CPG Week Podcast

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  

This week on the NOSH Podcast, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman and reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne Deluca discussed mayo preferences in dating, olive oil brand Graza’s squeeze bottle controversy and the news that Whole Foods Market has redrawn its regional maps. Then, Ithaca Hummus’ founder and president Chris Kirby and the brand’s natural channel sales manager Aaron Wallace share the strategies they utilized in growing the dip company’s distribution footprint. The two gave advice about how to make the move in a capital efficient manner as well as some cautionary tips about what a brand should or shouldn’t focus on when expanding its retail footprint. In this episode: 06:05: Carol and the group debate if a person’s love (or hate in the case of Adrianne) of mayo belongs on dating apps. 08:38: Then, the NOSH team discusses the conversation about “copycat” culture in CPG that has erupted after olive oil brand Graza’s founder posted some inflammatory accusations about a competitor on LinkedIn. 16:18: Finally, Carol explains Whole Foods’ new regional maps and how that might impact the CPG food space. 21:19: For the interview, Lukas sat down with Ithaca Hummus to learn how to build an efficient national distribution model and how attention to detail can make a huge difference in being profitable as a brand grows. “Buyers have a lot of brands on their desks and they don’t have the attention to spend on your business like you should and, ultimately, the key word in that is – it’s your business. It’s our business, we need to own it and not them.” -Aaron Wallace, Ithaca Hummus Sales Manager 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 NOSH Podcast, reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne Deluca join NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg to consider Oatly’s new online marketing campaign, debate the implications of sesame seeds’ new classification as a “Big 9” allergen and discuss Hershey’s decision to acquire two Skinny Pop co-packing facilities as the company puts more emphasis on its snacking portfolio. Then, Carol hears from Coconut Cult CEO Ari Raz about how self-manufacturing might put increased pressure on a brand but in the end allows for more flexibility in production and the ability to remain true to core values. In this episode: 1:35 – Adrianne explains Oatly’s new online tongue-in-cheek website and the team discusses the impact of self-effacing marketing campaigns. 4:12 – Lukas talks about how some companies are countering the FDA’s move in January to add sesame to the list of Big Nine allergens. Carol discusses the implications of companies adding an allergen to products that might not have previously contained it and how the allergen community is reacting. 9:43 – The team discusses Hershey’s move to acquire two production facilities from its Skinny Pop co-packer and the chocolate company’s focus on its snack portfolio. 16:40 – For the interview, Carol talks to yogurt brand The Coconut Cult’s CEO Ari Raz about co-packing versus self-manufacturing a product. Raz discusses his change of heart when he took over the reins of Coconut Cult and shares news regarding new manufacturing capabilities. “The process of being a self manufacturer went from being very scary, to extremely exciting. And now it’s going to become, as we continue to scale, a very lucrative operation for the brand.” -Coconut Cult CEO Ari Raz 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 recent news from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding functional food claims. Later, Adrianne sits down with Cynthia Cabrera, chief strategy officer at Hometown Hero CBD, and Bethany Gomez, managing director of The Brightfield Group to talk about the impact of hemp-derived THC has had on the CPG industry and how this unregulated space has contributed to consumer awareness of cannabinoid products. Show Highlights: 07:17: The team breaks down recent news from the FTC, which saw nearly 700 businesses receive warning letters regarding their use of certain functional food claims, and the challenges functional brands could face in the future. 15:24: In the spirit of 4/20, the topic turns to hemp-derived THC compounds including Delta-8 and Delta-9. Cynthia and Bethany talk through the regulatory nuances that have allowed this subset of the hemp space to grow and how the rules vary from those governing marijuana businesses. 21:25: Cynthia and Bethany discuss the implications widespread distribution has had on these products and business and breakdown opportunities for growth – ranging from gas stations to grocery stores to e-commerce. 32:13: The duo then shares their expectations for the upcoming farm bill reauthorization and the conversation centers around ramifications of state level legislation, rather than federal law, that have impacted the overall market’s performance. “Marijuana companies are not sure what to think about the whole hemp-derived THC space. Many of them are up in arms about it and really looking to view it as a threat and are combating against it, and others are viewing it as an opportunity.” – Bethany Gomez “At the time [of the 2018 Farm Bill], nobody knew that a whole other industry could or would crop up — that’s the beauty of innovation. That’s the beauty of an entrepreneurial market. They see an opportunity and they take it. The worst thing that could happen would be anything that tamps that down.”  – Cynthia Cabrera 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 sits down with President and CEO of Lesser Evil Snacks, Charles Coristine, to discuss how the brand approached raising funds as the fed lifted interest rates, what areas of the business he prioritizes during times of economic uncertainty and why he expects the current operating environment to begin looking a little less bleak. Show Highlights: 01:25: Charles breaks down the snack brand’s fundraising history while providing some insight on what areas of the business he focused on during its respective life stages and how he approaches raising primary and secondary capital for CapEx. 07:02: The conversation shifts as Carol and Charles discuss the operational changes he made to the business and how that impacted investor perspectives. 16:03: Charles shares his advice on assessing and determining your business’ valuation and how staying close to the mark can help the brand draw in return investment. 20:57: To close out the conversation, Carol and Charles chat about why you should root your budget in uncertainty rather than lofty aspirations and how he finds joy in the capital raise process once the dust has settled. “As we focus on operational excellence, the nature of the brand is changing. A lot of what made us super successful at the beginning, isn’t what investors want us to focus on [now].” – Charles Coristine, Lesser Evil President and CEO 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