ContenderCast with Justin Honaman

Every Spring, Tea Drunk heads to the deepest mountains in China to eat, sleep and work alongside the heritage farmers to produce the world's most prized teas. They walk an untrodden path to preserve a 2000-year old art that is the epic romance between man and nature. Tea Drunk's unparalleled expertise allows them to commission and source teas that adhere to the rigorous standards set by a long heritage. It is their mission to bring the truly finest teas to the world. Through education and access, they aim to nurture a group of connoisseurs to sustain the height of tea that humans have achieved thus far in history. Founder and CEO Shunan Teng joins Justin to discuss tea and this growing brand.

In the words of Tony Daloisio, "This book is about you, the man you have become and the man you hope to become! It is about assessing your life, with your vision of a life-well-lived as the standard, the setting of aspirational goals in the movement toward that vision and charting a path to achieve that vision." Tony joins Justin – for his second visit on the ContenderCast – to discuss his new book!

The best taste is plant based! Millet and sorghum are sustainable ancient grains that serve as pivotal ingredients for next-generation plant-based products. These ancient grains are used to replace resource-intensive dairy analogs such as soybeans, almonds, tree nuts, and oats. Through patented formulation, Mill It has crafted the first ever plant-based buttermilk and plant-based buttermilk dressings that match the taste, texture, and consistency of dairy, while being rich in micronutrients and hypoallergenic. Founder and CEO Bill Myers joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing brand!

What do you do when you want your Bloody Mary but can't carry along all of the ingredients to mix the drink? You grab a MaryCan! Premium canned cocktails – cocktails on the go – are a fast-growing category and the team at Bar2Table is working hard to introduce your favorite cocktails, with great taste, the highest quality and in great packaging. Charlton Gronlund joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing alco-bev brand!

Siouxie Boshoff started making her own gummy bears a few years ago. Mainly because she loved the satisfying goodness that gummy bears provide but also, she has a long-term health condition called lipedema which has made it essential for her to control ingredients in her diet. Artificial and chemical ingredients are something she avoids in her diet (and environment) wherever possible, and she tries to stick to organic and non-gmo ingredients, preferably minimally processed. This is really why she started making her own gummy bears! Siouxie joins Justin to discuss this up-and-coming brand!

Steven and Lena are husband and wife and life-long entrepreneurs. Steven is the visionary and marketer for Xero Shoes. He is a Masters All-American sprinter (one of the fastest men over the age of 50 in the US) and former All-American gymnast. He was also a professional stand-up comic, cognitive psychology researcher, and taught Tai Chi and Zen Archery. Steven is also the creator of Scriptware, the industry-standard word processor for film and TV writers. Lena is an avid hiker. In her previous life she created and sold a home mortgage company, and has managed the back-end of numerous companies. She's the glue that keeps Xero Shoes from busting at the proverbial seams as it grows, taking care of all things logistical and numeric. Steven joins Justin to discuss launching and growing this innovative footwear brand!

Yet a new frontier of enormous opportunity to improve results is hidden in plain sight. According to a Fortune 500 study, as much as 80% of working time is lost to tiresome meetings, unclear expectations, difficult decisions and other wasteful delays. Overcoming the lack of clarity behind this waste - on both an individual and organizational basis - would reap huge rewards. In The Power of Clarity, Ann Latham exposes the unrecognized confusion and explains how to eliminate it. This fascinating guide to workplace productivity and effectiveness draws upon extensive research and case studies to demonstrate how you can get better results in far less time while also increasing confidence and commitment. Ann joins Justin to discuss her new book!

It was 2019 in San Francisco when Ian Monat, a sommelier by day and gigging bass player by night, began to imagine a great-tasting, better for you hemp-infused seltzer. He already found that hemp enhanced his live music performances. The clear, uplifting effects helped with mood, focus, and dexterity. But adding hemp tinctures to soda water tasted terrible, and the ready to drink hemp beverages on the market were loaded with sugar. Ian partnered with a professional chef as well as startup investor and avid CBD user Martín Guerrero to create a healthy, better tasting, hemp-infused beverage with all natural ingredients and a clean label. After months of mixing at the kitchen table, experimenting with dozens of flavor combinations and finding the right ingredient suppliers, the trio was triumphant and Rhythm Infused Seltzers were born. Ian joins Justin to discuss this new growth brand!

Each bag of Kazoo Tortilla Chips is made using 40% upcycled corn germ. This reduces their water footprint by at least 20 gallons per 11oz bag (compared to 100% new growth corn), without compromising on taste. And that's awesome because sustainable food should taste great too! Founder Josh Death joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing snack food brand!