CPG Week Podcast

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard air grievances about the lack of natural product emojis, run down some ice cream deals from the past week and discuss the impact of pouched products on Stonyfield’s business. Later, Carol sits down with editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman to rehash key takeaways from BevNET Live last week, including how investors are assessing growth and how brands can use their online identity to generate insights. Show Highlights: 01:26: As the NOSH team tackles its (new!) newsletter format, we all have become keenly aware how scarce natural products emojis are and plan to use this platform to change that…or at least score a pickle emoji. The team also gives the scoop on some sweet deals that were announced this week. 11:30: How have pouched yogurt products changed the trajectory of Stonyfield’s business? The answer lies in a small consumer group – think kiddie-sized – and a big investment that will expand its production facility to punch out 46 million pouches per year. 19:35: Over the past 18 months, how investors assess growth has continually evolved. Jeff explained how at BevNET Live, many investors said they no longer care for ‘growth at all cost’ mindsets and rather, value a well-maintained balance sheet. 26:28: Later, the discussion turns to the state of direct-to-consumer sales. Jeff highlights key takeaways from his talk with Nik Sharma, CEO of Sharma Brand, where a “detailed set of instructions” for developing an online presence that generates brand insights, stole the stage. “[Retailer’s] are not just looking for new products for the shelves, they’re looking for innovative products. They’re looking for products that they can debut, but – this is the big divide – they’re looking to share knowledge on how to succeed… But the basics remain… if you don’t have the ability to do the run for product – you’re not going to last very long.” -Jeff Klineman 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, reporter Lukas Southard speaks with Justin Pearson, senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, about how and when the First Amendment and the Constitution protects brands against food labeling regulations. Pearson describes some of the food labeling cases he has tried, how the industry can protect truthful speech on food labels, and why it is important to fight against unfair legislation and regulation that targets food makers. In this episode: 1:03 – Justin tells Lukas about why he believes that a new Texas law regarding labels on alternative meat products is just another attempt to make it more expensive and difficult to operate in the state. 3:25 – Justin explains the difference between food labeling legislation enacted in state and federal governments as opposed to regulatory rules enforced by the FDA and USDA. 12:25 – Justin describes a case he fought addressing how skim milk is labeled, using it as an example of just how long it can take to undo regulatory restrictions by the government. 16:28 – Lukas asks Justin to describe the lawsuit the Institute of Justice has recently filed against the FDA and USDA in defense of a low-FODMAP food maker. 24:42 – Justin explains how he uses the First Amendment and the Constitution to protect food makers against unfair legislation and regulations.   “These cases really boil down to whether you’re looking at the information in context or out of context. Thankfully, because the First Amendment is pretty well respected by the courts, what the precedent says is that you have to look at it in context.” “The First Amendment does not allow the government to ban truthful, factual, verifiable speech.” -Justin Pearson, senior attorney at the Institute for Justice 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 chat about a recent move from Sonoma Creamery. The team also runs down some nutty news from Campbell’s and Orchard Valley Harvest. Later, Adrianne sits down with Neil Booher, VP of Crisis and Reputation Risk at PR firm Edelman to learn how business leaders should navigate crises that enter the public eye. Show Highlights: 06:27: Why did Sonoma Creamery cut its fresh cheese business? Adrianne walks through the historic brand’s recent move to shift focus to snacks and how that emerging strategy will play out on the innovation end. 09:21: Campbell’s Soup Company makes more than just soup, but no longer nuts. Lukas and Carol discuss the company’s sale of Emerald Nuts to private label player Flagstone Foods and spotlights a unique nut-centric advertising campaign by Orchard Valley Harvest. 22:20: In times of crisis clarity is key, but how do you maintain a position of clear communication during a crisis? Neil talks about the evolution of positions brand leaders should take when they find themselves combating controversial company headlines. 30:29: According to Neil, influencer partnerships led companies into uncharted crisis and risk management territory during the pandemic. Listen in for his tips on how to avoid landing on the top of a tabloid’s to-do list. “The maximum often is ‘it’s the tall blade of grass that gets cut.’ When it’s an industry wide issue … [you have to weigh] what is the value of being out there and owning the issue publicly and the risks that go along with that are pretty significant.” -Neil Booher 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 the NOSH podcast team revisits some important lessons and stories shared during NOSH Live Winter 2022. In this episode, you’ll hear from Suzie York, founder and CEO of The Better Chocolate and Matt Clifford, CEO of CanDo. After previously founding Love Good Fats and Barnana, respectively, Yorke and Clifford have moved onto their second endeavors in the world of CPG. In a conversation with NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg the duo share how they applied certain learnings from their first businesses, the second time around. Show Highlights: 03:00: Suzie discusses how she went from a first-time entrepreneur at age 50, to a second-time founder again at age 55. Matt then takes the mic to discuss why all founders should approach their business with a beginner’s mindset. 11:18: Matt jokes about the leap of faith Barnana took to get its first big retail break. Suzie shares how her experience at large multinationals taught her the playbook and walks through how those rules morph in the startup world. 18:39: The two founder’s trade tips from their past endeavors including approaches to team building, taking in investment and how the climate within the industry has changed for emerging brands. “There’s magic that happens when founders connect the dots, put a couple of things together and see what others don’t see. Then, we’re relentless. If you have a problem, you’re gonna work through it. You want to keep all of that [energy] even though you have experience.” -Suzie York “So much of what we do here is luck. Right? I think it’s dangerous when you try to figure out what is luck and what is skill. It’s execution, and then the right time, right place and having humility.” -Matt Clifford 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, Carol Ortenberg, Jeff Klineman, Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard sit down to discuss celebrity branded coffee, a resolution to Miyoko Schinner’s battle with her former company and new (but veteran) leadership taking over Ben & Jerry’s. In the interview, Carol speaks with Jorge Gaviria, CEO and founder of Masienda, and its creative director Daniel Klein about how the company’s focus on video and storytelling has fueled new growth in customer acquisition and retail placements — and led to several James Beard award nominations this year. In this episode: 1:20 – The team starts the podcast with a conversation about celebrity-backed coffee brands in light of Millie Bobby Brown’s announcement that her cosmetics brand Florence By Mills had released branded coffee. 8:35 – Carol explains the recent update (and seemingly end) to the legal battle between Miyoko Schinner and her former vegan cheese brand. 10:50 – Lukas talks to the team about the leadership change at Ben & Jerry’s and what it says about the brand’s legacy and future in the premium ice cream category. 17:00 – In the interview this week, Carol spoke with CEO and founder of Masienda Jorge Gaviria, and the company’s creative director Daniel Klein about the company’s digital marketing strategy of focusing on film. 22:15 – Gaviria talks about how the brand’s change in content strategy to longer form videos helped build customer acquisition. 25:08 – Klein explains his journey with the company and how video became a big part of not only telling Masienda’s story but telling the story of scaling sustainability among farmers in Latin America. 34:00 – Gaviria discusses how the brand’s videos and D2C strategy has allowed Masienda to go nationwide in Whole Foods Market and establish its retail presence.   “This is a testament to how global of a culture we’re in right now. Bad Bunny is the highest grossing artists of all time — [and] he doesn’t do interviews in English, he literally just speaks Spanish…The times have changed, and have really embraced this deeper dive into cultures that maybe don’t reflect your own, but are fascinating and deserve representation.” -Jorge Gaviria, Masienda CEO and founder “Masienda has always been a brand with a lot of integrity and beauty in the work that they do. And we try to make that clear also in the video that we present.” – Daniel Klein, Masienda Creative Director of Film and Video   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 chat about viral candy trends, the U.S. Senate’s sweet tooth and how one CPG company is thinking about category expansion. Later, Carol sits down with Bain & Company VP of Consumer Products practice, Charlotte Apps, to discuss details from the firm’s recent Insurgent Brands report. Show Highlights: 01:22: The team talks about social media-driven sweets from ice cream wrapped fruit roll ups to freeze dried gummies. Lukas also shares some details and history surrounding the U.S. Senate’s candy desk, which recently saw a changing of the guard. 10:24: Adrianne details some food trends she observed during a recent trip to London, including a vegan 3D printed steak, followed by Carol’s assessment of a recent category expansion from hot sauce maker Cholula. 17:58: Charlotte talks Carol through the methodology for assessing insurgent brands and the upward trajectory Bain has observed tracking this category of brands over the years. According to Apps, these brands often grow on increasingly accelerated timelines 28:03: Despite their premium positioning, Apps explains how insurgent brands typically exist across categories and details how their growth models often enable the business to capture wider-spread appeal. “I think [for] many of these brands it’s tempting to say they’re riding a wave of consumer trends, and taking advantage of that…But really the ones that end up making it or or sustaining their growth, or really finding traction in the marketplace, are the ones that are not starting with the consumer trend — they’re starting with consumer need.” – Charlotte Apps 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, the team begins by discussing the strategies brands use to boost perception of their sales strength as well as possible risks with this approach. Then reporter Lukas Southard describes what he saw and heard on his trip to Chicago, where he attended Naturally Chicago’s Pitch Slam and the Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Food, before the team discusses the impact of SPACs in CPG. In our featured interview FitJoy president Norman Taliaferro shares details surrounding the company’s recent $3.5 million fundraise, and the evolution of the company’s portfolio from protein bars to salty snacks. In this episode: 05:05 – Carol, Jeff and Lukas talk about “retail refereeing” when brands encourage consumers to buy up products in order to appear in a strong position with category buyers and managers. 09:00 – Lukas tells Jeff and Carol about his trip to the Chicago Venture Summit last week and how the Midwestern CPG community is trying to gain recognition as a hotbed for food industry innovation. 17:45 – The team talks about SPACs in CPG food and how the current investment environment has impacted the landscape for “blank check” investment opportunities. 20:15 – Carol speaks with FitJoy president Norman Taliaferro about how the brand pivoted into a new and completely different category, its struggles to stay afloat during the pandemic, fundraising and new innovation. “As everything goes in fundraising, it just takes twice as long as you think it will take.” “Getting on shelf – as hard as it is – is the easiest part of the process.” – Norman Taliaferro, FitJoy president 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