Food Business Marketing | Strategy and Planning Tips to Build Real Food Brands – Details, episodes & analysis

If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to tell a compelling brand story, you’re not alone—and there's good news! You might just be starting in the wrong place.

In this episode, I share the story behind crafting a meaningful and memorable brand story. That includes why your brand story should support your strategy—not come before it.

You’ll learn how to use the 3Cs framework (Company, Competitors, and Consumers...in that order!) to uncover meaningful insights that make your brand story stand out and connect.

Tune in to discover:

• Why skipping ahead in your brand story is like skipping to the end of a good book.
• The biggest mistakes brands make when telling their story.
• What actually goes into a strong, meaningful, and unique brand story.
• The important difference between brand history and brand story.
• How to weave your brand story throughout your business.

Whether you’re writing your story for the first time or refining what you've been using so far, this episode will help you write a story that inspires action and loyalty.

Let's go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Brand Strategy Resources:

RealFoodBrands.com

IG: @realfoodbrands

LI: let's connect!

If you want to stand out in a crowded market, attract the right people, lead your team, and build your food business with confidence, it all starts with strategy.

In this episode, host Katie Mleziva shares why brand strategy isn’t just for big brands with big budgets—it’s how smaller, purpose-driven food businesses gain a real competitive edge to scale.

Whether you're updating your packaging, pitching to retailers, or working to gain clarity about where you want to take your business, your brand strategy is the foundation that serves as your guide and your glue to tie it all together.

In fact, a well-defined brand strategy can be a competitive advantage because most smaller brands don't take the time or know how to do the work and end up blending in to the sea of sameness.

You’ll learn:

• Why delaying brand strategy can create confusion - for everyone!
• What brand strategy actually is
• A real-life example of how brand strategy created clarity and confidence
• Why consistency and confidence come from clarity

If you’re tired of second-guessing your brand positioning or feeling stuck when people ask what makes you different, this episode is your pep talk and practical starting point.

✨ Ready to stop spinning and start leading your brand with clarity? Learn more about doing a Brand Audit with Katie.

Find the full transcript for this episode plus other resources for food business owners at www.realfoodbrands.com/podcast.

Have you ever felt stuck in reaction mode, pivoting too often when things don’t go as planned? Today, we’re diving into 3 ways pivoting too soon might be hurting your food brand more than helping it.

We’ll explore why consistency is key to building a memorable brand and how constant changes can drain your budget and energy. Of course, pivoting has its place, but the trick is knowing when to hold steady and when to adjust. 

Planning does not have to come at the expense of action. Without any sort of strategy or plan, how will you know what actions to prioritize, and how to optimize if things don't turn out as planned?

I encourage you to create a plan to Define, Align & Activate your brand strategy, and then LEAN IN with confidence for your own piece of mind, to manage your team better, and manage your expenses.

If you could use guidance in the process, I am happy to support you!  

Contact me about a Brand Audit review session or my signature Brand Strategy System.

You can get started by visiting my website www.realfoodbrands.com and send me a message if you have any questions!

In case nobody told you today, your work in the food industry is important and I’m so glad you’re here.

Now, let’s go shake up shopping carts! 

The Natural Products Expo West show is an exciting gathering of people dedicated to shaking up shopping carts, and the energy was infectious. The convention covers 555,000 square feet of booths and brings in over eighty-five thousand people over the course of a week. Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast host Katie Mleziva is back with insights on where the industry is headed and what trends you can tap into for your brand.

In This Episode:

• The Color Blocking packaging trend.
• Is CBD an ingredient or a brand foundation?
• How to start thinking about functional foods.
• Why functional carbonated beverages that replace soda have big potential.
• New trends to pay attention to in the plant-based foods and snacks space.
• How protein and snacking go together.
• The tricks and traps of sugar replacement.
• Why bars and balls are worth looking into, and how to stand out in a crowded market.

Resources:

• Natural Products Expo West
• RFB Ep #23: How to Find Your Unfair Advantage
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group
• Real Food Brands

In this episode of The Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast, Host Katie Mleziva talks about why your brand strategy should come first as you launch or scale your food or beverage business.  Katie shares four ways that documenting your brand strategy supports your business goals: clarifying your vision and setting your north star, streamlining decision making and aligning your team, preparing for buyer and investor meetings and saving you time and money.  

In This Episode: 

• The Three C’s of brand strategy: 
  • Competitors 
  • Consumers 
  • Company 

• Why a documented brand strategy is so important 
  • Documentation clarifies your vision and helps with decision making 
  • Decisions are streamlined and more consistent 
  • Aligning your team with the vision becomes easier, saving time and money 
  • Buyers and investors can better understand your strategy, giving them more confidence in your brand’s ability to win at shelf 

Resources: 

• RFB Episode #2: How to Start Building and Documenting Your Brand Strategy 
• RFB Episode #8: How to Define Your Ideal Audience Using Personas 
• RFB Episode #23: How to Find Your Unfair Advantage 
• RFB Episode #15: How to Activate Your Brand Strategy 
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group 
• Real Food Brands 

Kara Hanninen, Founder and CEO of Craveity Marketing, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss all things social media marketing, from choosing the right platform, to ads, to influencers...and more!

In This Episode: 

• Why Kara moved from digital marketing ad agencies to her own mission focused food related marketing firm. 
• Seven important things to consider when creating your integrated social media marketing plan: 
  • Planning and strategy 
  • Choosing the right platforms 
  • How to approach influencer marketing 
  • What kind of social media content you should be posting 
  • Scheduling your social media posts 
  • How to use social media ads effectively 
  • Using social media as part of a larger integrated marketing plan

Resources: 

• Check out Kara’s list of social media tools and resources here 
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group 
• Real Food Brands 
• Real Food Brands Instagram 
• Good Food Expo 

Alli Ball, Creator of Retail ReadyTM and Founder of Allison Ball Consulting, returns to the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss selecting the right food & bev industry trade show events and maximizing your trade show success, as well as tips to avoid common pitfalls. 

In This Episode: 

• Why Alli decided to start Retail Ready 
• Why industry trade shows are not about making direct sales 
• How to determine if your business is ready to be at a trade show 
• Why it is generally better to start with smaller regional shows 
• Four common traps that businesses fall into: 
  • Being unprepared for questions 
  • Not having a sample strategy 
  • Not trying hard enough to collect buyer information 
  • Failing to follow up with buyers after the show 
• How to prepare and strategize for a trade show 

Resources: 

• Allison Ball Consulting 
• Retail Ready 
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group 
• Real Food Brands 

Ainsley Moir, Founder and Chief Brand Engineer of Engineer Your Brand, joins Katie Mleziva on the Real Food Marketing Brands Podcast to discuss the value of consistency in everything you do in both the front end and backend operations of your business in order to build your food or beverage brand.  

In This Episode: 

• Why Ainsley was inspired to start her own company while working in CPG at a large food company.  
• How taking a brand management mindset will help you and your team build your brand. 
• Why your brand is more than a logo, and your marketing is so much more than advertising and promotions! 
• “The Four P’s of Marketing” 
  • Pricing 
  • Product 
  • Placement 
  • Promotion 

• Why you must have consistency in your branding across ALL areas of your business. 
• How packaging consistency helps customers trust your brand more 

• How small things matter, and simple tweaks can often lead to better brand consistency and building trust. 
• A special deal for listeners to access Ainsley’s Build Your Healthy Food & Beverage Business Virtual Summit.

Resources: 

• Engineer Your Brand 
• Access the Build Your Healthy Food & Beverage Business Virtual Summit  
• Branding Beyond Logos (book) 
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group 
• Real Food Brands (scroll down to access the Brand Checkup Scorecard) 

Join host Katie Mleziva as she outlines ways to identify theunique “unfair advantage” that sets your food or beverage brand apart from the rest of the market. 

In This Episode: 

• Three ways of looking at your main strengths 

• Your product: 
  • What is it that makes your food product stand out? 
  • Is it a completely new kind of product, or if it is a commodity product, what about the ingredients or the story makes it uniquely beneficial to your customers? 

• Your people: 
  • Starting with yourself, what about your personal and professionalstory sets your brand apart from the rest of the market? 
  • Is there someone in your team who brings a unique benefit to your business, and if so, how can you translate that into a story for your consumers without focusing too much on that one person? 

• Your process: 
  • What about your process, whether on the front end or behind the scenes, allows you to have an “unfair advantage” over your competition? 
  • Does your location provide a unique advantage or story? 

• Examples of unique advantages from various businesses 
• A sneak peek at Real Food Brands new Food & Beverage Mastermind coming later this year 

Resources: 

• Katie’s interview with Joe Henry of J. Henry Bourbon 
• Katie’s interview with Chitra and Ben of Brooklyn Delhi 
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group 
• Real Food Brands

Joe Henry of J. Henry Bourbon joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss the importance of setting a brand strategy and then delivering on your promises through consistent operational and marketing excellence in order to help your company stand out in a crowded marketplace.  

In This Episode: 

• The story behind the J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon brand strategy 
• How J. Henry revived of a dormant heirloom corn to help create a unique mash bill 
• Why J. Henry put quality over profit to age their bourbon for five years before their initial release  
• How the wildly inconsistent weather in Wisconsin actually benefits the bourbon aging process 
• Why sampling is so important for smaller food and beverage companies 

• Why saturating your core market(s) is important before expanding too quickly 
• How to turn onsite events and demos into memorable experiences that create brand advocates

Resources: 

• J. Henry Bourbon 
• J. Henry Instagram (@jhenrybourbon) 
• J. Henry Facebook 
• Wisconsin Foodie Episode at J. Henry Farm 
• Outstanding in the Field 
• Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group 
• Real Food Brands