Sun, 24 November 2019
Jessica Levison is the Founder and CEO of Pekaboo Ice Cream. In her search to get veggies into her three toddlers, this lawyer turned Ice Cream Confectionist started infusing vegetables in ice cream and ended up starting a successful ice cream brand called Peekaboo Ice Cream. In this episode, Jessica talks about how she used her artisanal ice cream stores in Surfside and Wynwood to launch Peekaboo Ice Cream and how she managed to get the funding and exposure that brought Peekaboo Ice Cream to1300 stores in just 8 months.
Direct download: EP_174_-_0-1300_In_Eight_Months_-_A_Founders_Journey.mp3
Category:Food -- posted at: 1:03pm CDT |
Wed, 26 June 2019
Francisco Pavan is the Co-Founder of Kumana, a company that makes Avocado Sauces inspired by Venezuelan cuisine. After traveling the world and experiencing different cultures through food, he decided to change career paths from being an automotive parts supplier, to a food startup entrepreneur. His passion and desire to bring light back to the image of Venezuela(Francisco’s home country), led him to team up with Jeremy Smith(President of LaunchPad Group) and Eric Read(Founder & Creative Director of MarketBrand) to successfully brand and sell his Avocado Sauce. Here are some show notes: - 04:34 - Founder's story - why Francisco Pavan left his career with Toyota to start an avocado sauce company? |
Sun, 16 June 2019
Kenneth Park is the founder and CEO of Detoxwater, an Aloe Vera water brand that started as a home remedy that his mom used for digestive problems and other illnesses. Ken eventually introduced Aloe water to the market, originally branded as Superleaf Aloe Juice, selling from his dorm room and later on becoming a household name with a nationwide distribution. Detoxwater is now famously known to be an aloe drink offering the best of both worlds: great taste with health benefits. In this episode, he shares how he turned his mom's home remedy to a successful beverage brand. Some key takeaways from the interview: 1. Doing research on your competitors and incorporating what they can't provide to your brand in order to stand out.
Direct download: Ep_172_-_Detoxwater_Ken_and_Annie_EDIT_4.mp3
Category:Food -- posted at: 11:41pm CDT |
Mon, 29 April 2019
Katie Katie Jesionowski is Co-Founder of MySuperFoods, a company that makes superfoods for kids. With three product lines distributed nationally via natural food channels, traditional grocery, food service, schools and export as well as online, they are a snack brand on the rise. |
Mon, 5 November 2018
Ep 169 - The technique of self distribution and building strong relationships with buyers - Sadie from Bread Srsly
Sadie Scheffer is the founder and CEO of Bread Srsly, a wholesale sourdough bread company that wants to reunite gluten-free eaters with their beloved sourdough bread. All of their bread rises for more than 12 hours, breaking down hard-to-digest grains and plus, Bread SRSLY gluten-free sourdough contains a host of bioavailable nutrients, promoting digestive health and healing. Sadie has had a different approach to CPG via self-distribution. And she shares how they’ve made that work, and why it helps attain higher margins while maintaining product integrity. She shares their smart strategy on building long lasting effective relationships with buyers and how to maintain high re-order rate and shelf velocity. |
Tue, 2 October 2018
Ep 168 - How fanaticism and a solid channel mix strategy can help you thrive in the beverage industry - Matt from Wandering Bear Coffee
Matt Bachmann is the co-founder of Wandering Bear Coffee, a company that produces and distributes cold brew beverages. The company started back in 2013 and is now sold in over 750 retailers, including Target, Costco and Whole Foods and is distributed nationally to offices via their website. Matt shares the experience of how an obsession with coffee ended up becoming a successful business. 3:18 How and why Matt Bachmann got into the food business.
Direct download: Episode_168_-_Matt_from_Wandering_Bear_Coffee_v4.mp3
Category:Food -- posted at: 11:00am CDT |
Mon, 3 September 2018
Ep 167 - Learn about regenerative agriculture and how it can reverse climate change - Annie from Kiss The Ground
Annie is an activist, writer, scientist, and marketing manager dedicated to environmental issues related to food, water, and agriculture. She works with consumers, suppliers, and purchasers to drive demand for regenerative products, transition farms to regenerative agriculture, and inspire brands to invest in regenerative supply lines. 5:00 - Overview of Kiss The Ground as an organization |
Fri, 20 July 2018
Ep165 - Launch a record breaking kickstarter campaign and a solid marketing strategy - John “Sonic” Ban and Mark Yu of Grass Fed Coffee
John “Sonic” Ban has worn many hats, is a serial entrepreneur and shares valuable lessons from his experience, in this episode. Also known as DJ Sonic, due to 10+ years in a hip hop radio station, his first brush with starting his own business was with the Indianapolis food truck scene and becoming one of the first successful food truck business owners. Grass Fed Coffee began in 2014 when John “Sonic” Ban experienced incredible gains in mental clarity, energy, and fat burning, from just one daily cup of butter coffee. After recommending butter coffee to all his friends and family, he was dismayed that many couldn’t experience it because they were too busy to brew it every morning themselves or didn’t know where to purchase the ingredients and equipment. John talks about his faith in the ketogenic diet, and how he, along with Mark You, who is a principal at Grass Fed Coffee, raised $86K on a Kickstarter Campaign in December 2015 and broke the record for “Highest Funded Non-Alcoholic Project on Kickstarter, ever.” Episode index: 5:15 - the journey from food truck into food 8:29 - bio hacking as a trend 9:48 - the kickstarter project for Grass Fed Coffee - lessons learned
15: 45 - the challenges of taking a concept to production 18:00 - go-to-market strategy, channel strategy 21:00 - marketing approach and focus on education, and content A few pointers:
A message to this podcast listeners from Hema Reddy, the new host of the show: “Thank you all for listening. Please share your feedback on the show and help us get better! We want to bring you value and content that’s helpful to you. I am so excited to continue this journey with you!”
Direct download: FSP165_-_Grass_Fed_Coffee_Finished_revised.mp3
Category:Food -- posted at: 10:55am CDT |
Thu, 19 January 2017
It started off as an Amazon.com side business. Now it is one of the fastest growing companies in the United States. But Courtney Gould had to evolve as a person and leader in order to make SmartyPants Vitamins a successful AND healthy company. They have disrupted the vitamin industry. The company's products are top ranked on Amazon and sold everywhere from Whole Foods and Target to Costco and beyond. Courtney is sharp and agile. A talented CEO. Learn about business and personal development:
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Thu, 13 October 2016
“Any time more than two people mention something, you know that it is something to consider.” Corey Hill is the founder and CEO of Indie Food Hub, a resource providing services to small and medium sized food businesses. He is driven to change the food system for the better, creating greater access for independent producers. Indie Food Hub is in the bay area and recently launched Vittle Bus to help food startups with one of the two most difficult problems: delivery logistics. The other is money, which will also be discussed in detail. Corey is passionate about helping people like you, the listener:
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Thu, 22 September 2016
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." - Steve Jobs Kellee James exemplifies this quote. Looking at her experience, one can connect the dots and trace why she was able to start a food commodities exchange. Mercaris allows buyers and sellers of raw commodities to meet and trade online. Customers include Whole Foods Market, Michael Foods, Perdue Farms, and others. They make it possible for "everyone in the supply chain, from farmers to food manufacturers, to track prices, volumes and other statistics for organic corn, or non-GMO soybeans." Prior to Mercaris, Kellee spent five years at the Chicago Climate Exchange(CCX), the first electronic trading platform and registry for spot, futures and options contracts on carbon, sulfur, clean energy and other environmental products. In 2009, she was appointed by President Barack Obama as a White House Fellow where she advised members of the administration on environmental markets. She has also worked with coffee farmers and commodity banks in Latin America on risk management and income diversification strategies. She was named by both Black Enterprise Magazine and Crain's Chicago Business Magazine as a '40 under 40' rising leader. Learn the ins and outs of Kellee's life and company:
Selected links from the show: |
Thu, 8 September 2016
"After the tour, I started meeting with him regularly to do Harley trips, and over a bottle of whiskey we both talked about doing something together, starting a business ... Let’s make a coffee machine that’s connected, that uses your patent." If you're into coffee, you may own a variety of equipment: grinder, coffee dripper, french press, an expresso machine .. what if it could all be replaced by one, smart machine? Roderick de Rode is making it a reality with his Spinn machine. (Check out the video) He got his first investment at Rockefeller Plaza; an investment banker there gave him $25K. In the past, Roderick has successfully built and managed $100M+ businesses in hardware, software and online services. We talk about the machine, entrepreneurship, and, of course, the second most traded commodity in the world, coffee:
Selected links from the show: |
Thu, 1 September 2016
Tim Joseph had no farming experience. He had never even milked a cow. In 2004, he received a fast education when sixty-four cows stepped off the trailers onto his land. Thrown into the fire, Tim and his wife Laura started selling milk while Tim worked a full-time corporate job from home. In 2009, they went "all in", opened a storefront and transitioned to making dairy products, like yogurt and cheese. And the company started to grow.. Over a two-year span from 2011-2013, Maple Hill Creamery went from being on shelf in about 600 stores—mostly independents in the Northeast—to over 6,000 stores, including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Target, Walmart, Ahold, Safeway, Natural Grocers, EarthFare, and many others. Tim is also committed to building the Maple Hill Milkshed, the community of nearly eighty 100% grass-fed dairy farms in New York. A fun, incredible success story. I had a lot of questions for Tim:
Selected links from the show:
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Thu, 25 August 2016
Tim Heydon started at Shenandoah Growers via an unusual route: along with a few classmates, he wrote a case study on the company while doing his MBA nearby at James Madison University. This was 1998. Tim joined the company as CEO and has grown Shenandoah into 350 employees across 300,000 square feet of growing/packing facilities in Virginia, Texas, Indiana, and Georgia. Today, Shenandoah is the leading organic herbs supplier in the Eastern United States. How did they get here? To start, Tim is a fantastic leader. People like to work for him. Listeners will pickup on this quickly. Strong on innovation, culture, and vision, we talk about the ins and outs of Shenandoah and the keys to their success:
Selected links from the show:
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Thu, 18 August 2016
In today's interview we talk about the paradox of choice and the power of data. As Sam Slover mentioned in the interview: "If you think of a grocery store with a huge aisle of 60+ yogurts to choose from, but each of those yogurts has a slightly different (nutritional) profile", how do you choose the healthiest yogurt to eat? Sam's company, the Sage Project, is working to make in-store recommendations based on your dietary needs and help to decipher product transparency to the end consumer. Food product labels have it's limitations. Think of a "smart wikipedia for food data". What do "all-natural" and "made in small batches" mean in terms of nutrition and the preparation of a food product? They are working with a number of retailers in Whole Foods to bring the project to reality. Listen and learn how a data-driven company is on the path to transform our shopping experience:
Selected links from the episode: |
Thu, 28 July 2016
85 dollars is the most I ever paid for a book. Not a textbook, but book. I had to have it. And it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I am a better thinker and food entrepreneur because of it. The most important takeaway from the book was the importance of having a latticework of mental models in decision making. Mental models are the key concepts from main disciplines you'll need in business - psychology, economics, finance, physics, evolution (biology) accounting, marketing, etc. In less than 10 minutes, I explain the why and I share my four favorite mental models. This can be a game changer for your prosperity/performance. I encourage YOU to follow the steps below to begin your masters in mental models. I have to say it is quite fun. First Read: Then, review these two lists of models: Mental Models I Find Repeatedly Useful Finally put together a list of mental models and create flashcards to study: Anki - Friendly, Intelligent Flashcards Cover Photo Credit: CC Photo by “Berkshire Hathaway 2009 Munger quote” User TEDizen |
Thu, 30 June 2016
It's been almost three years since we started the show. Today we finally reached a milestone. Triple digits! All this time we have spent - interviewing experts, talking to listeners, and going through the trials and tribulations of a food startup ourselves - we have picked up a lot of ideas on how to succeed. This knowledge needs to be shared. So I synthesized all of this feedback and advice into recommendations on how to get in front of buyers and sell to them over a long-term relationship. Enjoy! Selected links from the episode: |
Thu, 28 April 2016
For every 20 lots of coffee Karl tastes, only 1 makes the cut for his final container. A direct trading coffee company requires work. It's not just visiting beautiful coffee farms. Karl Wienhold has some stories to tell. He frequently has to take longer routes to coffee farms to prevent contact with leftist guerrillas that have plagued the country for 60 years. My favorite story is Karl's effort to change a supply chain and involve rural farmers in Colombia. Learn about international trade and specialty coffee:
Selected Links From The Episode: About Jack Swilling: "Swilling was a teamster, prospector, mine and mill owner, a saloon and dance hall owner. He also was a visionary, a canal builder, farmer, rancher, and public servant. All of this was accomplished while he suffered from periods of excruciating pain resulting from major injuries he suffered in 1854. He took morphine to assuage the pain, which led to dependency problems for the rest of his life." Swilling founded the city of Phoenix, Arizona. |
Thu, 14 April 2016
Ashly Yashchin created Barley + Oats to solve a problem. She was pregnant and worried about her baby's health. So, she learned and practiced a healthy pregnancy diet. 9 in 10 women are micronutrient deficient, affecting their fertility, pregnancy and postpartum experience. Ashly is quickly establishing herself as an expert in the space. But first she had to become accepted by the community:
Mentioned in the episode: |
Thu, 24 March 2016
This is the history episode you have to listen to! Joe Dobrow wrote the textbook on the history of the natural foods industry: Natural Prophets. He masterly weaves U.S. history and the natural foods industry history side by side. Joe served as the head of marketing for Fresh Fields, Whole Foods Market, Balducci’s and Sprouts Farmers Market. The inside look at the industry educates us on where we've been and where we're going:
Selected links from the show:
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Thu, 10 March 2016
Jeffrey Kittay is a native New Yorker who spent time in the academic world as a journalism professor @ Columbia University. Later, he worked as a publisher. Four months ago, he decided to start his own e-magazine: The New Food Economy. I love the content. It is aimed to help entrepreneurs like us create change as part of the "food movement". We discuss:
Selected links from the episode: The New Food Economy
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Thu, 4 February 2016
She dreamed up EatPops in 2013 while studying for the Bar exam, becoming frustrated by the lack of healthy snack (and dessert) option. In 2014, it became a reality. EatPops is now in over 300 locations throughout the country, including stores like Fairway and Whole Foods . Sophie was recently named to Forbes 30U30 and is making dessert healthy with her fruit and veggie pops. Noni, Acai, Kale, Spinach, Carrots, Vanilla, and Mango are among some of the ingredients you’ll find in her popsicles. We reflect on her foray into the food biz:
Mentioned in this episode: |
Thu, 15 October 2015
It feels good repeating the quote to anyone close by : "Be very worried and buy agriculture". After all, I work in food. Yet, I didn't have a fundamental understanding of the concept. So I read his books and got Jim Rogers to come on the show. Jim Rogers co-founded the Quantum Fund with George Soros in 1973, helping lead the fund to a 4200% return before “retiring” at age 37. He is considered to be one of the greatest investors of all time. Jim has a really strong understanding of history and using it to bet on the future. We talk about:
Selected links from the show: |
Thu, 9 July 2015
Today we have a talk about some of the biggest environmental challenges that our earth faces:
Mike from Corigin is working on these humongous problems. But he must sell his technology and ideas Big Agro in order for it to work. I get Mike to break down the solutions in laymen's terms. Get ready to be blown away. Mentioned in this episode: Corigin (going live soon) |
Thu, 4 June 2015
Today we get a behind the scenes look at an alternative food business model. 2 Degrees Food is growing rapidly: they are in 2500 stores as well as United and JetBlue airways. Co-founder Lauren Walters walks us through the company philosophy and their keys to success:
Mentioned in this episode:
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Wed, 27 May 2015
Tynan is one of the most interesting people I've ever met. Time Magazine named him "[one of the] Top 25 Best Bloggers". He was also a featured character in the New York Times Bestseller The Game. And he is extremely healthy, mentally and physically. I pick his brain on nutrition, health, and cultivating positive habits. Learn about:
Mentioned in this episode: A Practical and Sane Guide To Eating Healthy NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, 5th Professional edition |
Thu, 21 May 2015
A few years ago, quinoa was still a relatively unknown grain. While today it is more widely known, i heart keenwah still has to educate customers and sample their healthy snacks. Co-founder Ravi Jolly tell us how he and Sarah Chalos developed a tasty quinoa snack and put themselves in a position to catapult their brand on a chance encounter with an editor from Oprah Magazine. This is our 50th episode(!!!) and we couldn't have had a better guest willing to share his learnings with the FSP community. Ravi tells us about:
Mentioned in this episode: |
Thu, 14 May 2015
Thanks to our (fabulous) interview with C-FU, other insect food companies have reached out to us. We sit down with the industry leader of cricket powder, All Things Bugs. They got their start with the Gates Foundation. Today, all of the "big boys" use them as their supplier. Whether you are B2B, B2C, or both, there is a lot to learn here. Dr. Aaron T Dossey provides insight on:
Mentioned in this episode: |
Thu, 7 May 2015
Today, we will share 7 tips for success in 2015. 6 of the tips I learned from guests and 1 from my own business. I challenge you to connect the dots and apply the lessons to your projects. We cover:
Mentioned in this episode: Law #18: Isolation is Dangerous - 48 Laws of Power Episode 47 - Skype Meets Uber for Culinary Advice in Silicon Valley - Daniil from TalkToChef
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Thu, 30 April 2015
Imagine you are in the kitchen preparing dinner and you don't have all of the ingredients the recipe calls for. It is too late to run to the grocery store. What if you could instantly Facetime with a chef? TalkToChef is connecting foodies with chefs all over the world for instant support. A fascinating startup that has INCREDIBLE POTENTIAL. I'm already an unpaid promoter for it. Daniil tells us his story: FSP Listeners use PromoCode: FoodStartupsChef for a free $5 donation credit!!!
Mentioned in this episode: AN INSIDER'S HISTORY OF HOW A PODCASTING STARTUP PIVOTED TO BECOME TWITTER |
Thu, 16 April 2015
It is time that you learn about insect gastronomy. The world is not sustainable with such a high diet of beef. Right now, there are 1900 known edible insects or at least 1900 flavors! I had a great time learning from Eli and Lee Cadesky. Things like:
Mentioned in this Episode: Edible Insects - Future prospects for food and feed security - United Nations (FAO) |
Wed, 8 April 2015
"How is business going? It’s good.." If you are an entrepreneur, everyone asks you this question. How do you know it’s good? Financial health; key financial metrics. It turns out that even top level execs lack a complete understanding of basic financial principles. Joe Knight, co-founder of the Business Literary Institute, teaches C-level execs at Fortune 500 companies basic financial literacy. He honed his skills at Setpoint Systems, where they have clients like Tesla Motors. I know him through his book: Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs. In the episode, we talk about:
Mentioned in this episode: Vocab (definitions by Investopedia) - Gross Profit Margin (Note: Joe breaks this stat down to a per hour basis) Links - Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs. Return on Investment Toolkit - Harvard Business Review Are Your People Financially Literate? Joe Knight Bio: Joe trains managers and leaders at Fortune 500 companies such as Electronic Arts, NBC News, General Electric, Granite Construction and UTC Aerospace Systems. Joe’s unique ability to combine content with energy and humor make his keynote addresses resounding successes with diverse audiences including the Construction Industry Institute; Independent College Bookstore Association; The Association of General Contractors; International Institute for Supply Management; and Society for Human Resource Management. Joe is co-author of Financial Intelligence, a smart, no-nonsense business finance handbook for managers. The book has been heralded as “the Elements of Style” of finance by CFO.com. Financial Intelligence was featured in The 100 Best Business Books of All Time and has been turned into a graphic novel by Smarter Comics. Joe also co- authored Project Management for Profit which outlines the easy-to-implement system he helped create at Setpoint to manage projects towards profitability no matter what stage the project is in. Joe is co-owner and CFO of Setpoint Systems, Inc, a manufacturing company based in Ogden, UT.
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Thu, 26 March 2015
To kickoff 2015, we speak with the British queen of food packaging: Tessa Stuart. She is the author of Packed - The Food Entrepreneur's Guide: How to Get Noticed and How to be Loved (UK / US). I have saved many insightful Kindle highlights from the book and I review it at least once a month. Plenty to learn in this episode, including:
Links Mentioned On This Show: Peoplewatching by Desmond Morris Tessa's Bio: Tessa studied history and boys at Oxford University, and started in advertising. She then got a ‘proper job’ in branding research, working for Cadbury, and Nestle on new products and sexy ads for chocolate bars. She now loves and specializes in food and drink research, and she lurks in the chilled aisles of major supermarkets, watching and talking to shoppers as they make their food choices. Her clients include established UK food and drink brands like innocent drinks, Rude Health, Yorkshire Provender, Firefly Tonics, MOMA! Foods, food chains Daylesford, Itsu and Leon Restaurants, and newer start-ups like G’Nosh Dips, Peters Yard Crispbreads, Jimmys Iced Coffee and Soupologie. She helps food brands to NAIL their customer offer, colour, sizing, branding, and pack health messages, so they can attract MAXIMUM attention and sales from shoppers in the super-competitive supermarket aisles. She is the author of the best-selling Packed: The Food Entrepreneur’s Guide – How To Get Noticed and How To Get Bought, available on Amazon and Kindle. Her second book, Flying Off the Shelves: The Food Entrepreneur’s Guide To Selling will be available in April 2015. In both she shares her 20 years’ food research experience in a tried and tested set of principles to get start-ups from idea, to a product on the shelf, and to THE next household name. And, once there, how to stay there! Tessa's recommended companies to study (w/notes): Muesli, oats of all kinds, and rye and spelt snacks. They sell successfully in both Whole Foods Market and UK supermarkets. Their beautiful new "Pantone all colours of the rainbow" packaging earns them more in-store promotion opportunities in Whole Foods Market because the colour helps their products really stand out. It also works very well in supermarkets to get them noticed. Worth a look at Jimmy’s YouTube channel - he announces his new stockists using amusing videos, and his army of fans love it. He’s also a very accomplished speaker at food start-up events, telling his story to audiences of hundreds. (In the UK, we don’t have lots of iced coffee brands, we basically have Starbucks and Jimmys.) @innocent’s twitter feed is worth looking at, gentle humor, and they have 205,700 followers - they tweet the weather forecast, and other topical events, and always respond to everyone who tweets them. Their packaging is all about the ingredients and hardly any innocent branding - and again shows off the juice and use colour. |
Tue, 9 December 2014
Matt Gray is the CEO of The Stoner's Cookbook and co-creator of Herb, the first cannabis coffee table cookbook. Just over a year ago, their FB page had 30,000 likes. As of this episode, they have over 3 million. Monthly, they reach 120 million users via all online channels! We go behind the scenes of the exploding media platform (numbers don't lie!). In today's show, we cover:
Mentioned in this episode: Herb: The Cookbook |
Mon, 24 November 2014
Richard Demb's career started in investment banking. He switched to tech/ecommerce, and later on, a popcorn company. Leveraging these experiences, he co-founded an online marketplace, Abe's Market. They were recently named by Forbes as one of "The 25 Most Creative Consumer And Retail Brands". Richard tells us about:
Mentioned in this episode: Abe's Market |
Thu, 13 November 2014
They started off buying ingredients from Trader Joe's. Five years later, they have a copacker and national distribution in over 1,000 stores. But it sure wasn't easy. And Jerri Graham and Steve Laitmon will explain that "things just got real". We learn:
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Mon, 3 November 2014
Perhaps you are ready to launch your food product online and have no idea where to start. Or maybe you don't want dish out a ton of money to test your concept. Matt and Danny discuss:
Mentioned in the episode: Intro/Misc: Alkaline Diet Web Services Note: all of the services mentioned have great customer support and can answer any additional questions that you have. Wordpress |
Thu, 16 October 2014
Along with 2 co-founders, Mike Schwartz created BAO Fermented Food and Drink company. Along the way, they decided to share their kitchen space and ended up with Organic Food Incubator. Tons of actionable tips. We talk about:
Mentioned in the episode: Maridaje Organic Food Incubator Organic Food Incubator Company List Bao Fermented Food and Drink Creating an organic incubator kitchen USDA Organic Kickstarter HACCP Simply Gum Hella Bitter Loliware Edible Cups HACCP GMP
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Tue, 7 October 2014
Fresh off of a 2 million dollar funding, HowGood is poised to take off. They score food products based on their health, environmental, and societal factors. Eight years in the making, it has been a long journey. Today, HowGood has over 100,000 food products in their database. We talk to founder Alexander Gillett and learn about:
Mentioned in the show: |
Fri, 26 September 2014
His name is spread all over Tulane University, yet most people have no idea who he is. Samuel Zemurray was sort of an outcast….he was excluded from various social circles in New Orleans. Yet, In his controversial career, he went from a small startup to banana tycoon, leaving a legacy there. How did he do it? We interview Rich Cohen, the author of Zemurray's biography: The Fish That Ate the Whale. Learn about:
Mentioned in the show: Pantry Smart Fridge (w/ Photo) |
Mon, 15 September 2014
What are fats? Are they created equal? What kind of fats should we be eating? With so much misinformation and "special interests", it is hard to know what to eat and what oils to cook with. Danny and Matt shine some light: Disclaimer: This was recorded before the New York Times low-carb fat article. Also, we are not doctors. This is for entertainment only.
Mentioned in the show: Unhealthy Vegetable Oils?
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Fri, 22 August 2014
In spite of the risk of contamination via poisonous resin, the cashew nut has been a popular commodity worldwide. But did you know that there is a fruit attached to the nut? A business established by the Clinton Foundation is working with Pepsi to turn the cashew fruit into a beverage in India. Covered in the show:
Note: In the episode, we use "Cashew fruit" and "Cashew apple". They are the same (see those green and red things in the photo above?) Mentioned in the show: Cashew Juice, the Apple of Pepsi’s Eye |
Thu, 17 July 2014
The food business has a complicated supply chain. In order to win, you need to build a team. We take a look at teamwork from the angle of exclusive distribution. How do you make an agreement and execute for both parties? We discuss:
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Fri, 27 June 2014
Today we talk with Stephan Broburg of Baobab Foods. Baobab is a tree that can live over 1,000 years and it takes 75-100 year just to bear fruit! It is sometimes referred to as the "tree of life". Stephan and his team currently sell their ingredients to growing health brands and have their fruit products in over 7,000 CVS Stores. We talk to Stephan about:
Mentioned in the episode: Baobab Foods |
Mon, 9 June 2014
The ever-changing food industry creates a lot of news. A lot of it is fluff or not very helpful. But, if you keep your eyes peeled, you may discover an possibility, a market gap for a new food business to cover. We discuss four recent pieces of news that may present opportunities:
Also mentioned on the show:
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Fri, 30 May 2014
Over the past two months, we have interviewed 6 amazing food entrepreneurs. By interviewing and interacting with them, we have learned so much. Today we are share with our listeners 7 valuable lessons learned. We cover:
Mentioned in this episode: *The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday On Amazon (Matt's Review) Episodes 18-23 of the Food Startups Podcast FreeSeaFoodandSteak.com (not active, a past campaign of Wild Things Seafood) |
Mon, 19 May 2014
With Matt on vacation, Danny takes the reins for an amazing interview with Vincent Kitirattragarn, of Dang Foods. They make coconut chips, a gourmet snack manufactured in Thailand. An growing, successful brand, Vincent teaches us about:
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Wed, 23 April 2014
Are you considering outside investment for your food startup? CircleUp may be the answer for you. In fact, they just received 14 million in venture capital themselves. They connect consumer product companies with accredited investors. We spoke with their Business Development Manager, Katie Fitzgerald. |
Thu, 17 April 2014
From an Egyptian Tomb to Montana to Italy, Bob takes us all around the world. Today, Kamut® is used in thousands of products produced worldwide including breads, pasta, cereals, snacks, pastries, crackers, beer, grain coffee, green foods, and a delicious wheat drink. We learn about: *The history of the grain - from a small handful to over 40 million pounds per year
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Wed, 9 April 2014
Today we speak with Juan Luis Vera of PeruMix, one of the fasting growing restaurants in Colombia. Juan Luis tells us the story behind his restaurant concept and we get a glimpse of why this restaurant is getting franchise offers on the regular. |
Wed, 2 April 2014
Today we talk with Jeff Moore, who runs a $35,000,000 per year seafood business. Listen to the story of a 4th generation food entrepreneur. We cover:
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Thu, 27 March 2014
We interview Robert W. Thurston, co-author and senior editor of Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry |
Wed, 19 March 2014
Why maybe you should NOT start a food business... It's not for everyone. We cover: *Difficulties in economy of scale (for packaging product AND logistics) |
Thu, 13 March 2014
We interview Daniel Velasquez, who brings his family's coffee from Colombia and sells it in the United States. Daniel shares his story with us. As you will learn, selling specialty coffee is all about telling a story. |
Thu, 6 March 2014
Our Food Startups Success Spotlight. We chose two INC 5000 food companies and did a quick analysis of each. It involves antelope and American Gladiators so don't miss it!!
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Thu, 27 February 2014
When you launch a food startup, you are probably going to need media attention to help with marketing and sales. How do you manage the spotlight? 1. Plan who you want to be and who you don't want to be. 2. Understand the media's agenda. 3. Filter through the mirage. 4. Put it all together, develop a plan for push and/or pull. |
Thu, 13 February 2014
Want to start a food business, but not sure what? Danny and Matt will help you brainstorm your niche. Mentioned on the show: |
Wed, 13 November 2013
You have invested so much time (and money) into product development and planning. Now it is time to sell. |