CPG Week Podcast

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

In this episode of the NOSH Podcast, the NOSH team discusses the larger trend of chefs, restaurants and bakeries expanding into CPG, sharing recent funding and product examples. The team goes on to debate what the recent news in cell-cultured meat means for investment in the space and how it will dictate what companies survive and how quickly cultured proteins make it to market. Then, Jeff and Carol sit down with TIG Brands founder Elliot Begoun and Chomps president and COO Liz Carter as the duo discusses how the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank’s has emphasized how CPG brands prioritize how they view working capital. In this episode: 2:20 – Carol talks with the team about her dinner at New York City restaurant Per Se and the broader trend of chefs and bakeries launching CPG brands. 13:15 – The team discusses the juxtaposition of the news of the FDA’s approval of GOOD Meat and the announcement that cultured meat startup New Age Eats was officially ceasing operations. The team discussed what this means for the industry as a whole and how investment in the space will be key to the future of the industry. 22:20 – Jeff and Carol talk to Tig Brands founder Elliot Begoun and Chomps president and COO Liz Carter to discuss the role of working capital in light of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. “Your capital strategy is as important as your go-to-market strategy, as your marketing strategy, as your organizational design. If you don’t have a capital strategy – a plan for fueling your business – then you’re really always going to be reactive. That’s dangerous in the best of times and probably devastating in these current ones.” -Elliot Begoun, founder of Tig Brands 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 reporter Adrianne DeLuca discuss the ‘Pie-pline’ of Hubigs from New Orleans, elsewhere, and the changing climate around keto-branded foods. Later, we hear from John Johnson, senior counsel at law firm Shook, Hardy and Bacon, to delve into a recent report from the Reagan Udall Foundation, its implications on the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and potential solutions to systemic issues within the federal agency’s human food program. Show Highlights: 01:15: The NOSH team discusses Jeff’s favorite New Orleans delicacy, complete with a history lesson. Then the team gets into the recent sale of baking mix brand Birch Benders and what the move may mean for keto-claiming companies. 14:20: John explains that while the report highlighted many systemic issues the FDA has been grappling with for nearly a century, it failed to delineate between the two modes the agency operates within: day-to-day operations and crisis management. He suggests that if the agency wants to increase consumer confidence, it might be best to review its external communication plans. 19:44: Later, John aims to correct the narrative around the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act, which many claim was supposed to lead the agency toward preventative operations rather than reactionary when it came to food safety actions like recalls. “The deeper question [from the report] is how does the FDA effectively do its job, which gets to this metaphysical question of how does FDA know it’s doing a good job in the food space? And the answer is an elusive concept of consumer confidence.” – John Johnson, Shook, Hardy and Bacon 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