Taste Radio

Like the effervescent bubbles in her sparkling wine, Emily Heintz believes that true quality always rises to the top. Emily is the visionary behind Sèchey, a dynamic platform that includes a luxury dealcoholized wine brand, a dry bottle shop in South Carolina, and a thriving DTC business offering a wide range of alcohol analogs. Sèchey also curated Target's non-alcoholic adult beverage set, bringing elevated options to the mass retailer's shelves. Sèchey's strategic direction and impressive momentum caught the attention of InvestBev, a private equity firm specializing in adult beverages. In August, InvestBev made an undisclosed investment in the company, with founder Brian Rosen praising Sèchey for having "gotten farther with less than anyone else we've seen." In this episode, Emily joins us for a dive deep into her vision for Sèchey and the journey of building the brand. Framed around a series of true or false questions, Emily discusses the key factors driving the growth of the non-alcoholic beverage category, how Gen Z and Millennial lifestyles are shaping awareness and trial, and why she believes the founder's voice is the most essential tool in connecting with customers. Show notes: 0:25: Emily Heintz, Founder & CEO, Sèchey – Emily and Ray sample some of Sèchey's sparkling wine, before she discusses her inspiration to start the company, whether her lack of experience in beverages impacted the company early on and why NA wine has the biggest upside among alcohol analogs. She also talks about what's driving traffic in Sèchey's retail store, whether category growth is directly tied to negative health effects of alcohol, and the gap between millennials and Gen Z consumers' perception of wine. Emily also highlights Sèchey's partnership with Target, her perspective that the future of NA beverages isn't in liquor stores, why she's only somewhat concerned about lower quality options in the space, and why she believes that the first adult beverage for younger generations should be a non-alcoholic one. Brands in this episode: Sèchey, Athletic Brewing, Ghia, Kin Euphoric, Tost, Blind Tiger, Ritual Zero

Someone has to say it: Expo West isn't for everyone. One host makes a case on why some folks should skip the Super Bowl of CPG… while three others try to prove them wrong. We also sit down with Trevor Burns of Leisure Hydration, an emerging brand of electrolyte drinks making waves in Southern California. Show notes: 0:25: A Better Name. Han Jones & His Scotch. Press Pass Rescinded. Killer Soda. Spicy Pod & Sauces. – The hosts recall a past edition of BevNET's New Beverage Showdown, before Ray questions an alignment between a legacy Scotch brand and a popular, if aging, movie star. Then the sh_t hits the fan. The hosts engage in a debate about the value of some early-stage founders attending and/or exhibiting Expo West, until everyone agrees on one thing. John and Mike crack open cans of Liquid Death's new soda-flavored sparkling waters, Ray highlights a "sacred" drink brand, Jacqui gets spicy and everything starts to feel saucy. 29:13: Interview: Trevor Burns, Head of Sales, Leisure Hydration – Launched in 2022, Leisure Hydration markets "electrolyte refreshers" that are infused with vitamins, minerals and adaptogens. Packaged in 16 oz. cans, and available in three flavors, the drinks are distributed throughout California, including at Bristol Farms, Gelsons and Erewhon stores, and also has a presence in several other parts of the U.S., including Texas and the Pacific Northwest. At a recent event hosted by Naturally San Diego, Trevor talked about Leisure Hydration's methodical retail strategy, the impact of an adjustment to its brand name and how the company landed a big time partnership at seven major airports. Brands in this episode: Leisure Hydration, Glenmorangie, Glonuts, Maazah, Grounded, Liquid Death, Mate Party, Sacred Bev, PODI Life, Tierra Negra, Cleveland Kitchen, Tari

Nona Lim describes the sale of her eponymous brand as "accidental." The way in which she positioned the company for success and an eventual exit, however, was anything but. Founded in 2014, Nona Lim Foods made a name for itself as a brand of better-for-you, easy-to-prepare Asian meals, including fresh noodles, broths and stir fry kits. Nona, who first joined us for an interview back in 2020, has long stressed the importance of product-market fit and a deep understanding of business fundamentals – two pillars that played a pivotal role in building a sustainable brand. Her focus and vision helped Nona Lim Foods achieve national distribution, securing shelf space in major retailers like Whole Foods, Target, Wegmans, and Kroger. In 2022, a serendipitous meeting led to the acquisition of Nona Lim Foods by DayDayCook, a food and content brand platform based in Hong Kong. The partnership was seen as a perfect fit, with DayDayCook's CEO highlighting their shared vision to bring delicious Asian dishes to the U.S., reimagined with clean ingredients for a modern, health-conscious audience. Nona continued to lead the brand as CEO until June of 2024. While the future of Nona Lim Foods is uncertain – its website is currently down and its social media has been inactive since July – Nona remains deeply engaged in the food and beverage industry as the chair of the board for the Specialty Food Association (SFA), which organizes the biannual Fancy Food Show. In this insightful conversation, Nona shares why founders should think intentionally about their "end goal," the importance of generating retail velocity without heavy marketing spend, and why having a well-organized data room is essential for raising funds or preparing for an exit. She also opens up about the emotional impact of selling a business that she built from the ground up. Show notes: 0:25: Nona Lim, Founder, Nona Lim Foods – On location in Las Vegas at the final edition of the Winter Fancy Food Show, Nona talks about the SFA's decision to rebrand and relocate the event and which booth expectedly drew crowds. Ray recalls her first appearance on Taste Radio in which she emphasized the power of saying "no" to prioritize the right opportunities, why she encourages founders to consider why they are building their businesses and why great packaging only works under certain conditions. Nona also discusses how she met and developed a good rapport with the CEO of her brand's eventual acquirer, the shifting dynamics of fundraising post-COVID and why she references Amy's Kitchen when giving advice to early-stage entrepreneurs. Brands in this episode: Nona Lim Foods, gimme Seaweed, Sun Noodle, Amy's Kitchen

These days, keeping it simple is one way to be different. At a time when brands are packing their products with processed ingredients and novel sweeteners, some companies are taking a stripped down approach… and getting noticed. This episode, which features an interview with Stephanie McGregor, a veteran food and beverage executive and founder of plant-based drink brand Ringa, explores that dynamic. Show notes: 0:25: Mussel-ed Out. RSVP & See You In S.B. Real Corn Flakes. Live Slice. Miso & Pita. Kartik FTW. – Ray shares some important advice about dining out based on recent experience. Our Miami meetup is 10 days away – we'd appreciate it if you register for the event. The ECB folks snack on some premium simple cereal and talk about how consumers may perceive it versus competing products. They also chat about a couple soda brand revamps – including that of a classic brand now marketed as "healthy" – snack on extra crispy pita chips, and highlight a miso-infused tomato sauce and a brand called "DryWater," before Mike unpacks a box of goodies sent to him from Doosra founder (and CPG king ) Kartik Das. 27:28: Stephanie McGregor, Founder & CEO, Ringa – Launched in 2023, Ringa is a brand of plant-based functional beverages made with all organic ingredients, including moringa, apple cider vinegar and prebiotic fiber from agave inulin. A veteran food and beverage brand executive who has worked with vitaminwater, Pop Chips and Smashmallow, Stephanie talks about her inspiration to launch a beverage brand, how she is attempting to align education about functional ingredients to a common habit, why she's not chasing demand for gut-friendly sodas, and what she's learned from taking a slow and sustainable approach to retail growth. Brands in this episode: Ringa, The Real Cereal Co., Ringa, Chef's Life, Live Soda, Better Booch, Slice, Suja, Sauz, Terranean, Bitchin Sauce, DryWater, Sacred Bev, See The Elephant Amaro, Sip Herbals, Rishi Snacks, Doosra, Baabu, Chikka Chikka, Fishwife, Huwa, Kimbala, Vitaminwater, Pop Chips, Krave Jerky, Bark Thins, Smashmallow, Kuli Kuli

H&H Bagels is a New York City institution. Jay Rushin wants to make it an American staple. Founded in 1972, H&H had long been admired as the place to get a quintessential New York City bagel. For decades, locals and tourists would line up at H&H's storefronts to get their hands on the fresh, chewy bagels immortalized on popular television shows "Seinfeld" and "Sex and The City." But in 2012, after 40 years in business, H&H was on the brink of vanishing. Its original owners, accused of mismanagement and violating labor laws, had filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Three years later, Jay, a former Wall Street executive, acquired H&H's name and assets, including the last remaining location on the upper east side of Manhattan. Jay's vision was to restore H&H to its former prominence by opening new locations in New York City and introducing a franchise model that would bring the brand to cities across the U.S. H&H now operates a thriving online business as well as seven stores in New York and one in Boca Raton, Florida. The company also has nearly two dozen new locations in planning. In the following interview, Jay talks about how a thoughtful strategy helped H&H regain its relevance, how he navigated some of the most challenging aspects of its turnaround and how the company is attempting to align its storied history with modern culture and trends. Show notes: 0:25: Jay Rushin, CEO, H&H Bagels – Taste Radio editor Ray Latif chats with Jay about the shared history between BevNET and H&H, before the CEO talks about how often he visits the company's production facility and why lunch has become a key growth driver for the business. He also discusses his interest in buying H&H, why he was suited to lead its turnaround and how he had to replace nearly every piece of manufacturing equipment in his first two years of ownership. Jay also explains why mistakes can be positive learning experiences, why the company focuses on ingredients more than trends and why he views franchising as the biggest opportunity for H&H. He also talks about why "flexibility" was key to designing the brand's refreshed logo, when he felt comfortable with H&H's ability to expand beyond its traditional borders and how the company tests LTOs and partnerships. Brands in this episode: H&H Bagels

Before the sun set on a final Winter Fancy Food Show, the event cast a light on a swath of emerging, innovative and better-for-you brands. The hosts highlight a few of their favorite products exhibited at the show, and how package design, ingredients, form factor and taste helped them to stand out. Show notes: 0:25: A First! Shifting Cities. Miami Meetup. The Worst Cup. So Many Fancy Brands. What's Trending? – Ray and John are in WCB, which means Mike is all alone in Newton. Everyone is excited about a perennial trade show's return to its roots. Miami is the team's next stop – and everyone is invited to stop by. Ray pulls an anti-'Elf' before he and John dish on some of the most notable brands they encountered at the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show, including canned lattes, NA cocktails, poppadom-inspired snacks, lentil-based dips, boiled peanuts, single-serve ethnic meals and fruit leather. The hosts also highlight BevNET/NOSH's 2025 Trend Forecast and wonder why Ray can't say "insider." Brands in this episode: Laurel's, Hail M Cocktails, Mate Party, JAS, Lazy Food, Edenesque, Ayoh Foods, Proppadoms, HipPop, Maazah, The Cumin Club, Tierra Negra, Peepal People, Dixie Grace's Boiled Peanuts, Milk-Ish, Pulpito, Jas, Sayso, Nufs, Glonuts, Breakin Snacks, Feisty, Protein 2.0, Gatorade, Hebrew National, Bitchin' Sauce, Plink, Element, Cure Hydration

When Amanda Thomson launched Noughty Wines, a pioneering brand of dealcoholized wines, in 2019, she was, in essence, flying blind. There was no non–alcoholic wine category to speak of, little in the way of market research and certainly no blueprint on how to build the type of company that she envisioned. But Amanda, a former BBC journalist and broadcaster, did have a gut feeling. There were, she believed, millions of people like her who sought high-quality wines made without alcohol. It turns out that she was right. Six years after Noughty's debut, non-alcoholic wine has emerged as a mainstream concept, and is commonly seen in drink menus at restaurants and bars as well as in grocery and liquor stores across the U.S. In the following interview, Amanda talks about how she charted an unknown path for non-alcoholic wines, why creating "absolute trust" in the purity of Noughty wine is key to the brand's resonance with consumers, and why she advises early-stage founders to think about what they want to achieve when crafting their business plans and strategies. Show notes: 0:32: Interview: Amanda Thomson, Founder & CEO, Noughty Wines – Amanda explains why she never wanted to create a "replica" of traditional wine and talks about how her education and experience in fine wine is pertinent to the development of Noughty. She also talks about why relied on her vision and didn't research at the historical market for non-alcoholic wine when launching Naughty, why "liquid trumps everything," how she aligns brand obsession with iterative improvements and why she urges non-alcoholic beverage entrepreneurs to use high-quality ingredients and avoid additives as a way to enhance consumers' perception of alcohol analogs. Amanda also talks about the impact of media acclaim and why she thinks about her legacy as she builds the brand. Brands in this episode: Noughty Wines, San Pellegrino, Recess, Trip, BodyArmor, RxBar

What lessons can we extract from the acquisition of Simple Mills and majority sale of Spindrift, valued at nearly $1.5 billion combined? The hosts talk about what these better-for-you brands did right and what made them attractive to strategic companies and investors. We also sit down with Marcin Malyszko and Amit Singh, the co-founders of Mission Cocktails, a purpose-driven brand of premium ready-to-serve bottled cocktails. Show notes: 0:25: Las Diego. Big(ish) Food Was Listening. Neighbor's Big Pay Day. Hopped Up. Imposters, Deer & Bears. – John and Ray are heading west. Are you as well? Let them know. Nearly a year after Ray's rant, Simple Mills got its flowers. So did Spindrift, but we still don't have a vending machine. We're happy that hop-infused water is finally getting its due (at least from the New York Times), but less pleased with an oddly-named brand of non-alcoholic spirits. John highlights an animal-themed water, and Mike does the same, but for a ginger beer, before Jacqui praises purple snacks. 27:27: Interview: Marcin Malyszko & Amit Singh, Co-Founders, Mission Cocktails – A brand of premium ready-to-serve cocktails that donates 5% of gross revenue to local food banks, Mission Cocktails launched in 2023 and markets several products, including a Manhattan, a Margarita and a Mai Tai, all packaged in 375 mL glass bottles. The brand is sold in over 500 retail stores, including Gelson's, BevMo, Pavilions and Whole Foods. Marcin and Amit discuss the origins of Mission Cocktails and how their focus on "liquid to lips" and persistent effort to connect with retail executives has helped the brand make significant strides over the past 12 months. Brands in this episode: Mission Cocktails, Simple Mills, Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Tastykake, Samuel Adams, Peet's Coffee, Stirrings, Partake Brewing, Athletic Brewing Co., Lacroix, HopLark, Hop Wtr, Imposter Beverages, Father's Deer, Liquid Death, Bear & Beaver, Purplesful Snacks

One of PJ Monte's early sales pitches startled a woman so much that she clutched her purse. A few weeks later, PJ's tomato sauce was on the shelves of her husband's influential grocery store. It's one of dozens of stories that PJ, a streetwise, fedora-wearing entrepreneur, has about the development of Monte's Fine Foods, makers of premium, clean label pasta and sauces. Monte's launched in 2020 and is an homage to PJ's family, which has a long history in the restaurant and hospitality industries. A former clothing designer, PJ shifted his focus to food five years ago and began selling jars of homemade sauce out of the trunk of his car. Today, the brand markets a trio of tomato sauces that are produced in small batches and made with carefully sourced ingredients. Monte's also sells bagged buchi and rolotini dry pasta. The brand is carried in over 1,000 retail stores across the U.S., including Target, ShopRite, Fairway and Erewhon, and is planning to expand its presence in several other chains later this year. In the following interview, PJ talks about how his family's background motivated him to get into the food business, why he credits "human being relationships" for some early wins and the continued growth of Monte's, how he reduced ingredient costs by 25% without sacrificing quality and how he landed the brand at Target. Show notes: 0:32: Interview: PJ Monte, Founder & CEO, Monte's Fine Foods – PJ chronicles his family's history in restaurants and hotels before recalling a few notable stories about the early days of Monte's and uncommon methods of distribution. He also talks about how "human connections" between his team and retail buyers are the key to retail relationships and helps differentiate Monte's from other companies and how a chance meeting helped him secure a major deal for the brand. PJ also discusses his insistence on using premium ingredients and working with a co-manufacturer that could match his standards, how a deep dive into the company's supply chain helped it secure placement at Target and why he believes that quality doesn't need to be synonymous with being "the little guy." Brands in this episode: Monte's Fine Foods, Rao's

Is booze so bad that it should come with a warning label? The U.S. Surgeon General thinks so and has advised Congress to act. What, if any, impact would potential legislation have? The hosts discuss. This episode also features an interview with Julie Cielo, the founder of pioneering non-alcoholic cocktail brand Ferm Fatale, who talks about the successes, missteps and eventual closure of her company. Show notes: 0:25: Marina Mike. Damp Jacqui. Vegas Craven. Aisle Ray. VIPers. Dunkin' Pits. Bad Booze. Bull Blood. – Ray thought John was doing Dry January, but it's another Craven (and Jacqui, sort of) that's off the sauce. Did we see Mike surf in MDR? You may see John and Ray in Las Vegas and San Diego in a few days. Just as Ray will never sit in a middle seat, Patagonia Provisions never misses. Which of us had dreams of launching a better-for-you soda brand in college? The answer is in our newsletter. Does the world need a Boston cream donut-scented conditioner or orange soda shampoo? Target and Walmart buyers say YES. Are government officials unfairly demonizing alcoholic beverages? What about sugar? Good questions, and we have answe… well, opinions. John mixes up a fresh batch of bull blood-infused beverages before Jacqui gives a 'fiend a chance and Mike sweats from eating spicy cookies. 32:59: Interview: Julie Cielo, Founder, Ferm Fatale – Launched in 2015, Ferm Fatale was conceived as an "alternative social beverage" designed for health-conscious consumers and marketed as a mixer or a drink that could be served on its own. In the years that followed, the brand's positioning and packaging evolved to align with growing interest in sober living and rising demand for alcohol analogs. While Ferm Fatale built a significant online business and was carried by natural retailers in Southern California, including Erewhon, the brand faced operational and financial challenges that were difficult to overcome. Last year, Julie made the decision to shut down the company. Brands in this episode: Magic Cactus, Brez, Patagonia Provisions, Deschutes, Athletic Brewing, Jarritos, Dunkin', Cafiend, Barbarian Water, Bang, AI Energy, Talkback Shortbread, Ferm Fatale