CPG Week Podcast

In this episode: On CPG Week, the podcast team talks about the impact of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina CPG businesses and a slate of small brands shutting down. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard are joined by reporter Adrianne DeLuca this week in a conversation that begins with a look at how businesses are picking up the pieces after hurricane season. Then, the group walks through the most recent CPG business closures before a brief discussion about how inclusive hiring practices can build stronger workforces. Show Highlights: 0:30 – The team talks about what they are excited for as they prepare for BevNET and Nosh Live in less than a month. 2:00 – It’s been about a month and half since Hurricane Helene devastated the southern Appalachia region. Learn how some CPG companies have tried to restart operations and rebuild their businesses after flooding, lack of utilities and downed trees impacted the local economy. 8:45 – Adrianne explains what happened at plant-based meat company No Evil and vertical farming operation Bowery Farms, which both announced they were closing recently. 10:30 – The closures also come as frozen treat maker Marco has shut down operations after a recall at its co-manufacturing facility created too many challenges to overcome. Monica goes on to compare these shutdowns to a recent report from SciFi Foods former founders called Graceful Exit. 13:00 – On a more positive side, Adrianne discusses her story about inclusive hiring practices implemented by some CPG companies. 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: How does artificial intelligence fit into the CPG industry? Senior reporter Brad Avery walks the podcast team through A.I.’s impact on everything in food and beverage from product ideation and formulation to streamlining operations. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous shares data on the granola segment and the CPG Week group discusses how recent product launches speak to enlivening a staple category. Lastly, the team examines the news that Suja Life has acquired the trademark for former Pepsi soda brand Slice. Show Highlights: 0:30 – After reminiscing about the ‘90s era game show “Supermarket Sweep,” Monica quizzes Brad and Lukas on CPG trivia from the show (with a little help from BevNET CMO Mike Schneider). 5:20 – Brad talks A.I. machine-learning, how it is being implemented in CPG food and beverage, and why having a human touch is still important to brand-building. 10:30 – Monica shares what she found when looking more closely at the granola category. 15:00 – The team discusses the news that Suja Life has acquired soft drink brand Slice and might be relaunching it as a new functional, gut-health soda. The group goes on to throw out some other nostalgic beverage brands they would like to see resurrected. 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

On the NOSH Podcast this week, editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Brad Avery discuss the U.S. government’s suit against Amazon, how CPG brands’ differing approaches to selling on the retail platform and dive into recent shake ups in meal kit delivery space. Carol then goes completely nuts – during a chat with Nuts.com’s new CEO PJ Oleksak and chairman Jeffrey Braverman. The trio discusses how the nut empire was built, the ever-changing landscape for an ecommerce, DTC-based company and where the brand has grown since its original offerings in B2B. In this episode: 2:00 – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon leads the team to discuss the tightrope CPG companies must walk when utilizing the platform. 10:00 – What’s the state of meal delivery kits? Adrianne walks through the roughly $130 million sale of Blue Apron to the privately-held Wonder Group and Wellfull’s approach with its relaunch of Jenny Craig. 19:00 – Chief Nut, (a.k.a. newly appointed CEO) PJ Oleksak and Chairman (Chair Nut?) Jeffrey Braverman of Nuts.com joined Carol to talk about why paying $700k for a domain was worth it in the long run. 33:00 – The two executives dive into the impact of COVID on DTC companies and how to “keep it hungry” in ecommerce through diversification. 40:00 – Nuts.com has – at times – zagged when other ecommerce brands have zigged, opting to focus its strategy on in-house marketing and operations efforts rather than selling on Amazon or tapping TikTok. “Our customers are obsessed. They’re evangelical. It’s a ‘if you know, you know’ brand but the reality is we don’t want it to be an ‘if you know’ brand. We need to invest in building the brand. ” – Nuts.com CEO PJ Oleksak “The reality is now that about 67% of product searches start on Amazon. Maybe we should be more open-minded to that.” -Nuts.com founder Jeffrey Braverman 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

This week on the NOSH Podcast, editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard talk about top trends and new tastes they are on the lookout for at the last Natural Products Expo East. The team also discusses the approaches of two new CPG-industry backed investment funds that debuted this past week. While the team travels to Philadelphia, this week we revisited a conversation from NOSH Live Winter 2022 featuring Thrive Market head of merchandising James Ren and Misfits Market senior director of grocery Brandie Miller who breaks down the unique operations of running an online grocery retail platform, merchandising tips and the role of a company mission plays in retail relationships. In this episode: 1:30 – What is The NOSH Podcast team on the lookout for at Expo East? Adrianne is looking for more ancient grain use while Lukas is still focused on the plant-based category, particularly since some brands have closed their doors or reduced workforces in recent weeks. 7:15 – How are two new venture funds approaching CPG investing? Carol dives into the details on Unfold Ventures and Humble Growth’s respective theses and one of the firm’s founding partners has retooled his strategy for food industry investing. 10:55 – Ren and Miller share their opinions about working in ecommerce grocery and the unique value propositions for the respective business models. 17:10 – The ecom retail leaders explain how their respective companies pursue their mission’s for a more sustainable grocery industry and balance that with a unique consumer shopping experience – all the while helping brands succeed on their platforms. 23:50 – How does merchandising work in a digital store? What do ecommerce grocery buyers prioritize more so than brick-and-mortar buyers f? Miller and Ren discuss how the approach often differs online than in conventional and even natural channels. “Something that makes us (Thrive Market) unique is we have a set of values that members can shop by whether thats dietary to sourcing.” -James Ren, Thrive Market head of merchandising “We’re here for when it’s not perfect and we call that a way to access lost revenue that you otherwise wouldn’t see.” -Brandie Miller, Misfits Market senior director of grocery 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