Brand Builder

This week we have a special bonus episode. We're releasing one of our favorite interviews featuring Roman Tsunder, the mastermind behind WORLDZ and PTTOW.

If you haven't heard, WORLDZ is a global summit that unites tomorrow's leaders with CEOs, CMOs & cultural icons to create the world of tomorrow.

As you'll hear in the conversation between Roman and SnackNation CEO Sean Kelly, the driving force for Roman has been his belief in what he calls "irrational generosity." It's something he's experienced personally in the most successful leaders, and that he believes is actually the key to their success.

This is a deep, seriously inspiring conversation that you don't want to miss. Not to mention that this content is especially timely because WORLDZ 2018 is less than a week away! This year the summit will feature leaders from top brands like Amazon, Google, Hulu, Samsung, VICE media, Marvel and so many more - plus keynotes from everyone from Senator Barbara Boxer, to Rose McGowan, to the RZA.

And don't miss a joint Master Course on Culture taught by SnackNation CEO Sean Kelly and RXBAR CEO Peter Rahal. If that weren't enough - Brand Builder will be on the floor at WORLDZ this year, recording conversations with all the inspiring leaders at the show.

For more info visit WORLDZ.us.

Links

• WORLDZ Chapter 3 - Chasing True North.
• Connect with Roman on LinkedIn.

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

This week on the podcast we have an in-depth conversation with Julie Rice, a co-founder of SoulCycle and a Partner at WeWork.

SoulCycle's rise is now the stuff of legend. Julie and her fellow co-founders took the fitness and business worlds by storm, and grew a fanatical customer base by focusing on who they wanted their customers to become.

Now Julie is a partner at WeWork, another business that feels more like a movement. Both SoulCylce and WeWork are prime examples of what you can build when you provide best-in-class experiences that help customers reach their aspirations.

SnackNation CEO Sean Kelly sat down with Julie this summer in WeWork HQ in New York as the SnackNation and WeWork teams were putting the finishing touches on the WeMRKT. The recently launched premium onsite markets provides a meaningful and relevant retail amenity to WeWork members, including snack and beverages curated by SnackNation. (For more on WeMRKT, check out this New Yorker article: "WeWork Does Bodegas.")

But that's just scratching the surface of all the goodness Julie gave us in this conversation. She takes us through the entire SoulCycle founding story, discusses what it takes to scale culture (and why that's important), and explains why building communities is really her life's work.

Links

• WeWork
• SoulCycle
• Connect with Julie Rice on LinkedIn.
• The New Yorker: WeWork Does Bodegas

Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

For those not yet in the know, matcha is a fine powder made from stone ground green tea leaves. On the show this week this week is Matcha expert and evangelist Graham Fortgang, the co-founder of MatchaBar.

MatchaBar provides sustained energy and focus via their energy drink Hustle, which is made from ceremonial-grade Matcha.

MatchaBar started as these incredibly popular cafes in Brooklyn, and now they're poised to take over the energy market. And the brand has this really interesting dual personality going on. Sure, they're modern, cool, and innovative, yet they also have this fascinating ancient heritage. The matcha ceremony dates back to 13th Century Japan, and was performed both by Samurai warriors and Buddhist monks for focus and energy.

In the interview, Graham goes deep on one of the most innovative launches we've seen in a while – "Gift the Hustle," their partnership with Whole Foods, Facebook Messenger, and celebrity influencers like Diplo and Ansel Elgort that resulted in more than 300 million impressions and countless cans of Hustle gifted.

Graham talks about all this, plus why experiential and guerilla marketing is the heart of their brand strategy.

Links

• MatchaBar
• Connect with Graham on LinkedIn.

Brand Spotlight: Blake's Seed Based

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

Bitsy's is a brand with a message. Like literally - their newest SKU "Good Cookies Cookies" have inspirational messages printed on the cookie itself.

This week we have Maggie Patton, the co-founder of Bitsy's, to tell us about the evolution of their brand - and how they're building a movement by focusing on the small things.

We caught up with Maggie on the tail end of the Bitsy's positivity tour. In this interview, Maggie goes to some unexpected places (the living room of an unofficial cookie museum in Philadelphia) and draws inspiration from some unexpected sources (Pat Benatar). But through it all the focus remains on one person - the kid sitting at a lunch table who could use a bit of encouragement, a bit of hope, and maybe just a friend.

Links

• Connect with Maggie on LinkedIn.

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

We've talked a lot on this show about how your internal culture informs your external product and brand, and that is definitely still true. But this week we look at this dynamic from the other direction - how a customer-centric mindset should influence the way you think about your company's culture.

This idea has a name - "Employee Experience" - and it's top-of-mind for CEOs and people-focused leaders at high performing companies.

And sure, it's a bit of a buzzword, but in a tight candidate market, understanding Employee Experience can have a huge impact on your business.

To help us demystify all things Employee Experience, we have a fantastic interview with Kelly Keegan, the Sr. Director of People at SnackNation.

Kelly has more than a decade of experience supporting and driving the rapid growth of organizations, from start-ups to Fortune 500s.

In this interview, Kelly explains why Employee Experience is such a powerful concept (especially right now) and how it can set your company up for that next big growth stage.

Here's Kelly Keegan, the Sr. Director of People at SnackNation.

Links

• Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn.

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

This week on Brand Builder we have Barry Turner, the founder of Lenny and Larry's.

Barry is a bit of a Renaissance man - he's a former competitive bodybuilder and American Gladiator, turned protein cookie pioneer. He helped create the baked nutrition category back in 1993 when he and his then partner asked, "Why can't we put the protein in this chicken breast… into that muffin?"

Today, the Lenny and Larry's effect is felt across the natural foods space. Protein-infused snacks are everywhere as consumers are beginning to understand the importance of high-quality protein to their overall health and nutrition.

Barry and the brand's EVP Aaron Croutch joined us in the Brand Builder studio to talk about the origins of the protein cookie, why they never took on debt or raised capital, and their recent push to make Lenny and Larry's a true consumer brand.

As Barry puts it, it's just your typical 25-year overnight success story.

What comes to mind when someone says the words "frozen food"?

Probably dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, ice cream, or the long forgotten TV dinner hanging out in the back of your freezer.

And that's the problem. What most people don't know is that freezing food - particularly produce - has a ton of health and nutrition advantages. For example, did you know that blueberries have 200% more vitamin C when frozen versus fresh after 3 days. Or that spinach has 25% more vitamin E after 3 days when its frozen? Bonkers.

Rachel Drori is here to change all that. Rachel is the founder and CEO of Daily Harvest, a company that delivers single-serve cups of frozen ingredients (organic, whole ingredients and superfoods, with no preservatives or added sweeteners) that can be turned into crave-worthy eats in just seconds. She and the team at Daily Harvest are leading a frozen revolution, and making the case that frozen might be the ultimate way to provide convenience without nutritional compromise.

Rachel joins us to talk about her customer-centric brand philosophy, a record setting series B fundraise, and getting people to forget about those dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets.

Links

• Daily Harvest
• Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

This week on Brand Builder we talk to Lisa Curtis, the founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli, the company that is taking moringa mainstream.

What's moringa? Only the next great superfood, with a leaf more nutrient-dense than kale.

Kuli Kuli has been featured in more than 350 national publications and around 10 national broadcasts - including MSNBC and Good Morning America - all without hiring a PR firm or writing a single press release.

In this episode, SnackNation CEO Sean Kelly talks to Lisa to learn the DIY tactics they've used to attract serious media attention. Plus there are spirit animals, a Peace Corps mission, a terrorist attack, a raging wildfire - and a truly remarkable brand success story.

The next time an ROI-obsessed executive or board member questions why you're so heavily invested in something "fuzzy" like brand, throw this quote back at them:

"We were able to get to $40M, no marketing spend."

That's Rosie O'Neill, the co-founder and co-CEO of Sugarfina, and our guest on this week's Brand Builder.

You may have seen Sugarfina at an upscale mall or a Nordstrom near you - they're a luxury candy boutique for grown-ups that brings a fresh and fashionable approach to confections, and a true disruptor in the $200B confections industry.

In this conversation with SnackNation CEO Sean Kelly, Rosie credits their emotionally resonant brand for helping make them a word-of-mouth sensation. Plus, Rosie explains why Sugarfina is bullish on retail when most companies balk at brick and mortar.

Links

• Sugarfina
• @Sugarfina on Instagram
• Connect with Rosie on LinkedIn

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

"Millennials are the modern hippies. They got to Coachella and want the world to be a better place - that was the insight."

That's Livio Bisterzo, the CEO of Green Park Brands, the brand studio behind the insanely popular puffed snack Hippeas. This week, we talk to Livio about taking a consumer-oriented, Big CPG approach to building startup brands. Plus, he fills us in on the unintended consequences of launching in Starbucks, why he's bullish on billboards, and of course, why he believes Millennials are the hippies of today.