In the Sauce

Matt Kramer is the co-founder and CEO of Sunny Fine Foods, the refrigerated condiment company he started with his wife, Nora. On this episode of ITS, Matt talks about starting with fresh tahini and expanding into dressings and drizzles, finding product-market fit, the complexities of scaling a refrigerated brand, and what retail velocity and consumer data can tell you about where to go next.

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 Sahra Nguyen is the founder and CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, the specialty Vietnamese coffee company she started in 2018. On this episode of ITS, Sahra talks about building a market for Vietnamese coffee and robusta in the U.S., working directly with farmers in Vietnam, shifting from DTC beans to retail cans, and how introducing a new product to consumers requires time and intention.

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Ben Lewis is the co-founder and CEO of Little Spoon, the baby and kids' food company he started with his wife, Angela in 2017. On this episode of In the Sauce, Ben talks about building Little Spoon DTC before moving into retail, the partnership with Target, building across different stages of childhood and the store, and what Ben has learned as both a founder and an investor in emerging consumer brands.

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Kendall Kransdorf is the founder of Cotto, a line of whipped cottage cheese dips bringing real protein and big flavor to the refrigerated dip aisle. On this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Kendall discuss turning a personal food habit into a product, the test and learn approach, and the particular challenges of building a refrigerated dairy brand.

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Elisabeth and Gina Galvin are the mother-daughter founders of Stellar Snacks. On this episode of ITS, Elisabeth, Gina, and Ali discuss how lessons from Elisabeth’s first food business shaped Stellar, what it takes to own and operate your own manufacturing, and how they’ve built a distinctive snack brand while navigating growth, retail, and working together as a family.

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Caitlin Skae is Director of Consumer Marketing at Carbone Fine Food. On this episode of ITS, Caitlin and Ali discuss how Carbone is building a grocery brand that stands on its own while drawing strength from its restaurant roots, why cultural relevance can't rely on celebrity alone, and how events, creators, and retail have become one connected marketing engine.

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Esther Levy is a food scientist, consultant, and founder of Evolve Food Consultants. On this episode of ITS, Esther and Ali discuss why food science is at the center of every successful food business, how founders can better navigate product development, manufacturing, and supply chains, and why today's conversations around GLP-1, clean labels, MAHA, and ingredient transparency are changing the way brands think about innovation and growth.

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Jennifer Barney is the founder of Barney Butter, author of the newsletter The Business of Food, and an advisor on food manufacturing and agricultural innovation. On this episode of ITS, Jennifer and Ali talk about the CPG system. what she's optimistic about, and how founders need to understand the economics of what they're building. 

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Rachel Moore is a partner at Goldilocks, and has advised brands from Brami and Laoban to Perfect Bar and Back to Nature. More recently, she and the Goldilocks team launched Plainspeak, a wellness brand designed specifically for women navigating midlife. On this episode of ITS, Rachel and Ali discuss the real meaning of brand positioning and why, done well. it's the filter for every other decision you make.

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Fred Hart is a branding consultant, creative director, and founder of Hart Brands who has helped build more than 130 consumer brands. On this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Fred talk brand, packaging, the state of CPG, and of course, Fred's takeaways from the Fancy Food Show.

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