Brand Builder

How many grammy winners can you name as investors?

If it's zero or one, Partake Foods has you beat. Because this great tasting, allergen-free cookie brand counts both Jay-Z and H.E.R. as marquee investors.

And it's not just celebrity investors who are taking notice. Today Partake is available in more than 2,700 stores (including major retailers like Whole Foods and Target), and has been featured everywhere from Forbes to the Today Show.

Not bad for a brand that launched out of an apartment barely three years ago.

So how did Partake do it? To find out, we sat down with Denise Woodard, the CEO and founder of Partake Foods.

One reason Partake has resonated so deeply is the idea of inclusion that's core to the Partake story. Denise's daughter suffers from a rare combination of food allergies, and her initial goal was simply to create a treat that her daughter, and kids like her, could actually enjoy.

Partake was also one of the inaugural brands in SnackNation's Amplify box, a special curation highlighting and celebrating BIPOC- and women-founded snack brands.

The idea of inclusion extends to Denise as a leader too. Like any founder, Denise feels the pressure to do right by her customers and investors. But she also describes a deeper responsibility she feels to pave the way for women founders and founders of color through Partake's success.

You can tell from speaking to and learning about Denise that she is a skilled leader, and she tells us about the leadership style that she's honed over the years, first as an executive at Coca-Cola, and now as the leader of a high-growth startup.

Denise also shares when it's time for your business to take venture money (and when not to), Partake's early re-brand, plus the mindset brand founders need to build their brand in a pandemic.

Links

• Partake Foods
• Connect with Denise on LinkedIn
• Forbes: The Odds Are Stacked Against Women Of Color Seeking Venture Funds. Here's How One Cookie Startup Broke The Mold
• Essence: Black Owned Cookie Company Gets Co-Sign From H.E.R.
• Pharell and Jay-Z: "Entrepreneur," featuring Denise Woodard

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

Before he launched Magic Spoon, Gabi Lewis had wondered why no one had disrupted the cereal space.

When he asked around, the experts all told him the same thing:

"Cereal is a dying category."

The truth is, while cereal might technically be declining slightly, it's still an $11 billion opportunity. And the conventional wisdom that led so many founders to avoid the space actually created major opportunity - opportunity that Gabi and his co-founder Greg Sewitz promptly seized by launching Magic Spoon in 2019.

Magic Spoon is a concept that's so brilliant, it seems almost obvious: cereal that looks and tastes like childhood favorites but is low carb, high protein, and zero sugar. Their goal from day one was to be the Halo Top or Oatly of the cereal aisle.

So far that strategy has paid off with booming sales and glowing praise from consumers and media alike. The brand has been featured in WIRED, CNN, and Fast Company, and called "The Cereal of the Future" by Forbes. Eye-popping packaging and whimsical branding that appeals to nostalgic, health-conscious Millennials doesn't hurt either.

In this episode, we learn how Magic Spoon nailed product-market fit, their unconventional approach to influencer marketing, and the lessons learned from Gabi and Greg Serwitz's first venture, Exo, the cricket based protein bar that they sold to Aspire Food Group in 2018.

Links

• Magic Spoon
• Forbes: Why Exo's Cofounders Have Become 'Cereal' Entrepreneurs
• Connect with Gabi on LinkedIn

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What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

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

Recess is a CBD beverage brand that almost never talks about CBD.

How is this possible? Because founder and CEO Benjamin Witte knows that the best beverage brands don't focus on an ingredient… they convey a feeling.

Case in point: Redbull. You may have noticed that with all their talk of energy, action sports, and giving you "wings," Redbull never talks about caffeine. Because feeling is more powerful than the ingredient.

So why should the CBD category be any different?

Founded in 2017, Recess is a consumer wellness brand creating products and experiences designed to help people feel balanced, centered, and inspired so they can be their most productive and creative selves. They make sparkling water infused with calming hemp extract and adaptogens for balance and clarity.

Benjamin and the Recess team have their sights set on becoming the next Redbull. To do that, they're building their brand around the feeling of calm and tranquility - aka, "taking a recess."

Recess also recently did something pretty unexpected - they launched an apparel collection called "Reality Wear." In this episode, you'll learn how this all ties back to Ben's philosophy on brand marketing.

On top of that, you'll learn what every CPG brand should borrow from Silicon Valley, and why the era of building a brand by doing demos in Wegman's is over (plus what to do instead).

Links

• takearecess.com
• Connect with Benjamin on LinkedIn
• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
• 2PM newsletter by Web Smith

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What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

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

Until COVID, you could argue that Dan Gluck had seen it all in the CPG world.

Dan brings an impressive trifecta of related experience to the table. He's been an institutional investor with 15 years in the hedge fund space, an owner-operator with the wildly successful Health Warrior brand, and now a partner at one of the most innovative VC firms in CPG.

But COVID is an unprecedented challenge, forcing some brands to pivot on a dime and throw out the old playbook. Success in a pandemic requires founders to adopt a specific mindset and set of skills.

Fortunately, Dan's experience has given him a unique vantage point to guide emerging brands through this crisis. Even better, this week he shares that POV with Brand Builder.

Dan Gluck is a Managing Partner at PowerPlant Ventures, a firm that invests in emerging consumer food & beverage, foodservice and food-tech companies. Their mission is to "re-architect" the global food system by investing in world changing companies that deliver better nutrition in more sustainable and ethical ways.

Prior to PowerPlant, Dan founded Health Warrior, the plant-based superfood company that successfully exited to Pepsi in 2018.

This is a great conversation on Dan's experience with Health Warrior and PowerPlant - for starters, we learn the 5 powerful megatrends that drive PowerPlant's investment strategy.

But if that weren't enough, what we really found valuable was Dan's take on how COVID is affecting CPG. He talks in depth about how the best companies and leaders are reacting to the crisis, and what you should be doing right now to ensure your success during and after this challenging time.

Links

• PowerPlant Ventures
• Connect with the PowerPlant team: [email protected]
• Connect with Dan on LinkedIn
• BB Episode 10 - Mark Rampolla
• Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
• Principles by Ray Dalio

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What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

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

For the last few years, Jeff Martin has made the same New Year's Resolution –

"Speak up more."

The financial-analyst-turned-CPG-entrepreneur isn't talking about having a bigger hand in decision-making at Pipsnacks, the brand he co-founded with his sister Jen and wife Teresa. It goes deeper than that.

It means speak up and confront injustice, whenever he encounters it. Speak up as a founder of color in a space where that's a rarity. Speak up so that others may follow the example he and his co-founders have set.

We are in the midst of historic societal change. The tragic, senseless death of George Floyd has ignited protests across the U.S. and around the world, and heightened our collective awareness of systemic racism.

Many are learning what others have known for a long time – that racial injustice affects every aspect of society. The world of CPG is no exception.

This week we're bringing you a very special interview with Pipsnacks' Jeff Martin. While Pipsnacks is one of our absolute favorite brands, this episode is not really about their business. (Check out Episode 5 for that.) This is a conversation about race and identity, and how those forces shaped who Jeff is as an entrepreneur and as a human being.

We originally recorded this interview as part of SnackNation's internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming during Black History Month. And while this conversation was pre-COVID and before the global Black Lives Matter protests, we ultimately felt that it spoke to the present moment. We are grateful that Jeff agreed, and gave us permission to share it with all of you.

Links

• Pipsnacks
• Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn
• Brand Builder Episode 5 – How Pipsnacks Got Oprah Winfrey and Mark Cuban Excited About Popcorn

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What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

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

For Brendan Brazier, Pulp Culture all started with a question:

Why are there so many health-obsessed people who are absolutely unwilling to compromise on what they eat, yet so ready to compromise when it comes to alcohol? Why don't we hold alcohol to the same high standards as food?

The answer, he realized, was that Pulp Culture didn't exist yet.

Brendan is a former pro triathlete and a two-time Canadian 50km ultra marathon champion. He's also the founder of the hugely successful Vega Protein Powder line, which he successfully sold to Danone. And of course, he was one of those people who are so adamant about healthy eating, yet constantly forced to compromise when it came to having the occasional beer or cocktail with friends.

His latest venture, Pulp Culture, solves this dilemma by taking 100% raw, fresh juice and allowing it to naturally ferment over three months through a process called "wild fermentation." That means that there are no starters like yeast or sugar. All the fermentation comes from naturally occurring ambient bacteria.

The result is a zero-additive, zero-sugar alcoholic beverage with 6 billion naturally-occurring probiotics, and B vitamins.

In other words, an adult beverage that's actually good for you.

In this interview, Brendan breaks down how he built the Vega brand, the parallels between building a business and rising in the sport of triathlon, the philosophy behind his successful Thrive book series, and why he's so excited about the opportunity that lies ahead for Pulp Culture.

What do you get when you throw a serial entrepreneur, a vegan chef, and Rob Dyrdek in the same room?

Turns out, the perfect plant-based pork rind.

This week's guest is Bill Glaser, the founder and CEO of Outstanding Foods.

Outstanding make snack foods that are full of flavor and free of guilt - both because they're nutritious, and because they are made completely sans animal products.

Bill started the company with co-founder Chef Dave Anderson, who also happens to be the former lead product developer at Beyond Meat.

Outstanding's first product is the PigOut Pigless Pork Rinds… which are 100% plant-based.

We talked to Bill about why loves high growth companies, why Outstanding is a decidedly judgment-free brand, and the surprising consumer forces driving the meat-alternative movement. And of course, we learn how Rob Dyrdek became a lead investor and ultimately helped him develop the brand.

Links

• Outstanding Foods
• Connect with Bill on LinkedIn

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

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

Not to alarm you, but… Expo West is less than two weeks away.

Of course, if you're listening to this podcast, you're probably well aware of that fact.

Because if you're in the natural foods and CPG space, it's sort of taken as a given - the Natural Products Expo West is a big deal. A very big deal.

The numbers help tell that story. 2020 is on track to be the biggest Expo ever. We're talking:

• 90,000 attendees
• 3,700 exhibitors
• 20,000 new products debuted

But is Expo West right for your brand? And how do you make sure you make the most out of the show? What are the insider secrets to make Expo work for you?

To answer all these questions and more, we talk to Mark Mallardi, Executive Director Strategic Development, Natural Products at New Hope Network (the organization that holds Expo West each year).

We're calling this episode The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Expo West 2020.

We go in depth from everything from how to successfully walk the floor, to the top trends Mark expects to see at this year's show, to the big question - the value of a show like Expo for your brand.

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

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

There's no getting around it, success in CPG requires this one thing:

Repeat purchase.

But how do you get someone not just to try your product, but to come back to you again and again? How do you build a brand that connects on a deep level, and is built for the long term?

This week on Brand Builder we learn the key just might be in creating a "ripple of impact."

This week's featured interview is with Amanda Slavin, a Marketing Strategist & Brand Engagement Expert expert, bestselling author, and the CEO and co-founder of CatalystCreativ.

Amanda has worked with marquee brands like Coca Cola, Google, WeWork, NPR, The Nature Conservancy, and the New York City Ballet, helping them understand how and why Millennial and Gen Z consumers gravitate towards one brand over another.

She also understands how brands connect on a Direct to Consumer level - probably because Zappos' founder Tony Hsieh is one of her mentors.

Speaking of Tony, we also spend some time talking about holacracy, the system of self organization she uses internally at Catalyst, and that she picked up from Zappos.

What we found most interesting was that before she was Amanda Slavin, Catalyst CEO, she was Ms. Slavin, a first grade teacher with a Masters in Education from the University of Connecticut.

As she tells us in this week's interview, Amanda is grateful for her experience as an educator, and actually applies the engagement principles she developed in grad school to her client work.

Through education and engagement, Catalyst helps its clients reach Millennials and create a "ripple of impact" - and lasting value for brands.

There's one question that emerging premium CPG brands need to ask themselves:

Do you want to be a unicorn... or do you want to ride the skate ramp to success?

If you're a little confused, that's ok. This will all make much more sense once you listen to this week's featured interview with author and CPG expert Dr. James Richardson.

Dr. Richardson is the author of the new book, Ramping Your Brand, which we think is the best book for CPG entrepreneurs out right now. Seriously, we keep hearing from entrepreneurs- I wish this book had come out five years ago when I started!

Dr. Richardson has a unique POV. That doctor title - it's because he has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology, and spent time living in southern India doing ethnographic research. The coolest part, he brings a few of the tools and insights from Cultural Anthropology to his work in CPG.

The book is a quick read, full of stories, examples, and specific tactics. The foundation of the book is this idea of the "Skate Ramp," a pattern he saw again and again for the premium CPG brands that broke through and won. It's a model for sustained exponential growth, and it's more powerful and more achievable than the unicorn growth that tends to be celebrated.

We spent a lot of the interview breaking down exactly how brands can ride this Skate Ramp to win. Plus, Dr. Richardson explains why social pressure is at the heart of every premium CPG purchase decision, and a specific tactic for becoming the master of your category.

• Purchase Ramping Your Brand - www.rampingyourbrand.com
• Take the Founder's Quiz and see if your team is ready to accelerate to exponential growth - Are You Ready to Ride?

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

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