The Food Startups Podcast

Ryan Wiltse was working as a CPA. Common to many guests on the show, along with his cofounder, he realized that they wanted more than the status quo; a higher calling than the "cubicle finance life".

So they founded a healthy snack food company out of Brooklyn. Their first product is named ProTings, A vegetable snack with 15 grams of protein per serving. Ryan explains the "why" behind the product, the problem they solve and how they are growing the company:

  • Marketing at fitness and bodybuilding events
  • On nutrition label panels and balancing taste, ethics, and health
  • Distribution strategies for the company (You can find it at Wegmans!)
  • Usability advantages of their snack
  • The transition from full time job to startup mode
  • Making it work financially as a startup in NYC
  • Why Qwest nutrition has had phenomenal growth + success
  • The Food X Cohort - how it has helped the company
  • Raising capital and the future
  • Advantages of a finance/accounting background in running a food startup

Selected links from the episode:
Protings
Contact Ryan - contact Ryan.
Qwest Nutrition
Rabobank

Direct download: RYAN_proting_Podcast_3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:25pm CDT

"We've noticed that most restaurants don't put much effort into their menus, which is their most important tool for selling their food."

Bite was founded in 2015 by two friends who set out to transform the way restaurants sell to
their guest experience. They offer restaurants digital menus that can be easily updated, are more visually appealing, and do a better job of explaining the entrees.

I learned a lot in this interview. Jeff educates us on their mission and strategy for getting Bite into thousands of restaurants nationwide:

  • Communicating the unique value proposition
  • What is most important in selling new clients and more importantly KEEPING them.
  • Learnings from the sales/marketing process
  • Understanding exactly who your customers are
  • How they scaled their solution to offer Bite remotely anywhere in the country
  • On being a disruptive company and overcoming the resistance to change
Direct download: BITE_Podcast_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:27pm CDT

Hey FSP Community. The last 10 guests have a common theme. They solved either their own problem or a problem they saw in the world. I share my thoughts on each. This is a great refresher episode and a way to start exploring the last 10 guests. Have a listen!

Selected Links From This Episode:

Episode 92 – On Becoming a Rockstar Social Entrepreneur – Lisa of Kuli Kuli

Episode 91 – Breaking the Rules to Better a Supply Chain – Karl of Direct Origin/Swillings Coffee

Episode 90 – “Will you help me bring this fruit to the US?” – Linh and Myron of XOI Company

Episode 89 – Building a Community in NYC – Ashly of Barley + Oats

Episode 88 – How to Crush Kickstarter & Business – Lisa Q. of NOMIKU

Episode 87 – American Hemp, Activism, and Life on the Bourbon Trail – Chad Rosen of Hemp Foods America

Episode 86 – Natural Prophets, Whole Foods and Advice for Millennial Food Entrepreneurs

Episode 85 – How to Build a Brand Using Art, Values, and Experience Design – Jody Levy of WTRMLN WTR

Episode 84 – How to Create Impactful Editorial Content – Jeffrey of The New Food Economy

Episode 83 – Making Shrimp Great Again – New Wave Foods

 

Direct download: ep93.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:08am CDT

Roughly six years ago, Lisa was in the Peace Corps in a remote village of Niger. Eating a limited vegetarian diet, she was feeling malnourished. On discovering the superfood moringa, she solved her "sluggish energy" problem. And she decided to use moringa as a vehicle to solve problems for others.

Fast forward to today, her company Kuli Kuli foods is a thriving business making a positive social impact in West Africa and Haiti.

Before Kuli Kuli, Lisa wrote political briefings for President Obama in the White House, served as a United Nations Environment Programme Youth Advisor and worked at an impact investment firm in India. Lisa shares her story:

  • On a life of service and becoming a social entrepreneur
  • Why she mentors young women entrepreneurs
  • Social impact in the non-profit sectior vs "business"
  • Life in Niger
  • Limitations of the non-profit sector
  • Turning Moringa into reality
  • The quality control of unknown superfoods in the US market
  • Obstacles she has had to overcome

Selected links from the show:
Kuli Kuli Foods
Cheryl Sandberg
Peace Corps

Photo Credit: Kuli Kuli Foods (link)

Direct download: Podcast_EP_92_Sebastian.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00pm CDT

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