Future Food Cast

We talk with Al Liu, Vice President of Coffee at Colectivo Coffee Roasters, about production, traceability, and building customer connections in this episode. Colectivo Coffee has been roasting coffee for almost thirty years and specializes in specialty coffee roasters. They presently have 20 retail outlets and a variety of wholesale clientele that range from local cafés that do not roast their own coffee to large-scale store chains. We discussed having a production section that roasts five days a week and a café where people can come in and see what's happening. Al talks about consumer experiences and how the coffee business is built on relationships between growers, importers, and farmers. He talks about coffee belts and has gone to places where coffee is grown. He discussed numerous coffee bean varieties as well as processing processes. We discuss consumer perceptions and current coffee business developments.

In this episode, we talk with Einav Gefen, Senior Vice President - Chef| Innovator of Restaurant Associates, on sustainable methods for food waste reduction and innovations in the food service industry. Eiven highlighted how they focus on healthier eating to prevent food waste and how they can reuse it in dining. She goes into depth about how they work with businesses and institutions to invest in the quality of food and make the most of healthy food in innovative ways by maximizing food usage and minimizing waste in the backend. She also discusses how they are working to reduce the use of animal protein. She emphasizes the importance of sustainability and delivering nutritious meals to people without harming the planet. Eivan discusses the culture of caring, which involves not just the clients but also the individuals they feed. She discussed training efforts and opportunities. She outlines how digitalization and technology are gaining traction in the food sector, with a focus on food waste reduction, and how consumers want to understand more about the food they eat.

In this episode, Nathanael Hausmann, President of Laderach North America, discusses how they are expanding the fresh premium Swiss chocolate and ongoing retail expansion in North America. He mentions Laderach as the largest premium chocolate store in Switzerland and one of the largest in the United States. He gave a brief history of Laderach, a third-generation family-owned business best renowned for fresh and seasonal chocolates. Laderach has built 40 outlets in the United States in less than two and a half years and continues to grow in the industry. He discusses the lessons they learned when they expanded to the US market, their challenges, and how they worked to expand Laderach. He delves into depth on embracing responsibility, market availability, and organizational adaptation. He highlights four or five private lessons learned in growing into a new market, learning in it, and how to be successful in most of it during a pandemic, as well as in establishing a brand. He briefly discusses consumer and industry trends, as well as how consumers are concerned about understanding where their food originates from. He also discusses the importance of store experience in retail and how they strive to maintain customer loyalty.

In this episode, Deep Silver, Senior Director of Marketing and Product Development at Boskovich Farms Inc, discusses how they innovate and sustainably produce their fresh produce. She discusses the history of Boskovich Farms and how the company is expanding in the fresh produce market. She talked about Fresh Prep, the company's processing arm that grows, prepares, packs, and delivers green onions, cilantro, radishes, and other produce. She talked about how compostable packaging in products helps to reduce food waste while retaining quality and freshness. She discusses the products in the pipeline and how they are innovating in the plant-based food industry. She discussed the consumer perspective and how trends influence the food business. She also mentions Green Fork, a firm that offers salad kits, mixes, and delicate leaves in totally compostable packaging. She adds that they will soon launch Fair Earth Lines, certified CCOF, farmed organically, and feature chef-driven recipes.

We speak with Demir Vangelov, CEO of Soylent, about plant-based nutrition and how the sustainability of their products benefits consumers in the modern era. Soylent began in 2013 when an innovative foodtech company began producing powders that provide complete nutrition. We discuss how technology is essential for achieving exceptional taste in their products. He spoke briefly about the nutritional advantages of soy products over animal-based products. We go through consumer lifestyle trends in depth and how nutrition plays a key role in health. He discussed how Soylent focuses on supply chain and competitive pricing to deliver consumers comprehensive nutrition and product accessibility. He explained the four Soylent concepts in detail: nutrition, innovation, sustainability, and affordability. He discusses the importance of sustainability and the environmental impacts of animal diets, as well as how Soylent is striving to help the planet.

He spoke briefly on product sourcing and how animal products are being replaced by plant-based foods, as well as significant food industry trends. He also mentioned that their focus was not just on creating the product, but also designing a food system that could feed the planet.

Hauke Feddersen, VP- of Operations at PreciTaste, talks about how their disruptive technology is creating change in the food service industry. He provided some context and explained how PreciTaste is an emerging tech business focusing on the future of food, how they differ, and how they integrate visual AI to improve restaurant customer experience. He talks about how they automate operations in modern kitchens and how they optimize artificial intelligence. He briefly overviewed the three solutions they provide in quick service and fast food restaurants. We talk about labor challenges and how economies can scale with the help of artificial intelligence. He explains the market trends, how they optimize in the professional kitchen, and how technology helps teams perform a better job.

In this episode, we speak with Maria Frank, Marketing Director of Baton Rouge's Grillhouse and Bar, about the importance of food quality and how the restaurant is refining their services and creating a stellar guest experience. She discussed Baton Rouge has a presence in 28 locations and how they are developing, as well as how their core cuisine is known for ribs, signature barbeque, and pork ribs, which reflect their sales mix. We also discussed how they handled challenges during the pandemic and worked on marketing strategies on social media and built relationships with their customers. She discussed supply chain concerns and how to collaborate with suppliers to sustain an additional increase in supply chain staffing. We spoke about how they attempt to establish brand loyalty and retain it through marketing campaigns. She also discusses how the company helps its employees and franchisees.

In today's episode, we chat with Jean Sebastien Crevier, Senior Director of Digital Marketing and Growth at WeCook, about the latest innovations and unique marketing strategies and how their meal delivery platform is providing nutritious meals to consumers. He explained the company's founding concept and how it began with the food delivery service. He offered brief insights on obtaining fresh meals and locating ingredients for cooking. We discussed the difficulties they encountered and how they worked on their prediction algorithms and menus. He also discussed why data monitoring is vital in corporate marketing and branding, and how it has helped their teams function more effectively. He also spoke about data optimization and how they create fresh, nutritious, and delicious meals. We also spoke about the compelling marketing mix, which is built on two things and aids in promotional efforts for their meal delivery services.

In today's episode, we speak with Axel Lundstrom, Vice President of Indirect Procurement at Danone. He discusses what indirect procurement is and does not go into the product, including services purchased around the company and parts that go into making products, such as logistics, manufacturing, transportation, marketing plans, HR, and warehousing. We talked about supply chain procurement and how they make things available on the shelf. We discussed how they embrace digital technologies and automate logistics and shipping interactions with carriers. He also gave ideas on procurement solutions for seamless product acquisition and installed B1 to track the progress of their job. He spoke briefly about logistics and offered information about a wide range of products and how they operate on their divisions in dairy and plant-based products, water, and medical nutrition. We discussed how they are moving toward sustainability and aiming B-Corp certification. We discussed his team's work in indirect procurement and how they support ESG initiatives to ensure their suppliers have a sustainable business model.

In this episode, Alfred Scoglio, Founder of ALSCO Food Check Group, discusses the importance of food safety and how they provide a comprehensive plan in the food industry. He explained how they ensure food safety at supermarkets and restaurants, as well as suppliers and farms. We discussed the food code, which focuses on the causes of foodborne illness. We went through the regulations and compliances in great detail. He expressed his thoughts on how to assure food quality and safety in eateries. We went over the federal food code and the certificates that are necessary for great detail. He gave a quick overview of the food management certification programs, including training, tests, food allergens, and food handlers. He discussed the various food precautionary measures that restaurants and consumers can take at home.