CPG Week Podcast

This week, BevNET and Nosh senior reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard dissect a strange case of AI-generated trade dress infringement before exploring Kraft Heinz’s plan to divest its legacy coffee portfolio. They also cover the latest restructuring of Celsius’s energy drink portfolio and get a taste of the latest snacking innovation from Peter Rahal’s Medici Brands.

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

On this week’s episode of the NOSH Podcast, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne DeLuca talk about Thanksgiving traditions and what to expect at NOSH Live. Then the trio dives into influencer disclosures on social media (or the lack thereof) after the FTC warned a group of registered dietitians who were paid to post by industry lobbying groups. Show Highlights: 1:00 – Thanksgiving is here so the NOSH team talks about holiday traditions at the table, the hierarchy of dish delegation and how to keep it interesting when menu planning. 8:45 – With NOSH Live around the corner, the group runs down all of the great event speakers coming to Marina Del Rey on November 30 and the on-stage discussions that are in store. 13:30 – The team talks about how the FTC’s crackdown on influencers promoting the safety of aspartame is representative of the larger problem with influencer marketing and social media-derived medical advice. 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 Carol Ortenberg; reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne DeLuca; and editorial assistant Shauna Golden discuss the team’s trip to the Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show. The foursome talk about spicy trends in condiments, the role wholesaling is playing for CPG brands and some shocking new products seen on the show floor. In this episode: 3:17 – Carol and Lukas discuss the various versions of the chili crisp condiment seen throughout the show floor and what this means for growing the category across global food cultures. 7:00 – The team talks about how the viral YouTube show “Hot Ones” has been a boon to the hot sauce category, boosting sales for many brands who have been featured. 12:12 – Lukas tells the group about various brands who are diversifying their retail portfolio by entering the foodservice channel. 20:30 – Adrianne asks everyone what were some of the off-the-wall and/or innovative CPG products they saw at Fancy Foods last week including Whale Sperm tortilla chips, celebrity sauces and an instant gelato dispenser. “Everybody has different strategies for how to put the power of social media to work for their brands.” -Carol Ortenberg 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

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard chat about the rise of cauliflower, its place on Chick-fil-a’s menu and the veggie’s larger role in branded and private label CPG. Later, we hear from Ted Wright, CEO of word of mouth marketing agency Fizz to hear how the business of face-to-face conversation, and the practice of friendly recommendations, has fared for brand builders throughout the pandemic Show Highlights: 01:58: This week the NOSH team takes on cauliflower. While in the land of social media it’s sometimes negatively referred to as ghost broccoli, the once-despised dinner table veggie has taken the vegan, vegetarian and keto sets by storm and the team sets out to determine the root cause of Cauliflower’s lasting popularity. 23:22: Ted talks through brand building activities at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and how as consumer shopping habits shifted, certain products were able to shine and drive trial by properly executing word of mouth marketing tactics. 29:05: The age of influencers has not changed the playbook for Ted’s tried-and-true tactics either, he claims. Ted runs listeners through the proper use of influencers, how influencer impressions vary from true word of mouth tactics and why both methods are necessary for successful brand building. “Conversation is the goal of all marketing in North America today. It is not broadcast. Nobody gives a bleeped out word about your ad… What they care about are stories that are authentic, interesting and relevant, that they can then share with their friends.” – Ted Wright 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