Nosh Staff

Anouck Gotlib, CEO of European-inspired snack brand Belgian Boys, spoke about how her background in fashion influenced the brand’s identity, the key to successful relationships with retail buyers, how Costco has become a critical partner for incubating new products, best practices for effective merchandising and how the company landed a deal with JetBlue.

Philip Teverow is the co-founder and CEO of Yolélé Foods, a mission-based brand that’s bringing African ingredients and food culture to an international audience, while providing a source of income for smallholder farmers in Africa. The company’s first ingredient platform is fonio, an ancient grain that’s gluten-free, low glycemic and cooks in five minutes.

As senior director at design and innovation firm IDEO, Meija Jacobs understands how brands work visually. But the journey toward building a brand, she said, begins with comprehending human needs — and by using the “superpower” of empathy to build products that matter. During a presentation at NOSH Live Winter 2019 in Santa Monica, Jacobs explained how IDEO uses design thinking to create “supercharged” brands.

Viraj Puri, co-founder/CEO of greenhouse innovator and fresh produce brand Gotham Greens, discussed the company’s genesis, its ambitious mission and multifaceted business model, weaving technology and human resources to reach an optimal outcome, how he defines and communicates ‘local’ as a marketing term and best practices for working with local governments and leaders.

With alternative rice brand RightRice, Keith Belling, the company’s founder and CEO (and snack brand Popchips’ co-founder and chairman) saw a fresh opportunity to shake up a center store staple. At NOSH Live Winter 2019, Belling shared tasty takeaways on moving from crunchy snacks to a better-for-you take on an ordinary pantry item — and seeing rapid first-year growth.

This week’s episode focuses on how two food companies are evolving to meet the needs of modern consumers. In our first interview, we spoke with Alden Blease and Emma Frelinghuysen, the founder and CEO, respectively, of R.E.D.D. Bar, who discussed the reasons for and execution of a rebrand and reformulation. Later, we sat down with Arnold Coombs of top-selling organic maple syrup brand Coombs Family Farms, who discussed how the company has built consumer loyalty through education about the product’s health benefits along with the development of an innovative package.

Jake Kneller is the co-founder of Sweet Nothings, a startup company offering a lineup of frozen snacks designed to be enjoyed anytime of the day. The products are crafted to be eaten like an ice cream without dairy or added sugar, and instead highlight healthy and clean ingredients such as blueberries and beets.

Sam Dennigan, founder of innovative plant-based brand Strong Roots, spoke about the company’s focus on making sustainable food that appeals to the next generation of health-conscious consumers, how thoughtfully planned demos can be the best path to trial, why Strong Roots is positioned as a “Consumer Packaged Good” and its “top down/bottom up” strategy for becoming a global brand.

Nona Lim spoke about the development of her namesake food brand and the importance of saying “no” to “top-line growth that isn’t in line with our profitability requirements.” She also discussed the ways in which she funded her upstart brand prior to accepting venture capital, how she negotiates favorable terms with suppliers and why she describes venture capital as a “double-edged sword.”

Angelina McClean is the Vice President of Wake-N-Bagel, a frozen bagel brand that’s bringing the bagel shop experience to home kitchens. The company is targeting natural food consumers and specialty shoppers that want fresh baked bagels without spending hours in the kitchen.