CPG Week Podcast

In this episode: On CPG Week, the podcast team explores the uphill battle for industrial hemp food and beverage brands as individual states enact restrictions, a juice category merger and the growing snack portfolio of Our Home. Before jumping into the week’s news, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous gives senior reporters Lukas Southard and Brad Avery a pumpkin spiced quiz. Then, the group discusses the implications of California’s new regulations on the hemp industry. Next, Brad explains how the merger of Perricone Farms and Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company provides synergies for both brands to grow. Finally, the podcasters take a look at Our Home’s recent additions to its portfolio and talk about why its shift into more conventional brands could be a smart move. Show Highlights: 0:30 – To pumpkin spice or not to spice? Monica tests Brad and Lukas’ pumpkin spice knowledge with a quiz about past and present CPG products that have taken on the harvest season’s favorite flavor. 3:30 – Last Friday, California became the latest state to rein in the hemp-derived cannabinoid industry by issuing an executive emergency action restricting the sale of hemp-derived food and beverage. Lukas explains how this move is different from other states’ approaches to regulation and what it means for the broader cannabis industry. 10:45 – In the juice category, two mid-sized companies have joined forces. Brad explains how the merger of Perricone Farms and Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company will bring value to both brands. 13:30 – Snack company Our Home is on a tear, acquiring Pop Secret from the Campbell Soup Company and ParmCrisps from Hain Celestial Group in about a week. The podcast team discusses how Our Home is positioning as a new snacking empire. About the CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: In a jam-packed episode, the CPG Week podcast covers a lot of ground from cannabis to kava with a healthy recap of the Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show from earlier in the week. To start, senior reporter Brad Avery explains the big news out of the cannabis industry as Curaleaf announced it was entering hemp-derived THC with edibles and beverages available in a new DTC store. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard review some of the innovative products and trends they saw in New York City this week at Summer Fancy Food. The team wraps up talking about kava beverages and why the category’s future seems to be intertwined with the slightly more controversial kratom ingredient. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Curaleaf, marijuana cultivator and dispensary company, is moving into the hemp-derived THC market by launching a new DTC website: thehempcompany.com. Not only could this shake up the regulatory environment but is a statement by a leading cannabis industry stakeholder. 3:30 – Amid the cheese and hot sauce, Monica and Lukas discuss what they saw and tasted while wandering the aisles of the Summer Fancy Food Show. Lukas talks about a brand pairing savory biscuits with adult beverages while Monica snacked on the latest entrant in the freeze-dried trend. 7:10 – The team discusses how texture and experiential snacking are driving innovation by many brands across a multitude of categories including jerky, frozen desserts, sweets and convenience meals. 13:30 – Lukas explains what he learned while reporting on the kava category and why its future as a functional, non-alcoholic alternative is linked to another mood-altering ingredient, kratom. About the CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: In this episode, the CPG Week team is joined by BevNET and Nosh Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman, who shares some insights from his trip with senior reporter Brad Avery to the Beverage Forum conference in Los Angeles this week. The two discuss celebrity beverage brands, why industry stakeholders are high on next-generation drinks and how big companies are diversifying. The group moves on to discuss how the recent news that marijuana is expected to be rescheduled by the Department of Justice could impact the cannabis industry. Later, Jeff explains what is happening at CPG credit provider Ampla and how it is impacting brands large and small. Show Highlights: 0:35 – Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous kicks off the show asking if the team would live in a Skittles-inspired micro-apartment for a year. 2:00 – Brad and Jeff share their insights on what happened at Beverage Forum this week highlighting how celebrity culture is evolving in drinks and “lessons learned” from one big producer-distributor. 6:00 – Senior reporter Lukas Southard explains the latest news out of the federal government that marijuana will be downgraded to a Schedule III drug. The team debates what this could mean for the cannabis industry in terms of regulation and opportunity. 13:15 – Jeff shares his most recent story on the troubling signals coming out of fintech consumer brand lender Ampla and his thoughts on the repercussions throughout the CPG world. About the CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Brad Avery ponder Eminem’s new CPG venture, Mom’s Spaghetti, and discuss why yet another cannabis company is switching focus to the hemp-derived THC market. Later, Adrianne chats with Scott Marcus, CEO of Blue Zones Kitchen, to learn how, alongside Vital Farms founder Matthew O’Hayer and Blue Zones Guru/National Geographic Explorer Dan Buttner, the team translated a two decade-old diet and lifestyle into a new frozen CPG food line. Show Highlights: 01:18: The NOSH team dishes out the details on Eminem’s new pasta sauce product Mom’s Spaghetti including the item’s lyrical inspiration as well as what audience and purpose we believe it may serve. 08:04: Cannabis companies are increasingly looking to hemp-derived THC as an alternate ingredient for intoxicating products. The team runs down news this week from TSUMo Snacks, the latest to throw in the towel and exit California’s difficult dispensary channel. 15:49: Where does one begin when evolving an established diet and lifestyle into a product? Scott explains why having a blueprint for creating the CPG food brand both simplified the process, and made it a riskier maneuver. 24:26: Scott discusses how his team’s experience at both large food corporations, and small, mission-driven startups informed how they approached building the business. “Having a brand established, having food guidelines, in a way makes things very easy because we have the roadmap… But [it also] creates a little bit of risk because you’re now translating a brand name that some people have known for years, and all of a sudden, we’re a CPG product on the shelf.” -Scott Marcus, CEO of Blue Zones Kitchen About The NOSH Podcast The staff of NOSH.com takes listeners inside the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food during the NOSH Podcast. Using interviews and discussion, the team illuminates the news, brands, people, trends, and money affecting the world of packaged food. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts