Hearts & Carts

Wandering the halls of CHFA, the guys were sent by multiple people to check out Moonshine Mama’s and their amazing founder Mel.  After trying the original Lemon Turmeric Elixir and meeting Mel, they knew she had to be on the show!  Mel gets into her personal wellness journey and how her battle with cancer drove her to find better nourishment from nature leading her to Moonshine Mama’s.

Melinda's LinkedIn

Moonshine Mamas

The majority of purchase decisions are made in a store and no one knows this better than Amanda Kenny, Founder & Chief Merchandiser at Hive Naturals.  Amanda works with some of our favourite brands and past guests – Righteous Gelato, Humble Potato Chips, Chiwis, Made with Local, Nuts for Cheese and more to ensure they win at shelf.  We discuss her career journey, the value a merchandising team provides, and how she builds win-win relationships with brands and retailers across Canada.

Amanda's LinkedIn

Hive Naturals

Justin’s old Vega colleague Lisa Schimnowsky joins the show to chat through her experience of growing Vega, moving across North America, and stepping out as an entrepreneur with L8. Lisa talks about the importance of balance, scaling slowly, and the differences between working in the USA & Canada.

Lisa's LinkedIn

L8

Justin is joined by the amazing Jeff Lahey in this special episode titled: Two Guys and a Bunch of Chips.  As the Co-Founder and COO of Humble Snacks, Jeff is uniquely positioned to know almost everything about snacks.  He dives into his exciting career journey including PepsiCo, Guru, and Skinny Pop and how that helped him create Humble Potato Chips along with past guest Alicia Lahey.

Jeff's LinkedIn

Humble Chips

A brand crush for many of our previous guests, the amazing Margaret Coons of Nuts For Cheese joins the show to chat about her journey from Chef to wildly successful CPG entrepreneur.  Margaret dives into her inspiration for the brand,  selling out her first farmers market, expanding into 4,000 stores across North America, and her 3 commitments with the brand.

Margaret's LinkedIn

Nuts For Cheese

Holistic Nutritionist turned founder, Julia Kirouac of nud fud Inc. joins the show to chat about her journey. Julia shares some of the struggles entrepreneurs face, the CPG landscape, and her mission of disrupting our food system with nutrient-dense, delicious snacks made from real food.  

Julia's LinkedIn

nud fud

Mario Massellis of Catania Worldwide sits down with the guys to discuss his career in the produce world.  Mario chats about the importance of strong relationships, being curious, the focus on quality, and why he still loves working in the industry.

The man behind the incredible Phoeapolis Organics, bringing ultra-premium organic extra virgin olive oil to every Canadian, Mokhtar Asmi joins the show.  Mokhtar chats about his experience working in tier 1 CPG with Bayer & Lactalis before his jump into entrepreneurship and what he’s learned along the way.

Phoeapolis Organics

The incomparable James Boettcher joins the show to talk about his childhood journey that led him to the un-freakin-believably delicious Righteous Gelato.  James spends time discussing how the challenges and obstacles throughout his journey made Righteous the business it is today and changed his perspective on leadership.

Bonus – Alex has some big news to share in the intro!

James' LinkedIn

Righteous Gelato

Are you familiar with millets? You should be.  One of our faves from CHFA West: the incredible Sujala Balaji, Founder & CEO of Rainfed Foods joins the show to tell us all about Millets, her exciting career journey, and her approach to sustainability.

Sujala's LinkedIn

Rainfed Foods