Hearts & Carts

Sports broadcaster turned produce expert; "Rocket" Ron Lemaire joins the show to chat about his career journey. Ron helps explain some of the difficult sustainability issues we face, changing consumer dynamics and his role as President of the CPMA.

The CPMA

The Plastic Pact

Aamir Malkani of Plant Up Inc. joins the guys to chat about everything plant based. Aamir shares some great stories and insights into how entrepreneurs can get started in the space and what makes Plant Up special.

Plant Up

Justin's favourite operations person Nina Nicholls joins the show with founder and friend Jade Herrmann from Yoggu!  We dive into the creation of the incredible dairy free yogurt company inspired by France and some of the different challenges and shifts along the way with our first ever 2 guest episode.

Yoggu!

Jade's LinkedIn

Nina's LinkedIn

Today the guys connect with Andrew Russell, the Chief Growth Officer at Made with Local where we chat about how he and his wife Sheena are turning their passion for quality, farm-fresh ingredients into a thriving national snack bar brand. We learn how they've grown from a humble farmers' market stand to having bars in stores across Canada through constantly improving recipes and expanding their offerings. Andrew walks us through his career and shares Made with Local's journey - from early days partnering with social enterprises to now running their own manufacturing, and how he has moved from leading ops to steering strategy.

Andrew's LinkedIn

Made with Local

Mimmo Franzone of Longo’s joins the guys to discuss the produce world, the importance of execution (with an example from our friends at Mid-Day Squares), how brands can best partner with retailers, and changing consumer trends.  We also spend some time gushing about Justin’s favourite topic – Sneakers.

Mimmo's LinkedIn

Longos

We are excited to have our first retailer guest!  Zack Jones of Save-On-Foods joins the guys to chat about their history, what differentiates their stores, changing consumer trends, and his successful career in retail.

Zack's LinkedIn

Save-On-Foods

The guys are joined by Brian Yam - the VP of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at Blue Ocean Regulatory and host of the popular podcast Mighty Startup. Brian is an expert in navigating complex regulations and ensuring consumer safety, with a diverse background in lab research and leadership roles at great companies like Natural Factors and Vega. Brian shares what regulatory affairs & quality assurance are all about, and talks about the importance of fostering collaboration between departments to ensure compliance and consumer safety. Get ready to dive into the world of regulations and entrepreneurship with Brian!

Brian's LinkedIn

Blue Ocean Regulatory

Asha Wheeldon discusses breaking down barriers, handling push back, and changing the narrative around plant-based with her incredible brand Kula Foods.  She gets into detail on the importance of building community, being purpose driven, and understanding everyone’s food journey.

Asha's LinkedIn

Kula Foods

Former health tech professional, Sarah Goodman, discusses the inspiration behind Chiwis - the 100% natural upcycled fruit chip brand that has grown from zero to 1,800 doors in 18 months. Sarah dives into expanding into club, channel margin challenges, and the importance of packaging.

Sarah's LinkedIn

Chiwis

Come listen to the story of the start-up Steve Wozniak didn’t know he inspired! Our friend and former colleague Ransom Hawley tells us the story of his career journey and the creation of Caddle featuring Dragon’s Den, big CPG, and some amazing consumer insights.

Ransom's LinkedIn

Caddle