CPG Week Podcast

  In this episode: On CPG Week, the podcast team talks about a bubbling controversy in boba, Jack Owoc’s return to energy and an update from the National Association of Convenience Stores’ (NACS) yearly conference. This week, senior reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard were joined by BevNET managing editor Martín Caballero. The group starts the podcast talking about how actor Simu Liu sparked a viral conversation about cultural appropriation centered on bubble tea. The podcasters go on to chat about Jack Owoc’s new caffeinated beverage Ai Energy. Marty goes on to discuss some of the trends he was tracking at this year’s NACS show in Las Vegas. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Boba takes center stage in a conversation about appropriation versus appreciation. Lukas explains why an episode of Canada’s “Dragon’s Den” television show with Simu Liu sparked the debate. Brad and Marty weigh in on why this is not the first nor the last time the team will discuss the issue. 8:30 – Brad details former Bang Energy founder Jack Owoc’s new AI-powered energy beverage. 11:00 – How is coffee blending into the energy category? Marty shares what he saw in this trend at this year’s NACS show and why it is telling of the ceiling in RTD coffee. 16:30 – Along with energy drinks, Marty also saw a lot happening in carbonated soft drinks at the show. He explains why better-for-you soda is driving innovation in the category. 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 the episode of CPG Week, the team discusses the social chatter around Foxtrot’s reopening, insights from the first Newtopia Now and the state of the non-alcoholic wine category. To kick off the episode, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard discuss the reopening of the newly dubbed Foxtrot Café & Market and how some louder voices on social media are not thrilled about its return. Monica goes on to talk about a successful unveiling of New Hope Network’s Newtopia Now. The podcast finishes with Lukas explaining the challenges and successes in alcohol-removed wines and how it represents broader issues in adult non-alc. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Foxtrot is reopening this week and some of the discourse around its return has focused on former suppliers and employees still waiting for compensation from unpaid invoices and hours. 4:45 – Monica tells the team about her trip to Colorado for the inaugural Newtopia Now and the general reaction from exhibitors and attendees. 12:30 – While there has been innovation in the NA wine category it still remains one of the hardest alcohol-free beverage categories to get right. Lukas explains what he learned reporting about alcohol-removed wines. 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: In a jam-packed episode, the CPG Week podcast covers a lot of ground from cannabis to kava with a healthy recap of the Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show from earlier in the week. To start, senior reporter Brad Avery explains the big news out of the cannabis industry as Curaleaf announced it was entering hemp-derived THC with edibles and beverages available in a new DTC store. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard review some of the innovative products and trends they saw in New York City this week at Summer Fancy Food. The team wraps up talking about kava beverages and why the category’s future seems to be intertwined with the slightly more controversial kratom ingredient. Show Highlights: 0:30 – Curaleaf, marijuana cultivator and dispensary company, is moving into the hemp-derived THC market by launching a new DTC website: thehempcompany.com. Not only could this shake up the regulatory environment but is a statement by a leading cannabis industry stakeholder. 3:30 – Amid the cheese and hot sauce, Monica and Lukas discuss what they saw and tasted while wandering the aisles of the Summer Fancy Food Show. Lukas talks about a brand pairing savory biscuits with adult beverages while Monica snacked on the latest entrant in the freeze-dried trend. 7:10 – The team discusses how texture and experiential snacking are driving innovation by many brands across a multitude of categories including jerky, frozen desserts, sweets and convenience meals. 13:30 – Lukas explains what he learned while reporting on the kava category and why its future as a functional, non-alcoholic alternative is linked to another mood-altering ingredient, kratom. 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: What did the CPG Week team think of Netflix’s “Unfrosted” movie? The group dives into Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tarts biopic and why it is a (partially) accurate portrayal of the R&D process of creating a CPG food product. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous shares some of the latest snack trends as related to the Sweets & Snacks Expo happening this week. Senior reporter Lukas Southard goes on to unpack the unfolding cocoa pricing crisis and what that means for chocolate producers. Finally, senior reporter Brad Avery talks about the latest update from Foxtrot’s sudden dissolution and what happened at the asset auction. Show Highlights: 1:30 – Monica takes the temperature of Brad and Lukas’ opinions of Netflix’s “Unfrosted” movie. They discuss their personal takes on the comedy centered on Pop-Tarts and discuss how the CPG industry is interpreting its representation of the R&D process in packaged food. 7:00 – In light of the Sweets & Snacks Expo happening this week, Monica talks about the latest trends in the categories released by the National Confectioners Association in conjunction with the food show. 8:10 – What’s happening with cocoa pricing, and how that might impact chocolate producer margins as waning supply continues to push pricing up? Lukas explains what has happened in the last six months and how food tech innovation might be a growing solution to the problem. 12:05 – Brad updates the team on the latest from the abrupt closure of Foxtrot including what happened at the asset auction for both Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market. 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 BevNET and Nosh team discusses three food news stories that have carried industry headlines in the past week. Senior reporter Lukas Southard explains why David Chang-founded Momofuku is getting blowback from other Asian-American brands over a trademark dispute involving chili crunch products. Next, senior reporter Brad Avery discusses an exposé that highlights the questionable innovation stream of Trader Joe’s private label program. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous finishes the weekly roundup with a conversation around a recent investigative story from The Washington Post that examines how food conglomerates are paying registered dietitian influencers to push anti-diet messaging. Show Highlights: 0:45 – Hear Brad and BevNET chief marketing officer Mike Schneider’s ode to legumes after accepting Monica’s challenge last week to create an original song about Bush’s Beans. 2:50 – Lukas dives into the chili crisp category and explains how a number of cease-and-desist letters from Momofuku are causing a stir among Asian-American, Pacific Islander CPG brands. 9:20 – All’s fair in love and private label, according to Trader Joe’s. Brad details a recent Taste story that claims the popular grocery retailer might use questionable tactics in its private-label product innovation. 13:45 – Monica discusses a Washington Post investigative piece that sheds light on how major food makers are paying registered dietitian influencers to push anti-diet rhetoric. 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: In a special dispatch from Las Vegas, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and reporter Adrianne DeLuca spoke with Specialty Food Association trendspotters Jenn de la Vega, chef and cookbook author, and Drexel University professor Jonathan Deutsch about the latest food and beverages on display at this year’s Winter Fancy Food Show. Show Highlights: 2:30 – Global flavors have established a foothold in food and beverage. The group discusses innovation they saw with ingredients like yuzu and chilis as well as new formats of familiar products from bobas to sprayable soy sauce. 9:45 – Is the line between sweet and savory in snacking blurring? How might fermentation in food and drink be making its way into the mainstream? The group discusses some of the brands they tasted that were tackling these questions. 15:30 – Monica asks the trendspotters to name some of their favorite sips and bites from the show. 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, 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