Taste Radio

Influential blogger and organic food pundit Max Goldberg stopped by the BevNET Podcast home office this week for a discussion of the state of the organic food and beverage industry, the issues concerning the development of new products, and to preview his memoir, Finding Maxwell. Goldberg, a former Wall Street executive, told our team all about his journey from antidepressants to clean-living organic foodie and media figure, with conversational stops along the way on the offerings at Expo East, the difference between Ripple Foods and almond milk, and, most importantly, what he'd do if faced with the choice of eating Arby's or a bag of organic palm sugar. He's optimistic about the future of the business, which is good, because he's deeply involved. Goldberg thinks that product development is still nascent, it should be noted. Goldberg said he's looking forward to "when you get people who are super talented chefs and get them into the plant-based arena," adding, "I think we're really in the early stages here." Regardless of what stage you think we're in, make sure to listen to this edition of the BevNET Podcast, and rate it on iTunes.

This week, the podcast team is joined by veteran entrepreneur, investor and advisor Tom First, best known as the co-founder Nantucket Nectars. First is currently an operating partner at private equity firm Castanea Partners where he focuses on opportunities in branded food and beverages. In a broad ranging discussion, First riffs on emerging trends in the beverage business, including why he sees a big future for gut health and protein and also shares his take on beverage companies that are primed to become billion dollar brands.

Natural Products Expo East 2016 opens next week, and this edition of the podcast offers our take on how exhibitors and attendees can make the most of the event.

In this edition of the podcast, we follow up on a recent BevNET Magazine article that examined a growing controversy regarding standards and regulation in the expanding world of probiotic beverages. BevNET Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman, who authored the article, joins us for a lively discussion on the topic.

With almond milk leading the charge, the dairy alternative category continue to impress. Recent retail sales data compiled by IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, showed big gains for refrigerated almond milk in multi-serve format, sales of which were up 6 percent in a year-over-year comparison for the four weeks ending on July 10. The segment is nearing $1 billion in sales, and although Silk and Blue Diamond continue to dominate, Califia Farms once again proved it's a force to be reckoned with; sales hit $42 million, up approximately 87 percent. Although dwarfed by the almond milk segment, refrigerated coconut milk also saw a leap in sales, up 8.5 percent in the timeframe. Sales of other milk substitutes, including cashew milk, flax milk and others, and collated by IRI as a catchall segment, surged by 77 percent, totalling nearly $93 million. The growth of these nut- and plant-based milks seems to have come at the expense of dairy and soy-based milks, sales of which remain on a downward spiral. So, what's driving the evolution of the dairy-alternative category and continued growth for almond milk? In what ways are brands attempting to disrupt and innovate with single-serve varieties? And can sales remain on this upward trajectory? We hash it out in this edition of the BevNET Podcast.

The cold brew coffee craze is sweeping through the beverage industry, and it seems like everyone's trying to get a piece of the action. But we've seen this story before: companies flocking to a hot category, and often times ending up with a less-than-successful outcome (see: energy drinks, cold-pressed juice). "It's just a sign of how this industry works," BevNET CEO John Craven said in a new podcast. "When people see opportunity, you get the herd moving quickly trying to get their troops on the front line for this -- hopefully -- big surge in cold brew consumption. But right now, there are certainly too many brands relative to the amount of volume out there for cold brew." Amid a saturated market for RTD cold brew coffee, we decided to take a look at a few beverage categories that we see as ripe for disruptive and timely innovation. Listen to our take, which includes examples of a few companies quietly taking advantage of white space in traditional categories, in the latest edition of the BevNET podcast.

In June PepsiCo announced the return of Crystal Pepsi, a clear and caffeine-free cola that debuted in the early 1990's. Although it was positioned as a better-for-you soda, the drink lasted about a year on the market before PepsiCo pulled the plug, apparently to the dismay of a loyal contingent of fans. More than 20 years after its demise, some of those fans launched a campaign to resurrect Crystal Pepsi, one that caught the eye of the manufacturer and factored into its limited-edition return to the market. The current iteration of Crystal Pepsi with a few updated graphics, but it's clear that PepsiCo is aiming for nostalgic appeal. In this podcast, we discuss what, if any, impact retro and throwback products and packaging might have for a brand. We also examine similar attempts of reviving dated imagery and discontinued products by companies seeking a sentimental response.

We're asked all the time: how can I get news about my brand featured on BevNET? Well, you can start by saying hello :) Certainly, there are time-tested and effective ways of communicating with trade media. Press releases and story pitches are two of the most common tools, but what are key components for each? How do position your news to stand out among dozens of pitches that we receive each week? In this week's podcast, we discuss best practices for submitting news as a way to build a foundation for effective and consistent dialogue between supplier companies and trade media. The discussion includes details on how we sort incoming news into various "buckets" on BevNET and what makes for a headline story.

In recent months, the cold brew coffee category has been inundated with dozens of new products. While most have been launched by regional-focused startup companies, major players Starbucks and Peet's recently introduced bottled cold brew lines. Meanwhile, third-wave darling Stumptown has gradually expanded distribution of its RTD offerings, and Califia Farms, Chameleon and High Brew continue to introduce new varieties. As more cold brew products come to market, suppliers are doubling down on efforts to differentiate from the pack and appeal themselves to new consumers. In this edition of the BevNET Podcast, we discuss how brands are innovating in terms of packaging, formulation and flavor variety. We also examine the impact of nitro cold brew products and how they are being marketed and sold.

Yes, BevNET staffers have their individual quirks, mannerisms and styles, but it would be a bit of a stretch to describe the team as a motley crew; we prefer "wild bunch." And, we get asked all the time: "So, how'd you land at BevNET?" Backgrounds are varied and, in many cases, seem like an unusual fit for a company that reports on the beverage industry. That said, there is a unifying strain to our stories: a passion for working with entrepreneurs. The usual suspects of this podcast -- John Craven, Ray Latif and Jon Landis -- discuss how their paths led to BevNET and discuss parallels in their experiences at an entrepreneurial media company to that of many beverage entrepreneurs.