Explore every episode of the podcast FoodTech Stories
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How NETZRO Reduces Food Waste by Upcycling Food Ingredients | 18 Feb 2026 | 00:25:21 | |
Is upcycling about to have its moment? With renewed focus on the global ingredient supply chain, what role can companies like NETZRO play in connecting food processors and brand builders? Sue Marshall, the Founder and CEO of Twin Cities-based NETZRO, joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how her firm has designed processing equipment specifically for upcycling, how it is connecting leaders across the value chain, and the role that certification plays in building consumer trust. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How Savor is Creating Sustainable Fats & Oils | 22 Jan 2026 | 00:20:33 | |
Few crops have the climate impact that palm and soybean do today. Kathleen Alexander, Co-Founder & CEO of Savor, a FoodTech startup developing new types of sustainable fats and oils, joins host Megan Thomas in this episode. Hear more about how Savor was launched out of a regional incubator, how the firm is partnering with chefs and restaurants, and how Alexander uses her training in materials science to drive FoodTech innovation. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How a Personal Health Challenge Sparked Foodini to Help Restaurants Manage Food Data | 07 Jan 2026 | 00:27:50 | |
Foodini Founder & CEO Dylan McDonnell joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how a celiac disease diagnosis gave him a keen awareness of the challenges of avoiding allergens while eating out. Learn how he combined his personal journey with a career in Big Law to found Foodini, a startup with a unique platform that helps restaurants to provide up-to-date data on potential allergens, and to help diners to understand which restaurants or venues cater to eating styles like keto or vegetarian. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How Leaft Foods is Evolving Plant-Based Protein | 10 Dec 2025 | 00:24:17 | |
Leaft Foods CEO Ross Milne joins host Megan Thomas to talk about Rubisco, an enzyme found in green leaves that is rich in protein. The New Zealand-based firm has developed a product called the Leaft Blade, a portable fuel shot designed for performance athletes. Podcast listeners in the US & NZ can get 20% off with the code FOODTECH at leaftblade.com. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How Novi Connect is Using Tech to Verify Product Claims in a Digital World | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:22:14 | |
Consumer trust is increasingly connected to verifiable product claims, says Novi Connect Co-Founder & CEO Kimberly Shenk in this episode. Shenk sits down with host Megan Thomas to talk about the key role that data, AI, and GPTs are playing in how consumers learn about and choose the products they buy. Plus, find out about the surprising type of claim that can be the most difficult to define and verify, and how Shenk's early start in the Air Force shapes her leadership style. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| What FoodTech Companies Should Know When Hiring a Team | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:23:50 | |
Food Impact Partners Founder & CEO Noga Golan joins host Megan Thomas to discuss the skills and mindsets that are in demand in today's FoodTech market. Noga shares key watch-outs to look out for when filling senior leadership roles, as well as how to recruit new talent to enhance a startup's positioning and business strategy. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Combining Purpose and Technology to Build a Mycelium Protein Company | 08 Oct 2025 | 00:22:34 | |
Maia Farms Co-Founder and CEO Gavin Schneider joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how his firm envisions a world where protein is produced indoors through a distributed system, at scale. The episode goes deep into mycelium and its applications as a functional protein, how the revenue-generating Canadian firm is partnering to scale, and how the Maia Farms team is delivering on its mission by partnering with a major local food bank. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| The Role of Regenerative Farming for a Crop-Dependent Brand | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:23:50 | |
Alter Eco CEO Keith Bearden joins host Megan Thomas to talk about how his purpose-driven food company has used its decades-long commitment to regenerative farming practices to build brand loyalty. This episode also delves into how satellite imagery is used to inform Alter Eco's agroforestry strategy, the impact that a changing climate is having on producers and growing regions, and how younger consumers will be critical to building the purpose-driven brands of tomorrow. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Using AI to Drive Supply Chain Resilience | 03 Sep 2025 | 00:24:35 | |
Guest Melanie Morrison, Founder & CEO of Canadian startup BetterCart Analytics, joins host Megan Thomas to talk about how her firm is using its AI platform to provide valuable business insights, like retail pricing and supply chain data, to both the underserved Canadian market and emerging brands looking to understand the marketplace. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Meeting the Demand for Natural Food Dyes | 20 Aug 2025 | 00:27:15 | |
Guest Julia Streuli, Co-Founder & CEO of FUL Foods, joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how her firm is using their unique approach to processing spirulina to meet the emerging demand for natural dyes in food, beverage, and even pharmaceutical products. Plus, hear about how Streuli and her team used a consumer product, BLUwater, to both deliver revenue and glean valuable learning about product performance as their startup scales. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Using AI to Foresee Ag Disruptions | 06 Aug 2025 | 00:17:59 | |
Francisco Martin-Rayo, Co-Founder and CEO of AgTech startup Helios joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how his firm uses AI and large data sets to predict field, country, and global production of agricultural crops. This episode will break down how the team at Helios has built its tech stack, how it delivers meaningful insights, including predicted future pricing, to customers, and the surprising ways it is building buy-in with seasoned buyers and traders. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| The Evolution of Performance Nutrition | 23 Jul 2025 | 00:21:38 | |
EAS Co-founder and performance nutrition pioneer Anthony Almada joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how EAS used clinical studies and consumer outreach to build a successful performance nutrition company before its acquisition by Abbott Nutrition. He also delves into how the field of performance nutrition has evolved, and what he has learned on his 35 year+ journey in the industry. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Managing the Pivot from R&D to Commercial | 09 Jul 2025 | 00:27:30 | |
Helaina Founder & CEO Laura Katz joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how her company is managing its evolution from being an R&D organization to a commercial one, as it brings its first human lactoferrin product to the food and supplement markets. Katz delves into how her firm partners with customers and uses clinical rigor to back its products, as well as the important role that culture plays in her scaling startup. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How AI & Predictive Modeling are Driving Product Innovation in Seaweed | 25 Jun 2025 | 00:24:22 | |
This episode with guest Patrick Griffin, Founder & CEO of Marine Biologics, goes deep into the intersection between emerging technology and biomanufacturing. The conversation with host Megan Thomas talks about the opportunities and challenges of building a global seaweed-based business. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Building a Center of Excellence for Novel Proteins | 29 May 2025 | 00:24:48 | |
Kara Leong, Executive Director of the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein at UC Davis joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how a college campus is the perfect place to develop and test new novel foods, as well as how UC Davis blends its academic leadership in plant genetics and viticulture with both the region's ag heritage and its proximity to Silicon Valley to create an integrated FoodTech ecosystem. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Bringing Plant-Based Fish into the North American Market | 07 May 2025 | 00:20:12 | |
Chris Bryson, CEO of Canada-based New School Foods talks about the ups and downs of developing plant-based salmon that chefs want to cook with and consumers want to eat. Bryson talks with host Megan Thomas about how he applies his experience from a prior tech startup to developing food products, building partnerships, and preparing to sell across the border into the U.S. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| The Connection between Nutrition and Global Food Security | 24 Apr 2025 | 00:24:20 | |
Guest Kelly Bristow, Global Nutrition Lead for Bayer, joins host Megan Thomas to talk about the intersection of nutrition, farming, and food security. Bristow shares how her unique background, from sampling nonfat cheese for a dairy council to counseling patients to designing nutritious meal programs for students, informs her work crafting nutrition policy for a major agriculture company. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Accessing Capital: Opportunities in the Research Triangle Park Region | 09 Apr 2025 | 00:16:33 | |
What does it take to connect investors and startups? Guest Hunter Young, Head of Capital at the Center for Entrepreneurial Development, joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how the Research Triangle Park (RTP) region is answering this question. From his view on emerging sectors in the area, to how his organization connects startups and investors, to the role that Raleigh-Durham's major research universities play in driving investible innovation, this episode breaks down how an ecosystem player can effectively attract capital and create value. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How to Build a Global FoodTech Hub | 26 Mar 2025 | 00:24:42 | |
This episode digs into how New Zealand, a nation of five million people and the world's largest exporter of dairy products, has taken a "Yes, and..." approach to expanding its food system by embracing emerging FoodTech applications and products. Katy Bluett, the Executive Director of Future Food Aotearoa joins host Megan Thomas to discuss the strategies the organization has used to build international relationships and to create a thriving FoodTech hub, making New Zealand a model for other nations in the process. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Headwinds and Tailwinds for Cultivated Meat | 05 Mar 2025 | 00:24:08 | |
Former regulator and cultivated meat pioneer Eric Schulze, PhD, joins FoodTech Stories to discuss the future of cultivated meat and his "hot take" on the future of FoodTech in the U.S. and beyond. He joins host Megan Thomas to break down his bold approach to stakeholder engagement, and the importance of doing "science for others." Eric is the host of the Food Truths podcast. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How Alt Protein Startups are Teaming Up with CPG Food Companies | 19 Feb 2025 | 00:18:20 | |
This episode features guests Cornelly Van Der Ven, Director, Protein & Plant Based at Danone, and Alex Worker, Founder & Director of Nutrition from Water. They join host Megan Thomas to break down how the right partnership can benefit strategics and startups alike. For the startup, the right partnership can unlock access to vast operational capabilities and consumer understanding, and for the CPG company, it can benefit from the startup partner's nimble innovation. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| A Food Technologist's View on Getting to Product-Market Fit | 05 Feb 2025 | 00:21:28 | |
Join guest Matt Tom of MTCC, a product development consultancy, on how he applies his engineering and materials science mindset to the development of innovative new FoodTech foods. Matt talks with host Megan Thomas about how to get to product-market fit, something that he has done repeatedly in the FoodTech meat alternative, dairy, and snack space. From plant molecular farming to fiber spinning, catch the latest on emerging FoodTech in this episode. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| The Impact of Mis-Information and Dis-Information on Consumer Food Choices | 22 Jan 2025 | 00:18:20 | |
Seasoned science and nutrition communicators Connie Diekman and Cami Ryan join host Megan Thomas to talk about the impact that mis-information and dis-information can have on consumer understanding and behavior toward food. From food technology to nutrition facts, this episode breaks down key pain points and learnings around communicating accurate information in a digital world. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Advancing New Food Technology in an Established Industry | 08 Jan 2025 | 00:16:11 | |
What does it take to build adoption for new technology or a new tech-enabled food in an established industry? Join guest Dr. Sarah Davidson Evanega, VP, Business Development for Okanagan Specialty Fruits, as she speaks with host Megan Thomas about the non-browning Arctic Apple, developed using genetic modification. The episode delves into how to balance consumer and grower benefits with the adoption of an emerging technology in the produce industry. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Getting to Scale: The Investor Outlook for the FoodTech Sector | 17 Dec 2024 | 00:28:21 | |
Two investors deeply involved in the FoodTech and AgTech space -- Alex Kopelyan, Senior Director & Partner at SOSV’s IndieBio, and Dan Altschuler, Managing Partner / Co-Founder of Unovis Asset Management, join host Megan Thomas for this episode. They share their outlook for private markets, how the Food and FoodTech sectors follow a fundamentally different model from the "disrupt and destroy" model at play in other tech sectors, and how ecosystems like MISTA can help startups to effectively scale production. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Where FoodTech Meets Food Culture: Designing Products Consumers Want | 30 Oct 2024 | 00:25:09 | |
Laurie Demeritt, Owner & CEO of The Hartman Group, joins host Megan Thomas to discuss trends in food culture, including consumer expectations for FoodTech foods, why the beverage category is an easy entry point for consumers, and the emerging product benefits that younger adults are seeking from the foods they choose. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Building Ecosystem-wide Success for FoodTech Founders | 16 Oct 2024 | 00:25:53 | |
Guest Scott May, Founder and Head of MISTA, a multi-dimensional innovation platform and ecosystem for the FoodTech space, talks with host Megan Thomas about the barriers and breakthroughs that innovators face in both startup and corporate companies, and the unique approaches that MISTA is using to connect and support founders, investors, and large CPG and ingredient players. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| What Role Can Nutrition Play in the Adoption of FoodTech Foods? | 02 Oct 2024 | 00:27:21 | |
Milton Stokes, PhD, MPH, RD, the Sr. Director, Food and Nutrition for the International Food Information Council (IFIC) joins the podcast to share the latest insights on what consumers think about nutrition and the foods that they choose, the role that registered dietitians can play in reaching consumers, and the interesting intersection of personal values and scientific evidence. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How Superbrewed Food is Bringing Better Proteins to Market | 18 Sep 2024 | 00:20:27 | |
Guest Julie Post-Smith, Chief of Commercial for FoodTech startup Superbrewed Food, talks with host Megan Thomas about how to effectively deliver new, alternative proteins to strategic partners, while still meeting consumer expectations. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| How Academics and Founders Can Work Together to Drive Food Systems Innovation | 04 Sep 2024 | 00:27:17 | |
Dr. Katie Sanders, an Assistant Professor at NC State University, joins host Megan Thomas to discuss how bringing a modern perspective to science communications can cultivate better connections and deepen consumer understanding of food and agriculture. Dr. Sanders specializes in science and food systems communication, and also is part of the NC State Extension program: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/ Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| AgTech Investing: What Does the Future Hold? | 20 Aug 2024 | 00:18:32 | |
Early stage AgTech investor Karen Levert of LeVert Ventures joins host Megan Thomas for a conversation about the outlook for venture investing in the sector, what she looks for in a startup, and the advice that she likes to give to founders. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Building Alignment with Stakeholders around New Food & Ag Technology | 10 Jul 2024 | 00:17:34 | |
Dan Jenkins, VP of Regulatory and Government Affairs at CRISPR ag company Pairwise, speaks with host Megan Thomas about his perspectives on how to build alignment around the adoption of emerging technologies in food and agriculture using stakeholder engagement, networking, and other collaboration approaches. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||
| Understanding the FoodTech Food Consumer | 18 Jun 2024 | 00:24:22 | |
Our guest today is Ericca Dennehy, Senior Vice President of Account Management with market research firm Acupoll. Ericca talks with host Megan Thomas about the emerging consumer for FoodTech foods and the surprising insights that were uncovered in the recent "Understanding the FoodTech Food Consumer" study conducted with Ladder 17. Follow FoodTech Stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. FoodTech Stories is edited by TJG Media. | |||