On this week’s NOSH Podcast, reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne Deluca join NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg to consider Oatly’s new online marketing campaign, debate the implications of sesame seeds' new classification as a “Big 9” allergen and discuss Hershey’s decision to acquire two Skinny Pop co-packing facilities as the company puts more emphasis on its snacking portfolio.

Then, Carol hears from Coconut Cult CEO Ari Raz about how self-manufacturing might put increased pressure on a brand but in the end allows for more flexibility in production and the ability to remain true to core values. 

In this episode:

1:35 - Adrianne explains Oatly’s new online tongue-in-cheek website and the team discusses the impact of self-effacing marketing campaigns. 

4:12 - Lukas talks about how some companies are countering the FDA’s move in January to add sesame to the list of Big Nine allergens. Carol discusses the implications of companies adding an allergen to products that might not have previously contained it and how the allergen community is reacting.

9:43 - The team discusses Hershey’s move to acquire two production facilities from its Skinny Pop co-packer and the chocolate company’s focus on its snack portfolio.

16:40 - For the interview, Carol talks to yogurt brand The Coconut Cult’s CEO Ari Raz about co-packing versus self-manufacturing a product. Raiz discusses his change of heart when he took over the reins of  Coconut Cult and shares news regarding new manufacturing capabilities. 

“The process of being a self manufacturer went from being very scary, to extremely exciting. And now it’s going to become, as we continue to scale, a very lucrative operation for the brand.”

-Coconut Cult CEO Ari Raz

About the NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

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On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard chat about recent news from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding functional food claims. Later, Adrianne sits down with Cynthia Cabrera, chief strategy officer at Hometown Hero CBD, and Bethany Gomez, managing director of The Brightfield Group to talk about the impact of hemp-derived THC has had on the CPG industry and how this unregulated space has contributed to consumer awareness of cannabinoid products. 

Show Highlights:

07:17: The team breaks down recent news from the FTC, which saw nearly 700 businesses receive warning letters regarding their use of certain functional food claims, and the challenges functional brands could face in the future.

15:24: In the spirit of 4/20, the topic turns to hemp-derived THC compounds including Delta-8 and Delta-9. Cynthia and Bethany talk through the regulatory nuances that have allowed this subset of the hemp space to grow and how the rules vary from those governing marijuana businesses. 

21:25: Cynthia and Bethany discuss the implications widespread distribution has had on these products and business and breakdown opportunities for growth – ranging from gas stations to grocery stores to e-commerce. 

32:13: The duo then shares their expectations for the upcoming farm bill reauthorization and the conversation centers around ramifications of state level legislation, rather than federal law, that have impacted the overall market’s performance.  

"Marijuana companies are not sure what to think about the whole hemp-derived THC space. Many of them are up in arms about it and really looking to view it as a threat and are combating against it, and others are viewing it as an opportunity."

- Bethany Gomez

"At the time [of the 2018 Farm Bill], nobody knew that a whole other industry could or would crop up -- that's the beauty of innovation. That's the beauty of an entrepreneurial market. They see an opportunity and they take it. The worst thing that could happen would be anything that tamps that down."

- Cynthia Cabrera

About The NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg sits down with President and CEO of Lesser Evil Snacks, Charles Coristine, to discuss how the brand approached raising funds as the fed lifted interest rates, what areas of the business Coristine prioritized during this economic uncertainty and why he expects the current operating environment to begin looking a little less bleak. 

Show Highlights:

01:25: Charles breaks down the snack brand’s fundraising history while providing some insight on what areas of the business he focused on during its respective life stages and how he approaches raising primary and secondary capital for CapEx. 

07:02: The conversation shifts as Carol and Charles discuss the operational changes he made to the business and how that impacted investor perspectives. 

16:03: Charles shares his advice on assessing and determining your business’ valuation and how staying close to the mark can help the brand draw in return investment.

20:57: To close out the conversation, Carol and Charles chat about why you should root your budget in uncertainty rather than lofty aspirations and how he finds joy in the capital raise process once the dust has settled.  

“As we focus on operational excellence, the nature of the brand is changing. A lot of what made us super successful at the beginning, isn’t what investors want us to focus on [now].” 

- Charles Coristine, Lesser Evil President and CEO 

About the NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode of the NOSH Podcast, the NOSH team gets fooled by CPG brands announcing fake products over April Fool’s Day weekend, sharing why they think some of these playful ideas should actually come to market. Then the team discusses the FDA’s recent food label announcements and how the agency is redefining how consumers understand “healthy” food claims.

In our featured interview, we hear from Grass Fed Foods CEO Jeff “Trip” Tripician about how mergers can help small businesses quickly scale to compete with conventional competitors. The conversation delves into the strategy to make grass fed beef, pastured meat and regeneratively-grown animal protein compete with commodity products. 

In this episode:

1:00 - The team discusses some of the best (and worst) April Fool’s Day CPG products announced the past week.

8:20 - Adrianne explains the FDA’s recent announcements regarding healthy food labeling and the team talks about how the FDA is modernizing consumer’s understanding of nutrition.

22:05 - Lukas talks with Grass Fed Foods CEO Jeff Tripician about the merger of Teton Waters Ranch and SunFed Ranch, the economic benefits from consolidation among smaller companies and how grass fed meat is taking a lesson from organic foods’ playbook.

“The reason small companies merge is to become more resilient [to] derisk their businesses so that they can survive and try to do some good.”

- Jeff Tripician, CEO Grass Fed Foods

About the NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode of the NOSH Podcast, the NOSH team discusses the larger trend of chefs, restaurants and bakeries expanding into CPG, sharing recent funding and product examples. The team goes on to debate what the recent news in cell-cultured meat means for investment in the space and how it will dictate what companies survive and how quickly cultured proteins make it to market. 

Then, Jeff and Carol sit down with TIG Brands founder Elliot Begoun and Chomps president and COO Liz Carter as the duo discusses how the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank’s has emphasized how CPG brands prioritize how they view working capital.

In this episode:

2:20 - Carol talks with the team about her dinner at New York City restaurant Per Se and the broader trend of chefs and bakeries launching CPG brands. 

13:15 - The team discusses the juxtaposition of the news of the FDA’s approval of GOOD Meat and the announcement that cultured meat startup New Age Eats was officially ceasing operations. The team discussed what this means for the industry as a whole and how investment in the space will be key to the future of the industry.

22:20 - Jeff and Carol talk to Tig Brands founder Elliot Begoun and Chomps president and COO Liz Carter to discuss the role of working capital in light of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

“Your capital strategy is as important as your go-to-market strategy, as your marketing strategy, as your organizational design. If you don’t have a capital strategy – a plan for fueling your business – then you’re really always going to be reactive. That’s dangerous in the best of times and probably devastating in these current ones.”

-Elliot Begoun, founder of Tig Brands

About the NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard chat about pickling and profitability before airing their opinions about the new names and structure of Kellogg Company. Later, Adrianne sits down with Marc Washington, founder and CEO of Supergut, and Greg Shearson, CEO of Cerebelly to hear why they believe the brands’ science-backed approach to functional food will be key to their longevity. 

Show Highlights:

01:45: Jeff shares his post-Expo concerns about how many brands approach growth and walks the team through pros and cons of profitability. Later Carol sparks widespread disgust with her idea for a new CPG pickle product.

14:23: The conversation turns to Kellogg’s plan to split the company into two separate entities  and turns to debate around the best name to call those new entities. Lukas shares some strong opinions and believes simplicity, in this case, would have been key. 

29:31: Marc and Greg kick off the conversation insight into the difficulties of building a science-backed CPG brand from the ground up including the role funding plays and why this isn’t an approach that can be taken in later stages of growth.

36:51: Later, the two executives delve into the role of scientific evidence in the functional food space, and lack thereof, while sharing why they believe this point of differentiation for their brands not only sets them apart, but sets them up for longer term success. 

“We're taking a differentiated approach here that creates a solid stable foundation, fundamentally based in scientific evidence. Having that foundation creates a moat and lasting staying power that isn’t as susceptible to the winds of shifting consumer demand.” 

- Marc Washington, founder and CEO of Supergut

“In this category, the retailer interest is really palpable. They see our approach as a way to grow a category that's historically been very slow… we're creating an opportunity [for retailers] to take that to a dramatically different level and make the center of the store a growth arena.”

- Greg Shearson, CEO of Cerebelly

About The NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne DeLuca discussed what they saw, heard and tasted at Expo West 2023. The team talks about how the news of Silicon Valley Bank’s meltdown was received on the convention floor Friday and Saturday, how acquisitions announced during the event reflected broader trends in food and beverage manufacturing and the increasing desire by some brands to vertically integrate their supply chains. 

In this episode:

1:05 - Adrianne tells Carol and Lukas about all the kelp and millet brands she talked to Expo.

2:50 - The team discusses how SVB’s sudden dissolution impacts the CPG food space and insights on how this may impact the industry longer term. 

6:20 - Carol, Adrianne and Lukas talk about how the various acquisitions and strategic shifts announced at Expo West speak to broader trends in the industry.

11:15 - The team discusses how supply chains continue to be a topic of conversation among food producers. They then explore how nut suppliers are using their strengths in vertical integration to launch new, branded, packaged food products.

About the NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and reporter Adrianne DeLuca talk about some notable, viral marketing campaigns as well as some tips, tricks and potential trends for Expo West. Later, Carol chats with Bobo’s CEO TJ McIntyre about the common missteps he believes brands make when they approach innovation and growth in tandem. 

Show Highlights:

02:22: The NOSH team talks through how Three Wishes used a TikTok trend to promote their own rebrand as well as the ‘nepo babies’ that appeared in Silk’s plant-based iteration of the iconic Got Milk campaign.

06:34: The discussion then shifts toward Expo West and the team shares some handy supplier sorting strategies, how they intend to tackle the troves of booths and what they are looking out for on the floor this year (Hint: Adrianne wants to meet all the millet makers)

21:10: TJ reigns in brand expectations about launching new innovations. He also explains why he believes introducing a new product to work your way out of business and financial troubles is a big mistake.

36:19: What happens to your margins when rapid innovation is the near-term goal? TJ said in his experience, the business quickly ends up building off pennies instead of cash and long term, can lead itself right to extinction.

“If you're going to come out with new innovation and put it into another category, don't believe in your own hype that people are going to follow you there.”

-TJ McIntyre, CEO at Bobo’s

About the NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporter Adrianne DeLuca are joined by two CPG executives and mission-driven brand leaders – Seth Goldman, CEO of Eat the Change and Jane Miller, CEO of Rudi’s Bakery – to discuss the departure of Miyoko Schinner from her namesake alt-dairy brand, Miyoko’s Creamery. The group discusses the macro challenges of being an outspoken founder figure, personal beliefs on the function and value of a mission-aligned board of directors and shares advice on approaching venture capital investment.

Show Highlights:

03:45: The discussion kicks off with a look into Seth's own professional experiences taking venture capital, how these two CEOs have navigated complex working relationships within executive teams and why holding regular, open and honest conversations with those at the top becomes especially important as the brand grows into its own. 

08:05: Seth and Jane share their advice for fellow brand leaders on navigating the power dynamics that emerge when investment comes into play and how to ensure your stakeholders hold your company’s mission at heart.

15:19: The duo gets honest about the challenges entrepreneurs may face when scaling brands with a strong mission, complexities female founders face in this industry and explained why they believe a company’s founder should always be active in core decisions, serving as the guiding force and the brand’s champion throughout its lifecycle

25:50 Jane and Seth share their philosophy toward the function of a board and why this group of individuals should act as a support system and sounding board for a company’s leadership team. 

“Everybody should be on the same side, which is assuming the best [and] trying to get the company to the same place. When you start to create that environment of ‘my board members’ versus ‘your board members,’ you're not going to get anywhere good.” 

- Jane Miller, CEO of Rudi’s Bakehouse

"It's really valuable for [Miyoko's] vision to come to its fruition, for [her] to still be part of this…this is the visionary who created this brand and there's no more effective advocate [the board will] ever find...you've got to find a way to make her feel like she's part of this business… you want her to still be your advocate and champion."

 - Seth Goldman, CEO of Eat The Change

About the NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard chat about the rise of cauliflower, its place on Chick-fil-a's menu and the veggie’s larger role in branded and private label CPG. Later, we hear from Ted Wright, CEO of word of mouth marketing agency Fizz to hear how the business of face-to-face conversation, and the practice of friendly recommendations, has fared for brand builders throughout the pandemic

Show Highlights:

01:58: This week the NOSH team takes on cauliflower. While in the land of social media it's sometimes negatively referred to as ghost broccoli, the once-despised dinner table veggie has taken the vegan, vegetarian and keto sets by storm and the team sets out to determine the root cause of Cauliflower's lasting popularity.

23:22: Ted talks through brand building activities at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and how as consumer shopping habits shifted, certain products were able to shine and drive trial by properly executing word of mouth marketing tactics.

29:05: The age of influencers has not changed the playbook for Ted’s tried-and-true tactics either, he claims. Ted runs listeners through the proper use of influencers, how influencer impressions vary from true word of mouth tactics and why both methods are necessary for successful brand building.

“Conversation is the goal of all marketing in North America today. It is not broadcast. Nobody gives a bleeped out word about your ad… What they care about are stories that are authentic, interesting and relevant, that they can then share with their friends.”

-Ted Wright 

About The NOSH Podcast

The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts