Taste Radio

In an interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET Podcast, we sat down with Gigi Lee Chang, the managing director of cause-oriented food business accelerator FoodFutureCo. Chang, who also founded baby food brand Plum Organics, explained FoodFutureCo's work in advising and supporting early- and mid-stage food and beverage companies, particularly those that are providing unique products and solutions for the food system. Chang also offered her perspective on how the opportunities and challenges for food entrepreneurs have evolved since Plum launched in 2005. Also included in this episode of the podcast: the first edition of "Elevator Talk," a new series in which we chat with early-stage brand owners about their products and their communities.

In this episode of the podcast, BevNET's John Craven and Jeff Klineman discussed some of the big stories in the food and beverage business, including tough press for Juicero, operational issues for brands like Soylent and Reed's, and the ways the largest, publicly-traded food and beverage companies are attempting to refresh their lineups through transactions -- and through change at the top. Also included in this edition of the podcast: a chat on packaging trends and innovation with Zuckerman Honickman executives Michael Zuckerman and Adam Dorfman, and a "What are you drinking?" segment with BevNET's director of sales, John McKenna, and senior sales executive Adam Stern.

Livio Bisterzo thinks millennials are the new hippies. And he's got just the snack for them. A longtime entrepreneur, Bisterzo is the founder and CEO of Green Park Brands, a self-described "food innovation company" based in Los Angeles. Approximately 18 months ago, the company launched its first brand, Hippeas, a line of organic chickpea puffs available in six varieties. The vegan snacks are high in fiber and protein and sold in wide range of natural and conventional grocery retailers; they're also carried nationally at Starbucks cafes. In a recent interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET podcast, Bisterzo credited the early distribution success of Hippeas to branding that's less about the functional attributes of the snacks and more about reaching a broad base of consumers. "Too many companies and too many entrepreneurs just focus on selling the functionality of the product, and I think that will only take you [so] far," Bisterzo said. "It's really just about creating a brand world that you can then take to the consumer, to your stakeholders, to your customers, and you can bring everybody along for the ride." Listen to our interview with Bisterzo in which he discusses more about Green Park's branding philosophy, including his belief that the ecosystem of the food and beverage industry is moving away from "branding based on an entrepreneur's background and experience," why upstart companies are attracting top marketing talent from CPG conglomerates and why similarities between millennials and the hippie generation matter. Also in this episode of the podcast: a conversation with BevNET events director Ashley Harding and the company's "Italian army knife" Anthony Ferranti. The discussion includes their favorite drinks of the moment and how each is preparing for the upcoming BevNET Live, NOSH Live and Brewbound Session conferences, all of which will be held in New York City in June.

Last week IRI, a global market research firm based in Chicago, held its annual "Growth Summit," a three-day conference designed to help CPG manufacturers, retailers and media industry executives understand the opportunities and challenges presented by big data. The event, held in Nashville's Opryland district, included a range of educational and strategy-oriented sessions on cross-category dynamics, fragmented media, consumer personalization, digital marketing and e-commerce. Amid the sprawling conference, which was attended by executives from across the CPG spectrum, BevNET sat down with IRI CEO and president Andrew Appel and recorded an interview for this edition of the podcast. Appel discussed IRI's efforts to detangle and optimize an ever-evolving and complex web of sales and consumer data, noting that that there will be a "43X increase in annual data by 2020.". He also explained why he believes that "voice is the next platform" for data collection, and shared his thoughts on nascent efforts to personalize food around individual DNA and why IRI is to expanding its use of artificial intelligence to "automate away the simple." Also included in this edition of the podcast: a "What are you drinking?" segment with BevNET's two "Young Turk" reporters, Marty Caballero and Brad Avery, and a chat with Glenfiddich brand ambassador Allan Roth, who spoke about the single-malt scotch brand's innovation pipeline.

Adam Melonas has a pretty simple mission: he wants you to eat tasty, healthy snacks. The Australian-born chef and entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of Chew LLC, a Boston-based food incubator focused on recreating legacy snack brands. Melonas said the products are being renovated from "the ground up, inventing new processes to make them more nutritious and delicious every time." BevNET recently visited Chew's new innovation lab in Boston's Fenway neighborhood where we recorded a wide-ranging interview about the launch and development of Chew for this edition of the BevNET Podcast. Surrounded by a shimmering kitchen outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, Melonas explained how his experience as a high-end chef and later as the founder of Unreal, a maker of premium candy made with no artificial ingredients, molded his vision to "democratize" better-for-you snacks. He also discussed his belief that marketing should always be a secondary focus when it comes to new product development, and shared some of Chew's internal innovation strategy, including plans to launch a series of new brands. Also in this week's podcast: revisiting our "Cold Brew on Fleek" episode and how the cold brew coffee category has evolved in recent months.

Mining trends at the recently held Natural Products Expo West 2017, Howard Telford, a senior beverages analyst with market research firm Euromonitor, said he saw the event as the embodiment of the health and wellness movement that has reshaped the beverage industry in recent years. In an interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET Podcast, Telford shared his thoughts on pertinent trends affecting new product development as viewed at Expo West and beyond. Telford, who is an expert on the global soft drink market, explained that concerns over added sugars are changing the ways companies are formulating new and existing beverages internationally as well as in the U.S. This week's podcast also includes a conversation with Michel Boissy, the CEO and co-founder of cold-pressed juice company FreshBev, the manufacturer of the Ripe brand of juices and cocktail mixers. Having completing a $4 million funding round in May 2016, FreshBev made significant upgrades to its production facility, including new filling lines for its innovative multi-serve bag-in-box and "barrel bag" pouch packages.. Meanwhile, the company expanded its sales and operations teams and recently revamped Ripe's branding. With key pieces in place, Boissy discussed why -- despite slowing sales in the cold-pressed juice category -- FreshBev is prepared for "explosive growth in the next several years." Also in this episode: a roundtable discussion with BevNET's illustrious design team and the beverages that are currently in favor with the talented quartet.

Zak Normandin is a determinedly practical entrepreneur. As a new father, he was concerned that there were few companies selling organic foods for babies and toddlers. So he created his own: Little Duck Organics, a maker of USDA organic snacks. A few years after its launch, he sold the company. Although he had been successful in the food business, he wasn't satisfied with traditional distribution models. Seeing an opportunity to sell direct-to-consumer, two years ago Normandin launched Dirty Lemon, a brand of functional drinks that are sold via a text message-based ordering platform. Thomas Perez has similar views when it comes to disruptive business concepts. The CEO of Alpha Dominche, a manufacturer of ultra high-end coffee and tea brewing machines for cafes, Perez felt that consumers would benefit from learning about how the company's equipment works and what separates it from traditional devices and brewing methods. He built Extraction Lab, a sprawling space in Brooklyn's Industry City neighborhood, to educate consumers about the company's innovative Steampunk single-cup brewing machines. Part cafe, part showroom, the store gives customers an up-close-and-personal view of how these tech-heavy brewing machines operate. Included in this edition of the BevNET Podcast are interviews with both Normandin and Perez, exploring how outside-the-box thinking shaped their respective companies. Also in this episode: a chat with BevNET's new CMO, Mike Schneider, one that includes his favorite product discoveries as an attendee of Natural Products Expo West 2017.

As the founder and CEO of Bulletproof Nutrition, Dave Asprey presides over a company dedicated to hacking human biology through nutrient-dense food and beverages. A former tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, Asprey first came to fame as the creator of Bulletproof coffee, a blend of hot coffee, butter from grass-fed cows and coconut oil. The recipe won acclaim for its purported benefits of weight loss and improved brain function, and Asprey has since built Bulletproof into a multi-pronged brand, anchored by a thriving website that sells ingredients, supplements and snacks direct-to-consumer. In an interview recorded at Natural Products Expo West 2017, Asprey discussed his role as an evangelist for bio-hacking foods and his vision for mainstreaming the concept. He also delved into Bulletproof's sales platform, which includes its e-commerce site, a growing chain of cafes and wholesale business, and its current funding round. Finally, Asprey shared his take on Bulletproof-style RTD beverages coming to market and what it means for the company's upcoming launch of its own RTD coffee. Also included in this podcast: a conversation with Ito En North America COO Jim Hoagland about surging consumer interest in matcha and the company's leadership position in the space.

In this edition of the BevNET Podcast, we're joined by prominent food and beverage attorney Nick Giannuzzi. The founder and managing partner of the The Giannuzzi Group, he has for over a decade provided legal representation to hundreds of small to mid-sized CPG companies and been involved in the biggest M&A deals in the space, including the sale of vitaminwater to The Coca-Cola Co., Krave Jerky to The Hershey Co. and KeVita to PepsiCo. Our conversation with Giannuzzi includes his take on how has the landscape for M&A in food and beverage has evolved in recent years, how he advises clients on being disciplined in their growth strategies and how entrepreneurs best align themselves with investors that share similar values and goals. Giannuzzi also discussed the current climate for investment (entrepreneurs would be wise to conduct a heat check, he noted) and competition for clients within the legal community. Also included in this podcast: a check-in with Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman on the brand recent revamp of its Honest Sport line and talking points on the Bai and KeVita deals, and a quick chat with Josh Wand, the founder of food and beverage staffing and recruiting agency Force Brands.

Kevin Klock, the president and CEO of Talking Rain, believes that while timing and some luck played a role in the remarkable success of Sparkling Ice, execution is the primary reason that it's currently a $600 million brand at retail. A focused business strategy and the development of a national DSD network and seasoned sales organization helped position Sparkling Ice for eye-popping sales growth -- 6,000 percent since 2010. But Klock, who joined Talking Rain in 2006 and took the helm four years later, isn't ready to take a victory lap; instead, he sees the brand as ready for a running mate, or two. As part of a wide-ranging interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET Podcast, Klock discussed why the company is now looking at opportunities to acquire brands and how it's evaluating potential deals in the U.S. and abroad. Talking Rain is also keen on innovating internally, he said, and bolstering branding efforts for Sparkling Ice, having recently launched a $37 million marketing campaign titled "Be Not Bland." Our conversation also included Klock's take on so-called "soda tax" initiatives, some of which affect Sparkling Ice -- despite its zero-calorie and zero-sugar formulation -- and his view that the "villainization" of artificial ingredients has slowed to a halt. Also included in this podcast: a segment on libations currently in favor with the team at BevNET's San Diego office.