CPG Week Podcast

In this episode: In the first episode of CPG Week, Nosh Managing Editor Monica Watrous and reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard sit down to discuss the various M&A deals seen so far in the first month of the year. Show Highlights: 0:30 – The team discusses their various Super Bowl meal plans with Monica explaining what a “ham sandwich” translates to at her local bar. 3:15 – The first month of the year is in the books, and there have already been a lot of mergers and acquisitions. Lukas starts by explaining broadly what some industry watchers are expecting this year. 5:00 – Brad talks about how one publicly traded company is looking to become the “General Mills for Asian food.” Then, Monica talks about what Moosehead Brands has been cooking up with Beanfields and Caveman Foods. 7:00 – Finally the team dives into why a newly formed Texas-based investment vehicle with roots in the oil and gas industry decided to buy Alter Eco, Tessemae’s rebirth post bankruptcy and Our Home’s big manufacturing buy. 10:00 – Finishing up the discussion, Monica shares a couple insights from BevNET and Nosh Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman about what he is looking out for in M&A markets this year. 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

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

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

This week on the NOSH Podcast, NOSH editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman, editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard discuss the recent acquisition of Sovos Brands by Campbells. Sunrise Strategic Partners’ Peter Burns and Coefficient Capital’s Franklin Isacson join Carol in the interview to talk about the current climate for investment in CPG food, their recent induction to the NOSH Notables list and explain why the investor-brand relationship should be treated like a marriage. In this episode: 1:00 – Campbell’s buying up Sovos marks a major shift in the world of Big CPG. According to the NOSH team, owning multiple product tiers across a single category has been a successful strategy for Campbell’s in the past. How could this new relationship shape the sauce shelf? 19:15 – How does being on the investment side of the CPG food industry differ from being a founder or operator? Burns and Isacson weigh in on how investors think differently about building a successful brand and share insights about how their respective firms assess potential investments. 22:00 – There’s no doubt the current climate around venture investment is tough, but difficult investor-brand relationships can make things even trickier. Burns and Isacson give advice on how founders can help make their brands more attractive to potential investors and possible exits. 40:55 – Investors may not favor influencer-led brands, but the added celebrity doesn’t hurt. Hear why these two venture capitalists believe PRIME cannot be ignored but remain cautious around typing a brand too closely to its social media stars. “Choosing an investor is very much like a marriage, for the most part these are long-term partnerships…it is very important that there is alignment.” – Franklin Isacson, Coefficient Capital managing partner “Good businesses will be able to go through the good times and the bad times… it’s hard and you’re going to have to grind. And if you don’t know how to grind, you better learn fast.” -Peter Burns, Sunrise Strategic Partners managing partner 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 reporter Lukas Southard discuss the recently published NOSH Notables 2023 List. Carol and Jeff explain their process for developing the list and how current industry trends are reflected by the executives selected and list categories. In this episode: 1:07 – Lukas asks Carol and Jeff about the impetus for the project and the process for selecting the 50 notable individuals. 8:25 – The team discusses the list structure and why the categories of Backers, Connectors, Gatekeepers, Quarterbacks, Spark Plugs and Superheroes ended up being the framework for the Notables list. 11:00 – Jeff and Carol review some of the notable Notables on the list and why NOSH feels they deserve recognition for their impact on the CPG food industry. 16:25 – Jeff and Carol describe how inclusivity played a role in their decision making, sharing how diversity and representation were important in both the makeup of people and in CPG. 24:45 – The three discuss why among a list of 50 influential people in CPG the three familiar faces of Snoop Dogg, Barbie and Gum E. Bear made the list. “It’s how NOSH sees the industry and some of the key currents that run through it. To define places like leadership and connection, investment and encouragement, and innovation.” – Jeff Klineman, BevNET Editor-in-Chief 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 Carol Ortenberg, Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman and reporter Lukas Southard sat down to talk about THC-infused snack brand knockoffs, CPG food products cashing in on popular entertainment properties (IE Barbie and Yellowstone) and the WHO’s ruling on artificial sweetener aspartame. In the featured interview, Lukas speaks with Every Body Eat co-founders Trish Thomas and Nichole Wilson about how they strategize using inclusive innovation and how the strength of the business comes from its use of the “concept of mattering” in its production stream. In this episode: 2:23 – Carol tells Jeff and Lukas what she picked up at the local grocery stores and ate while visiting Montreal. (Spoiler: There are words exchanged about bagels) 5:40 – The team discusses why products such as Trips Ahoy and Stoneos have found themselves in hot water with the FTC and FDA. 12:33 – Carol asks Jeff and Lukas about what they think of the recent CPG foods capitalizing on trending television show Yellowstone and movie release Barbie. Jeff and Lukas have a beef about a popular TV show’s signature dish. 19:30 – Jeff explains the potential impact WHO’s ruling on aspartame and why it might change the strategy for companies who already make or intend to release sugar-free products in the future. 27:05 – In the interview, Lukas sits down with the co-founders of allergen-friendly brand Every Body Eat to talk. CEO Trish Thomas and President Nichole Wilson explain how they define inclusive innovation and how they approach in-store growth 33:38 – Thomas and Wilson discuss how they prioritize being female founders and a Black-owned business when seeking investment. 41:50 – The two women share details about Every Body Eat’s production model and how the “concept of mattering” is used to empower their workforce. “The team who understands that they matter understands that good ideas come from anywhere and sees their ideas become best practice. And [they] take our cost of manufactured goods down 50% in the span of a year, because they know that they’re the ones that do it.“” Nichole Wilson, co-founder and president of Every Body Eat 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 a special dispatch from the World Business Chicago/Chicago Venture Summit, on this week’s NOSH Podcast Lukas talks to Midwest-based brands and investors about the advantages and challenges of being located in the middle of the country. Recorded in May, these executives share why Chicago’s proximity to manufacturing and distribution hubs can be a benefit in developing an inside-out nationwide growth strategy. In this episode: 1:20 – What unique opportunity does the Windy City offer to CPG brands? Bluestein Ventures managing partner Ashley Hartman and senior associate Amira Khatib break down the Chicago-based firm’s investment strategy and discuss where it looks for innovation. 6:00 – Then, Annie Slabotsky and Morgan Lerner, the co-founders of banana bread mix company GoNanas, dive into the benefits a certain incubator program had on the brand’s community building efforts. The pair also highlight how its network of Midwestern investors and founders helped the company to create a successful brand. 15:05 – Monique Hypes, co-founder of regenerative tomato soup brand Tomato Bliss, explained how the company’s mission to improve soil health in Michigan has been its biggest strength in growing the brand in both foodservice and retail. 21:32 – How can a little Midwestern kindness can be used as a strength in the food industry? Audre Kapacinskas, principal at S2G Ventures, shared why the VC firm is focused on funding sustainable companies and why Chicago’s centrality provides CPG brands with a manufacturing boost.   “If you’re building a CPG brand today and you’re thinking about how to differentiate, I think Chicago – and the Midwest in general – presents a lot of opportunity with which you could explore some of those different levers to differentiate yourself with.” “Generally in the Midwest, you have the typical Midwestern attitude of helpfulness and openness to collaborate than perhaps you would have in some of the more competitive markets.” -Audre Kapacinskas, principal at S2G Ventures   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