Food Leaders Podcast

As restaurants and bars prepare to re-open after the coronavirus pandemic halted normal business, easing customers’ fears and optimizing the dining experience is front of mind. But instead of working to provide superior customer service, one thought leader says they should, instead, focus on customer tolerance.

That’s the advice from Marc Gordon, The Customer Experience Expert, an internationally recognized speaker in the field of customer experience. Though Gordon has helped businesses in a variety of fields, he has some specific tips for how those in the food industry can support their customers during this tumultuous time.

Increasingly, manufacturers are relying on data to ensure they’re satisfying what their customers want and keeping their trust. And companies like Signals Analytics are there to help.

In this podcast episode, Rigo Viezca, Head of Global Solutions for Signals Analytics, explains the roots of the “clean label” revolution, and dives into how his company helps brands make smart decisions to stay on top of that trend.

It's difficult to maintain a schedule that consistently allows for three square meals each day. Between running errands, taking calls, and sitting through meetings, consumers are increasingly relying on snacks to fuel them through a packed itinerary. In light of this trend, many companies are focusing on creating healthy and protein-packed products to conveniently grab when hunger strikes. 

In this podcast episode, Livio Bisterzo, Founder and CEO of Hippeas, shares how millennial snacking habits are driving the company’s product development and advertising strategies. He says the company seeks to “build a world around our consumers” in order to grow the brand into a multifaceted platform for healthy snacking.

The restaurant and hospitality industry is grappling with a rapid evolution in awareness and technology when it comes to the preparation, creation, and consumption of food. Foodable’s new podcast, Food Leaders, aims to highlight some of the innovative companies, operators, and executives adapting to these changes on a global scale.

In this episode, acclaimed chef and restaurant owner John Koch offers a deep dive into expected food and beverage trends in 2020 and explores the average consumer’s evolving relationship with food. Koch is the vice president of culinary sales for Lyons Magnus, a prominent producer and marketer in the foodservice industry.

In this episode, Volpi Foods president and chief executive officer Lorenza Pasetti explores the company’s background, current industry trends, and her commitment to sustainable practices. Volpi Foods is a family-owned and operated craft charcuterie producer, and has been in existence for over 115 years.

Consumers today are constantly evolving in terms of how and where they want to engage with food. The Food Leaders podcast aims to highlight the innovative companies that are working to meet those changing needs while simultaneously exploring how to improve the food system on a global scale.

The podcast’s opening episode features Todd Michael, the director of sales for the food service division of Knouse Foods. With 150 growers, six processing plants in two states, and over fifty years of service, Knouse Foods is a grower-owned co-op that prioritizes high quality, nutritious ingredients. Some of the brands that have partnered with the co-op include household names like Musselman’s and Lucky Leaf.

“We’ve looked at trends in data as well as our customer needs and wants, and we wanted to look at what the future could hold as far as apple butter and unique flavors,” says Michael. “We’re beyond the millennials. We’re tapping into the future generation as well as the current base.”

Knouse Foods is adding a number of new flavors to its product line, and the company has a particularly unique approach when it comes to crafting and understanding apple butter. “Apple butter is made by slow simmering of our grower apples, and we add a little sugar and spice to it,” says Michael. “It’s more than just a spread—it’s also a delicious and versatile ingredient.”

While Knouse Foods is tapping into current trends, Michael advises new or emerging businesses to be careful about investing in a recently popular concept or type of product. Trends can transform into a forgotten fad in the span of a year, and product development typically requires nine to eighteen months before launch. Gather as much market data as possible regarding packaging, flavors, and consumer wants and needs first.

“We want to yield the best results for our growers,” adds Michael. “We’re successful on our side, and they’re successful on their side. That’s our largest differentiators from our competitors.”

This episode is sponsored by IFMA. Check out the podcast above to learn more about the company’s conservation efforts, multimillion water treatment facility, and its solar power innovations in Pennsylvania!