CPG Week Podcast

In this episode: Who doesn’t want a personal vending machine in their garage? The CPG Week talks about poppi’s recent publicity stunt and the backlash that has ensued before exploring how the CPG industry is evolving with convenience stores. A recent CoBank report highlighted how foodservice is making an impact with consumers in c-stores. The CPG Week team explores how the channel is offering fresh opportunities and new challenges to food and beverage brands. Show Highlights: 0:30 – There have been a lot of opinions about poppi’s vending machine marketing campaign that launched during the Super Bowl last weekend. The CPG Week team gives its takes. 4:15 – Senior reporter Brad Avery explains what he learned from a recent CoBank report about foodservice in the convenience channel. The group discusses how CPG brands are evolving with a shift in consumer buying behavior in the channel. 7:00 – How are next-generation brands adjusting strategy to better align with how consumers are using c-stores as food destinations as opposed to just a snack stop while filling the gas tank? 9:20 – Operating in the convenience channel is different than grocery retail. How are CPG operators prioritizing their distribution to meet a brand’s target audience? What does this mean for the larger food and beverage companies? 13:15 – The team discusses how the evolution of convenience stores towards better-for-you brands represents a recent shift in consumer behavior. About 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: On CPG Week, the podcast team talks about Keurig Dr Pepper’s (KDP) acquisition of GHOST Energy, Olipop’s sports sponsorship ambitions and a look at Whole Foods Market’s Trend Forecast. After briefly discussing Thanksgiving side dishes, the CPG Week team unpacks KDP’s nearly $1 billion deal to acquire GHOST. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard discuss how this deal could change the energy drink category and distribution partnerships. The team moves on to Olipop’s growing portfolio of sports team partnerships and how it is becoming a formula for disrupting a category. Monica wraps up the show with a brief explanation of the Whole Foods 2025 trends list. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Is lighting a candle scented as green bean casserole the best way to usher in the holiday season? The team debates Thanksgiving dishes and whether they should be part of Campbell’s new holiday-themed candle campaign. 1:45 – Brad explains why the news of KDP acquiring GHOST was somewhat surprising and how this fits into the beverage maker’s aim to build a suite of energy drinks and supplements. 4:45 – What does this deal mean for distribution in the energy category and the current appetite for bigger M&A deals? 7:30 – Prebiotic soda brand Olipop has lined up a series of sports partnerships with professional teams and in arenas and stadiums. The group discusses why these deals are becoming a common avenue for emerging brands to gain awareness while also testing the waters by going head-to-head with Big Soda strategics. 14:00 – What trends will shape 2025? Monica runs through Whole Foods Market’s list of predictions. 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: On this episode of CPG Week, the podcast team talks about “zombie brands,” a rumored mega-merger of snacks and sweets, a recap of earnings, and another lawsuit for PRIME. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard are joined by BevNET managing editor Martín Caballero in a packed episode where they talk about the idea of zombie brands and how it relates to other CPG categories (and Steven Seagal movies?). The group also discusses a rumored acquisition of Kellanova brands by Mars and what this could mean for both food companies. Afterwards, the team goes on to review recent beverage company earnings reports and yet another legal case filed against Logan Paul’s PRIME beverage company. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Nostalgia is in and the podcast hosts discuss what discontinued CPG products should make a comeback. They share their favorite long-lost items from bubbly beverages to one of the OGs of the bar category. 3:15 – After reading a recent story in Modern Retail focused on the increasing amount of “zombie brands,” the team discusses how this idea relates to alternative meats and its links to the influx of new brands that came out of the pandemic and have since stalled as investment has waned. 8:15 – What could it mean for Kellanova to be acquired by sweets maker Mars and what does this foretell for both companies? The CPG Week podcast jumps into the rumors swirling around these food giants’ possible merger. 12:30 – Marty goes over recent earnings from Celsius and BellRing Brands with a look towards how the large strategics are utilizing their distribution networks to buoy revenue. 15:00 – PRIME is in more legal hot water after beverage manufacturer Refresco filed a $67 million lawsuit alleging Logan Paul’s brand backed out of a production deal. Marty goes through this latest suit and what it could mean for others in the energy and sports drink categories. 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: Back from a long holiday weekend, the CPG Week podcast team got back to work with a quick quiz testing senior reporters Lukas Southard and Brad Avery on interesting new product launches. The team goes on to discuss the stories they wrote for the new series, Nosh Trendlines Report. The five-part series brought insight into recent developments within the CPG food industry focusing on topics like ingredients, retail distribution, operations, marketing and product categories. Show Highlights: 0:30 – The group plays a quick game of Two Truths And A Lie: CPG Week edition, where Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous questioned her co-hosts with some real and fake product launches. 2:30 – Lukas kicks off a discussion of the new Nosh Trendlines Report series with an explanation of his story focused on production. The group discusses the pros and cons of self-manufacturing and why more emerging companies seem to be taking this route. 7:00 – Brad tells the team about the story he co-wrote with editorial assistant Shauna Golden that focused on the trend of healthspan versus lifespan. 10:00 – In Monica’s Trendlines story, she focused on how natural food brands are moving away from using seed oils and marketing their products around “healthier” oils derived from avocados or olives. 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: The CPG Week team dives into the sudden closure of Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market stores. The group digs into this developing story, discussing possible factors of why Outfox Hospitality failed and ceased operations so quickly. The Nosh and BevNET editorial team unpacks what they know so far, what this means for the brands that sprung out of Foxtrot and Dom’s into wider distribution and hypothesizes on how this will be felt throughout the CPG world. Later, reporter Adrianne DeLuca explains a new development in the Kroger-Albertsons merger plan and how all this grocery news relates to an uncertain future for retailers. Show Highlights: 0:35 – Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Brad Avery talk about Croc-Tail Party, the newly released Pringles-Crocs shoe collection. 1:40 – What happened at Outfox Hospitality, the umbrella organization that manages the Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market grocery chains? Senior reporter Lukas Southard explains what developed early this week and what we know so far. 4:45 – What does this mean for CPG brands that have relied on retailers like Foxtrot to break into larger distribution? The team explains how these “next-generation” grocery chains are integral to emerging food and beverage companies gaining brand recognition among consumers. 8:45 – In other retail news, Kroger and Albertsons announced a new divestiture plan in its potential multi-billion dollar merger. Reporter Adrianne DeLuca updates the group on what was proposed and why this might still not be enough to satisfy the Federal Trade Commission’s concerns. 10:15 – Adrianne goes on to explain why this all relates back to a Jefferies webinar she reported on that covered the rocky future ahead for grocery retail. 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: The Nosh and BevNET team bring on spirits editor Ferron Salniker to dive into why the adult non-alcoholic beverage category might be facing struggles as news broke that Boisson, one of the largest independent retailers of NA beverages, is closing its brick-and-mortar stores. The team talks about what this says about the category as a whole and what might come next as non-alc brands move into larger retail distribution. Later, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporters Lukas Southard and Brad Avery discuss provocative branding in energy drinks and how finding a lane in the competitive category is forcing at least one player to rebrand itself. Show Highlights: 2:00 – BevNET spirits editor Ferron Salniker joins the podcast to explain all that we know about the recent news that non-alcoholic adult beverage retailer Boisson has suddenly shuttered all its stores. 4:15 – The team discusses how the news reframes the non-alc category as the trend moves from niche to being carried among larger distributors and retail chains. 7:20 – Where does this leave the non-alc category and what does this foretell for the industry if one of its earliest adopters and largest independent retailers is having trouble? Ferron gives some insight into how the Boisson news is representative of how the category is growing as a whole. 11:15 – Lukas explains why Lucky F*ck Energy rebranding as just Lucky Energy is unsurprising but also speaks to how the attention economy and brands like Liquid Death have influenced other brands to increasingly push the envelope with edgy marketing campaigns. 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: This week, the Nosh and BevNET team discusses recent food and beverage funding news. In this capital-constrained environment, startups are tapping conventional options like investment firms as well as celebrities, consumers and distributors to rake in extra cash. Show Highlights: 0:35 – Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous shares the latest twist in the Kellogg cereal drama. HumanCo founder and CEO Jason Karp filed an activist letter urging the company to follow through with its previously stated commitment to remove artificial dyes from such brands as Froot Loops sold in the U.S. 4:15 – Senior reporter Lukas Southard discusses snack pack maker Sunnie’s unique approach to securing funding, inviting some of its consumers to participate in its recent round. 7:25 – Senior reporter Brad Avery unpacks Liquid Death’s $67 million funding round that involved some of its distributors, as well as celebrities and investment firms. 9:15 – Monica dishes details of organic baby and toddler food company Serenity Kids’ $52 million Series B funding. Brad offers perspective on how an already profitable company can benefit from such a significant cash injection. 11:10 – Monica, Brad and Lukas highlight additional brands that have recently raised money. 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