friday](http://dobyfriday.com/177) * [TWiV 592: Coronavirus update - dangerous curve ahead | This Week in Virology](http://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-592/) * [COVID-19 teaches us "We all live on a yellow submarine" | Marler Blog](https://www.marlerblog.com/lawyer-oped/covid-19-teaches-us-we-all-live-on-a-yellow-submarine/) * [JoCo Cruise | March 7-14, 2020](https://jococruise.com/) * [Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV)](https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6) * [Spanish flu - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu) * [(20) Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "Note this is a WHO approved recipe. ⁦@benjaminchapman⁩ would also be pleased. https://t.co/GnppRbTIPE" / Twitter](https://twitter.com/bugcounter/status/1240817179681001475) * [https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Homemade-Hand-Sanitizer_COVID-19_Flyer_031620.pdf?fwd=no](https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Homemade-Hand-Sanitizer_COVID-19_Flyer_031620.pdf?fwd=no) * [https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf](https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf) * [List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 | Pesticide Registration | US EPA](https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2) * [The Food Lab | Serious Eats](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab) * [A Frantic Few Days for Restaurants Is Only the Beginning - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/dining/restaurants-coronavirus.html) * [https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Retail-FAQ_COVID-19_031520.pdf?fwd=no](https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Retail-FAQ_COVID-19_031520.pdf?fwd=no) * [Food Safety Talk](http://foodsafetytalk.com/) * [Risky or Not?](https://www.riskyornot.co/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was first introduced to Burlap and Barrel when my friend Phil Saneski told me about them at MISTA. All the way in California. The next time I heard of them, I met Ori sitting down working at the WeWork Food Labs in New York, when I was doing my orientation. We chatted, knew a few common friends, and then he invited me to a Rabobank mixer. So if you’ve noticed a pattern with our entrepreneurial guests, the best way to get on the show is to know someone I think is cool, meet me in person, and take me out to drinks. Joking aside, Ori is a wealth of knowledge and I didn’t even know he built and sold a mortgage company! He used this experience to really shape Burlap and Barrel and with his cofounder Ethan, they make an unstoppable team with a variety of unique products. If you go to Burlapandbarrel.com, you’ll see a variety of spices you’ve probably never heard like Urfa Chili or ground Black Lime. As you’ll see in the episode, Ori took a lot of care in crafting the site to be as user friendly as possible. Plenty of tips and tricks in this one. Enjoy! About Ori Ori is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, where he leads the company's US operations and finances, as well as eCommerce and retailer relationships. Ori's family moved to Baltimore, Maryland from Israel when he was 5 years old. He developed a love of all things food as a kid, learning to cook Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes from his parents. Ever enterprising, Ori's entrepreneurial journey started in his teens, when he started a business (poorly) DJ'ing parties. Ori first teamed up with Ethan to start Guerrilla Ice Cream, an activist ice cream cart that received a frenzy of media attention, in 2010. A few years later, he launched Sindeo, a venture-backed mortgage company that provided home loans in an open and transparent way. Sindeo raised $32m, helped its customers secure more than $500m in home loans, and had record-breaking customer satisfaction scores. Ori took the startup from idea through acquisition. Show Notes MISTA WeWork Food Lab Burlap and Barrel – single origin spice company that helps farmers My cofounder, Ethan, was a chef in New York and worked as relief in Afghanistan. He found spices in Afghan and brought them back and people loved it Guerilla Ice Cream We bring our spices from farmers in 12 countries Ethan does operations and professional cooking, Ori is the operation and home cook How did you get to where you are today? I grew up in Maryland and went to the University of Maryland. I studied business. I started small and goofy entrepreneur projects I worked in the big ad agencies after that I learned how did people like Applebees and Six Flags marketed at scale Before Burlap and Barrel and after Guerilla Ice Cream, I had a mortgage company that raised over $30 million dollars. However, it was such a chaotic journey. Ethan approached me beforehand but I had to sell the mortgage company but he prepared for me What type of tweaks did you make?: A ton. Mainly optimizing Ecommerce Once we got press (that was basically this is Burlap and Barrel) our site exploded Once we asked our customers who they were, we found our demographic My Food Job Rocks: The more we do what we do, the more our spices go around the world Chef Ottolenghi is a gift: He wrote a ton of books and included our spices in our books How do you delight your customers?: We really care about our customers and are transparent when things are slow or if we have something special What do you want to learn about?: How do we hop on the trends that current buyers are forecasting? Do you read any business books that have helped you? The Hard Thing and Hard Things The Lean Startup Facebook group: #OMGCPG Surprisingly, there’s a whole community of food entrepreneurs who have their own problems More importantly, everyone is helpful in the industry For scrappy entrepreneurship, you have to cover your weak points. Doesn’t have to be experts, but friends and family Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might not have heard of Curion Insights. That’s because their job is to help big fortune 500 companies innovate. A lot the top food companies can get stuck in a rut and need services like Curion to test things using methods like sensory testing and category reviews. Keren Novack herself has an interesting background and uses her psychology degree often as she climbed up the career ladder to be a VP of Curion. We also go through an interesting section about the challenges new and innovative CPG products have when it comes to competing in the store. Also, we get a sneak peek on one of the hottest potential trends and how big companies are looking at it: Sustainable Packaging. Enjoy! About Keren Keren takes complex research initiatives at all stages of the project life cycle and utilizes a research-based psychology background to apply an insightful understanding of consumer behavior behind perception. Prior to joining Curion Keren worked for L’Oreal USA as a Sensory Research Scientist. Her 12 years of sensory & consumer insights experience includes food, beverage, and personal care. She is also a trained QDA panel moderator. Keren received her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College in Psychology and holds a Certificate of Sensory & Consumer Science from UC Davis. Show Notes What do you do for a living?: Market research Why do big companies ask Curion for help?: Big companies have biases and we help them navigate swiftly It takes a huge amount of resources and big companies can’t move fast. Even changing one thing can take a while New target markets make it much harder for big companies to innovate. Disruptors can get there fast, but big companies can’t. How do you guys do sensory tests?: We usually have the client come to us QDA Panels We have facilities in New York, Dallas, Chicago, the Bay Area, etc How much do you inform them?: Really depends. We work with everyone and some people know the tests and some people don’t How did you get to where you are today?: I’m a psychology major Franklin and Marshall College After college, where did you go?: I was applying to everything I found a job at L’oreal and it fits me perfectly Curion has grown a ton thanks to new leadership Herb Stone and Joel Sydel Food Science and Psychology is amazingly important How do you feel people with Psych degrees can feel more competent in the food industry? You have to live and breathe it and be in a company who supports it. My Food Job Rocks: I get to be in a company that embraces change Biggest trends: Plant-based with a focus on sustainability and nutrition. I think it’s a bit blown out of proportion CBD is rising too but we don’t really know where it’s going Are there any insights on how trends can be sustained?: The new millennials/Gen Z latches on to trends and rides them swiftly I don’t know if we’ll ever have a legacy brand anymore because there are so many new trends Are these new products going to be around in 20 years? The End of CPG (White label article) For grocery shopping, it’s so hard to choose and try new products The rise of online shopping People, especially families, have a static list and it doesn’t change Companies have to rely on word of mouth What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to taste?: We need to feed a lot of people. How do we make sustainable products? I think we can do better in waste and sustainability A lot of companies are actually focusing on sustainable packaging Anyone inspired you to get into food?: I fell into food but on the daily, people inspire me everyday What type of news do you consume?: Food Navigator Food Dive In general, people send me interesting things Do you have any advice for anyone to be in the food industry?: What do you want to do in the food industry? There’s so many options. Internships or trials are the best way to know about a job Where can we find you for advice?: email is best knovak@curioninsights.com LinkedIn works too   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re introducing something called the Pantry Podcasts, which is basically an analogy that these podcasts, like your pantry items, are practically timeless but eventually, you have to create something with them! Don’t think of this as year-old pasta, but rather that special bottle of bourbon you’ll open on special occasions or perhaps to reward yourself from surviving the tough period we’re all going through now. These interviews are timeless and get better with age. This was recorded a little bit less than a year ago back when I was planning another podcast but life changes and I just have been swarmed. During my time trying to make a new podcast, I had a ton of really amazing guests, but I didn’t have the capacity to make another, short-form podcasts. You’ll hear clapping in the background because I do this face to face at Food Funded, an amazing Entrepreneur and Investor Fair. I actually went to my first one to meet Paul and Joanna, the founders of Better Meat Co for the first time. The second time, I had a blast doing these interviews. The next one is on June 4th. I wonder what will happen again? Thank you, Cynthia Maxey, who is a super-connector of the food industry in the Bay Area, for introducing me to these amazing guests and letting me use her space to share these people’s stories. ---------------------------- Our first guest is Jon Sebastiani, I don’t think he needs any introduction. A pioneer of the natural food movement, he founded Krave Jerky, sold it to Hershey, and then started Sonoma Brands which has Smashmallow, Guayaki, and Dang Foods. Here you’ll learn how and why Sonoma invests in really cool brands. It’s more than just growth. Sonoma Brands Krave Jerky Why would a candy company want to be a Jerky Company? What was the hardest part of Krave?: the first 2.5 years of not knowing if we had something Was the growth of Krave gradual or exponential?: I was at the right place and the right time and the consumer was ready What do you look for in the companies you invest?: We want to understand the product fits into a need case. What food trends are exciting right now?: Actually everything. There are consumers who are always looking for premium products Why are you at Food Funded?: At Food Funded, I met some awesome people at the beginning and I want to give back What advice would you give someone who has an idea but is scared to share it?: Do a small MVP and see who buys it -----------------------  Will Rosenzweig is the Faculty Co-Chair at Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business Will has a great track record, just look at his resume. After founding the company, Republic of Tea, he then became a VP of Odwalla, holds a ton of leadership positions, and is just an all around good guy. Also, fun fact, I thought Will reminded me of Seth Godin and Seth Godin actually has a class about Food with Will! It’s called The Business of Food Workshop. Small world. I inherited a class by Alice Waters and Michael Pollen I also teach a social entrepreneur course on food innovation Berkeley Food Institute Transforming Food Systems Graduate Certificate Revolution Foods Republic of Tea – How an Idea Becomes a Business What do you teach your students?: We usually teach how to think and try to guide your moral compass Then we teach you how to become a systems thinker Edible Ed Class on youtube Edible School Yard Project Edible Education 101 How do you choose a problem?: Generally, the problem will find you and you will try and find a solution Design Thinking Toolkit Sam Kass Food investing has changed. You can raise money on an idea. Before you had to prove your worth What brings you to Food Funded?: I’m a big fan Regenerative Agriculture Mission Chinese Full Belly Farms Regenerative Agriculture is to restore the land and that’s through the soil What do you recommend for someone to start something?: Enroll a list of advisors You have to be credible You need passion, credibility and tenacity Prototype, test and iterate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we interview David Chan, Watter Resource Control Engineer by day, and creator of Nichijou Ramen by night! So before I got a full-time job at WeWork, I was thinking of launching a new podcast that was a lot less in formality and structure. Now, I don’t have the time, but I have a bunch of interviews that are amazing, but aren’t the common My Food Job Rocks structure. However, they are all super valuable, and I always think: would this ruin My Food Job Rock’s consistency? But then I think about the fact that this is my platform and I can do whatever I want. So You’ll find more experimental podcasts from old interviews in the future. I met David through an after-work group called Side Hustle Wednesday and we connected instantly because of our weird love of food. David is actually a civil engineer but he is obsessed with ramen. So the question is always “well, is he going to go full time into ramen?” And the answer is, you don’t have to! You don’t have to go all in to showcase your passion and that’s what I wanted to capture with David. You can have a perfectly fine high paying job and work on your craft. This is what I did with podcasting and my life is more fulfilling because of it. So not only how you’ll learn how to improve your passionate craft, but also tips on being yelp elite, social media strategies, and a lot of cool facts about ramen! Thank you to Jenise Vu for connecting us through her group Side Hustle Wednesday in Sacramento! Enjoy! Show Notes @nichijou.ramen Yelp Elite UC Davis Buca De Bepo My Sister introduced me to ramen Reddit Ramen Ramenheads Serious Eats Food Labs VP of Sun Noodle Kenshiro Ramen Lab Restaurant Social Media Strategies: Follow the right people, post consistently, own the market Shio Ramen – pure ramen Miso ramen – miso ramen I’ve done popups at New York, Portland and California Derek Siverrs  Franks Kafka Ryujin and Raijin in Sacramento Favorite Ramen: In Japan Motonashi Karoke Nichijou.net What’s next? More about techniques. For example. Bowl physics 5 components of ramen Soup Noodles Tare (seasoning) Oil Toppings Always Serve Yourself First 2 Tablespoons of Salt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices