CPG Week Podcast

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 talks about how a marketing campaign to boost cereal sales might be imploding for Kellogg’s and what it means for the greater food maker’s empire as it moves into a new era as Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co. Senior reporter Brad Avery takes the temperature of the performance energy category through the most recent quarterly reports of Monster and Celsius. The team talks about two plant-based companies’ financial losses and finishes up discussing Whole Foods Market’s new smaller-footprint store concept. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Is cereal a viable option for dinner? WK Kellogg’s attempt to bring the breakfast staple to other day occasions has led to some unexpected social rancor. Senior reporter Lukas Southard explains how the recent outrage on social platforms over the “cereal for dinner” campaign is related to the first standalone earnings calls for both Kellanova and WK Kellogg. 6:20 – Senior reporter Brad Avery discusses what the most recent quarterly reports from Celsius and Monster tell us about the state of energy beverages and why workout enthusiasts are driving growth in the category. 8:20 – What’s the state of plant-based? Two of the biggest plant-based meat and beverage brands posted losses in their most recent earnings. Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous pointed out, as revenues were up for one company and stock prices soared for the other. 10:35 – The team talks about the news that Whole Foods Market is launching a smaller store concept (again). Is this a reaction to other small-footprint retailers like Foxtrot or Erewhon, or a play for juicing sales of its 365 branded products? 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: With Halloween on the horizon, this week NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne Deluca kickoff the episode discussing their favorite sweets before moving onto marshmallows with the news that confection brand Smashmallow won a $21 million verdict in a dispute with its former equipment maker. The team also discusses changes to West African food brand Yolélé’s supply chain. In our featured interview, Lukas hears from Circana’s Sally Lyons Wyatt about what is driving consumer buying behavior in the freezer aisle and subcategories seeing success. Show Highlights: 1:00 – Just in time for Halloween, the group kicks off the podcast sharing their favorite sugary treats before discussing the $21 million verdict snack brand Smashmallow was just awarded in a suit over mallow-making equipment. The NOSH team rounds out the conversation talking about Yolélé’s separation from Woodland Foods. 13:05 – Circana’s EVP & Practice Leader Sally Lyons Wyatt joins the podcast to step into the freezer aisle with fresh data and insights about consumer trends in frozen food. 19:15 – Though inflation is playing a role in purchasing decisions across the store, Wyatt says the impact is more nuanced in frozen, with supply chains and product mix also playing a role. 24:45 – Lukas and Wyatt discuss why some of the consumers purchasing frozen the most often are also over indexing in restaurant spending. 30:45 – The two finish the interview delving into strategies that brands and retailers can use to capture a larger consumer base and drive more purchases in frozen food.   “Retailers need frozen and frozen CPG needs retailers…there’s a whole host of things that natural-organic can do to find some fun ways to help consumers get speed-to-table.” -Sally Lyons Wyatt, Circana EVP & Practice Leader, Client Insights 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].

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, reporter Adrianne DeLuca and editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman waffle between the various ways gluten-free brands are cooking up new breakfast lines. They also discuss the impending auction of Cali’flour Foods and news that Perfect Day’s CPG arm has found a new home. Later, Carol sits down with Mia Medina, founder and CEO of Gather Brands, to discuss the current retail environment as well as opportunities and issues brands face as they scale distribution. Show Highlights: 01:54: Will it waffle? According to gluten-free frozen breakfast makers that answer is a definitive ‘Yes.’ The team discusses new innovation strategies Banza and Brazi Bites are testing in the breakfast set. 09:03: The frozen aisle is red hot… with deals that is. What led two entrepreneurial brands to seek new ownership? For one, it was not a matter of choice and for the other, revenue growth may have been a key reason. 18:56: How does a non-traditional broker assess potential emerging brand partners? Mia Medina shares the different levers she looks at to determine when it’s the right time to work with a startup food maker and what opportunities she sees ahead of them. 31:26: Deductions can be near-deadly to a young company and handling them in a timely fashion is an absolute necessity. Mia talks through the effective strategies she has seen in curbing chargebacks. “A lot of retailers want to be first to market with local brands, some don’t, and some actually really want to see a sales story that it’s going to move once they put it on shelf. Knowing who those ones are that want to be first to market – that’s the fun part.” – Mia Medina 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

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard air grievances about the lack of natural product emojis, run down some ice cream deals from the past week and discuss the impact of pouched products on Stonyfield’s business. Later, Carol sits down with editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman to rehash key takeaways from BevNET Live last week, including how investors are assessing growth and how brands can use their online identity to generate insights. Show Highlights: 01:26: As the NOSH team tackles its (new!) newsletter format, we all have become keenly aware how scarce natural products emojis are and plan to use this platform to change that…or at least score a pickle emoji. The team also gives the scoop on some sweet deals that were announced this week. 11:30: How have pouched yogurt products changed the trajectory of Stonyfield’s business? The answer lies in a small consumer group – think kiddie-sized – and a big investment that will expand its production facility to punch out 46 million pouches per year. 19:35: Over the past 18 months, how investors assess growth has continually evolved. Jeff explained how at BevNET Live, many investors said they no longer care for ‘growth at all cost’ mindsets and rather, value a well-maintained balance sheet. 26:28: Later, the discussion turns to the state of direct-to-consumer sales. Jeff highlights key takeaways from his talk with Nik Sharma, CEO of Sharma Brand, where a “detailed set of instructions” for developing an online presence that generates brand insights, stole the stage. “[Retailer’s] are not just looking for new products for the shelves, they’re looking for innovative products. They’re looking for products that they can debut, but – this is the big divide – they’re looking to share knowledge on how to succeed… But the basics remain… if you don’t have the ability to do the run for product – you’re not going to last very long.” -Jeff Klineman 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

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard chat about pickling and profitability before airing their opinions about the new names and structure of Kellogg Company. Later, Adrianne sits down with Marc Washington, founder and CEO of Supergut, and Greg Shearson, CEO of Cerebelly to hear why they believe the brands’ science-backed approach to functional food will be key to their longevity. Show Highlights: 01:45: Jeff shares his post-Expo concerns about how many brands approach growth and walks the team through pros and cons of profitability. Later Carol sparks widespread disgust with her idea for a new CPG pickle product. 14:23: The conversation turns to Kellogg’s plan to split the company into two separate entities and turns to debate around the best name to call those new entities. Lukas shares some strong opinions and believes simplicity, in this case, would have been key. 29:31: Marc and Greg kick off the conversation insight into the difficulties of building a science-backed CPG brand from the ground up including the role funding plays and why this isn’t an approach that can be taken in later stages of growth. 36:51: Later, the two executives delve into the role of scientific evidence in the functional food space, and lack thereof, while sharing why they believe this point of differentiation for their brands not only sets them apart, but sets them up for longer term success. “We’re taking a differentiated approach here that creates a solid stable foundation, fundamentally based in scientific evidence. Having that foundation creates a moat and lasting staying power that isn’t as susceptible to the winds of shifting consumer demand.” – Marc Washington, founder and CEO of Supergut “In this category, the retailer interest is really palpable. They see our approach as a way to grow a category that’s historically been very slow… we’re creating an opportunity [for retailers] to take that to a dramatically different level and make the center of the store a growth arena.” – Greg Shearson, CEO of Cerebelly 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

  Welcome to The NOSH Podcast The NOSH.com news team that has brought you news, analysis, events, and stories focused on the entrepreneurial food business is now going to be present in your ear on a weekly basis with the launch of our brand new NOSH Podcast. Featuring discussions of the breaking news and long term trends affecting natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food brands, as well as in-depth interviews, the NOSH Podcast will bring perspective and analysis to the business in a rapid, digestible, personable pace. Led by NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg, the podcast offers a chance for entrepreneurs and their supplier and investor universe to hear about the issues affecting their chances for growth, and the strategic and tactical options that can overcome challenges. Interviews will go beyond founder success stories and bring attention to the way current events ripple through the marketplace, the opportunities that can be generated through different sales and marketing approaches, the ways investors and retailers help build brands and the various social and economic trends that are changing the atmosphere around the CPG food business. Our first episode will be available on all of your favorite streaming platforms – and right here – on September 29, with an interview featuring leading CPG investor Kiva Dickinson. It’s a preview of the kind of work the podcast will bring – an exploration of whether investors’ unrealistic enthusiasm for the concept of D2C sales led food businesses astray, and how those brands can best use D2C tools to build strong businesses as the industry reframes that channel. In this episode: 06:55: The NOSH team talks about this week’s top stories including consolidation within an innovative meat snack category and the impact a recent court ruling for snack maker KIND could have on upcoming FDA regulations. 15:50: The D2C brand positioning, and accompanying aesthetic, have created an easy and attractive point of entry for emerging food makers, but has its value overshot the mark when longevity comes into the conversation? Dickinson believes the channel aims to solve pain points for both brands and consumers, but if not executed properly, it can often do more harm than good. 24:40: Subscription-based selling, user-friendly landing pages and continuous website evolution. These components may make D2C work for your business, but Dickinson challenges how long the runway will last and believes investors who focused solely on the channel have reached a moment of reckoning. 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