Time To Grow

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Uptaste Co-Founder Adekambi Laleye to discuss their mission to disrupt the product demo space through their innovative sampling machines, as well as Adekambi's journey to entrepreneurship.

Learn more about Uptaste's mission by visiting uptaste.ca

In this episode Kyle sits down with James Tjan, Founder and CEO of Mindful Snacks; the company that's leading the health revolution and fuelling productive workplaces by offering healthy snack alternatives in company offices like LinkedIn, Salesforce, Netflix, Google and more

Scott Currie is the CEO of WakeWater Beverage Company, a brand redefining the energy drink category. WakeWater is flavoured naturally and uses green tea caffeine paired with L-Theanine to ensure consumers have long-lasting energy without the crash.

In this conversation, Scott talks about the competition WakeWater is up against in the energy drink category, how the business has evolved since it launched, what areas of the business Scott is currently focusing on, his experience at Procter and Gamble and so much more!

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-currie-2400ba1a/

Check out WakeWater: https://www.wakewater.ca/

Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-marsham-08178583/

Register for the CHFA Trade Show and Conference September 22-24, 2023 https://www.chfanow.ca/toronto/

Support Save Our Supplement here https://www.saveoursupplements.ca/

Agency: https://www.greenfreshmarketing.ca/

Toodu: https://thetoodu.com/

Aaron Skelton is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Canadian Health Food Association, Canada’s largest national trade association dedicated to the natural health and organic products industry. CHFA represents the manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, growers, and importers of natural and organic products that contributes $3.5 billion to the Canadian economy.

In this episode, Aaron talks about all things CHFA, when he joined, what he has learned since being a part of CHFA, nurturing a good company culture, qualities of a successful leader, understanding the Canadian consumer, the upcoming conference, his role leading Natural Value with Canada's largest grocery Loblaw Companies Limited and so much more. 

Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronskelton/

Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-marsham-08178583/

Register for the CHFA Trade Show and Conference September 22-24, 2023 https://www.chfanow.ca/toronto/

Support Save Our Supplement here https://www.saveoursupplements.ca/

Joining me in this episode is Ruth Elnekave, Founder and CEO of JOYÀ. JOYÀ is reimagining wellness supplements by turning them into a joyful daily ritual. Their Superblends and Functional Chocolates are created by chefs for an amazing taste that is easy to incorporate into your daily routine. JOYÀ products are expertly-formulated using 100% pure, time-tested botanicals. Ruth and her team are on a mission to help people feel and live their best so that they can do the things they love with joy, each and every day.

In this episode, Ruth talks about her career as a corporate lawyer, her personal health challenges, how she began prioritizing her health and wellness, what the inspiration for JOYÀ was, challenges from the early stages of the brand, growing the company, adapting to the changing marketing landscape, and so much more. 

Connect with Ruth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-elnekave/

Check Out JOYÀ: https://www.thejoyalife.com/

Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-marsham-08178583/

Leila Keshavjee launched Happy Pops, a brand of all-natural ice pops made with real fruit and sweetened with a hint of organic cane sugar, in 2016 after graduating with a degree from the University of Toronto. With her kinesiology education and experience as an athlete and coach, Leila was inspired to create ice pops that were both healthy and delicious as a snack on the go, post-workout, or any other moment throughout the day. Incorporating flavors from her South Asian heritage, Happy Pops are handcrafted in small batches without artificial ingredients and are sold at retail stores, farmers markets and festivals across the country.

In this episode, Leila talks about what pushed her to start a brand, the inspiration behind Happy Pops flavors, challenges building the business, the increase in women CPG leaders, how she’s executed unique elements of Happy Pops, how she has stayed connected to Happy Pops consumers throughout building the brand, mentors in her life, and so much more. 

Connect with Leila on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilakeshavjee/

Check Out Happy Pops: https://happypops.ca/pages/about

Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-marsham-08178583/

Growing up, Sasha Rajamani’s favorite snack was his mother’s recipe for “Ribbon Pakoda”; a crunchy, spicy, South Indian inspired chip mix. As he began making it himself and friends, famiy members, and colleagues wanted to buy it from him, Sasha knew there was potential to turn his favorite nostalgic snack into a business. Sasha founded Pokko in 2021 and has since grown the business to be in retailers and online. Both Pokko’s Original and Spicy chips are filled with turmeric, chickpeas, asafetida, and kashmiri chilis. Once you start eating Pokko, you won’t be able to stop! 

In this episode, Sasha shares the early days of founding Pokko, his “why” for starting the business, how being a father has changed him, advice for new entrepreneurs, how his perspective of the CPG industry has changed, and so much more. 

Connect with Sasha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-rajamani-02872618/

Check Out Pokko: http://www.pokko.ca/

Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-marsham-08178583/

In this week's episode, we are joined by Category Manager & leading trendsetter Charles Buhagiar of Metro Ontario. Metro is a Canadian food retailer operating in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.  Metro is the third largest grocer in Canada, after Loblaw Companies Limited and Sobeys. There are 365  locations in Ontario and Quebec. 

The Canadian Health Food Association and CHFA NOW is the largest health and wellness trade show for the natural products industry. Brands, brokers, retailers, distributors and service providers gather to discover brands, uncover industry insights, network, and spot new and exciting trends for the upcoming year. 

Enjoy!

Charles Linkedin 

CHFA Now 

Kyle Marsham 

Marsham Natural Products Broker 

To kick off season 2, we are joined by the Director of Grocery at Longo's, George Maia. Longo's is a chain of 36 retail supermarkets and grocery delivery service serving Southern Ontario, Canada, controlled by Sobeys parent Empire Company in partnership with the founding Longo family. Its corporate office is located in Vaughan and operates locations mainly in the Greater Toronto Area.

George has been in the industry for many years. He started his career at Sobeys, then moved to Longo's as a category manager, then he managed their grocery gateway business in the midst of COVID-19, and now he is the Director of Grocery, Diary & Frozen, overseeing the responsibilities of the category management team. 

In this episode, George gives us insights into the retailer's perspective during the pandemic, what it takes to win with a category manager and execute a successful sales meeting, the importance of tailoring your strategy to meet the demands of an omnichannel consumer, and so much more. 

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Produced by GreenFresh Media

In this week’s episode, Kyle is joined by Lauren Bensadoun, co-founder of BUZZD Nutrition. Lauren and her partner Alex saw a gap in the market and created a superfood coffee creamer, leading them to building the BUZZD together. Throughout this episode, Lauren talks about how BUZZD came to be, the highs and lows she’s experienced as an entrepreneur, what she’s learned along the way, her experience running a business with a partner, and so much more. Lauren’s journey building BUZZD is one that all entrepreneurs can learn from, enjoy! Shop BUZZD Products Follow Lauren on LinkedIn  Follow BUZZD on Instagram Follow Lauren on Instagram Kyle Marsham’s Instagram Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review! Produced by GreenFresh Media.

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Produced by GreenFresh Media