NOSH Podcast - presented by BevNET

In this episode:

This week, the Nosh and BevNET team gear up for Natural Products Expo West, the so-called Super Bowl of the packaged food and beverage industry. With a special appearance for BevNET Editor-In-Chief Jeff Klineman, the group discusses their various strategies for the big show. What’s the best attack plan for hitting all the booths on a show planner? What items should (or should not) make it into an Expo backpack to stay prepared for long days on the floor? Learn how to keep an eye out for good “Expo Etiquette” and why you might spot a BevNET or Nosh team member interviewing this year’s celebrity-du-jour.

Show Highlights:

0:35 - Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous asks Editor-In-Chief Jeff Klineman how he prepares for Expo West. Senior reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard chime in on how they are planning for efficient trips to the Anaheim Convention Center. 

6:30 - Jeff outlines helpful hacks for exhibiting brands seeking to capture a buyer’s attention on the show floor and why building pirate ship crow’s nests for spotting important people is frowned upon.

9:15 - Brad reflects on his celebrity interviews at previous Expos, including a particularly memorable conversation with a pop star about apple cider vinegar.

11:30 - Jeff, Brad, Monica and Lukas each share the trends they are watching at Expo West.

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

This week, the Nosh and BevNET team talks about how a marketing campaign to boost cereal sales might be imploding for Kellogg’s and what it means for the greater food maker’s empire as it moves into a new era as Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co. Senior reporter Brad Avery takes the temperature of the performance energy category through the most recent quarterly reports of Monster and Celsius. The team talks about two plant-based companies’ financial losses and finishes up discussing Whole Foods Market’s new smaller-footprint store concept.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Is cereal a viable option for dinner? WK Kellogg’s attempt to bring the breakfast staple to other day occasions has led to some unexpected social rancor. Senior reporter Lukas Southard explains how the recent outrage on social platforms over the “cereal for dinner” campaign is related to the first standalone earnings calls for both Kellanova and WK Kellogg.

6:20 - Senior reporter Brad Avery discusses what the most recent quarterly reports from Celsius and Monster tell us about the state of energy beverages and why workout enthusiasts are driving growth in the category.

8:20 - What’s the state of plant-based? Two of the biggest plant-based meat and beverage brands posted losses in their most recent earnings. Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous pointed out, as revenues were up for one company and stock prices soared for the other.

10:35 - The team talks about the news that Whole Foods Market is launching a smaller store concept (again). Is this a reaction to other small-footprint retailers like Foxtrot or Erewhon, or a play for juicing sales of its 365 branded products?

About The Podcast:

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

What’s it like to stay in a Eggo-themed pancake house in rural Tennessee? Why is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenging the Kroger/Albertsons merger? What is yaupon? Why is Mason Dixie betting consumers want more clean comfort food? This week the BevNET and Nosh team dive into all these topics and more. 

Show Highlights:

0:45 - It might look like the setting for a bad horror movie, but Eggo’s short-term rental “pancake house” marketing stunt is probably a satisfying place to spend a weekend.

2:20 - In the latest wrinkle in the potential mega-merger between Kroger and Albertsons, the FTC this week sided with nine attorneys general on the grounds that the deal would reduce competition in the grocery landscape. The team discusses the implications of the federal government’s involvement and why this will slow the possible merger down.

6:00 - Senior reporter Brad Avery explains why yaupon is one of the newest clean caffeine ingredients and how pre-launch beverage brand Sacred Energy is banking on its proprietary mix of the plant-based extract to carve out a niche in energy drinks.

10:00 - Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous tells the team about her recent conversation with Mason Dixie founder and CEO Ayeshah Abuelhiga on why the brand is going deeper on breakfast comfort food.

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

This week the BevNET and Nosh team discusses Poppi acquisition rumors, the investment landscape, and consumer adoption of functional mushrooms.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Monica starts the episode challenging Jeff and Brad to a hypothetical pistachio cracking competition that devolves into a semantical discussion about “nut meat.” 

3:25 - Brad highlights prebiotic soda brand Poppi’s big week, which included a highly-watched Super Bowl ad and a Bloomberg article speculating about a Coca-Cola takeover.

7:00 - Why haven’t any of the biggest soft drink companies created their own version of Olipop or Poppi? Jeff draws comparisons to Coke’s short-lived, stevia-sweetened cola, and points out why large players are wary of snapping up small brands today.

9:00 - Monica notes probiotic soda brand Culture Pop’s recent $21 million funding and points to other beverage brands raising capital recently. Jeff shares what investors are looking for in potential targets.

11:15 - The team considers whether consumers understand functional mushrooms and shares examples of brands entering the space. Brad asks whether psychedelic imagery on packaging confuses shoppers.

15:05 - Jeff poses the question that should be on every product developer’s mind: What’s the next big health grail consumers are seeking, a la the antioxidant? “Is it prebiotic, psychedelic or adaptogenic?” 

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

This week the BevNET and Nosh team talk about Subway speed dating, cell-cultured meat’s many challenges, why unrealistic investment might be dragging down food tech companies, and why the alternative meat and dairy industry is a good comparison point for realistic market demand. 

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Monica starts the episode asking Brad and Lukas how they feel about Subway’s recent Valentine’s Day speed dating stunt.

2:00 - After a series of stories in recent weeks explaining the struggles of the cell-cultured (or lab-grown) meat industry, Lukas kicks off the conversation highlighting his recent newsletter column exploring why the industry is falling short of its claims of creating a more sustainable food system.

5:05 - It all comes back to the money. Monica brings up some of the recent companies that have shuttered or had to restructure as a result of investment in the category drying up. 

7:35 - Why has the industry fallen short of getting products to market? Brad makes comparisons to the failures of the plant-based food industry as a good example of how food tech struggles to gain market share.

9:45 - Does food tech’s challenge come from financing or from consumer adoption? The team debates how brand messaging plays a role but maybe less expensive food alternatives have an easier path to market.

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

In a special dispatch from Las Vegas, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and reporter Adrianne DeLuca spoke with Specialty Food Association trendspotters Jenn de la Vega, chef and cookbook author, and Drexel University professor Jonathan Deutsch about the latest food and beverages on display at this year’s Winter Fancy Food Show.

Show Highlights:

2:30 - Global flavors have established a foothold in food and beverage. The group discusses innovation they saw with ingredients like yuzu and chilis as well as new formats of familiar products from bobas to sprayable soy sauce.

9:45 - Is the line between sweet and savory in snacking blurring? How might fermentation in food and drink be making its way into the mainstream? The group discusses some of the brands they tasted that were tackling these questions.

15:30 - Monica asks the trendspotters to name some of their favorite sips and bites from the show.

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 podcast@nosh.com.

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and the founder and CEO of Zack’s Mighty, Zack Gazzaniga, dive right into a corny discussion on the origins of Zack’s Mighty’s, and the special corn variety behind its unique taste and texture. The duo grind through the brand’s supply chain journey and how different audiences respond to the details of that sourcing story. 

Show Highlights:

02:03: Building a tortilla chip that doesn’t break in guac starts with good corn. For Zack’s Mighty, that pursuit of the perfect corn had its founder venturing to different continents and through the 10,000 year history of the iconic cobs. 

14:12: Growing a brand with a complex supply chain sometimes requires compromises. Zack talks through the choices he had to make and why these decisions have ultimately  allowed the brand to scale. 

15:49: How did consumers respond to the brand’s corn history lesson? Zack explains how the brand narrowed in on its best selling feature and dialed in its marketing messaging.

22:46: Profitability remains key and Zack explains why different steps along the company’s supply chain appealed to investors. 

“If something is easy to make, then it's probably not that special. When something is hard, it just means that there's not an existing supply chain for that and I think that can help you be unique.”

-Zack Gazzaniga

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

On this week’s episode of the NOSH Podcast, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporter Brad Avery chat about Orchard Valley Harvest’s “No Nut November” ad campaign, including the importance of knowing your target audience when taking a risk with marketing. Then the two muse over Getir’s acquisition of FreshDirect and what the future holds for grocery delivery. In the featured interview, Brazi Bites cofounder and CMO Junea Rocha shares how and why the brand expanded into the frozen waffle set and why building a successful food company involves more than just having a good product.

Show Highlights:

2:10 - Brad and Carol discuss Orchard Valley Harvest’s new provocative ad campaign and talk about the tenuous line brands must walk with risque marketing campaigns.

9:00 - What does the acquisition of FreshDirect by Getir mean for quick service delivery in the Northeast? Why was Ahold Delhaize willing to part ways with FreshDirect after purchasing it in 2021? These are the questions that Brad and Carol ponder while chatting about  the grocery delivery deal.  

12:50 - Brazi Bites co-founder Junea Rocha joins the podcast to explain how TikTok posts of consumers “waffling” the company’s Brazilian cheese bread ultimately led it to enter the breakfast category.

21:00 - Building a brand and launching a new SKU comes down to more than just having a good product. Rocha discusses how finding the right retailer who can put the product in the baskets of the target consumer is just as important to growth.

27:15 - Rocha talks about one of its less successful products and why sometimes a discontinued product can be just as helpful in moving a company forward as a home run.

“Our industry is very impatient…You can have a great product and get shelf space, but if it doesn't get discovered in time for you to drive the velocity that you need, then it's going to fall off the shelf the next year.”

- Junea Rocha, Brazi Bites cofounder and CMO

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Brad Avery ponder Eminem’s new CPG venture, Mom’s Spaghetti, and discuss why yet another cannabis company is switching focus to  the hemp-derived THC market. Later, Adrianne chats with Scott Marcus, CEO of Blue Zones Kitchen, to learn how, alongside Vital Farms founder Matthew O’Hayer and Blue Zones Guru/National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner, the team translated a two decade-old diet and lifestyle into a new frozen CPG food line.

Show Highlights:

01:18: The NOSH team dishes out the details on Eminem’s new pasta sauce product Mom’s Spaghetti including the item’s lyrical inspiration as well as what audience and purpose we believe it may serve.

08:04: Cannabis companies are increasingly looking to hemp-derived THC as an alternate ingredient for intoxicating products. The team runs down news this week from TSUMo Snacks, the latest to throw in the towel and exit California’s difficult dispensary channel. 

15:49: Where does one begin when evolving an established diet and lifestyle into a product? Scott explains why having a blueprint for creating the CPG food brand both simplified the process, and made it a riskier maneuver. 

24:26: Scott discusses how his team’s experience at both large food corporations, and small, mission-driven startups informed how they approached building the business.

“Having a brand established, having food guidelines, in a way makes things very easy because we have the roadmap… But [it also] creates a little bit of risk because you're now translating a brand name that some people have known for years, and all of a sudden, we're a CPG product on the shelf.”

-Scott Marcus, CEO of Blue Zones Kitchen

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

With Halloween on the horizon, this week NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Lukas Southard and Adrianne Deluca kickoff the episode discussing their favorite sweets before moving onto marshmallows with the news that  confection brand Smashmallow won a $21 million verdict in a dispute with its former equipment maker. The team also discusses changes to West African food brand Yolélé’s supply chain.

In our featured interview, Lukas hears from Circana’s Sally Lyons Wyatt about what is driving consumer buying behavior in the freezer aisle and subcategories seeing success. 

Show Highlights:

1:00 - Just in time for Halloween, the group kicks off the podcast sharing their favorite sugary treats before discussing the  $21 million verdict snack brand Smashmallow was just awarded in a suit over mallow-making equipment. The NOSH team rounds out the conversation talking about Yolélé’s separation from Woodland Foods. 

13:05 - Circana’s EVP & Practice Leader Sally Lyons Wyatt joins the podcast to step into the freezer aisle with fresh data and insights about consumer trends in frozen food.

19:15 - Though inflation is playing a role in purchasing decisions across the store, Wyatt says the impact is more nuanced in frozen, with supply chains and product mix also playing a role. 

24:45 - Lukas and Wyatt discuss why some of the consumers purchasing frozen the most often are also over indexing in restaurant spending.

30:45 - The two finish the interview delving into strategies that brands and retailers can use to capture a larger consumer base and drive more purchases in frozen food.

“Retailers need frozen and frozen CPG needs retailers…there's a whole host of things that natural-organic can do to find some fun ways to help consumers get speed-to-table.”

-Sally Lyons Wyatt, Circana EVP & Practice Leader, Client Insights

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg,Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman and reporter Lukas Southard kick off the podcast with a discussion about what to expect this winter at NOSH Live, before turning their attention to hot news in chili peppers and the difficulties natural brands sometimes face in the c-store channel. Later, Lukas talks with Wilde Brands founder and CEO Jason Wright about how the brand broadened its positioning via a branding change, and how that’s brought about new growth opportunities. 

Show Highlights:

2:45 - The NOSH Team begins to prepare for NOSH Live in Marina Del Rey this winter by discussing some of the guest speakers and the 1-on-1 meetings with The Fresh Market, Kroger and Thrive Market.

5:00 -  Pepper X set a new Guinness World record for the hottest chili pepper, and the team talks about if we’ll see it head to CPG. Then Jeff shares some of his insights from this year’s NACS convention in Atlanta.

18:10 - Sometimes small changes in branding can have a big impact. Wilde Brands CEO and founder Jason Wright joins the podcast to discuss the long road from meat bars to protein chips and how tweaking its positioning unlocked new consumers and retailer interest.  

29:15 - How do you maintain investors buy in while juggling product, production and positioning changes? Wright explains that good relationships can only go so far, it takes a lot of self-assurance in one’s product to keep partners invested.

31:45 - Wright discusses why broadening Wilde’s retail channels and pack sizes has paid off. 

"You can't build a pier, you need to build a bridge...The big game changer for Wilde was building the bridge to Protein Chips, where the customer immediately knew why they should eat it and what the benefit was."

-Jason Wright, Wilde Brands 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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg sits down with the Eat The Change team to discuss how the company has evolved its identity by rethinking its product lines. Seth Goldman, co-founder and CEO, and Sarah Shah, Head of Marketing talk through how the company evaluated its product mix, ultimately making a measured decision to discontinue one slow turner and revamp and reposition another. 

Show Highlights:

01:56: Mushrooms were… so last year? Seth and Sarah shared how declining consumer interest in fungi, and the polarizing popularity of mushrooms, coupled with a product positioned for kids, made the animal-free jerky a tough sell. 

11:33: Just because a product isn’t performing well, doesn’t mean it should be discarded. The duo talked through upcoming changes to their Carrot Chews line that aims to broaden its positioning and better explain the concept of a vegetable snack to consumers. 

22:25: Deciding on whether to discontinue, reposition or keep pushing for a product can be complex and often, not a clear cut choice to make. Seth and Sarah talk through the key metrics they considered and how Seth’s Honest Tea days informed how they assessed the total addressable market.

“We know what direction we want to go, but we're going to follow whatever path the market leads us to get us there. We're not going to change our direction, but we're not going to follow a preset course – we're going to have to let the course evolve as we grow”

-Seth Goldman, co-founder and CEO of Eat The Change

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On the NOSH Podcast this week, editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Brad Avery discuss the U.S. government’s suit against Amazon, how CPG brands’ differing approaches to selling on the retail platform and dive into recent shake ups in meal kit delivery space. 

Carol then goes completely nuts – during a chat with Nuts.com’s new CEO PJ Oleksak and chairman Jeffrey Braverman. The trio discusses how the nut empire was built, the ever-changing landscape for an ecommerce, DTC-based company and where the brand has grown since its original offerings in B2B.

In this episode:

2:00 - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon leads the team to discuss the tightrope CPG companies must walk when utilizing the platform. 

10:00 - What’s the state of meal delivery kits? Adrianne walks through the roughly $130 million sale of Blue Apron to the privately-held Wonder Group and Wellfull’s approach with its relaunch of Jenny Craig.

19:00 - Chief Nut, (a.k.a. newly appointed CEO) PJ Oleksak and Chairman (Chair Nut?) Jeffrey Braverman of Nuts.com joined Carol to talk about why paying $700k for a domain was worth it in the long run. 

33:00 - The two executives dive into the impact of COVID on DTC companies and how to “keep it hungry” in ecommerce through diversification.

40:00 - Nuts.com has – at times – zagged when other ecommerce brands have zigged, opting to focus its strategy on in-house marketing and operations efforts rather than selling on Amazon or tapping TikTok.

“Our customers are obsessed. They’re evangelical. It’s a ‘if you know, you know’ brand but the reality is we don’t want it to be an ‘if you know’ brand. We need to invest in building the brand. ”

 -Nuts.com CEO PJ Oleksak

“The reality is now that about 67% of product searches start on Amazon. Maybe we should be more open-minded to that.”

-Nuts.com founder Jeffrey Braverman

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

This week on the NOSH Podcast, editor Carol Ortenberg and reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Brad Avery debrief from their trip to the final Natural Products Expo East including some approaches brands have taken to combat the rising costs of retail and Expo’s new replacement. Then, Brad sat down with Ronak Shah, the co-founder and CEO of flavored collagen brand Obvi, to discuss how his brand built a D2C-first model on the foundation of a very specific consumer demographic.

In this episode:

1:33: The team dives into New Hope’s announcement about Expo’s final act and what we’ll all be looking to see during next year’s inaugural Newtopia Next in Savannah, Georgia.

6:22: How are brand’s tackling the rising costs of doing business in retail? Some are looking beyond natural grocery, conventional and mass channels – and instead branching the business out to new areas, with lower overhead and higher margins. 

14:15: Ronak Shah shares details about Obvi’s history which dovetails into a discussion of how the brand landed its focus on targeting a very specific age demographic of women in the Midwest.

36:55: Shah discusses Obvi’s first brand acquisition – Coffee Over Cardio – and how Obvi’s existing consumer base is helping drive the brand onward.

"We're taking the route of using our community to become our super women." 

- Ronak Shah, co-founder and CEO of Obvi

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 podcast@nosh.com.

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, reporters Adrianne DeLuca and Lukas Southard, as well as editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman dive into all of the deal news this past week including J.M. Smucker’s acquisition of Hostess and Kroger/Albertsons’ initial store divestment plan. Then, the team also discusses news surrounding Pacqui’s One Chip Challenge. 

Show Highlights:

01:02: What does Smucker want with Twinkies? Despite two bankruptcies in the past decade, Hostess brands has notched an impressive turnaround and the jelly maker believes the business will help its bottom line. 

08:18: Since the Kroger/Albertsons merger was announced last October, experts and execs have cited the need for Albertsons to divest some stores in order to get in the good graces of regulators. Listen in to hear how the newly announced plan could impact the grocery landscape. 

13:39: The Paqui One Chip Challenge is facing criticism after parents of a Massachusetts teen claim their son passed away as a result of eating the product. Paqui has already pulled the product from shelves, but the team discusses how the Amplify-owned brand may proceed in the weeks ahead.

“It's really hard to not sell a product unless it's age-gated in a regulatory sense. That means that the consumer is kind of signing their own release with their money… At the same time, this is tragic and the brand has to be really sensitive to the fact that you had a kid who ate this chip, whether or not it was [meant] for him, and he died.” 

-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 podcast@nosh.com.

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

On this week’s show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, reporter Adrianne DeLuca and editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman waffle between the various ways gluten-free brands are cooking up new breakfast lines. They also discuss the impending auction of Cali’flour Foods and news that Perfect Day’s CPG arm has found a new home. Later, Carol sits down with Mia Medina, founder and CEO of Gather Brands, to discuss the current retail environment as well as opportunities and issues brands face as they scale distribution.

Show Highlights:

01:54: Will it waffle? According to gluten-free frozen breakfast makers that answer is a definitive ‘Yes.’ The team discusses new innovation strategies Banza and Brazi Bites are testing in the breakfast set. 

09:03: The frozen aisle is red hot… with deals that is. What led two entrepreneurial brands to seek new ownership? For one, it was not a matter of choice and for the other, revenue growth may have been a key reason. 

18:56: How does a non-traditional broker assess potential emerging brand partners? Mia Medina shares the different levers she looks at to determine when it's the right time to work with a startup food maker and what opportunities she sees ahead of them. 

31:26: Deductions can be near-deadly to a young company and handling them in a timely fashion is an absolute necessity. Mia talks through the effective strategies she has seen in curbing chargebacks.  

“A lot of retailers want to be first to market with local brands, some don't, and some actually really want to see a sales story that it's going to move once they put it on shelf. Knowing who those ones are that want to be first to market – that's the fun part.” 

- Mia Medina

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 podcast@nosh.com.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts