Legacy isn’t just about how long you or your brand have been around — it’s about the values you stand for and the consistency you bring to life through your brand. In this episode, Katie Mleziva - your food brand strategist - shares five ways you can start building a legacy brand that goes beyond products to create positive impact and true staying power.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why legacy brands are built on values, not just products
• How to use your purpose, vision, and values as your North Star
• Why knowing the fans of your brand deeply helps you stay relevant - even across generations
• The importance of standing for something bigger than your product
• How consistency builds trust without becoming stale
• Why bold moves aligned with your purpose build lasting impact
• A few thoughts on the recent Cracker Barrel rebrand

🔔 Don't forget to get on the email list for Friday emails that include short, fun worksheets to help you bring your ideas to life!

If you want to make a positive impact and leave a legacy with the brand you're building, you don't want to miss this conversation.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

✓ Ep 145: When Opportunity Knocks, Will You React or Respond

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com 

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episode questions or ideas)

✓ Work with me: 1:1 Brand Review Workshop or Brand Success System

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

What does it take to build a food brand that leaves a lasting impact? Whether you’re just starting out or decades in, your legacy isn’t just about how long your brand survives — it’s about the people you impact along the way.

In this episode, Food Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva and co-host Clint Matthews, co-founder of Start Right Foods, are joined by Matt Keepman of Mullins Dairy Bar, a nearly 100-year-old iconic ice cream brand based in Wisconsin.

Together, they explore what it means to be caretakers of a legacy brand, how to make bold decisions that align with your values, and why lasting impact comes from both protecting tradition and shaking things up with bold decisions when something is out of alignment.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why legacy is about impact, not just longevity
• When Mullen's removed artificial dyes — and what happened next
• The role of community in keeping a legacy brand alive
• How being bold can help you build a brand that lasts
• How to balance honoring the past with innovating for the future
• ...and just for fun, Matt's expert tip on how to get rid of an ice cream headache (or, Mullen's dairy-free sorbet in this example)!

🔔 Don't forget to get on the email list for Friday emails that include short, fun worksheets to help you bring your ideas to life!

If you want to make a positive impact and leave a legacy with the brand you're building, you don't want to miss this conversation.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com 

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episode questions or ideas)

✓ Work with me: 1:1 Brand Review Workshop or Brand Success System

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

✓ Mullen's Dairy Bar website

✓ Start Right Foods website

Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

Comparison can spark ideas… or it can derail your focus. In this episode, I share how to avoid unhealthy comparison while still keeping an eye on your competitive set.

You’ll learn how to filter competitor insights through your brand strategy so you can position your brand clearly, have stronger stakeholder conversations, and grow in YOUR lane, not somebody else's.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• The pitfalls of constant comparison — including brand confusion
• Why a healthy level of competitive awareness will strengthen your positioning
• A real-world examples
• How to use your brand strategy as a filter for responding to competitor moves.

🎧 Listen to Episode 145 now and feel more grounded as a brand leader.

Don’t miss the homework dropping in my Friday email priorities -- the right opportunities! at the right time. Join my email list at RealFoodBrands.com

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com 

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episode questions or ideas)

✓ Work with me: 1:1 Brand Review Workshop or Brand Success System

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

As a food business owner, you’re constantly making decisions—some big, some small, but all important. And when a new opportunity lands in your lap, it can be tempting to jump in without thinking it through. But that’s where brand strategy becomes your superpower and a way to set your brand apart in a consistent, meaningful way.

In this episode, I explore:

• The difference between reacting and responding (and why it matters) when opportunities arise.
• A story from a business valuation client about being able to respond versus react.
• Why brand strategy helps you filter decisions with intention
• What to ask yourself when opportunity knocks
• How this topic connects with Episode 143 on organizing your own ideas

Whether you’re being pitched a sales deal, a partnership, or even a chance to sell your business, this episode will help you lead with purpose—not panic.

🎧 Listen to Episode 144 now and feel more grounded as a brand leader.

Don’t miss the homework dropping in my Friday email priorities the right opportunities! Join my email list at RealFoodBrands.com

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

✓ Ep 143: Sales Tips for Food Brands – Reach Out, Stand Out, & Follow Through

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com 

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episode questions or ideas)

✓ Work with me: 1:1 Brand Review Workshop or Brand Success System

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

Do you ever feel like your brain is overflowing with ideas—but you’re not sure what to focus on or how to make progress?

This episode is for you if you're full of inspiration, but also full of tabs open in your brain, and each has ten ideas!

You'll hear why getting your ideas out of your head and into a documented plan leads to more clarity, alignment, and confidence as well as:

• Your natural relationship with ideas - do you shine when generating ideas, planning around ideas, or executing on someone else's ideas?
• How to use brand strategy as a tool to filter and focus
• A simple analogy (cleaning out a closet!) that will shift how you think about your business
• What changes when you finally document your brand strategy
• The emotional and practical benefits of getting aligned—from writing faster to feeling lighter

You’ll walk away with a new way to think about how to make your brand strategy work for you so you can put your ideas to work as well.

Don’t miss the homework in Friday's email because it will help you organize your brand and marketing related ideas! Join my email list at RealFoodBrands.com

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com 

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episode questions or ideas)

✓ Work with me: 1:1 Brand Review Workshop or Brand Success System

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

In Episode 142 of the Food Business Marketing Podcast, we (Katie Mleziva & Clint Matthews) dig into what it means to activate your sales plan—and take action. We cover everything from buyer outreach to building relationships and preparing for buyer meetings.

What you’ll hear:

• Why your first step should be checking in on current accounts
• Where and how to find the right buyer contacts
• How to make your first outreach stand out
• What buyers are looking for in a pitch
• How to keep presentations short and effective
• The role your personality and persistence play in building trust

While our focus is retail for this conversation, these concepts also apply to foodservice or any alternative channel. This conversation is a great reminder that progress starts with simple, intentional steps.

If you’re ready to sell with more focus, take a listen!

🔗 Links & Resources:

✓ Ep 141. Bridging Brand Strategy and Sales: Don't Just Sell More, Sell Smarter

✓ Ep 142: Brand Personality: Stay on Brand & Stand Out

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episodes)

✓ Work with me: 1:1 Brand Review Workshop or Brand Success System

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com (the form is on my home page)

✓ Learn more about how we can work together: realfoodbrands.com

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

Today Clint and I are discussing how to bridge the gap between brand strategy and sales execution. From prioritizing accounts to pitching to retail buyers, we break down how a strong brand foundation supports smarter sales decisions—and prevents wasted time and money.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why sales can feel too overcomplicated—and ideas of how to adjust
• How Clint and his co-founder shifted from "grow fast" to "grow focused"
• How pieces of your brand strategy impact your pitch
• The role of packaging, pricing, and positioning in a sales conversation
• Why alignment across all of your brand touchpoints is non-negotiable
• A sneak peek at next episode’s look into sales planning

If you’re ready to sell with more focus, this episode is for you.

🔗 Links & Resources:

✓ Ep 138: Scale Up or Step Away: What's Next for Your Food Business? - with Jordan Buckner of Foodbevy

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episodes)

✓ Brand Review Workshop

✓ Brand Success System

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide - realfoodbrands.com (the form is on my home page)

✓ Learn more about how we can work together: realfoodbrands.com

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Thanks for listening - let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

If your brand could talk… what would it say? And more importantly, would your ideal people feel connected—or confused?

In this solo episode, I explore why brand personality helps you show up consistently, create meaningful connections, and stand out in a crowded market. In fact, it’s one of the KEY bridges between your internal strategy and how your brand shows up in the world.

You'll learn:

• Why brand personality can help you not only connect but also intrigue the right people
• My perspective - and watch out - on using the brand archetypes wheel
• A fun and useful exercise to choose 3 personality traits that will guide your brand’s messaging and visuals.
• The results I got from a personality test and how it changed my thinking about brand personality
• Why it's critical to share your brand personality with your team
• What to ask teammates or customers to gut-check your brand personality

This episode will help you identify your brand personality and bring that personality to life.

🔗 Links & Resources:

✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episodes)

✓ Brand Review Workshop

✓ Brand Success System

✓ FREE Brand Review Guide - realfoodbrands.com (the form is on my home page)

✓ Learn more about how we can work together: realfoodbrands.com

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Thanks for listening - let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

As a food business founder, you’ve grown. Your business has evolved. Is your brand keeping up?

In this solo episode, I’m taking a step back to reflect, with four simple yet powerful questions that can help you review your brand strategy. Whether things feel a little off or you’re just due for a tune-up, this episode will help you identify where your brand may be holding you back—and how to recalibrate.

You’ll also hear about my new free guide, The Brand Review Guide for Food Business Owners, so you can take these questions even further.

✨ What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• Why even thoughtful founders lose brand clarity over time
• Four key areas of your brand to check in on at least once a year
• What to do when your messaging or visuals feel inconsistent
• A simple shift to make your brand more customer-focused
• Why sharing your strategy with your team changes the game
• How to use the free Brand Review Guide to strengthen your brand

📥 Download the Free Brand Review Guide

This self-guided tool walks you through the four questions from today’s episode, helping you reflect, realign, and identify opportunities to move forward with clarity.

👉 Visit Realfoodbrands.com and scroll down on the home page to download your guide.

Links & Resources:

✓ Ep 137. Say Less to Sell More...A Sales Tip to Use at Your Next Buyer Meeting, with my new co-host, Clint Matthews, co-founder of Start Right Foods.

✓ Ep 136. When Branding Goes Bad...Avoid this Mistake

✓ Learn more about how we can work together: realfoodbrands.com

✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands

Let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands

At some point, every business owner has a moment of reflection—is this brand ready to grow, or is it time to let go? And the reality is that you may even go back and forth on the same day, right?!

In this episode, I'm joined by my new co-host Clint Matthews, co-founder of Start Right Foods, and Jordan Buckner, founder of Foodbevy.

Jordan shares his behind-the-scenes journey of launching his first food brand, winding it down, and using those lessons to build a thriving support hub for food business founders.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

✅ How to evaluate whether your business is ready to scale—or if it’s time to pivot into a different direction

✅ Why product-market fit is essential (and what happens without it)

✅ How over-innovating can confuse customers—and what to do instead

✅ Insights about working with partners and agencies

✅ Why learning from past experience (yours or others’) can be a fast track to clarity

✅ The importance of making sure your business still aligns with your “why”

Jordan, Clint, and I talk candidly about what it means to build with purpose, simplify your strategy, and move forward with more clarity. Whether you're scaling up or wondering what’s next, this conversation is packed with insight and encouragement.

🔗 Related Resources:

• Foodbevy’s free guide to building a food & beverage brand
• Start Right Foods
• Get your free guide to avoid 4 common brand strategy mistakes (and how to fix them if you’re making them).
• Real Food Brands Brand Checkup Scorecard
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group

IG: @realfoodbrands

LI: let’s connect!

✨ Ready to see where your brand could be stronger as you get ready to scale up? Explore the Brand Review or the Brand Success System to move forward with clarity and confidence.

Let’s go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands