Food Industry Insider – Details, episodes & analysis

Michael Spinelli is well-known for his work in the plant-based protein segment in the food industry.

After 2 decades in the industry working for big names like Ben & Jerry's and Sabra, Michael took the knowledge and skills he developed and started his own company, Nutriati. He spent 8+ years building this company into a leader in innovation for plant-based proteins.

Michael's new venture is NewEpoch which is committed to helping new alternative technology start ups.

He is a great ambassador for the vegetarian and vegan customers.

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John Patterson is one of the founders and owners of Pittsburgh Pickle.

John and his two brothers accidentally fell into the pickle business. They just wanted to make high-quality food for their bar & restaurant and started making pickles just for themselves.  

Like many smart business owners, they saw an opening in the market and turned their basement pickle operation into a brand you can find all across the country.  

John is as honest and authentic as they come and he walks us through all the ups and downs of building this company.  

If you are in the Pittsburgh Area, be sure to go visit their bar & restaurant the BeerHive in the Strip District.  

If you want to buy their pickles, check their website for local and online retailers.

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Monica Caparosa is the R&D Manager for Ferrero Mainstream Chocolate and she oversees popular brands like Crunch, Butterfinger, and Baby Ruth to name a few. Unlike many of our previous guests, Monica is still early in her career. She has taken advantage of many opportunities to give her more experience than most with more time in the industry. She's a food industry evangelist, and, again unlike many of our previous guests, she got into the food industry 100% intentionally, not a coincidence.

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Dave Calvin is the Senior Director of Quality and Food Safety at Shearer's Foods. When they think about the food they eat, many people worry about whether it will taste how they want or provide the nutrition they are looking for. One thing most people don't worry about is whether or not the food will make them sick. They have people like Dave to thank for that.

Dave has built his career on keeping consumers safe and giving them consistent experiences when they eat the food products from the companies he works for.

Maureen and Dave have known each other a long time, and it shows with this 2+ hour-long episode. They discuss the many different products Dave has worked on such as soup, pickles, baby food, and much more. This is also our first in-person episode and we hope to do more of these in the future!

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John Novak recently retired as the President of Sokol & Company after nearly 25 years. Sokol & Company was started by John's great-grandfather John Sokol in 1895. The business started out as a wholesaler and importer, but through the years has grown into a leader in contract manufacturing.

John grew up in this company and has seen all sides of his family's business. He's proud of the company and culture he's helped build where his employees feel valued and empowered.

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Elliot Haverlack has recently retired after 40 years in the pet food industry. He's held chief executive roles in many well-known companies in the pet food industry.

When people of think of the many segments in the food industry, they don't usually think of pet food as being a large player. But with 2/3 of US households owning at least one pet and over $136B in annual revenue in 2022, the pet food industry carries weight in the larger food industry.

In this episode, Maureen and Elliot discuss pet food history, pet food safety, and Elliot's main passion, leadership development.

If you are interested in Elliot's books or coaching services go to:

www.cehaverlack.com

Check out Colton Pointz music at:

www.coltonpointz.com

Check out Flagstone Music Group at:

www.flagstonemusic.com/

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Doug Zimmermann is the VP of R&D at Medifast, Inc., the company behind the well known weight loss meal system, Optavia. His team develops innovative food products that have all the nutrients needed for healthy weight loss while also still tasting great.

In the episode Doug and Maureen discuss Doug's journey in the food industry that led him to Optavia and the science behind this well designed food system.

Whether you are a user of Optavia or not, there is a ton of interesting information jammed packed in this episode.

Jim Beauregard is the Director of Research & Development for the Mennel Milling Company. He is an expert in all things flour and baking.

In this episode, Maureen and Jim discuss many different aspects of baking, flour, food industry (duh), allergies, and more.

Brian Fox is the CEO of Richelieu Foods, a private brand and contract packing food manufacturer specializing in pizza. If you buy pizza from the grocery store then there's a really good chance you've eaten their pizza. They manufacture for many well known retailers.

In this episode Maureen and Brian discuss pizza (of course), but also the food industry in general: where it's going and where it's under attack. Brian really cares about the food industry and it shows from the very beginning!

On this episode Maureen interviews Barry Traband, an expert food scientist with 25+ years of experience. He has experience in many different areas in the food industry and has worked with many well-known brands.