CPG Week Podcast

In this episode: Remember the U.S. craft distillers’ consternation over a potential trade war? The CPG Week team is joined by BevNET Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman to understand how tariffs are impacting nearly all of the CPG industry after a whirlwind Monday paused the 25% import taxes on Mexican and Canadian products. After a quick discussion about Super Bowl food and beverage choices, the group unravels how CPG brands from spirits to food makers to contract manufacturers are preparing for an uncertain future. Show Highlights: 0:30 – This Sunday marks the annual February tradition of drinking beer and eating Buffalo wings while watching advertisements and famous musicians perform in the middle of a field (plus a bit of football). The group discusses whether they will be noshing on Kansas City BBQ or Philly cheesesteaks during the Super Bowl. 4:20 – Jeff explains why tariffs are an especially important topic for many U.S. CPG brands. He explains that it is not just concerning from a cost perspective but also impacts the long-term sales of American products abroad. 7:30 – It goes deeper than raw ingredient sourcing for many brands but reverberates in other aspects of manufacturing like the equipment and machine parts that U.S. suppliers buy from China, Mexico and Canada. 9:30 – Brad talks about how potential tariffs could impact U.S. producers with aluminum pricing which is largely sourced from China and Canada. 11:00 – How are international brands reacting to the looming trade war? Some Canadian startups are weighing moving operations to the U.S. Jeff shares insights from supply chain experts about how brands can adapt to a fluid import environment. 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: It’s likely not news to anyone who has bought groceries in the last two years that food costs are up. Due to environmental issues, supply chain challenges, tariffs and demand, eggs have become a quintessential example of why costs at the checkout will likely continue to be higher than most consumers would prefer. Household staples like eggs, cocoa and coffee are quickly turning into nonessentials for many grocery shoppers as inflation continues to plague the industry. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Do sour candy and pickles mix? Monica asks the team if they would “chew or spew” Van Holten’s expanded LTO partnership with Warheads candy. 3:15 – Why are eggs so expensive these days and how is it reflective of the broader topic of grocery inflation? The team dives into why eggs might be expensive forever. 6:30 – How will the high cost of eggs and other household staples cause ripple effects throughout consumer buying behavior? The podcasters explain why prices won’t likely fall but might stabilize. 10:00 – It’s not just eggs that have been on an expensive rollercoaster ride. Coffee, cocoa and many other commodity shortages are impacting how CPG brands and consumers are adjusting to dynamic prices. 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

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and the founder and CEO of Zack’s Mighty, Zack Gazzaniga, dive right into a corny discussion on the origins of the brand, and the special corn variety behind its unique taste and texture. The duo grind through the brand’s supply chain journey and how different audiences respond to the details of that sourcing story. Show Highlights: 02:03: Building a tortilla chip that doesn’t break in guac starts with good corn. For Zack’s Mighty, that pursuit of the perfect corn had its founder venturing to different continents and through the 10,000 year history of the iconic cobs. 14:12: Growing a brand with a complex supply chain sometimes requires compromises. Zack talks through the choices he had to make and why these decisions have ultimately allowed the brand to scale. 15:49: How did consumers respond to the brand’s corn history lesson? Zack explains how the brand narrowed in on its best selling feature and dialed in its marketing messaging. 22:46: Profitability remains key and Zack explains why different steps along the company’s supply chain appealed to investors. “If something is easy to make, then it’s probably not that special. When something is hard, it just means that there’s not an existing supply chain for that and I think that can help you be unique.” -Zack Gazzaniga 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

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].

This week on the NOSH Podcast, NOSH editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman, editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard give their hot takes on club store purchases and how better-for-you brands are strategically “dipping” into conventional to reach more consumers. In this week’s interview, Red’s Natural Foods CEO and founder Michael Adair shares the lessons he has gathered while operating the frozen snack and breakfast food brand for 14 years and how the clean label brand has found success sitting next to conventional products in the freezer case. In this episode: 1:10 – The NOSH Podcast team discusses their opinions of club store shopping and some of their favorite products to grab in bulk. 7:55 – Are natural food brands seeing results from positioning themselves among conventional competitors? The NOSHers explore some brands that have tried the strategy. Jeff cautions that the strategy might not be as “conventional” as it seems. 15:45 – Red’s founder Mike Adair joins the NOSH podcast to talk about his journey in frozen and how he found that patience was his best weapon in building the clean label brand. 20:30 – Self-manufacturing might help a brand control its production and supply chain more efficiently but it comes with a number of other issues that co-packed brands don’t have to worry about. Adair discusses how Red’s move into self-manufacturing opened up new doors (and investment) but was not always the easiest road. 28:05 – It might not always be up to a brand but where on the shelf but which products a brand is placed next to can make a big difference in sales. Adair talks about what Red’s has learned about placement in the frozen category. “One of the things that we’re not afraid of is failing. The minute that you become too conservative in your innovation and the lanes in which you play, you can become stale pretty fast.” -Mike Adair, Red’s Natural Foods CEO and founder 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, reporter Adrianne DeLuca and editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman drum up some girl dinner alternatives and run down recent legislative and M&A news from the plant-based sector. Later, Adrianne chats with Tony’s Chocolonely Mission Guardian Anne-Wil Dijkstra about why the company put a new corporate structure in place to protect its mission. Dijkstra also provides advice about how emerging impact-driven brands can take steps to secure the success of their own mission. Show Highlights: 01:05: Girl Dinner or Dad Bod Dinner? Hear the NOSH team’s take on the new TikTok trend, how it is showing up on e-commerce platforms and the opportunities they see for CPG brands to latch onto. 07:33: Between the introduction of the PLANT Act to Congress and the sale of Alpha Foods, plant-based industry news has been plentiful this week. The team runs through some highlights of the new legislation and key details about Alpha’s sale. 18:19: It’s been two months since Tony’s Chocolonely implemented an independent, legally binding corporate structure to protect its mission to improve the cocoa supply chain. Anne-Wil explains the motivation behind that effort and how it will evolve as Tony scales its impact. 28:16: Open-sourced processes and ideas are also at the heart of the chocolate maker’s mission. Listen in to hear Anne-Wil’s take on when emerging brands should look to lock in their impact goals and why she believes they can do so even with limited resources. “You need growth to inspire others – for that you need to have a commercially successful business case. It doesn’t have to be “or”… Money is a means to go towards your vision. We need a world with profitable organizations that have a positive impact. That’s how we change the world for the better.” -Anne-Wil Dijkstra 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

NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne DeLuca discussed what they saw, heard and tasted at Expo West 2023. The team talks about how the news of Silicon Valley Bank’s meltdown was received on the convention floor Friday and Saturday, how acquisitions announced during the event reflected broader trends in food and beverage manufacturing and the increasing desire by some brands to vertically integrate their supply chains. In this episode: 1:05 – Adrianne tells Carol and Lukas about all the kelp and millet brands she talked to Expo. 2:50 – The team discusses how SVB’s sudden dissolution impacts the CPG food space and insights on how this may impact the industry longer term. 6:20 – Carol, Adrianne and Lukas talk about how the various acquisitions and strategic shifts announced at Expo West speak to broader trends in the industry. 11:15 – The team discusses how supply chains continue to be a topic of conversation among food producers. They then explore how nut suppliers are using their strengths in vertical integration to launch new, branded, packaged food products. 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