Courier Weekly

Courtney Boyd Myers is the founder of AKUA, whose kelp jerky product has surged in popularity since launching in 2019. We caught up with Courtney to hear how her journey’s been so far and why kelp is a food trend to watch in the year ahead.

Julie Deane is founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company, the humble UK-based leather bag brand that, in the past decade, defied the odds and became a rare phenomenon. But that story has been told. This week, Julie explains what happened after the success, sharing how and why everything went wrong, and what she did to get the company back on course.

A decade ago, when Londoner Kodj Glover was a teenager, he took a trip to Japan with his mother and became obsessed with high-quality Japanese clothing. He promised that, if he ever started a company himself, he would return to Japan for inspiration. On today’s show, Kodj explains how he’s made good on that dream, having recently launched his own brand, Fuji&Hakone.

This week, hot sauce and productivity drinks. Creative director Drew Wolf explains how and why he launched his brand Kold Sauce during lockdown, and James Beshara shares how a heart condition brought on by too much caffeine and stress led him to launch his company Magic Mind.

Roxana Saidi, founder of new pistachio milk brand Táche, shares the challenges of growing a new product category and lessons on working with your family.

Once upon a time, Jared Ray Johnson and Adam Klein were grad students at MIT, before realising they cared more about physical products than software. The result? An outdoor lifestyle brand called Season Three. They share their journey – from manufacturing in northern Italy to big opportunities in the outdoor space.

Nicole Crentsil, CEO of Black Girl Fest, talks about partnering with Ada Ventures as an angel investor, what she’s looking for in an investment, and her advice for business owners looking to raise cash. Plus, Josh Lachkovic from wine subscription company The Wine List explains new areas in wine to watch.

Nomshado Michelle Baca launched her beauty and wellness brand A Complexion Company only weeks before lockdown. The South African-born, UK-based founder explains how she did it after years of listening, researching and finding her niche in the market. Plus: can email make you calmer? We talk to the co-founder of Berlin-based email product Tempo, who says yes.

We’re with Brittany Chavez, CEO of Los Angeles-based Shop Latinx, a newly-relaunched marketplace of lifestyle products made by indie Latinx brands.

Of all the sectors that have been hit hardest by the pandemic, the events industry is pretty high up there. Digby Vollrath, co-founder of Feast It, explains why he’s bullish on the industry – and he shares opportunities to fill gaps in the market when events bounce back.