Healthy Hustle Spotlight

Luca Alessandrini left a six-year finance career to build Casa Virgin, an Italian drizzling oil brand rooted in his family's olive groves outside Florence. In this episode, he shares how he repositioned olive oil from a cooking fat to a table condiment, why leading with use case over quality changed everything with retail buyers, and how Casa Virgin has scaled to 200+ independent stores through self-distribution, intentional market focus, and a first outside raise after a year of bootstrapped growth.

In this episode, Liz Gabriel breaks down why brand is so much more than a visual identity: it's a decision-making lens that should inform hiring, culture, financial planning, and everything in between. She introduces the concept of story stewardship, explains the difference between brand evolution and shiny object syndrome, and shares what she looks for as an angel investor evaluating early-stage companies. Liz also makes the case for moving away from hustle culture toward a more intentional, regenerative approach to building, and why the brands that take that path are often the ones that last.

Ariel Altman, co-founder of Figa Foods, joins us to share how a love of travel, health, and dark chocolate led her to cupuaçu — a Brazilian superfruit that's been hiding in plain sight. She walks us through the origin story of Figa Foods, the R&D process of making cupuaçu taste as good as chocolate, and why she's focused on building an entirely new category rather than positioning against one. We also get into sourcing directly from small family farms in Brazil, navigating sustainability without certifications, and how she and her husband are building the brand while both working full time.

In this episode, Crystal Manuel shares how a health crisis on her Montana farm led her to convert to regenerative organic farming, and how those convictions eventually became Gruff Grains. We dig into why most Americans are eating grains in a form their bodies were never meant to digest, what it actually costs to bring a regenerative certified product to market, and the hard lessons of landing on Erewhon shelves before your marketing infrastructure is ready. A candid conversation about people over profit, the gap between early traction and sustainable growth, and what it really takes to build a mission-driven food brand.

Brian Folmer, founder of FirstLook and FirstLook Ventures, shares how his unique investor box model is changing the way Angels and VCs discover and evaluate early-stage consumer brands. He breaks down what he looks for in founders, how to think about valuation strategy at the pre-seed and seed stage, and where he sees the biggest opportunities in consumer products today — from better-for-you brands crossing over to middle America to the untapped potential of AI in CPG.

In this episode, we sit down with Meredith Mills-Merritt, Founder of The Original Southside, to unpack her journey building a premium ready-to-drink cocktail brand. They discuss what it takes to stand out in a legacy alcohol industry, why transparency and ingredient quality matter more than ever, and how marketing in this category is shifting from digital to real-world experiences. Meredith also shares the realities of scaling an RTD brand, navigating regulation, and building as a female founder in a traditionally male-dominated space.

What if the future of food starts beneath our feet? In this episode, host Ariana Korman sits down with Joni Kindwall-Moore, founder and CEO of The Ryzosphere and Snacktivist, to explore the surprising connections between soil health, human health, and the future of CPG food systems. From AI-powered supply chain innovation to community-driven food ecosystems, Joni shares how regenerative agriculture and technology are reshaping the way food is grown, distributed, and consumed. Whether you're a founder, brand, or investor in the food and beverage space, this conversation will change the way you think about what's on the shelf and what's in the ground.

In this episode, we sits down with Mayur Aras, Founder of Lucinda Capital, to discuss how an operator’s background creates a true edge in venture investing — and why backing underrepresented founders is both a strategic opportunity and a necessary shift in CPG. Drawing from his experience inside the industry, Mayur shares how empathy, discipline, and moving beyond traditional pattern recognition shape his investment thesis, why legacy categories are ripe for reinvention, and what he’s building as he backs the next generation of overlooked founders.

Charbel Mawad, founder of Projo, shares how a personal mission to create a better coffee alternative turned into a fast-growing functional beverage brand. We discuss the challenges of formulation, the power of early consumer feedback, the expansion to stick packs to balance product and scalability, and what it takes to build trust in a crowded beverage market. A candid conversation on product iteration, distribution strategy, and defining success as a founder in CPG.

In this episode, we sit down with Max Luthy, founder of Plink!, to unpack his journey from trend forecasting to building a modern hydration brand. Max shares what it takes to turn insights into execution in CPG, including the humbling realities of operations, unlearning assumptions about consumer behavior, and knowing when a trend is ready to become a product.

They explore the evolution of hydration as a daily consumer ritual, why utility ultimately drives purchase decisions, and how Plink! has positioned itself as an omni-category product—showing up across hydration, health, and beauty. Max also reflects on balancing sustainability with market needs, testing differentiation early, and the role of community and resources in scaling a CPG brand.

Use code HUSTLE20 for 20% off Plink's online store!