Food Marketing Nerds Restaurant and CPG Marketing Podcast

Today we're sitting down with Shauna Martin, the founder and CEO of Daily Greens.

Shauna started her career in corporate law, and after being diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 30's, she discovered her passion for green juice and plant-based nutrition.

Her green juice recipes had a profound impact on her own well-being, and wanting to share that benefit with the world, she set up shop at her first farmer's market. As you may have guessed by the fact that she's on this podcast, those initial batches sold pretty well, and Daily Greens became one of the companies to kick start the green juice movement. Fast forward to today, and you can find Daily Greens on the shelves of every major retailer across the country.

While dealing with everything from the ups and downs of the green juice category to competitors getting acquired by the Coca Cola's of the world, Daily Greens has managed to stay independent and remain a key player in the industry.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to scale operations when your product goes national
• What characteristics you should look for in your next hires
• And how recipe content led to Daily Greens becoming a household name

Check out Daily Greens online and on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

In this episode, we'll be chatting with Tiffany Yang, the CMO of Sweety Ice Cream. Tiffany is going to take us through how she and her cousins went from the corporate world to transforming their family's 1970's ice cream shop into a modern brand with national distribution. Tiffany has a background in strategy and consumer insights, and having been on the marketing teams for the likes of Vans, Barbie and Taco Bell, she's built a knack for brand storytelling in a way that resonates with customers and buyers alike. She's been putting those skills to work for Sweety, and in this episode, you'll hear:

• How a brand video landed Sweety a 1500 store PO from Walmart
• Why grocery store shelves and Instagram have a lot in common
• And what the most popular brands do that keeps customers coming back for more...And plenty more...

Tiffany's Recommended Read: Shoe Dogs by Phil Knight

Check out Sweety's website & Social:

• Sweety on Facebook
• Sweety on Instagram
• Sweety on Twitter

Today we're sitting down with Kerry Carlson, Founder and President of not one, but two companies: Tundalya and Coconut Cloud. Kerry has been in the industry for a majority of her career, first founding Tundalaya in 2003, which manufactures dried goods and teas for private label and foodservice companies. With the infrastructure of Tundalaya and 15 years' worth of food experience, Kerry launched her own line of plant-based coffee creamers under the Coconut Cloud brand.

And while we focus more on brand marketing in this particular episode, we'll certainly touch on Kerry's expertise in manufacturing because of the influence it had in her ability to rapidly scale Coconut Cloud. Kerry's previous experience with Tundalya helped in building a successful food brand, but she encountered plenty of challenges unique to marketing a product line which we discuss, along with how she continues to tackle those (challenges) today.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to better leverage Amazon data to inform your innovation
• What signs indicate new products are gaining traction
• How to run for food brand with a remote workforce

And a lot more...

Kerry's recommended reads:

• Inc. Magazine
• Nosh Newsletter

Coconut Cloud Social Accounts:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest

Learn more about Coconut Cloud at https://coconutcloud.net/

We have Jourdan Samel, CEO of Evo Hemp, on the show today, and we're talking about how he and his co-founder Ari built Evo Hemp from the ground up, managing to help underserved communities in the process.

Evo Hemp is a health and wellness brand that makes a number of Hemp & CBD products like nutrition bars, gummies and supplements. I guess it could certainly vary depending on where you're listening to this from, but here in Colorado, Hemp and CBD have all but broken free from their negative stigma. Not quite the case back when Jourdan and his business partner Ari first started Evo Hemp - CBD and hemp weren't just in the taboo category, but the laws were also much different, and as you'll hear more about in a minute, Evo hemp didn't just market around the regulations, they were on the front lines of helping shape the laws into what they are today.

Growing your business is tough as it is, but throw some extra red tape and regulation into the mix, and you have to get pretty innovative to accomplish what Jourdan and Ari have in Evo Hemp.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What content makes the biggest impact in converting new customers
• How to navigate social media in a heavily regulated category
• What it takes to scale your demo program

And plenty more...

Jourdan's Recommended Reads:

• The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

Learn more about EVO Hemp at evohemp.com

Social Accounts:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

In this episode, we're chatting with Simran Sablok, Global Marketing Director of the Meatless Farm Co. The Meatless Farm is based in the UK, and while they just entered the US market eight months ago, they have some big plans for expansion.

Simran's expertise is in marketing products that warrant a change in consumer behavior or mindset, ergo plant-based meat substitute. It's what she's done for the majority of her career, including nine years with Yum Brands helping launch some of their game-changing products into untapped markets. You might say that Simran specializes in helping high potential brands maximize their upside. She's now leading The Meatless Farm's growth throughout the world, by tapping into the unique cultural nuances of each market.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why a traditional media strategy won't be enough to build your brand
• What it takes to gain traction in a new market
• And how to break through when you can't outspend the competition

Links from the Interview:

• Simran's Recommended Reads
  • Pour Your Heart into It by Howard Schultz
  • The Content Formula by Michael Brenner & Liz Bedor

Connect with The Meatless Farm Co.:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

Season 2 is in full swing and we are kicking things off strong!

In today's episode, we're talking to Ariel Rubin, Director of Communications for convenience store chain, Kum & Go. With 400 locations, they may not be the biggest player in the category, but you wouldn't know that by the amount of clout they've built up as a brand. Ariel has certainly had a hand in that.

Heading up communications for a company that services hundreds of thousands of customers is no small feat. Yet, Ariel is on the front lines of the Kum & Go's Twitter, because of the upside the platform has for both PR & brand awareness.

• In today's episode, we discuss the hurdles companies need to overcome to be authentic
• what it really takes to build momentum on social media
• And why sleeping on twitter is a huge mistake

Links mentioned in the episode:

Ariel's Book Recommendation: Anti-Social by Andrew Morantz

Kum & Go Social Pages:

• Twitter: @kumandgo
• Instagram: @kumandgo
• TikTok: @realkumandgo

Connect with Ariel on Twitter: @arieljrubin

Great news folks...after a teensy, tiny-little hiatus, the Food Marketing Nerds podcast is back for Season 2, and we have some amazing guests looking to hit you with some food marketing wisdom.

Tune in 5/27/20 for a two episode launch, jam packed with marketing insights, strategies and stories from leaders in the restaurant and CPG space.

New episodes airing Wednesday mornings starting 5/27!

We've got an awesome interview lined up for you today.

I'm chatting with Nik Ingersoll, Co-Founder of Barnana. Nik is on the list of Forbes 30 Under 30 and just an all around cool dude.

Before starting Barana, Nik founded a digital agency which eventually formed into an augmented reality firm. And today, we dive into how he's leveraged creative thinking and guerrilla and social marketing tactics to grow Barnana so quickly.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How creative food startups are opening doors with big retail partners using Facebook Ads
• What it takes to pull off an attention grabbing PR stunt
• Why traditional industry thinking might stunt your company's growth

And so much more. It's a bit of a shorter episode, but it is packed with tons of unfiltered, actionable advice for food marketers.

We discuss a lot of extremely useful Facebook Ad Tactics in a short amount of time, so rather than having you pause and write down notes every couple seconds, we've compiled all the best tips into a downloadable PDF, at FoodMarketingNerds.com/facebook-ads/.

On the show today, we have Lauren Shafer of Michele's Granola, and we're talking all about social media, and how to find what works for your brand.

Michele's Granola is a fast-growing brand that makes delicious, small batch granola products you can find in stores across the country. Since joining the company, Lauren has grown into her role of marketing manager, where she leverages the social media data, to constantly improve how Michele's Granola communicates with their customers.

In the episode, you learn

• Why your current approach to Facebook and Instagram is probably too similar
• What brand partnerships can do for you on social that influencer marketing doesn't
• How to organically get more positive reviews on Amazon

And plenty more.

No LOGO: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies - Naomi Klein

To learn more about Michelle's Granola, check out their website here.

For links and show notes, visit FoodMarketingNerds.com.

Today we're chatting with Serafina Palandech of Hip Chick Farms. Serafina's company makes a line of extremely high quality organic chicken products, like nuggets and tenders, and was founded 4 and half years ago in an effort to provide healthy food to people and children on a mass scale.

From being on a reality show to selling out of inventory on QVC, her company has had amazing success and is growing like crazy.

On the show today, we discuss:

• How being on QVC works and what effect it has on your business
• What core marketing areas you should focus on to grow a cult like following
• How to use data to know when a packaging redesign might be in order

And a lot more...

Killing It: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart - Sheryl O'Loughlin