In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss the latest executive shakeups at a few major F&B brands.

How does one ride the skate ramp in CPG? Dr. James Richardson, author of Ramping Your Brand and owner of Premium Growth Solutions, shares some of the pitfalls many early-stage CPG brands make, and highlights some of the pathways to success.

More About Dr. James Richardson:

Dr. Richardson is the founder of Premium Growth Solutions, a strategic planning consultancy for emerging consumer packaged goods brands. As a professionally trained cultural anthropologist turned business strategist, he has helped over 150 CPG brands with their strategic planning, including: Dude Wipes, Once Upon a Farm, Dr. Squatch Soap, Trü Frü, Earth Breeze, Dr. Bronner’s, Happy Egg, Made Good and many others.

James also hosts his own business podcast —Startup Confidential —on YouTube, Apple, Spotify and most major podcast platforms. And he writes a Substack publication on contemporary social issues — Homo Imaginari — every week. He lives in sunny Tucson, AZ with his family and dogs.

His thoughts have appeared in Inc Magazine, Business Insider, Food Business News, and numerous business podcasts.

Premium Growth Solutions Website: https://www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com/

Services: https://www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com/services/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/premiumgrowthsolutions/#

Riding the Ramp The Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ramping-Your-Brand-Killer-Growth-ebook/dp/B0DT2M873N

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the current state of the U.S. consumer.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine McDonald's eye-opening Q4 sales decline in the U.S.

This Episode is Sponsored By: Tibersoft

When it comes to data in the food-away-from home sector, what are the major challenges and opportunities companies are facing today? Tibersoft’s Chris Hart joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss how collaboration and data interoperability will be a key theme for the foodservice sector in the years to come.

More About Chris Hart:

Chris Hart is the President of Tibersoft, where he has been a key leader since 1998. With a deep passion for the foodservice industry that began with his first job, Chris has been instrumental in driving Tibersoft’s growth from a startup to an industry leader. A visionary in product development and technology, he has played a central role in creating innovative solutions tailored to the foodservice supply chain.

More About Tibersoft:

Tibersoft’s industry-leading foodservice optimization performance (FPO) software solutions deliver actionable insights for growth. Tibersoft provides transaction-verified, location-level visibility into foodservice data, allowing manufacturers to make strategic decisions that drive sales and improve profitability. To learn more about this Food Institute Member, please get in touch with Tibersoft at Contact Us - Tibersoft: https://www.tibersoft.com/contact-us/

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the growing appeal of "Galentine's Day" and the lucrative opportunity it presents for restaurants.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine Starbucks' latest plans under CEO Brian Niccol.

Amid inflation, restaurants need to get more creative to help bring customers through the door. What exactly can they do to improve traffic? André Moraes of PepsiCo Digital Lab shares how experiences, microinfluencers, and the Local Eats program can help propel restaurants in 2025.

More About André Moraes:

André leads Digital Marketing in PepsiCo’s Global Away from Home division, across all beverage, snack, and food brands. Prior to joining PepsiCo, André worked at both the tech and agency sides of the marketing world - leading consumer strategy and marketing intelligence at Google within the CPG food and beverage sector, as well as heading up some of OMD’s global Marketing Sciences efforts. André is also an Adjunct Professor at NYU where he teaches Marketing Analytics to students in the Integrated Marketing masters program. He holds a BS in Finance from Fairfield University, an MS in Digital Marketing from Full Sail University, and is a Fulbright Scholar.  

More About PepsiCo:

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

Visit the PepsiCo Foodservice (now known as Away from Home) LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pepsico-foodservice-/

More About PepsiCo Digital Lab:

The PepsiCo AwayFromHome Digital Lab is a first-of-its-kind group built to connect foodservice operators with exclusive PepsiCo solutions and services as well as the companies, services, insights, and solutions best suited for their specific digital growth needs. Powered by extensive proprietary and partner solutions, the Digital Lab is the first offering of its kind from a foodservice manufacturer directly helping operators of all sizes drive traffic, build check size, and develop their digital business – serving everyone from local single location restaurants, to the largest global QSRs.

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In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we take a closer look at the recent bird flu outbreak in Georgia that could impact international trade.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the possible sale of the popular Crumbl cookie chain.