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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're excited to kick off this week's show with an interview with Kristina Garrido, Director of Emerging Categories at Whatnot. Whatnot is the fastest-growing livestream shopping platform in the U.S currently valued at nearly $12 billion. The app has processed 1 billion orders since its founding, across collectibles, beauty, and now food.In this episode Nate (just Nate, no Jenna today) also recaps his incredible 24 hours at Target’s HQ for their Food & Beverage Discovery Day where he had the opportunity to chat with SVP of F&B merchandising, John Conlins. Plus some fun CPG news including Coca-Cola’s “Spricy” trademark, Final Boss Sour’s $4M raise, and Fairlife’s production pause after a massive ransomware attack. Lets’s get to it!

The Breakdown

00:00 Interview with Kristina Garrido, Director of Emerging Categories at Whatnot

13:34 24 Hours at Target HQ

25:01 Spicy Sprite?!

26:49 Final Boss Sour’s sick $4M raise

30:21 Fairlife shuts down

31:27 Outro

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're excited to share a fascinating full-episode interview with Jake Bullock, the Co-Founder and CEO of Cann—the pioneer of the microdose THC beverage category. Jake breaks down the whole hemp-derived THC beverage landscape, from how it came to be (and Cann’s role in that) to the regulatory threat it now faces with the impending November ban. Plus, he shares how Cann is responding with a new product launch that just came out this week: Cann 0mg.

Let’s get into it!

The breakdown:0:00 - Intro1:34 - How Cann created the microdose THC beverage category5:52 - Navigating the dispensary channel and the 2018 Farm Bill11:11 - Cann's original vision for distribution13:16 - The regulatory threat: What the 2026 hemp ban means17:08 - The industry's push for federal regulation19:15 - Introducing Cann Zero MG (0MG)26:58 - Distribution strategy for 0MG31:04 - Lobbying efforts34:11 - Closing thoughts

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're excited to kick off this week's show with an interview with Tara Bosch, the founder of SmartSweets (exited) and the new better-for-you potato chip brand, Snackish.We then get into some of the themes we saw at this week's Fancy Food Show (starting at minute 17), including real sugar/real indulgence, the continued premiumization of frozen food (and restaurant-to-CPG pipeline), Indian flavors, and flavor-packed sauces. Then, we run through some of the most interesting headlines in CPG this week: how Refresh is trying to make gum cool again, the intimate wellness brand that wants to bring sexual care products to Sephora, the real fridge cig, and more.

The breakdown:0:00 - Interview with Tara Bosch, founder of SmartSweets and Snackish17:04 - The Fancy Food Show recap and themes34:11 - Can functions make gum cool again?38:38 - The wellnessification of intimate care44:04 - There's still room for a cool ready-to-drink vodka seltzer49:16 - Nutribolt IPOs

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today, Jenna is joined by Mike Messersmith, CEO of Lasso Labs—a Harvard-born food tech startup using a patented fiber spinning platform to create high-protein, high-fiber foods with cleaner labels and no compromise on texture or taste.

Mike shares his journey from legacy CPG to Chobani and Oatly (both at their peaks) to food tech founder, how the tech actually works, and why he believes the future of food will be won by changing the process, not just the recipe.

Plus, we’re getting into the protein reckoning unfolding across the grocery store right now—why the whey shortage is a symptom of a much bigger industry shift, how Lasso’s tech could meet that demand, and combatting fear-mongering around processed foods. Let’s get into it!

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction to Lasso

1:47 Mike’s background: PepsiCo, Chobani, and Oatly

3:58 From dairy to oat milk: category creation and disruption

11:49 What is Lasso and how the technology works

13:59 Inputs, outputs, and product applications

23:38 Building a brand vs. a B2B food tech company

26:28 Why big food companies haven’t cracked this yet

27:14 The whey protein shortage and what it really signals

34:02 Ultra-processed foods: separating fear from facts

38:47 Food physics vs. food chemistry

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co.

🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout

💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to The Curious Consumer! This week, we're getting into e.l.f's foray into haircare, Tom Brady's Good Nut (this is not a joke), how AG1 is striving to stay relevant, the bubble-free boom, and the derm-as-creator skincare brand that's taking off in Target.

Chapters:0:51 e.l.f. enters haircare8:40 Tom Brady's Good Nut and coconut water's rise16:32 AG1 Pro and the greens powder wars25:13 Svedka's new soda water29:03 REMEDY's $20M raise

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co.

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us!

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! Today, we’re joined by Priyanka Ganjoo, the founder of South Asian beauty brand Kulfi Beauty—the first South Asian female-owned makeup line to be carried at Sephora. Priyanka shares her journey building an inclusive beauty brand, and the power of a strong emotional and cultural moat.

Plus, we’re chatting about the boom of Erewhon lookalikes (and how they’ll survive when mass-market becomes a discovery channel), the water brands capitalizing on fear of microplastics, one brand’s attempt to legitimize peptides, and more. Let’s get into it!

The breakdown:

0:00 Kulfi Beauty + the wave of inclusive beauty

5:36 Kulfi’s Sephora growth and changing audience

9:49 The power of the emotional moat in beauty

14:49 Everything is Erewhon now (the new age of bougie grocers)

21:52 Water brands vs. microplastics

29:34 Kellogg’s cereal front-of-pack framework

34:31 Target’s private-label chef collabs

40:10 Peptides are the wild west of wellness

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer!

This week’s episode is brought to you by Ever Ledger, the full-service accounting and finance partner specializing in high-growth CPG (they handle your books, tax, and modeling all under one roof).

If your books are messy, your accountant is too slow for your speed, or you’re gearing up for a raise/expansion, check them out!

Today we’re getting into the nostalgic side of CPG: the rise of Shirley Temple (dirty and otherwise), Jams’s genius NFL partnership, and OLIPOP's brand refresh.

Plus, why the "$50 strawberry brand" was never really about strawberries, the “blended” pasta trend, and more. Let's get into it!

The breakdown:

00:00 Intro

02:12 Rise of the Shirley Temple

05:13 Jams x NFL: The Uncrustables Opportunity

08:02 OLIPOP’s brand refresh

12:26 Oishii’s $150M Raise

17:52 Brami’s $33M Series B

24:14 David Protein’s unhinged marketing (per usual)

29:55 Banana water?

32:17 The next format of supplements

35:48 Conclusion

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co.

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer!

This week, we have one of our most fascinating interviews yet: Dr. Mastaneh Sharafi, SVP of Science & Innovation at Ritual, a supplement company known for its science-backed formulas. She’ll be answering some of our biggest questions around the most controversial category in CPG: supplements. Let’s get into it!

Quick note: There’s some background clicking noise in the first few minutes, but it goes away quickly! Stick with us, it’ll be worth it :)

Share feedback on the pod!

The breakdown:0:00 Intro + Dr. Sharafi’s background 1:58 Ritual’s evolution and mission3:59 Evaluating efficacy claims & misinformation13:11 Women-specific supplements & clinical trials18:43 Why people turn to supplements23:02 Why Ritual doesn’t make gummies…25:45 Consumer demand and innovation29:22 Four ways to spot misinformation in supplement marketing

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

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💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer!

This week we sit down with Stacey Hartnett, SVP of Marketing at Chomps to talk about their biggest product launch yet: chicken sticks.

Then, we dive into the week’s biggest CPG news. The L-theanine and caffeine combo taking over the functional beverage space, colostrum soda, the booming luxury laundry detergent category, and more. Let’s get into it!

Share feedback on the pod!

Check out our deep dive on L-theanine:

https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/everyone-needs-to-calm-down

The breakdown:0:00 Interview with Stacey Hartnett, SVPof Marketing at Chomps12:43 Feedback & podcast updates from our offsite13:19 The L-theanine + caffeine trend27:01 Armra's colostrum soda30:43 Popwtr: Lemon Perfect founder's new sparkling water bet37:27 Luxury laundry45:08 Thayers' creator-led product launch and what brands should learn from it51:04 Wrap up

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co.

🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout

💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we sit down with Mark Rushmore, co-founder of Suri (short for Sustainable Rituals)—the UK-based electric toothbrush brand that caught Gwyneth Paltrow’s eye organically before landing in Erewhon, and now Target stores nationwide. (Check out our piece on UK brands entering the US!)

We also cover the week's biggest CPG news—new updates to the THC regulatory saga, Beyond Meat's pivot into beverage, Gatorade's biggest refresh in 60 years, and the Finnish Long Drink's $325M acquisition by the makers of White Claw. Let's get into it!

The breakdown:

0:00 Interview with Mark Rushmore, co-founder of SURI14:30 Recap on our 4/20 event!18:01 Updates on the THC ban + new proposed regulation28:03 Beyond Meat’s pivot into… protein soda?32:20 Gatorade’s newest brand refresh35:40 Why White Claw owners are betting on The Finnish Long Drink

Check out our full interview with Long Drink co-founder Evan Burns here:

https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-best-drink-youve-never-heard

🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.

📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co.

🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout

💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :)

⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us!