NOSH Live Winter 2021 - AGENDA
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2021
7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Breakfast & Registration -- Breakfast, coffee and beverages are served from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM PT and are included with registration. Registration and badge pick up opens for the day at 7:30 AM PT. 
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM NOSH Pitch Slam 11 Semifinal Round -- Pitch Slam 11 is a business competition for the food industry, designed to support and showcase new products and promising founders. It focuses on the innovators and entrepreneurs designing the products of tomorrow and welcomes 12 emerging food brands to pitch their startup on the NOSH Live stage to industry decision-makers who can open doors and help take their business to the next level.
with AnaMaria Friede, Executive Leader – Breakfast, Baking, Meals Essentials, Whole Foods; Johnny Tran, Senior Business Development Manager, 301INC; Danielle LiVolsi, Founder and CEO, Nuttzo; Erin Cabrey, Reporter, NOSH.com
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Networking Break & Livestream Studio --
10:00 AM - 10:10 AM Welcome Remarks --
10:10 AM - 10:40 AM The State of the Market: Back to the Trenches --

We’ll begin with a panel on the state of the industry, hearing how the past year has impacted retailers, investors and entrepreneurs. Joining us will be Eugene Kang, CEO and co-founder of vertically integrated jerky business Country Archer, along with Erewhon chief growth officer Kabir Jain and a few special guests. Together, the panelists will share their experiences dealing with everything from supply chain struggles to managing growth, as well as provide a look at where they see the future of the industry heading.


with Kabir Jain, Chief Growth Officer, Erewhon; Gail Becker, Founder & CEO, CAULIPOWER; Eugene Kang, Co-founder & CEO, Country Archer Provisions; Liz Myslik, Partner, Loft Growth Partners
10:40 AM - 11:10 AM Your Loyal Consumers! How Brand, Product, and Story Make You Magnetic -- Explore how companies can use brand, attributes and mission to attract and build loyal consumer bases with The Hartman Group CEO Laurie Demerritt. She’ll not only share what consumers are looking for in their purchases but also how the rise of private label products has impacted the industry.
with Laurie Demeritt, CEO, The Hartman Group
11:10 AM - 11:40 AM Big Plans, Big Goals, Big Mission: How Earth Fare Is Partnering With Brands to Rejuvenate Center Store -- Hear from Gavin Konkel, VP of center store merchandising from Earth Fare. Gavin will explore how Earth Fare is partnering with brands while reinventing what it means to be a natural products retailer.
with Gavin Konkel, Vice President Of Merchandising, Center Store, Earth Fare
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM The Sugar Free Startup: Lily's Sweets Case Study, Part 1 --

We sit down with the founder, investor and former executive of the fast growing sugar-free chocolate brand Lily’s. Launched by Cynthia Tice, Lily’s received an investment from firm VMG and brought on Jane Miller as CEO in order to scale the company. In this first session of two, attendees will hear about the life cycle of this brand and take away key learnings that they can implement in their own growth plans.


with Jane Miller, Former CEO, Lily's Sweets; Cynthia Tice, Founder, Lily's Sweets; Wayne Wu, General Partner, VMG
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM Best Of 2021 Awards + Pitch Slam Finalist Announcements -- Celebrate the best and brightest of the year with NOSH’s Best of 2021 Awards — which will include an on-stage discussion with one of our award winners.
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Lunch, Sampling & Livestream Studio --
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM Scale to Sale: Lily's Sweets Case Study, Part 2 -- After growing the brand to thousands of points of distribution and into new categories, Lily’s was sold earlier this year to the Hershey Company. In this second session attendees will hear from the key players involved in the acquisition.
with Jane Miller, Former CEO, Lily's Sweets; Kris Meulen, Chief Development Officer, The Hershey Company; Jay Novak, Managing Director, Houlihan Lokey; Brandon Ng, Vice President, Houlihan Lokey
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM If You Build It, Getting Them to Buy It -- D2C Powerhouses on Their Path to Growth -- Hear from a trio of executives from some of the top D2C brands. Nick Ajluni and Nick Guillen, co-founders of Truff, Sashee Chandran, founder and CEO of Tea Drops, and Matt Jung, CEO of Last Crumb, will share how they’ve built digital powerhouses and how this focus has impacted their companies’ from customer acquisition strategies to growth trajectories.
with Nick Ajluni, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, TRUFF Hot Sauce; Nick Guillen, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, TRUFF Hot Sauce; Matt Jung, CEO, Last Crumb; Sashee Chandran, Founder & CEO, Tea Drops
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM Breakout Session I: Investing in Plant-Based Brands, Sponsored by Green Circle Capital --

Location: Arcadia Ballroom

A plant-based revolution is sweeping grocery aisles as consumers’ eating habits evolve.  Is it a fad, trend, or a revolution that is sustainable?  Which brands, segments and strategies are ripe for success, and which are not?  How can emerging companies navigate the changing landscape for growth capital and exit opportunities?  These questions and more will be answered by a world-class panel, moderated by Green Circle Capital’s Stu Strumwasser.


with Stu Strumwasser, Managing Director, Green Circle Capital Partners; Bryan Kreske, General Manager, Hormel Foods Venturing and Incubator Unit; Robert Brown, Managing Partner, Encore Consumer Capital; Joe Rhodes, Co-Founder, Hummingbird Equity Partners; Roy Chin, Principal, North Castle Partners
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM Breakout Session I: The Trade Spending Tidal Wave & How to Ride It, Sponsored by UpClear --
with Kurt Kaiser, Business Development Leader, UpClear
3:50 PM - 4:30 PM Breakout Session II: Today’s Special: How to Bring Culinary Flavors and Products to CPG -- Location: Arcadia Ballroom
with Dana Peck, Co-Founder & CEO, Pilot R&D and Render Foods; Rob Leichman, Founder/CEO, The Lyric Group; Laurie Demeritt, CEO, The Hartman Group
3:50 PM - 4:30 PM Breakout Session II: The Math and Terms of Angel/Venture Finance: How it Actually Works, Sponsored by Nutter -- Location: Palisades
with Jeremy Halpern, Partner; Co-Chair Food and Beverage Group, Nutter
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM NOSH Live Official Party, Presented by ForceBrands --

Location: Venice Salon @ Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel

Following the content it’s time to network and discuss the day’s learnings over drinks at the NOSH Live Official Party, also held at the Loews Hotel. Attendees can expect live music and a caricature artist. Only registered attendees with a valid badge will be allowed entrance.

Please note that event agendas are subject to change.