jobTopia with Tony Moore

Aquafarming is about replicating the complex ecosystem mother nature created. Get ready for a deep dive into the world of premium fish farming, and discover James Arthur, co-Founder of Seatopia, and his mission to bring the world's healthiest and cleanest fish to your doorstep. 

Seatopia DTC aquaculture

Highest-grade fish on the market

Mitigate pressure from

From 15 fish they create 1 million fish

Consumers are demanding better farming practices in aquaculture as they do in land-based farming

Do you care what your food eats? If so, you care about your seafood.

Certified mercury safe, no DDT or micro-plastics

Integrated multi-trophic environment

Does not run his own fish farm anymore

Attracting consumers

Strong lifetime value with core customers

Speak to audiences who car about their food  

Social strategy

Lunar and earth cycles

Season 3, Episode 31

Seatopia: 

• Website

Connect with James

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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Amy Closson is the CEO and founder of the amazing cupcake brand you might have seen on Cup Cake Wars. She is the #1 bakery in Austin, TX. She had also had enough after 10 years and sold the business! Baking from scratch is a grind! But that is not the end of the story. Why did she rebuy the brand in 2 years? What had she learned? How will she expand the business? Tune in to her this unusual, yet profound story. 

Unusual founder story at Cupprimo

New approach to business after her sabbatical

Open other outlets using a branding model VS franchising

$1 million in cupcake products – made from scratch each day

The front of the house and back of the house operation

Redefining busy like 4,000 cupcakes a day busy

Good ideas cause out of problem solving

New sprinkles line going into retail

Production and packaging and supply chain is relatively simple, and the margins are high

In store merchandise including a kids book series

Its tough to innovate when you are so busy in the back of the house

Foodservice operators run short of strategy time

Season 3, Episode 30:

Cupprimo:

• Website

Connect with Amy

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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Nancy Garrison, Co-Founder of Garrison Brothers Distillery joins me today from Texas to unveil her newest passion, a Bourbon Whiskey inspired for women, Honey Dew. Discover how she reaches and teaches women how to experience bourbon and GB's process for making Texas-style spirits!  Stay tuned for a live stream with Nancy and a female beekeeper.

Women have been led to believe that only some spirits are for them

Whiskey is a broad category, bourbon is a specific type of whiskey

Bourbon is the American whiskey, the highest-regulated spirit

The new oak barrel provides the bourbon with the sweetness and color

Wheat, not Rye

Add in rain collected on the farm to bring the proof down to 80

Central Texas and Burleson Honey partnership

A healthy family competition with Nancy and Dan Garrison

Cocktails? An old-fashion or add a splash of citrus but she prefers it ‘neat’

Marketing approach – starts with meeting the women in person and start the discussion

Women like to support women

Lady Bird Johnson Tribute

Community giving “good bourbon can change the world” public charity

Honeybees and the lack of women bee-keepers

https://www.instagram.com/queenbeegarrison/

Season 3, Episode 29

Garrison Brothers: 

• Website

Connect with Nancy

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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I welcome in Jason Reposa, CEO of Good Feels, a cannabis beverage brand. Jason is my first founder in this category, so he gets peppered with a round of questions from me, a novice. There were so many questions that I wanted to ask, but didn't have time, so stay tuned for a live stream on Linkedin in the coming weeks.

Cannabis regulation, so why work in this category?

High risk ~ high reward

The big moat around your product

RTD Seltzer 4 flavors +1 seasonal – treat it like a brewery.

Beverage enhancer – innovation winner

You need a low-dose product, so you feel relaxed – titration to get up to the level

Solved the control issue with the dropped

You can infuse anything that is water-based

Customer base – wellness-focused consumers: sleep, pain management, or anxiety aliments

Wholesale, DTC, B2B2C model

Its all about engagement, you have to show up and be at events – started an events newsletter

Brokerage/distribution model – self-distribution – now a new business opportunity

Sample strategy - pop-ups with un-infused beverage

Investor environment

Seat-to-sale tracking – Metrc tracks everything – seed to sale

No data insights

Programmatic VS the high cost of labor for in-store sampling

Season 3, Episode 28

Good Feels: 

• Website

Connect with Jason

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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Julie Swift, Foodservice expert and founder of Foodservice Women’s Alliance (FWA) joins me today as we discuss practical growth strategies to expand your foodservice business. Julie is well-known throughout the industry, highly respected, and owns her own consultancy. 

The pandemic created a share stealing window, brand loyalty window, and accelerated digital and social media window

What solutions can we bring to foodservice operators is the focus now and starting from this point, food manufacturers are creating strategies based on this.

How to approach leadership and have these conversations. You will uncover so many obstacles and guardrails. “We can’t do this (for the operator)” or “Jill or Joe will never go for that idea (for the operator)”.

Better to start in Foodservice or Retail?

Start in the boardroom with all the insights out in the open

The biggest competition is not “out there,” it’s on the board.

Example of how to go to market with sustainable seafood – target non-commercial.

There is no reverse for plant-based food.

Students in college give us a great window into the future.

Season 3, Episode 27

Foodservice Women’s Alliance: 

• Website

Connect with Julie

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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What is craft beef? What is the dry-aging process? Why do cattle ranchers finish with a grain diet? How do you grow and scale a beef operation? I had so many questions for Jeff Smith that he has agreed to come back for a live stream Q&A on butchering. I am excited for everyone to meet Jeff and learn about this amazing cattle farm and sample a dry-aged steak. You can seriously taste the difference! 

Colorado Craft Beef

Origin Story

1913 Cattle Ranch

Foodie insights

DTC luxury brand

Cattle on Grass, old school feed yard, horseback, cattle nutrition

21-day aged – half a steer – commercial space cannot do this – enzymatic process, not watered down taste. More earthy, nutty flavor, less water, getting a more tender flavorful piece of meat. Commercial meat can lose up to 50% yield after smoking and trimming and with CCB, yields are around 75%.

4-6 months to finish a cow with a grain finish diet and switch the flavor profile of the fat to the buttery, nutty VS wild meat flavor.

Fat Cap theory

450 lbs. finished meat per cow - roughly

½ of this burger

25-30 lbs. of ribeye

4 lbs. of flat iron

Business model

90% DTC

10% food service

Dan Hart – Restauranteur

The sales model of the food service/chef determines if CCB will be a good fit for the business

Partnering with KETO and Carnivore influencers and other brands – best marketing strategy

Frustrations with FedEx and shipping rates up 50%

How do they handle shipping into hot regions like Phoenix

They are naturally genuine and authentic ranchers and don’t have to work socials to be different

2023 plans – special announcement – TBD

600,00 cows a week are harvested in the USA

2,000,000 pigs a week

2 billion checks a year

Sirloin VS Ribeye

Season 3, Episode 26

Colorado Craft Beef: 

• Website

Connect with Jeff

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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I love talking shop with industry experts! Today I am joined by Matt Kovacks and his longtime client, Mary's Gone Crackers. The snack category is saturated, yet Mary's Gone Crackers is distributed nationally and they are now targeting new demographics and learning the best method to activate these customers. This is a must-listen. 

Origin story of Mary’s Gone Crackers

Good for you category + loads of flavor

Demographic – boomer, Gen X but now branching out to the Millennials and Gen Z

Numerator – tracks brick-and-mortar retail sales & online sales & who is buying

Marketing and Sales team makeup

Building more than a brand

Trends – good for you and new international flavors are sweets

Launching new flavors – taste testing, surveys

Rapid Fire

Season 3, Episode 26

Mary's Gone Crackers: 

• LinkedIn

Connect with Carla King

Connect with Matt Kovacs

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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Nothing tastes better than homemade from scratch! Building a business model around this concept has a unique set of challenges. Ronnie Givargis joins me to talk about his business and his future plans in Southern California. 

Scaling a “from scratch” restaurant concept

Expanding based on a community need

The biggest issue is employees and the labor force – getting and keeping them – motivation has shifted

Investing in a central location to help with some of the scratch processes

How to stay connected with the customer in the marketplace

Customers and staff are becoming friends

Vision: open up other scratch concepts all under one hub

Advice – be very well capitalized if you plan to expand to multiple locations

Develop your own managers

Expanding the concept into other scratch-made concepts like coffee and Mexican food

Season 3, Episode 25

Scratch Bakery Cafe: 

• LinkedIn

Connect with Ronnie

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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Do you feel a little guilty bringing home dinner in a mound of single-use plastic bound for the landfill? Ashleigh Ferran had a moment of inspiration and wanted to help solve the single-use plastic problem. She just didn't know she was going to start an amazing chef-inspired food business! We are glad she did because this is the definition of a win-win-win business model. Ashleigh brings her high energy to the W@W podcast today to showcase how they are solving a big social and environmental problem while building a profitable model for expansion. 

Center of the plate entre – ready to heat and serve – the customer rounds out the meal.

Advanced freezing technologies

Reusable

Foodie

She noticed legislation attempting to change consumer behaviors for plastic and she had her “Founder Conviction Moment” for circular to replace single-use packaging.

The business model – partner with restaurants and chefs to deliver ready-made entrees to the dinner table and offer a high-margin extension to the restaurant in a circular, reusable packaging.

Centralized kitchen and a partner who handles the health and safety and sanitizer.

The tipping point to scale: hub and spoke. Building customers, community, chefs, and restaurants per region with some overlap into the next hub. Tap into the hot spots of food and innovators.

In Good Company is the facilitator to help chefs expand their food and flavors across America and activate their own communities

Chefs on the platform activate their network and all the restaurants have an expanded opportunity.

Investing in the circular foundation now and is not waiting until the whole infrastructure is built

Season 3, Episode 24

In Good Company: 

• LinkedIn

Connect with Ashleigh

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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Kevin McGee's crisis management background is the perfect skillset to lead the rebranding and expansion efforts of the nationally distributed craft beer brand, Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Kevin's home base in Boonville, CA might be the coolest place on earth to drink a beer, play frisbee golf and take in some music. AVBC also is leading the way in sustainability efforts. 

35+ year old-school craft brewery

Started one of the first nano–breweries in America

Beer is a good business, recession-proof, and he and his father bought AVBC

Expert in crisis management

How they reorganized AVBC

The story behind the bear with deer antlers

Issues with the Brewery:  consumer-facing marketing was failing

Legacy brands had grown rapidly with little marketing effort without talking to the consumer

Instead of A-B testing – they physically show up in the market and understand what resonates

Has a national sales team and outsources communications, social media, and outreach

80% of sales effort should be to your distributor

Craft beer didn’t benefit from pantry loading

Trends in beer – return to beer-flavored beer & hire ABV per dollar & nonalcoholic

30-acre brewery in Anderson Valley, CA – an 18-hole disc golf course, stream, music events, outdoor stage

The solar-powered array covers 50% of needs and they are expanding to 110%.

Self-contained water cycle – 10 wells on the property

Sustainability won’t sell a product for you – comes in handy if you are high-quality or a tiebreaker

Brain fart that I didn't edit out – LOL

Other sustainability initiatives and cost savings - how do eliminate waste and expand margins

A special collaboration with Surf Rider Foundation – Coastal Ale and donating 5% of gross margin

25thBoonville Beer Festival April 29th  

Season 3, Episode 23

Anderson Valley Brewing: 

• LinkedIn

Connect with Kevin McGee

Connect with Tony

About me and my mission and the podcast:

Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to discover unique brands and learn about the people and strategies successful companies are implementing in the CPG and Food and Beverage Industry?  The brands featured here take us into the world of innovation, sustainability, good for you, lifestyle, QSR, Foodservice, Distribution, DTC, Club, and more.

I am a fun-loving business leader, podcaster, husband, dad, cyclist, and Convention of States volunteer in my spare time. My mission is to discover the people and ideas behind these different, better, and special companies. 

Entrepreneurs and CEOs, are you:

Searching for distributor or broker partners? 

Actively prospecting commercial buyers to gain more points of distribution?

Searching for the right person to add to the team?

My Direct Response Marketing Service attracts exactly what you need to help your brand thrive and grow. 

Here is a NOVEL approach to ATTRACT distributors, buyers, and people (DEMO)

Contact me: [email protected]

Follow me on LinkedIn: Different, Better, Special Brands

Join Our Community

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