Taste Radio

Stephen Williamson, the co-founder and CEO of organic plant-based food and beverage company Forager Project, embraces a non-traditional approach to innovation. "We are great believers in 'Ready. Fire. Aim.'" he said in a recent interview included in this episode of Taste Radio. "We have tried to leverage anything where we've seen success." Launched in 2013, the San Francisco-based company has built a brand platform that extends from juices to smoothies to snacks and yogurts, all based around the principle of making great-tasting, healthy and minimally processed foods and beverages. Speaking with BevNET assistant editor Martin Caballero, Williamson and co-founder J.C. Hanley discussed how the company works to align innovation with current trends while staying true to its core mission. Williamson, who is a former chairman and CEO of Odwalla, and Hanley also spoke about their origins in the food business and why "learning from food" is a key piece of Forager's business philosophy. Also included in this episode: A conversation with Brandon Partridge, the Senior Vice President of Industry Development at American Frozen Food Institute and the founder of Ibex Yogurt, an innovative brand of organic drinkable yogurts that was discontinued in 2014. Partridge discussed learning lessons from his journey as a beverage entrepreneur and reflected on stumbling blocks and pitfalls. This week's Elevator Talk features Maggie Patton and Alex Buckley are the co-founders of Bitsy's Brainfood, an organic food company that makes allergen-friendly and vegetable-based snacks and cereals. Show notes: 1:01: Insights from Brewbound Session, NOSH Live and BevNET Live -- The hosts discuss news, trends, new products and speakers from the three conferences. Included in their banter: Novo Brazil's triumph in Brewbound Session's Startup Brewery Challenge 9; Saffron Road founder and CEO Adnan Durrani's stirring presentation at NOSH Live; the magic of oat-based granola brand Woats; the genius of Califia Farms' Greg Steltenpohl and Arnold Ventura; why new sparkling juice brand Hubble could be an Orangina-killer. 13:14: Interview: Stephen Williamson and JC Hanley, Co-Founders, Forager Project -- Forager is a maker of organic, plant-based food and beverages, including cold-pressed juice, nut milks, dairy-free yogurt and vegetable-based chips. In this interview, recorded via Skype, Williamson and Hanley discussed the company's mission and innovation philosophy, its transition from a focus on cold-pressed juice to multi-pronged portfolio of food and beverage and how "learning from food" allowed the company to leverage its expertise in cashew milk production to create a new line of dairy-free yogurts. 37:56: Interview: Brandon Partridge, Founder, Ibex -- Partridge is the founder of Ibex Yogurt, an innovative brand of organic drinkable yogurts founded in 2011 and was discontinued in 2014. In our conversation, recorded at NOSH Live Winter 2017, he discussed why the brand may have been a victim of "right place, wrong time" and the notion that young companies like Ibex often "live at the edge of success and extinction." 1:02:49: Elevator Talk: Maggie Patton & Alex Buckley, Co-Founders, Bitsy's Brainfood -- Patton and Buckley are the co-founders of Bitsy's Brainfood. Moms and former educators, the pair discussed how and why they launched the organic food company, which makes allergen-friendly and vegetable-based snacks and cereals. Brands in this episode: Novo Brazil, Honey Mama's, Woats, Califia Farms, Odwalla, San Pellegrino, Hubble, Vive Organic, Bija Bhar, Mother Beverage, GT's Kombucha, Health-Ade Kombucha, Brew Dr. Kombucha, Better Booch, Forager Project, Ibex, Bitsy Brainfood For sponsorship opportunities, feedback and suggestions, contact [email protected].

Back to the Roots, which markets indoor gardening kits and organic breakfast cereal, has come a long way. Having started out making mushrooms out of coffee waste, the company has evolved into an ambitious sustainable food brand that envisions a future when it's recognized as "The Pixar of Food." In this week's episode of Taste Radio, co-founder Nikhil Arora discussed how Back to the Roots is positioning itself to achieve that lofty goal through a consumer-centric approach to innovation and working hand-in-hand with key retailers. "People ask, 'how'd you go from mushrooms to aquaponics to cereal?' he said. "It was talking to our consumers and being able to have that opportunity. Whole Foods was a huge part of that." Ahora noted that strategic planning always starts with "what problem are you solving for consumers," and pointed to the company's indoor gardening kits as a way for urban dwellers with limited yard space to grow their own food. In CPG, Back to the Roots cereals, formulated with four ingredients or less, are designed to be healthy alternatives to sugar-laden legacy brands, while "connecting kids back to real food." Also included in this episode: an interview with Mark Young, who is the founder and CEO of BeerBoard, a beer management platform that enables breweries, restaurants and bars to make real-time marketing decisions about their beer selection. And this week's Elevator Talk features Kareem Elhamasy, the co-founder of Nitro Beverage Co., a upstart maker of nitro coffee and kombucha. Show notes: 1:00: Prepping Your Protein -- Protein is one of the hottest ingredients in food and beverage and is being marketed in a dizzying array of forms and formats. Milk-based drinks, pea-based protein powders, meat jerky, whey-infused waters, nut-based bars, whole bean snacks. We see this stuff come into the office every day; the hosts discuss how they wade through the ever-increasing options for protein consumption. 9:20: Interview: Nikhil Arora, Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Back to the Roots -- Project NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg met with Arora at the Produce Marketing Association's 2017 Fresh Summit in New Orleans for a wide-ranging conversation that includes discussion about the origins of Back to the Roots, how close relationships with Whole Foods and Amazon accelerated its development and how the company has navigated the foodservice business in NYC schools. 36:02: Interview: Mark Young, Founder/CEO, BeerBoard -- Young explained how BeerBoard improves inventory control by reducing overpours, underpours and "unauthorized comps." He noted that the company's emergence comes as the beer industry is "getting more educated about technology in ways that they can benefit from it." 1:01:56: Elevator Talk: Kareem Elhamasy, Co-Founder, Nitro Beverage Co. -- Elhamasy recently visited BevNET HQ and introduced us to Nitro Beverage Co., which he co-founded with three friends in Asbury Park, NJ. Brands in this episode: Nothing But The Fruit, OWYN, Back to The Roots, Love Beets, BeerBoard, Nitro Beverage Co. For sponsorship opportunities, feedback and suggestions, contact [email protected].