CPG Week Podcast

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and reporter Adrianne DeLuca discuss the state of online subscription businesses as well as some recent snack deals. The team is then joined by another NOSH editorial team member, Shauna Golden, to help highlight key themes from a recent seminar hosted by Natural Products Consulting. Later, we hear from Andy Whitman, Managing Partner of Loft Growth Partners about the current investment landscape and what to keep in mind when pitching investors for your next raise. Show Highlights: 01:34: The NOSH team discusses Blue Apron’s cash flow and funding issues, the state of Nestle’s Freshly business and why recent reports indicate the pandemic-induced subscription service boom may be declining. Carol and Jeff also discuss some recent notable deals in the snack space. 09:28 The discussion then turns to a recent seminar the team attended that took developing a sales strategy and financing your CPG business to a granular level. Shauna Golden joins to share some of her learnings from the three-day conference. 23:03: Andy runs through the current state of investing and why businesses should always be focussed on the fundamentals and balance growth with profitability rather than “growth at all costs.” 33:36: Later, Andy breaks down the five things any brand should keep in mind when pitching investors, including what you don’t need to tell them and how to approach the conversation from their perspective. “Most businesses don’t go out of business because they’re terrible ideas, they go out of business because they run out of cash… If you understand what your cash needs are, you can understand what you need to finance and that keeps you out of the penalty box.” -Andy Whitman

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and reporter Adrianne DeLuca chat about the ever-growing plant-based alternatives space, including Adrianne’s first encounter with an Impossible Burger. Carol and Jeff also run through the implications of the recent sale of Popchips to the parent company of Real Foods From the Ground Up and how the deal is indicative of the changing financial markets. Later, we hear Jeff’s NOSH Live discussion with Emma Chamberlain, online creator and founder of Chamberlain Coffee, to learn how the social media star built the brand on her ethos of authenticity and transparency. Show Highlights: 02:16: The NOSH team discusses the palatability of plant-based meat and cheese alternatives while highlighting some new cheese brands entering the space. 08:52: The discussion then turns to the potential impact of Velocity Snack Brand’s Popchips joining the portfolio of better-for-you snack platform Powered By Real Food From the Ground Up, parent company to Real Food From The Ground Up and You Need This. 20:45: Emma, Jeff and Chamberlain Coffee CEO, Chris Gallant, get honest about how the duo approached building the coffee brand’s identity without making it synonymous with the online creator. 33:19: As an active partner with brands outside of the food and beverage scene, Emma outlines what makes for successful brand-influencer relationships and cautions those who only value follower counts over a creator’s character and commitment to the product. “Listening to what people want is crucial…because if you’re not, there’s so many opportunities that will be missed. But you also can’t base every decision off of what everyone’s asking for. What inspires me is – what do people want, that they don’t even know that they want?” – Emma Chamberlain

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporter Adrianne DeLuca run down NOSH Live Winter 2022, highlighting key themes and trends threaded through the discussions with industry experts. Later, we hear Carol’s NOSH Live discussion with Holly Adrien, Natural and Organic Innovation and Strategy Manager at Kroger, to learn how emerging natural product brands can strategize for success when pitching the grocery giant. Show Highlights: 01:28: The NOSH team breaks down discussions from the conference including the various approaches to brand building and community, the shifting demands of natural and organic shoppers, and what categories are seeing a spike in better-for-you innovation. 19:30: Adrien kicks off the discussion with a look into how grocery buyers work to understand consumers at every level, when they harness both internal and external data for new in-store activations, and how they view the space for natural, organic and sustainable food. 28:08: Be realistic about distribution and have a plan to drive consumers into the store. Those aspects are key for a founder to differentiate its brand from everyone else on the shelf, according to Adrien. She said that strategy starts with how it pitches the brand to buyers, “I’ve been having a lot more conversations with [brands saying] – ‘we don’t have to go everywhere.’ It is important to have someone that is that honest with themselves [and willing] to start small.” – Holly Adrien

NOSH Live Winter 2022 kicks off in Santa Monica tomorrow with a lineup of CPG experts ready to discuss the current state of the natural food industry, supply chains, retail evolution, creator-based brands and more. We hope you will join us in-person or if you couldn’t make the trip, tune in to the Livestream!

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman and reporter Adrianne DeLuca run down the shifting priorities and narrowing focus of large CPG corporations including B&G Foods, Kelloggs and Beyond Meat. Later, Adrianne sits down with Arturo Elizondo, co-founder and CEO of alternative egg protein food tech operation, The EVERY Company, to discuss his experience at the UN’s COP27 summit last week. Show Highlights: 01:20: The NOSH team runs through a host of recent corporate restructurings including B&G which is seeking to divest snack brand Back to Nature and Beyond Meat’s shifting growth strategy. 06:13: Carol explains the cause of layoffs at merchandising firm Dirty Hands. The team then discusses the challenges of the plant-based protein category’s growth and how Jeff is honing a true flexitarian diet with his plant-based preferences. 16:45: Arturo runs through his key takeaways from COP27 including how leaders from around the world are approaching climate change mitigation, where government support is needed and how natural food brands can help implement and execute the goals of the conference. 24:36: Although plenty of climate change mitigating ideas, innovations and solutions were presented at COP27, Arturo outlines the path, and challenges ahead, for international leaders and food companies to have an impact. “There’s a lot of interest by [large] companies that want to be able to [say] they’ve committed and achieved something. Companies in our space can help them achieve those targets…especially now that there are solutions – it’s no longer a deficiency issue.” – Arturo Elizondo

  From the flavors of Thanksgiving in uncommon formats to priceless paintings covered in canned soup, the NOSH team talks about chaos in the food world. Then in this week’s interview NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg talks to Jason and Mia Bauer, founders of Crumbs Bakeshop, about relaunching the popular bakery brand and shifting it from a brick-and-mortar model to a CPG line of treats. Show Highlights: 0:45 – Carol, Jeff and Lukas talk about making new Thanksgiving traditions around savory soda flavors, THC gravy and turkey ice cream. 5:53 – Lukas tells the team about the trouble Tyson’s recently appointed CFO, John Tyson, has found himself in after a wild night on the town in Arkansas. 8:05 – Jeff discusses how canned soup and fine art have found their way into the discussions on climate change. 10:20 – Carol explains how the cyberattack on Maple Leaf Foods might impact meat pricing in the coming months. 14:50 – Crumbs co-founders Mia and Jason Bauer talk to Carol about bringing the brand back from bankruptcy and the differences between running a CPG business as opposed to a retail bakery. 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 discuss the possible business plans of Feastables founder and YouTube creator MrBeast and the reasons creators, influencers and celebrities are embracing the CPG industry. Later, Carol sits down with Charley Cummings, founder and CEO of newly FDIC-approved bank, Walden Mutual to dive into Charley’s plans for creating a digital bank that can be “means to an end” for a more sustainable, inclusive, locally-focused food system. Show Highlights: 01:16: The NOSH team talks about this week’s top stories including an upcoming fundraise and potential billion dollar valuation for Feastables founder and Youtube creator, MrBeast. That kicks off a discussion around the impetus for athletes and chefs to become involved in CPG, and wraps up with the team’s thoughts on chef-created vegetable brand, Row 7’s recent rollout. 13:08: How a mutual bank differs from a traditional, institutional bank and the goal Charley has for building a system that supports its clients values and uplifts local agricultural and food businesses with each deposit. 20:38: What gaps Charley sees within the current lending infrastructure and how he plans to use Walden to support strong operators so that the underlying businesses have a chance to grow. 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