Gian-Mikel Facenda is the Founder of Root2Sales, a company that helps emerging food and beverage brands scale their sales and retail presence. With deep experience in CPG, he works closely with brands to navigate distribution, broker relationships, and go-to-market strategy. Prior to founding Root2Sales, Gian-Mikel served as Director of CPG Business Intelligence at North Highland and Director of Business Intelligence & Strategic Insights at Sano Sano Growth & Innovation Partners. He specializes in helping companies build strong retail foundations and grow profitably in a changing marketplace.

Jud Horner is the President and Co-founder of Real Green Foods, Inc., a food company creating microgreen-powered salad dressings with clean, better-for-you ingredients. Real Green Foods makes fresh, vegan dressings enriched with organic microgreens and designed as a healthier alternative to traditional salad dressings. Jud is an experienced executive with a background in marketing, business development, and entrepreneurship. He brings a farmer's mindset to the brand, emphasizing simplicity, hard work, product quality, and real nutrition.

Llance Kezner is the Co-founder of Millie's Sipping Broth, a purpose-driven beverage brand making plant-based broths to support people's daily diet and wellness rituals. He is a food product innovator and multiple award winner of the Specialty Food Association's sofi™ "Silver Outstanding Product," "Gold Outstanding Product of the Year," and "Gold Outstanding Hot Beverage of the Year'' at the Fancy Food Show in New York. Llance is also the Co-founder and Owner of Keep Life Tasty, a brand that reimagines food and beverages to help people deal with stress and anxiety.

In this episode…

Wellness is expanding across everyday food and beverage products, from salad dressings to functional drinks, beyond a single aisle or category. At KeHE, that shift is showing up in real time as brands move from visibility to relationships and order writing — but what does that momentum actually look like on the show floor?

Across the show floor, the conversations point to a larger shift in food and beverage. Real Green is rethinking salad dressings with organic microgreens, seed-oil-free formulations, clean ingredients, and flavors designed to make healthier eating easier and more enjoyable. Millie's Sipping Broth offers a savory alternative to coffee, sugary drinks, and snack cravings with a plant-based broth in a tea bag that fits into wellness routines like keto, fasting, and low-calorie living. And Root2Sales highlights the importance of strong foundations, helping brands grow by connecting with retailers, building relationships, and showing up consistently in the market. Together, these stories reflect a broader movement toward wellness-driven products that are practical, flavorful, and built for real life.

On this episode of the Firebelly Social Show, Duncan Alney is at the KeHE Holiday Show for a special series of conversations with Gian-Mikel Facenda of Root2Sales, Jud Horner of Real Green, and Llance Kezner of Millie's Sipping Broth. From retail strategy and order-writing momentum to clean-label dressings and savory sipping broth, this episode explores how brands are bringing wellness, connection, and purpose to the holiday aisle.