In this conversation, Adam and Alex Wendling delve into the intricacies of the flavor industry, exploring Alex's journey into flavor development, the art and science behind creating flavors, and the challenges of managing supply chains. They discuss the shift from traditional food products to supplements, the competitive landscape of flavor houses, and the increasing regulatory demands in the industry. Alex shares insights on the excitement of working in a constantly evolving field and the importance of supporting smaller brands in their growth. In this conversation, Alex Wendling discusses the current market trends in food manufacturing, particularly the shift towards onshoring production in the U.S. He emphasizes the importance of strategic contracting to stabilize pricing and manage supply chain risks. We also cover forecasting demand for ingredients, building supplier networks, and navigating regulatory changes in the flavor industry. Alex highlights the need for education and resources in flavor science, sharing insights on how to better understand and engage with the industry. Alex’s Linkedin:  Alex Wendling - President - Custom Flavors | LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Adam Yee has he chats with Andrew Zimmern about his career, advice on trying new food and about his new show, Wild Game! Adam then talks about his sabbatical and the food in 9 different countries. Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef,writer and passionate global citizen. As the creator, executive producer and host of the Bizarre Foods franchise, Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food, MSNBC’s What’s Eating America, the Emmy-nominated Family Dinner, Outdoor Channel’s Wild Game Kitchen and Field to Fire, and the Emmy-winning The Zimmern List, he has devoted his life to exploring and promoting cultural acceptance, tolerance and understanding through food. - Links on where to find Andrew Zimmern Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard has been building Venture Capital backed startups since 1996. He was at the forefront of the industrial biotechnology sector beginning with Amyris Biotechnologies.in 2007. Those experiences with Amyris and other SynBio 2.0 companies led to building startups in various other sectors including; FoodTech, HardTech, Material Science, AgTech, Renewable Energy and various carbon capture technologies. In this conversation, Richard Herbert, a seasoned recruiter, shares insights into the recruiting process, the importance of human connection in hiring, and strategies for job seekers. He discusses his journey in the recruiting industry, the evolution of recruiting practices, and the nuances of building effective teams in startups. The conversation also touches on negotiation tactics for executives and the challenges faced in the current job market. In this conversation, Richard Herbert discusses the complexities of recruitment, the evolving value of equity in startups, and the importance of timing in hiring. He emphasizes that candidates are increasingly motivated by the excitement of solving problems rather than just equity compensation. The discussion also touches on the current funding environment, the lessons learned from past startup failures, and the necessity of effective research in recruiting. Herbert advises job seekers to be proactive and leverage their networks to navigate the challenging job market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We interview several people who benefit from the SQF conference and you’ll be hearing case studies on how SQF has benefitted them from copackers to consulting. What I find really cool about this episode is how people get into the quality field and how they progressed throughout their roles. I find it beautiful that no matter where you are in life, you can end up in a career in food. What I find amazing is just how aligned in purpose the people in the quality field are. You’ll also hear from a special past guest and we catch up on what he’s been up to. A disclaimer is that this is in a live setting in a noisy conference room so it might be a little noisy. We’ve tried our best to mitigate the noise, so just be mindful when listening to the episode in whatever setting you’re in. Mandy Jennifer, QA Manager from Pillar’s Fine Foods Piller’s Fine Food It’s my first time visiting I brought my husband over There’s a new code this year. Ver 9.0 Leclerc Foods Alba Velasco SQF Practitioner of the US Waffle Company US Waffle Company We make store brand gluten-free pancakes and waffles We do foodservice and retail brands Food Safety Consortium Denise Webster Food Safety Consultant Food Safety consultancy Mark Crowell Certified SQF Trainer and Consultant Eurofins How do you become a trainer?: The application process, live training, test, and being shadowed Social Responsibility Standard How did you find out about food science?: Michigan State I wanted to be a chemist but I never had the personality of a chemist Tesco’s Fresh and Easy In any time in your career, you have to make critical decisions Bryan Armentrout VP Eurofins Past interview Eurofins actually does training and consulting Dr. Doug Marshall FSMA Connecting corporate and industrial to fill in gaps with the corporate supply chain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was invited to the SQF Conference in San Antonio to do some interviews. If you’re not familiar with the SQF Institute, it’s a certification body that ensures our food is safe. After all, SQF stands for Safe Quality Food, but it’s a lot more than that! I was fortunate to be invited to their annual conference last year to learn a bit more about the concepts behind SQF and the people who run it. We got quite a bit of content so I’m splitting it into two parts. I’d say this first part describes the ins and outs of the SQF program and the second part focuses more on, past guests and connections! It’s always so interesting meeting people in new places. Guests and Show Notes Sarah Mullunich  – Marketing and Sales Director of SQFI Food Industry Association Ethical Sourcing and Certification Systems SQF Certified: email me at s.mullenich@sqfi.com How to become SQF Certified: Find a certifying body and auditors come and verify your plant sqfi.com Only locations can be certified 12th year at SQF The conference is 2 and a  half days of learning and networking in the SQF industry Each year, we have a theme: this year’s theme is: Shaping the future of food safety together What’s super fun about SQF? Here in Texas. We're going to the Kinibbie Ranch that has a rodeo and live steers and celebrate Texas My Food Job Rocks: I get to keep food safe. Yawinder Sighn - Student from Cornell University  2nd-year phd from india I won a  scholarship to go to this conference How did you find out about the scholarship?: Cornell aggrigates student scholarship and I found this one IAFP IFT PCQI certification – part of FSMA, more global HACCP certification – generalized certification What do you win when you win the scholarship?: Travel expenses waived at $3000 dollars Reshmine from Galaxy Desserts – QA Manager I get interrupted in this one, but I decided to leave it here. I think it’s funny. We actually met at NCIFT SQF is important for everyone Why are you here?: It’s my first time here and I’m so glad I’m here. I get to network, learn more about certifying bodies, and learn about Edition 9 How did you convince your boss to go to SQF?: We’ve been SQF and you need to improve your skillset What have you learned today?: Improvement in the food fraud, environmental program, pretty much getting the most up to date methods The codes and standards keep changing and you have to keep up to date A person can be a SQF Practitioner a company can be a SQF Company My Food Job Rocks: We eat food every day. You’ll always have a  job Deni Otovemi -Quality Assurance at Wayne Farms Emerging Leaders Network We talked about risk and risk is a factor of profession Daniel Akimamayan IT Tech for SQF Bachelors of Economics Kainen Ryse Manager of the Ethical Sourcing and Sustainability Standard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daniel has had a multitude of very impressive jobs but nothing satisfies him as much as showing data for a good cause. Daniel’s job is to gather data sets through either tests that he sends out or gathers other data points to convince huge, conventional companies to use their products such as JUST Egg. If you’re in the plant-based industry, there’s a lot to think about such as: who is your actual target market? Or What’s in a name? You’re also going to learn the value of networking. Perhaps the value of hard work is something you can’t put on a resume. I think what’s fascinating about Daniel is that he puts a ton of effort in his roles and people recognize it in each part of his career path. So much, he started his own networking group, SF CPG. You’ll also learn… one fun thing about JUST. They have a  band called the Super Fantastics and Daniel’s the drummer and singer Stay tuned. At the end of the episodes, you’ll hear a song from them We do this episode at the JUST office. Show Notes Smart Kitchen Summit SF CPG Or San Francisco Consumer Products Group Next Gen Chef MISTA Seeds of Change Burning Man What’s your role?: I’m the director of Strategy and Analytics and Insights How many Eggs are in JUST? 8 eggs per bottle Downstream Processing People are looking for plant-based are health reasons. Even if they don’t eat a lot of plant-based, it’s healthier. This plant-based product isn’t 2% of the population, but 40% of the population Primary Research: Surveys and trying to understand plant-based consumers Most research about customers and labels Just Egg: Made from plants, not chickens What’s a good survey plant?: You can do a 20-50 person sample and get good data as a litmus test Why did you choose psychology?: Kenyon College in Ohio, both of my parents are psycologists After my MBA, I got a job at Deloitte After Deloitte, I got into Mars How did you get into Mars?: I met this guy from old fashion networking. I would get referrals, and if anyone wanted to meet with me, I would ask them for time to meet and I met them in person. How did you get a job at JUST?: JUST reached out and asked for someone to understand pricing In general, the approach to pricing is to find the options (competition), test it, and see what works. What resources do you have on your disposal How did you change from pricing to analytics?: I saw the sales go in and pitch a story, but they need data SPINS Data Surveymonkey My Food Job Rocks: I get to do something meaningful and impactful Food Trends: Cultured Meat What is one thing you’d like to know more about?: It’s a privilege to hear about such exciting stuff that’s happening in other companies What type of resources would you like to share?: Think about your dream job and then find ways to get there. Podcasts: Taste Radio, How I Built This JUST has a house band with a band room The Super Fantastics Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lilian Cruz-Hand, is a Quality Specialist, but she does so much at her job at Save A Lot. From building a sensory lab, to working with product development. She's a rockstar, and listens to all of my episodes. So much, that her boss actually contacted me to interview her! Eric Iserman asked me to interview Lilian and I think that really says something about the team in Save A Lot and supporting one another. It's a sign of a good culture. Though a fun little segment, Lilian brings a ton of knowledge on the table about white-labeling, building labs, and an example of lifelong curiosity. Perhaps being a superstar specialist isn’t about digging deep into one field, but understanding how each field affects one another. You’ll also learn what goes behind making a white label product, you know, the store brand products in grocery stores. Lilian does an amazing job on describing what goes into it and what you might need to pay attention to in that role. About Lilian Lilian Cruz-Hand is a Quality Specialist Sensory Lead at the headquarters of Save A Lot Food Stores in St Ann, Missouri. With over 9 years of experience in the food industry, she has created prototypes to test with consumers against marketing concepts; and worked on bench top product development through commercialization. Lilian has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and is currently earning her Culinary Arts degree at St Louis Community College. Lilian has had the opportunity to explore many facets of the food industry ranging from quality, to R&D, and sensory in both small family-owned companies and global food competitors. Lilian combines all of her previous experience in her current cross-functional role working in a test kitchen and sensory laboratory where she is responsible for new product development, quality assurance and continuous improvement of products marketed under Save-A-Lot's private label portfolio. Show Notes Save-A-Lot is limited Assortment which is why products are a bit cheaper St. Anne Missouri We opened a space last year with a ton of open tablespace. Lots of equipment and lots of storage and equipment How did you find out about food science?: I have a chemistry degree and focused on biomedical research at first. Sometimes I shout EUREKA just to boost morale My first job was entry-level lab assistant stuff and worked more on analytics. Then I worked in Quality in a spice company Abbott Nutrition – Learned all things sensory DuPont in St. Louis with protein shakes Skillset: While you work, you’re always developing your technical skill How do you develop a sensory lab?: The bible for sensory labs: The Sensory Techniques Textbook Reference Organization of Sensory Professionals My Food Job Rocks: I get to make an impact, my team is amazing and I get to do something new. Where do you go to find food trends?: My local grocery stores but also many other competitors so I can see who’s there and what options exist? There’s a lot of growth on private labels What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Lack of high quality but low cost products Favorite Quote: I think food, culture and landscape are completely inseparable Favorite Book: Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook Junior’s Cheesecake Favorite kitchen item: Kitchen knives such as Henkel knives, Advice for the food industry: Don’t be afraid to try something else Where can we find you?: LinkedIn Sensory professionals: I’m in the directory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve had a couple of Fairtrade focused episodes such as Kim Chackal from Equifruit, so familiarize yourself with that episode if you haven’t already. Now we’re going to the East Coast and we’ll be talking about the amazing effect Fair Trade has on farmers and why big companies such as KIND are buying fair trade products. Learn about Bryan Lew’s career path and his advice for anyone when it comes to climbing to the top. You can do it too, even if you’re a cashier at a small grocery store. About Bryan Bryan Lew is the chief operating officer for Fairtrade America, where he leads the effort to expand awareness of Fairtrade America’s mission among U.S. businesses and consumers to ultimately increase revenue and grow the organization. Bryan brings expertise in the natural foods industry from his previous roles leading operations for Sur la Table and MOM’s Organic Market. Bryan was also an executive vice president at Whole Foods Market.  Show Notes Whole Foods (first started when there were 10 stores) Why did you decide to join Whole Foods?: Something felt different. They took advice to heart. What do you do?: Fair trade is simple. We try and balance the value of trade for things that we all love to eat. Chief Operating Officer: We mainly talk with other companies and see how we can streamline the process KIND BARK: They use fair trade cocoa in their product exclusively Most popular Fair Trade Product: Coffee!! Trip to origin Endangered Species Chocolate: a chocolate company who went to West Africa to see the process. How do you get Fair Trade?: For the farmer, it’s not super hard. When you’re ina  community of Farmers, people see the differences when Farmers can build a school or a hospital with a  fair trade certified. Why is coffee so cheap?: Brazil and other countries have invested very heavily in coffee What makes Fair Trade appealing?: Consumers want it, brands think it’s valuable and stores want it My Food Job Rocks: I love being in something my daughter can be proud of What trend or technology, is exciting you right now?: LOFT-Local, Organic or Fair Trade. On transparency: What are the tools to better communicate transparency? QR codes didn’t work. We have an App that might help too. What’s one thing in the food industry that you’d like to know more about?: Blockchain. I think it will do really well in showing where or food comes from The brand map that shows all of the companies owning something Greenwashing Leadership Books: Good to Great by Jim Collins Any advice for the food industry?: There are a few skills that are indespensible in any industry. The ability to Hustle is really important. You have to continue to follow up. What do you consider a finish?: Simplify, focus and execute. Sometimes it can take a while   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure when you started your job, you had to go through training videos that help you understand the importance of something. Before this was powerpoints but nowadays, the videos are much more engaging. Whether about car safety, good manufacturing practices, or even food safety, to get people to understand and care about important topics, it helps for the video to be engaging. This is where Austin Welch and Richard Fleming come in. Their company, SAGE Media, create engaging video stories by hacking into the behaviors of a culture and showcasing them in high quality training videoes Bare with me at the beginning of the interview as we try to crack down some really complex stuff. As soon as we get through that, and understand the underlying concepts, that’s where you get the nuggets of wisdom. If you want to know the insides and insights of making great, engaging stories, this episode will really get you interested. Since these guys do training videoes, you can find examples at sage.academy About Austin and Richard AUSTIN WELCH His learning films have earned three Brandon Hall Award’s and he has spoken about the emerging role of media and learning at the International Association of Food Protection, the International Conference for the Association of Talent Development, and TEDx. As a Kirkpatrick Certified Professional, Austin is always looking for ways to create emotionally intelligent training films that lead to measurable behavior change. RICHARD FLEMING Applying film theory, behavioral economics, and myth structure to his work at Sage Media, Richard designs and produces stories that impact action and modify the behaviors of viewers. With an extensive background marketing for companies like Microsoft, GP Strategies, and Hershey, Richard is no stranger to using stories to drive predictable emotional responses. He now uses his superpowers for good, helping to transform the lives of employees. Show Notes What do you guys do?: We’ve been struggling with this, but I think we’ve figured it out. We study how the human brain understands information and uses media to help understand it. Essentially, they’re a videographer that makes video training programs. We’re really trying to teach people how to be emotionally intelligence Emotional Intelligence: To read and glean information that is non-verbal Why we’re different: We take a consultancy approach where we give advice on storytelling. It’s hard for non-storytellers to tell stories Flannery O’Conner Aesop Fable Poisoned: A book about E.coil How do you research complex things like Food Safety?: We do our research and ask the client if we’re on the right course. Where did Hershey find you? Trade Show: Association of Talent Development – Hershey found us there and liked what we were doing We made a crime scene video with Hershey talking about Food Safety culture Foursight/JR Puccio’s 4 stages of Creativity: Clarify, Ideate, Develop, Implementors: A question well stated is a problem half-solved Great Courses on Foursight What do you outsource?: We do soup to nuts. We do everything In fact, a lot of companies ask us to consult for them to improve their storytelling value How do we get an actor?: We usually have a  casting director but now we know the strength and weaknesses of the actors in the community. How did you first meet?: At a local film event. We were introduced by a mutual contact IAFP Food Safety Culture and Food Safety Communication How do you solve criticism?: Read Marshall-Rosenburg’s Nonviolent Communication. Non-violent is all about clarification and communication How do you get buy-in from staff?: Sometimes you have to talk about multiple topics and you have to see their reaction The Challenger Sale The Challenger Customer Find the internal champion and cater to them What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to do what you do?: Learn about cognitive science. We’re very soft-skill driven. Though we get asked a lot of technical questions, the soft skills are what we accel at. Where can we find you?: We have some videos at sage.academy Richard@sage.media Austin@sage.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since this podcast is unscripted, I don't have a giant paragraph of text and complex show notes. To summarize the first 10 or so minutes: My excuse for not posting an episode is because I was playing video games all month Thanks to a few people, especially Karen Lee and Shahram Shafie for the warm welcome to Austin, Texas. It shows that you never know who'll reach out when you tell everyone on the internet you're moving My Food Job Rocks will probably end this year but Adam Yee podcasting will probably still happen Why Hampton Creek/JUST is a great example of the issues with bad publicity and what to do when it happens More writing. More advice on the food industry, more deep cuts about the ugliness of business  You probably won't change your ways unless something tragic happens Links Original Business for Good Podcast Shownotes for this episode Hampton Creek Bad Press JUST Good Press (2 years later) WeWork Food Labs and Adam is a Serial Entrepreneur I guess Life is about moments, not years     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you haven’t listened to episode 200 part 1, you can find it at myfoodjobrocks.com/200Wow So the past three weeks looked like this: I drove from Sacramento to Texas, met some friends in Los Angeles and Phoenix, and then flew to New York. Met up with my friend David Despain in long Island and then the next week, had an orientation in New York with my Friday getting familiar with the brand new Food Labs in Austin Texas, in the SXSW Center, my new home. There’s a ton of things planned, and I am thrilled to see what happens. For the second part, you’ll get a lot of the same as part 1. You’ll get aspiring new companies, inspiring past guests and everything in between. You can find timestamps on who’s on this section at our shownotes: myfoodjobrocks.com/200Wow2 So enjoy this live recording of the 200th episode at My Food Job Rocks. Thank you Alyssa Pizzaro from the San Francisco We Work Food Labs for the space. If there are any audio quality hiccups, let me know but keep in mind, that some things are out of my control because it is a live recording. But first, here’s a note from a guest who couldn’t make it because she was in another state, Katie Jones from the Food Heroes Podcast. [Timestamp: 1:40] Eleana Hsu – Koji Related Food Products [Timestamp: 3:25] I met Elana the week before this event at a house party hosted by Phil Saneski and friends. Elena will be leaving her job soon to start her own Koji company. Learn a  bit about the Koji world, where it comes from and what common foods it grows on. Learn also how to make your own and the types of experiments to explore further than soy sauce. My Food Job Rocks – You have to do what you love Sohail Nadepour – A La Carte Connections [Timestamp: 14:20] I met Sohail through a mutual friend, a college friend who’s not even in food science. Ken just happened to be in the same company as Sohail and one day they talked about passions. Sohail told him about food science and the first thing that popped up in Kendall’s head is me! After helping Sohail network, he ended up working for Rachel Zemser which is allowing him to start his food science career. Sohail is a really awesome example that it just takes one person to change someone’s life for the better and it makes me feel amazing. This short segment is the sole reason why I love doing the podcast and talking to people so that they too can have a career in food. My Food Job Rocks – Despite having the temptation to eat my products, I get to be creative. Amanda Drexler – Product Developer at CCD Innovation [Timestamp: 3:25] Next up is Amanda Drexler, an alumni from Cal Poly who just graduated this year. Amanda works at a consulting firm in Emeryville and for her first job, she’s gotten a lot of interesting projects. Because she's fresh out of college, I thought it would be a great opportunity to ask how she got her job. We give a shoutout to one of our favorite Cal poly professors too My Food Job Rocks – I can see a product from the first stages to the end Lauren Joyner, Founder of Loca Foods [Timestamp: 30:15] We catch up with Lauren Joyner and a lot of things have happened since about thirty episodes ago. Lauren found a manufacturer, will be launching a new formula, and Loca is growing. It’s so exciting seeing your friends grow so fast in this industry. Lauren also brought a friend, Lindsey, founder of Food-La-La who made these really interesting savory macarons. They are artistically made very well and the flavors are extremely well balanced. We do a live audio tasting with these macarons and they are really good. My Food Job Rocks – Connecting with people in the space that care deeply in what they’re doing Rachel Zemser – Consultant at A La Carte Connection [Timestamp: 38:55] We also catch up with Rachel Zemser, who had a kid! And now she’s learning a ton on taking care of a little human. The great thing about Rachel is that she can control her schedule. Well, sorta. Rachel also announces that she’ll be on TV in the very near future, which is super exciting. My Food Job Rocks – Every job I’ve ever had as a food scientist was fun and exciting Ellice Ogle – Food Safety Consulting Tamdem Food [Timestamp: 45:50] I think I met Elice at an IFT event, but not sure. I see her often in a variety of events in the San Francisco area. She’s a hustler, for sure. Elice recently started her own company and I asked about how she likes it so far. Lots of talk about startup life here My Food Job Rocks – I love food and meeting people who love food Darryl Neal – Podcast Host of Beer Talk Now [Timestamp: 49:00] I met Darryl at an IFT event. Definitively. I had such a good talk with him the first time I met him, he took me out for beer and we talked for hours. At the end of the night, he wanted to do a podcast and started…6 months later! But every time I met him, it reminded him to start step by step. Eventually, he started Beer Talk Now and it’s so amazing seeing his creativity flourish because of this little project. Darryl also had a kid! So congrats to Darryl! My Food Job Rocks – It’s fun to see people get engaged in food safety. Phil Saneski – VP of ReGrained [Timestamp: 55:30] Last but not least, is Phil Saneski, who’s been in two episodes, one where he was an intern at Rachel Zemser’s company and then last year with ReGrained! Phil and I have helped each other out throughout the years, with business, charity events, and other super fun stuff. Phil has been one of my greatest supporters and one of my best friends throughout my time doing My Food Job Rocks and I can’t thank him enough for his support. With some final introspection thanks to Phil’s question, I think this is the perfect ending interview for the night. My Food Job Rocks: Self-explanatory I’ll be taking a creative break from the podcast and will start again with episode 201 at the end of the month. Regarding the future of My Food Job Rocks, all I can say is that I’m seeing the end. I love podcasting, but I think theirs is much more to do than just My Food Job Rocks. There are many many other projects I want to explore using this platform. Because I don’t want to be known as the guy who does My Food Job Rocks, but perhaps the food scientist who does podcasts. But who knows? Like I told Phil, I don’t like to think that far. If I thought far, I would have never have ended up with a  podcast, or starting a company, or working in a beautiful building in Austin, Texas but I’ve learned that doing these things have made my life exciting! I’m just an average person with an average podcast but the people I’ve helped are special to me and perhaps that’s all you need to do something great. Again, I can’t thank you enough for listening to My Food Job Rocks. Whether you’ve consumed all 200 or just this episode, it really means a lot to me that you chose this podcast to listen to. Thanks for joining us, I’ll see you next time on My Food Job Rocks   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the 200th episode [part 1] I’m your host and food scientist, Adam Yee and you are listening to episode 200, where I interview a couple of dozen people about their food jobs. The party was super fun, a lot of my friends showed up and I loved interviewing them. You’ll get a variety of different guests. From young entrepreneurs to seasoned veterans, to people not even in the food industry. You’ll hear from some guests from past episodes as well, to see an update in their life. I’m so amazed that this little project could garner so much support, I don’t need to tell you this, you know. But thank you for supporting My Food Job Rocks. We have so many interviews that I have to split it up into two parts. Because I’m moving to Austin Texas and have a bunch of traveling to do before getting started at my new job at WeWork’s Food Labs, I’ll be launching the second part, next week. You can find timestamps on who’s on this section at our show notes: http://myfoodjobrocks.com/200Wow So enjoy this live recording of the 200th episode at My Food Job Rocks. Thank you Alyssa Pizzaro from the San Francisco WeWork Food Labs for the space. If there are any audio quality hiccups, let me know but keep in mind, that some things are out of my control. Let’s first start with a small message from Nicole Gallace from episode one and one-oh-one, who couldn’t make it. [Timestamp: 2:00] David Sheu CEO and Co-founder at Bear’s Nutrition [Timestamp: 2:30] A milk-based nutrition shake for kids. It’s been formulated by a certified child nutritionist and has funding from the American Milk Board. Thanks Brian Chau for inviting him. [Timestamp: 2:30] My Food Job Rocks -  I get to see the happy look on people’s faces when they try my product Geof Lambert from Sierra Nevada Farms [Timestamp: 9:18] Geof messaged me on facebook to see if he could use Better Meat Co products to enhance his pork products. He happened to be at the Salesforce event down the street so thanks Salesforce for bringing Geof to the event.  I mention a previous guest’s business, Crowd Cow that got Geof interested. My Food Job Rocks – I can meet with people who are passionate Jenise Vu  Founder of Side Hustle Wednesdays - Not a Food Company, but a friend in Sacramento [Timestamp: 15:15] Jenise drove all the way from Sacramento for this event and she’s not even in the food industry. Though she isn’t in the food industry, we’ve been kindred entrepreneurial spirits in Sacramento. She’s been a great person to bounce ideas and make tough decisions. We talk about the decision to move to Austin and what’s going through my head by doing this. Jenise has done some amazing things in Sacramento and I’m very proud of her growing into the mature entrepreneur she is today. We also talk about David Chan. I’ve interviewed David for a future episode, but you can check out his Instagram @Nichijou.ramen Michelle Flood Del Monte Manager [Timestamp: 26:00] I met Michelle at NCIFT as she and Erin were spearheading the NCIFT New Professionals Organization. I’d say it’s one of the most active groups in the IFT section. Meeting people who are around your age is super important especially professionally and I’m so glad to have been a part of helping them grow and I hope the people listening to this portion is that you can be like Michelle and start a young professionals organization. It just takes a small group of passionate individuals. My Food Job Rocks – The people, the company. I get to travel and I love the people. Relaxed atmosphere and Brian Chau CEO of Mycokind [Timestamp: 32:28] Brian Chau has been one of the most vital connection I’ve made in California and it started off with a mutual friend/roommate, Cory Yee. Thanks Cory! Brian and I have had super interesting career journies with different pathways and different perspectives so we always share the challenges of food entrepreneurship. Without Brian, I don’t think I could have survived as a food consultant. Anyways, Brian explains my new job at WeWork quite well, probably better than I would talk about it. Brain recently started Mycokind, his dream company. Can you guess what he sells? Innovative mushroom products! Brian will also be persuing a Phd soon so though our paths diverge, well, your paths never really diverge if you’re in food. Like me I guess, Brian’s journey is super diverse and you’ll be amazed in what he’s accomplished. Hear also, a rant about communicating food science to food businesses. My Food Job Rocks – Going back and humanizing the food component – It’s not just sterotypes, food humanizes Gesina Beckert  Partner Development at Fairtrade USA [Timestamp: 45:50] I met Gesina at Naturally Bay Area about two months ago and have been seeing her a lot over a short period of time. I love this because Naturally Bay Area has been a huge supporter in what I do and I really enjoyed supporting them. I’ve gotten a  ton of legitimate and powerful connections through the Naturally network, and from what I hear, Austin has a very big one. We talk a bit about Fair Trade and the fun Naturally Bay Area. My Food Job Rocks – I can connect people in distant countries and get them into the discussion Andrea Zeng Chocolate Technologist in Ghirardelli [Timestamp 54:31] Next guest is Andrea Zeng, a friend I knew since high school, someone I begged to interview at Lundberg Farms and we once in a while, keep in touch. Currently, she’s a chocolate technologist in Ghirardelli in the Bay Area. Andrea has always had a goal to work at a well-known chocolate company making new flavors and she did it. I too, had a goal and did it, but then I didn’t do it. So I talk a bit to Andrea about how it felt to achieve your dream, and to try and find something new. I ask Andrea how to become a product developer in something you love, and we both give some awesome advice. My Food Job Rocks – I get to work in a chocolate factory every day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Miller is a food industry executive with experience ranging from high growth start-ups to Fortune 500 companies which includes companies like PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Bimbo Bakeries, Heinz, Rudi’s Organic Bakery, and now Lily’s Sweets. What I love about Jane is her transparency and clear explanations on the complex questions I ask such as how to build a network, how to climb the corporate ladder, and how to not quit a job I think it’s because she also has an awesome career advice blog. We get into an interesting discussion about writing, and how it might improve your career and your life. And writing doesn’t have to be a blog, perhaps just a notebook will do. About Jane Miller Jane Miller has 30-years of executive experience in the food industry. She has worked with both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. She is also the founder of Janeknows.com, a career advice website geared towards young leaders starting their careers. Jane is the author of Sleep your Way to the Top (and other myths about business success), a sassy business book targeted at Millennials. Jane is currently the CEO of Lily’s Sweets and has held several other CEO roles in the natural and organic industry, including Rudi’s Bakery, ProYo High Protein Ice Cream, and HannahMax Cookie Chips. Over the course of her career Jane was part of an executive team that brought Hostess out of bankruptcy, worked for HJ Heinz as the Chief Growth Officer and then the President of the UK & Ireland Division. She also ran the Western division of Bestfoods Baking. Jane spent the first fourteen years of her career at PepsiCo, where she rose to be the President of the Central division of Frito-Lay. Jane currently serves as a board member at the University of Colorado Leeds Business School and Eldorado Springs Artesian Water. In 2013 the Denver Business Journal named Jane the Lifetime Achievement Award Winner for her work mentoring young professionals and start-ups. Her other honors include the Boulder Chamber of Commerce’s Women Who Light the Community Award in 2015 and the Naturally Boulder Industry Leader Award in 2016. In 2015, Jane established the Jane Knows Scholarship Fund at Leeds supporting students who are the first in their family to go to college. In 2018, Leeds recognized Jane with a non-alumni service award. Jane has a degree in Russian Studies from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, where she received a 2017 Alumni Achievement Award. She earned her MBA degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you say?: I run a no-sugar added confections company What’s Lily’s:  we sell delicious tasting no-sugar chocolate Cynthia Tice – Founder of Lily’s We are going through a rebrand and are launching new SKUs like chocolate peanut butter cups What’s the history of Lily’s?: They got an account at Whole Foods in 2012 and grew a lot thanks to keto. We’re very popular with keto. When does a company need a CEO?: To fix something or to fulfill a skillset Who was your first hire?: I had a team consisting of head of Ops, head of Sales, head of marketing, and other things It’s very important to create a backbone to deliver a lot of value. You need processes in place if you’re hypergrowing How do you find A-players and how do you hire them to run a small company?: I knew my A-players very well. Reputation matters too. Always be out there and network. Since food is a collaborative effort, it’s not as hard as you think What’s your favorite networking tool?: Naturally Boulder and a lot of Naturally events Naturally: Bay Area, Chicago, Boulder How to get comfortable with networking: Everybody is interesting. Be confident and not be shy Did you ever think you’d be in the food industry?: I have a Russian major and I wanted to be a lawyer Though I got rejected from Frito-Lay at first, I got accepted a year later How do you progress?: You want to grow as a person and you have to do risky things and you have to be comfortable with change and growth Lily’s career: Frito Lay Kraft-Heinz Bimbo Bakery Rudi’s Hain’s Celestial Proyo HannahMax Cookie Chips Lilys Chocolate Jane Knows Blog – my second passion is to mentor the next generation of leaders. It’s not scaleable on a one-to-one basis Writing things down helps a ton and helps refine what you do and how you think My Food Job Rocks: I can’t wait to start work every single day Food Trends and Technology: The plant-based movement and how it’s affecting our food system Also how do we make natural and organic foods accessible to everyone? What is the biggest challenge in the industry?: Making great food affordable in the business perspective. Big companies require big changes and it can be slow What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Sustainability and innovative packaging PAC Expo – no sustainable packaging Book recommendations: Sleep your Way to the Top: And other Myths on Business Success Book about Mt. Everest – Into Thin Air Wild by Cheryl Strayed Tiny Beautiful Things Any advice going into the food industry?: Pick a company that’s lied up with your values, work hard, be adaptable, flexible, and have some fun. Where can we find you for advice?: Janeknows.com LinkedIn: I post more about Lily’s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this engaging conversation, Dr. James Richardson discusses his influential book 'Ramping Your Brand' and its impact on the food industry. He delves into the importance of understanding seed financing, the challenges faced by food entrepreneurs, and the negative role of venture capital in shaping business success. He also reflects on the ethical landscape of American business, the influence of role models, and the personal journey that led him to become a successful consultant. This insightful dialogue offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of starting and scaling a food business. In this conversation, We also get personal and discuss the importance of impact over fame in business, sharing his journey of personal branding and the challenges faced in the consulting landscape. He emphasizes the need to premiumize services, the role of content marketing, and the significance of identifying the right clients. The discussion also touches on the regulatory landscape of the CPG industry and the financial realities that founders must navigate. They explore the realities of working with retail chains, the importance of understanding buyer dynamics, and the impact of personal branding in the industry. The discussion highlights the need for honesty and transparency in entrepreneurship, as well as the shifting focus towards wealthier entrepreneurs in the food sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Lerner started his career in the military, then jumped into an MBA, then in toilet paper, then food companies, then founded his own sparkling beverage company. And has been a CEO for multiple high growth startups and with that, tons of unique experiences to help you think differently and grow better. Since this episode is a long one, I’ll keep it short, you’ll get tons of advice about growing a world-class network and how to navigate the crazy waters when it comes to growing food businesses. I ask Scott some really challenging questions when it comes to finding good people and making tough decisions so I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes When someone asks what you do, what do you tell people?: I’m the CEO of farmhouse culture. I’m paid to run this company You’ve had multiple CEO roles. What does CEO mean to you?: The responsibility to have the final say on any decision. The CEO’s role is to first recruit the best talent and be the quality control person How do you hire the best people?: Later in my career, I’ve created a great network. When I work with great people, I hire them. I also like to “date” prospects. If I could spend some time over the course of weeks with them, I get to learn more about them. How do you meet people?: Trade shows work. I’ve also taught Entrepreneurship in Northwestern and I tell people to talk to people when you’re on the plane or even at tasting booths. I have a  goal to meet people in the industry. LinkedIn helps a ton too. Pepsi ConAgra Did you ever think that you’d get into food?: Not really but after my MBA, I was interested in CPG Kimberley Clark: Toilet paper company Marine Corps ConAgra Foods. Managing the Parque Brands – Margarine Why did you jump into your own company?: I worked on Naked Juice and then I had an opportunity to start a company. Solixer, a sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice wand botanicals. It was in 2008 but it was hard because the Beverage is super competitive. What was the most shocking thing about starting your own company?: You have to do everything. In the corporate world, you don’t even know how the product is shipped. Then after your job, you kept on jumping into CEO roles Tell me more about Farmhouse Culture?: Brand was started in 2008 by Kathrine Lurker. She was doing it on her own for a while and then brought on more investment. I came in when the company was plateauing, which is usually the case with new leadership. I like fixing things and I like having a gun to my head We’re now pruning the bush with getting rid of old products. We’re also rebranding and launching things like chips. I joined the company because the brand is super strong. Gut Shot Hard Things About Hard Things How do you transition in certain stages?: If your team is comfortable, then they’re losing and you have to make them uncomfortable to get them to grow How did you go into the Marine Corps?: I was recruited during college. However, I knew that it would be beneficial no matter what. My Food job Rocks: I love doing 100 different things because all of the things are interesting. For food, it not only gives you instant gratification but also to help the planet. With this company, we provide healthy food too, which is a plus. What type of trends are you noticing?: There’s a ton of new, healthy products but it’s hard to communicate to the consumers Most advocates are becoming food producers Plant-based meat is getting huge but is it healthy? Do you have a  favorite book?: I don’t read much, but I get a lot of my information from posts and conversations. I’ve read my share of books. I can get information from everywhere, even Shark Tank Any advice for anyone who wants to go into the food industry?: dabble in it. Go to a company and ask “hey can I help you out?”. Find out what you’re passionate about. Where can we find you for advice?: Hit me up through LinkedIn or Farmhouse Culture’s website. TERP1302 instagram The world doesn’t need another granola but you need to be different There’s not any more rocketships to land on, it’s competitive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evan Holod is the CEO of Michel Et Augustin, a cookie company located in France, but Evan is bringing it to the states with a colorful brand and personality Evan is a funny guy with a candid sense of humor but has a lot of wisdom to share about marketing brands like Bazooka Joe, Ring Pop, and Coca-Cola. Michel et Augustine is recently pushing into retail launching in many different grocery stores around the United States. We talk about how to reset your career trajectory, as Evan worked in finance for 7 years before getting a degree in marketing and starting as a marketing assistant for food, then worked his way up to CEO for food. We also talk about marketing tactics. From packaging to convincing people to go with your crazy ideas. About Evan Evan Holod is the CEO (and Chief Troublemaker) at Michel et Augustin, a leading French manufacturer founded in 2004 and known in Europe for their unique approach to everything. A lifelong eater, Evan spends his days with the unenviable task of introducing French pastry know-how to unsuspecting Americans. Whether ideating the next great Franco-American food innovation, securing a distribution deal, or participating in another grueling cookie taste test, Evan and his team of trublions (French for ‘troublemaker’) will stop at nothing to make sure that Americans of all ages have access to delicious, honestly indulgent cookies like their bestselling Cookie Squares (buttery shortbread cookie squares filled with a variety of different chocolate ganache recipes). Prior to his current adventure, Evan was the Brand Director for Coca-Cola in the U.S., responsible for developing and implementing the U.S. brand strategy, targeted marketing communications and advertising, and creating and executing programs like the “Share a Coke” campaign. Evan spent his early years in marketing at glacéau, working on the team that helped drive the growth of smartwater. Evan holds multiple degrees in unrelated and peculiar subjects, with a B.A. from Duke University in History and a Masters in Sports Marketing from NYU. Married for over 10 years and with 2 often lovable children, Evan and his family moved back to NY in 2018 and now reside in Brooklyn, NY. Sponsor The Cultured Meat Symposium is taking place in San Francisco on November 14-15th. Join experts from science, food, and tech industries to discuss the future of food. Join speakers from Aleph Farms, Finless Foods, Memphis Meats, Wild Type, IntegriCulture, VOW, the American Meat Science Association and more. Use coupon code MYFOODJOBROCKS20 for 20% off General Admission tickets. Or use this link here I’ll be there with a mobile podcast studio. See you there! Show Notes First sentences: I’m the chief troublemaker. We’re a cookie company that helps people brighten their day. Michel En Augustin – people who traded their suits for pastry hats. Our employees have to pass the French pastry exam We have one card for everyone. We have 11 of us in the United States so we all have it on the card. Michele and Augustin have been around for 15 years in France, but it’s so different in the United States Danone buyout Coca Cola Who was a mutual friend who introduced you to Augustine?: A French friend in Coca Cola How did you get to where you are today?: I used to work in investing but hated it after 7 years. I wanted to work in sports but my investor friend said to work in consumer goods. I got my degree in marketing and then got a job as a marketing assistant and rose to Coca-Cola and ended up having sports as my portfolio because Coca-Cola is the best brand in the world My role in coca-cola: my job is to recruit a new generation of coke drinkers There are tons of marketing divisions in coca-cola from stores Mexican Coke How do you convince people?: People need to trust you, but you have to bring people along in the beginning. People like to be involved Where do you manufacture?: In Europe, sometimes we have to ship by air to the US Where are you available?: Some SF stores, available at Safeway, Target, Shoprite, Fairway, 20% Coupon if you message Evan on LinkedIn We were slow on retail. We mostly focused on food service and front-end We decided to focus on multipacks. We had to do a lot of different ways to repackage. We had to do some of our manufacturing in the US such as packing products What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: The science and the technical side. It’s a language I don’t speak or understand. I don’t like having to tap out of the conversation How do you learn?: I don’t read anymore. I’ve reached to a point where it’s more curated. Tom Goodwin, Mark Rittztons Where can we find you?: First Thrusday at 98 4th Street Open House 7-8pm at Brooklyn Facebook Page: Michel et Augustin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Heitzeberg is the CEO and Co-Founder of Crowd Cow, an e-commerce site that sells premium meat. And when I say premium, I mean meat straight from the farm, or Japan! We all hear about the innovations of alternative meat, plant-based or cell-based meat all over this podcast so I was delighted to interview a new perspective in the way we view protein, the fact that you can not only find out where your steak comes from, but how it was raised, what breed it is, and it’s delivered straight to your door. As long as it reduces the system in how we farm animals now, I’m all for it. Learn about how Joe pivoted the business from actually crowdfunding a cow, to building out a way to sell Wagyu beef to his customers. And most importantly, learn how innovation doesn’t have to be a new method of making meat, but maybe just showcasing old methods using modern technology. Sponsor The Cultured Meat Symposium is taking place in San Francisco on November 14-15th. Join experts from science, food, and tech industries to discuss the future of food. Join speakers from Aleph Farms, Finless Foods, Memphis Meats, Wild Type, IntegriCulture, VOW, the American Meat Science Association and more. Use coupon code MYFOODJOBROCKS20 for 20% off General Admission tickets. Or use this link here I’ll be there with a mobile podcast studio. See you there! Show Notes In a sentence or less: We help consumers know the source of their meat Why online? We can bring a richer experience than in the grocery store Why is the meat better?: The type of meat and what they eat is much higher quality. They’re well-taken care of Why did you start Crowd Cow?: When an Entrepreneur in Residence, one of my friends was bragging about getting a cow. I went to the farm with him and saw just how different it is to get a cow We first started with crowdfunding one cow, it was fun and engaging but in reality, it didn’t work Wagyu/Kobe Beef – called Koroge Washu, genetically, the marbling is different. We had to get it. We called the slaughterhouse in Japanese and asked them to sell us meat. I had to visit them to get their business. Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: I love learning the process and the consumer feedback What do you think about plant-based and cell-based?: Imitation is flattery. However, I agree that the industrialization of meat is an issue that they are trying to solve. We also have a way to fix it. People want an alternative to factory farming What’s the biggest challenge right now?: Reach and brand recognition Favorite resource: Badass: Making Users Awesome Any advice for entrepreneurs?: Keep one foot in front of the other, you’re farther than you think Also, be around people with founder empathy Until you’ve convinced someone to do things for free with no resources or brand, you’re not an entrepreneur Where can we find you for advice?: joe@crowdcow.com What’s your favorite beef right now?: We just launched an Iwate Wagyu beef. Even the less-marbled cuts taste amazing Are you sharing the efficiencies of your model verses factory farming?: Yes How can you get away from the commodity system?: The people who sell commodity meat don’t know or care about how special the beef is, we do   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kat Fernandez, President of the Food Tech Club, interviews me at their UC Davis student meeting. Had a blast recording this live and great to give advice that I hope students find useful. Show Notes Mandy Jain Episode Kat Fernandez What Would You Want to Know as Freshman?: What food science actually is. Food scientists make food and feed the world What would you do if you were back as a freshman in college?: Do less. Instead of doing a dozen things, I would have focused on a few things Product Development Competition: Be aware of what’s trending such as probiotics, plant proteins, upcycled products, sustainable packaging. Ask for help whenever possible, especially ingredient-wise I’m taking a marketing class, how do I be different?: Blue Ocean Strategy Advice: You need a little red in the blue. Make a great product, and target a group with a lot of money. People can brag about the car Boca burger vs Beyond Meat Make a product that’s really good and market it in a very specific way The 10x rule Magic Spoon sells out What would you wish you’d learn in college?: Humility. School inherently teaches you not to fail. You can’t change it, but you can be a part of implementing cool things. After college, you might Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: I love being creative, but you might not be like me. What do you say to the haters?: I have no haters online. But it’s very hard to have everyone like you at work. How do you navigate workplace tribes? Be friends with people diagonally. That's higher-ups in different departments Alton Brown 5:3 ratio flour to water Sourdough Bread Clean Meat If you want to be an entrepreneur, be in companies that you have to know everything Claire Saffitz Oat Milk Yogurt Nugget How much money will you get as a food scientist?: 50-70k starting out. In 5 years, you can make $100k in California   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is with Akshita Iyers, CEO and Founder of Inirv, a smart kitchen tech company whose first product is a kitchen knob that you can control on your phone! Akshita Iyer started this company with her husband when her mother forgot to turn off the stovetop, and burnt down her house. At the time, Akshita and her husband were in the medical industry and dropped everything to build a company that would have more impact. I had a fun time with this live interview as we chat about building a smart kitchen device. From going on Shark Tank to asking amazing people for advice, we dive in on how to accelerate this process and you will be surprised how the process is very similar to a food business. This is one of two interviews I did live at SKS in Seattle last month. It was a super fun event, and I’ll go a little bit into it at the beginning of the episode. Learn the building blocks of building something as complex as a smart kitchen device. About Akshita Akshita is the co-founder and CEO of Inirv, an IoT company using connected devices to bring safety and simplicity to the kitchen. Akshita graduated from Duke University with a neuroscience degree and worked in the Duke Health System before becoming an entrepreneur. After her mom accidentally left the stove on and started a fire, Akshita founded Inirv to bring connectivity to the kitchen in the fastest, most affordable way. Inirv is reimagining the kitchen and transforming the way we cook at home. Sponsor The Cultured Meat Symposium is taking place in San Francisco on November 14-15th. Join experts from science, food, and tech industries to discuss the future of food. Join speakers from Aleph Farms, Finless Foods, Memphis Meats, Wild Type, IntegriCulture, VOW, the American Meat Science Association and more. Use coupon code MYFOODJOBROCKS20 for 20% off General Admission tickets. Or use this link here I’ll be there with a mobile podcast studio. See you there! Show Notes Adam Monologue Smart Kitchen Summit SKS Rakuten Optimism 2019 Cal Fussman's podcast Big Question Tim Ferriss Show Cal Fussman James Altucher Cal Fussman Marie Kondo Daymond John Faux Fried Chicken on Shark Tank Wild Earth on Shark Tank Intrapreneur  The Power Of Broke Paul Shapiro Smart Kitchen Summit I make products that help you cook safely at home At Inirv, we build connective devices to make things simple What’s your background?: I graduated in Duke and focused more on neuroscience. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur but after the accident, we thought this would be great to help a lot of people How did you think of this idea?: How do we control the appliance instead of solving the reaction? The threshold for a kitchen knob is very low and we’ve tested 100s of stoves to make sure we are compatible. We shipped product, 7000 people on the waitlist How can we get on your waitlist?: Just our website Inirv.com Shark Tank -How can you get on the show?: You can audition but we had someone reach out to us to be on the show. It took 9 months of diligence before we went to LA. You can be cut any time. 30000 people pitch, 150 pitch, 50 get on air. The first 30 seconds are scripted, once that’s over, it’s a complete free for all. There’s a 2 hour pitch. What have you found cool about SKS?: Great way to network Chefling What are your thoughts on kitchen devices?: We’re on the cusp of it. The tip of the iceberg Why do you love what you do?: I love building things. I didn’t have access to any resources but the passion helped built it up What are some challenges and solutions?: We were able to talk to the founders of other smart kitchen companies and it helped us a ton. How do you get through the noise?: Make your note personal. Do your research What’s your favorite resources?: How I built this by Guy Raz A book: Predictably Irrational. I actually took his class What is one piece of advice to start a tech company?: Surround yourself with amazing people. My family helped me a lot. We almost ran out money to manufacture it but we did it. Number one reason startups fail because founders get up We interviewed 100+ hardware founders about manufacturing akshita@inirv.com reach out on my website and linkedin What’s next?: Scaling production. Work with other players and appliance manufacturers. We’re exploring a lot of options Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn about how Renee Dunn from Amazi Foods fell in love with Uganda and how she found the company, pretty much by accident. But the real gem in this episode is getting into the thick of importing products from a different country. Renee established and built up a relationship with a person producing products in Uganda, but after some difficulties in communication and product delays switched to manufacturing their own facility. What are the pros and cons of having another company create your product? Especially if it’s in another country? You’ll find out in this episode. Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes What do you do?: I work directly with farmer’s groups in Uganda to sell their products What are your products?: A jackfruit chew, a plantain chip and papaya strips Our most popular SKU is a salted olive oil plantain chips Gonja Crisps Amazi – means water in Uganda. It was originally a different name it was busy How did you found Amazi?: I studied abroad in Uganda. I first went in middle school. After going through being a yoga school manager, I quit and went to Uganda. I was asked if I had a booth in this Agprenuer event and made a company. Connected with someone who could sell products and went from there However, we are now building our own factory Why did you decide to build your own factory?: The lack of accountability and control and timeliness built up and we’ve decided to create a facility My Food Job Rocks: The business I created is a form of self-reflection Food trends and technology: Jackfruit is trending People are buying things based on what they stand for but the product must be good What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Technical Background Global Entrepreneur Summit in the Netherlands Social Impact Accelerator SEED SPOT Do you have any books you recommend?: I don’t really read business books but I get things via podcasts. How I Built This Ben and Jerrys Episode Delighted By Hummus – McKenzie Delighted By Food Podcast 5 Minute Journal Conscious Capitalism The Compound Effect The Power Of Habit Amazi Foods   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of Mars, you might think of chocolate or pet food but have you ever thought about the important role Mars has on Food Safety? In fact, Mars recently launched a brand new, state of the art global food safety center right in the heart of China. Within this center, Mars employs top scientists to solve the world’s pressing food safety solution innovations including research on mycotoxins, pathogens and traceability Take a look at not only the Global Food Safety Center’s amazing technology, but also their amazing scientist and learn how Guangtao Zhang got into food, by taking the skills he learned in the pharmaceutical industry and applying it to food safety innovation. Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes Mars’ global food safety center located in China We feel that China is so central to the world, we had to put it in there Mars sells to China: M and M’s, Snickers, Pet food, Dove Chocolate (dominant chocolate) Spicy Snicker’s Bar Mint flavored snicker’s bar What is the Global Food Safety Center?: Located in Bejing, 3000 sq m facility. Ampitheater that can host trainings and conferences. 30 people analytical BSL-2+ Very powerful analytical capabilities We look into three important areas in food safety research Mycotoxins Microbial Risk Management – Salmonella, E.coli Food Integrity – relatively new, knowns and unknowns in food contamination Also: Soft Tracking and Investigation Ultimately our goal is to prevent microbial incident How to reach Mars: marsGFSC.com How did you get int food safety: I started as a chemistry major focusing on inorganic materials. My academic background gave me a huge amount of technical knowledge. Postdoc in Cornell doing pharmaceuticals How do you find drugs?: It’s a very long process. Screening, until you get a hit. Then you do medicinal chemistry by changing the molecule. It can take decades and a lot of money to create a drug. What was your first job at Mars?: I was always in the food safety center. I started out in the analytical lab and now I’m the head of research in food safety Whole Genome Sequencing IAFP conference What is the biggest food safety problem?: Pathogens What is a good piece of advice: If you’re looking for a purposeful, multi disciplined job, this is it. marsgsfc.com or mars.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met David Benzaquen, CEO and Co-founder of Ocean Hugger Foods, and his company at multiple different events and tried some of their sushi. As someone who’s in the space, I was super impressed. I’m always impressed with David’s network and because he’s so intertwined within the plant-based industry, I wanted to ask him why he decided to go into building businesses and how can we all can get started creating something impactful. Learn step by step how David built Ocean-Hugger Foods. From building his skillset at Plant-based Solutions to meeting the chef who had this crazy idea to turn tomatoes into tuna, to scaling big enough where they produce in the United States, Europe, and Asia. It’s an incredible story and I guarantee you’ll take something valuable out of it. About David David Benzaquen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ocean Hugger Foods, a company which manufactures plant-based seafood alternatives to address the overfishing crisis. The company has received innovation awards for its flagship Ahimi product from Whole Foods Market and Sysco, and has been heralded in the New York Times, USA Today, CBS Morning News and more. David has also served as an advisor to numerous plant-based food companies, accelerators and investors. Learn more about his company Ocean Hugger Foods at www.oceanhuggerfoods.com Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes Who are you?: I’m the CEO of a plant-based fish company, Ocean Hugger Food James Corwell - CSO Tsukiji Fish Market – The auction off 4 million pounds of tuna How did you meet James?: I read about him and he launched a Kickstarter campaign I actually reached out to James on LinkedIn. My background was launching and scaling plant-based companies so it was a great skillset We hear each other speak in the conference and went from there Certified Master Chef Ahimi – tomato tuna We sell Ahimi in food services such as restaurant chefs and college and universities Can you describe your history?: I used to be an advocate, but I felt like it wasn’t impactful. I would start measuring marketing campaigns by doing experiments that changed their behavior Bolthouse farm and the baby carrot Paul Shapiro – Advocate to Entrepreneur Why do you think people switch from Advocate to Entrepreneur?: Food is emotional because it affects our emotions (taste, price, etc). Most people don’t have the time to educate, but they can make choices when they buy How have you seen the process of animal advocacy?: I learned that taking it slowly and meet them where they’re at and enter our world slowly. Flexitarian Mintel’s definition: half their meals are vegetarian What are the components to make a plant-based company?: Team, grit, and endurance Naming matter: We tried Tomato Sushi and it didn’t work. But Ahimi – Spirit of Tuna What does CEO mean to you?: Defines the path and direction and mission We produce in North America, Europe, Asia Unami – Unagi Eel Shelf-life: We flash-freeze our product to maintain maximum freshness National Restaurant Association Show My Food Job Rocks: I get to impact the world with delicious food DOT Foods Algae products Duckweed, Water Lentil What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face right now?: Inefficiencies in the system. The reason why we’re selling garbage is that we still believe that the consumer wants to have everything we want right now. This is changing Cargill – Head of the protein division is focusing on plant-based Tyson Foods is doing the same How do you compete on the price of meat?: The meat industry puts a lot of band-aids. It’s cheap and scale. For plants, we will get there, and that’s about investing in the growth of the crop and products Annie Ryu Jackfruit company What are the health benefits for Ahimi?: Fish has a lot of mercury and plastic in it. Our biggest fans are pregnant women actually. We haven’t found consumers to care about protein but they are about omegas What would you like to learn more of?: Molecular gastronomy Jeremy Piven Favorite book: Mission in the Bottle (Seth Goldman, Founder of Honest Tea, chairman of Beyond Meat) Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to start their own plant-based company?: Call me. But also go for it. Why does the world care about your product? There are many channels to get the word out there Perfect Day Foods Perfect Day ice Cream Plant-based Solutions - plantbasedsolutions.com Online Masterclass   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Payal Gupta’s journey to becoming a food stylist was a wild one. She quit her standard corporate job, in which both her ex-husband and her family disapproved of, but through years of persistence,e she now owns her own food styling studio and is flourishing Though you'll learn some fun tricks and tips to style food, and how to work with clients, this episode is more than a peek inside being a Food Stylist, it’s much more about the journey of finding your passion and working hard at it. It takes a long time and you run into a lot of obstacles! That’s the most inspiring thing about Payal’s journey. She worked hard, used her resources when she needed to, asked for help when she needed to, and did not give up even when people said it was not a good move. Now she is flourishing with her own practice. So it’s a great story about achieving your dream, the lesson of being patient but persistent to make it happen. About Payal Payal Gupta – With a foundation of Economics Honours from Kolkata University, I tuned into my entrepreneurial spirit in IIM B (MPWE). Further I was intrigued by consumer behavior in the field of food so I pursued it through my stint in qualitative market research. Having gained an insight into the decision-making process of customers over years, I went on to focus on the food itself. To achieve it I started to build upon my childhood passion of cooking artistically and started studying food professionally. Over the years I have had the opportunity to polish my skills in the world of food by educating myself across premier institutes globally and working with esteemed chefs and hotels some of which are mentioned below:- Le Cordon Bleu (LCB), Bangkok Sophia College, Mumbai Institute of Hotel Management(IHM), Mumbai World Pastry Champion Eric Perez, Bangkok Chef Rohit Sangwan and Chef Aniruddha Roy (Taj Lands End) The years of Culinary education was combined with the artistic aspects of Food photography and Floral design by educating myself at:- Institute of Floral Designing (IFD), Mumbai National Institute of Photography (NIP), Mumbai Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future of food, technology, and the kitchen. Well-known leaders within the food tech industry will all be speaking on engaging topics such as food robots, alternative protein, and connected kitchen devices such as smart refrigerators. Trust us, you’ll want to be there. Use code FOODJOB15 to get a 15% discount on tickets and I’ll see you there on October 7-8 at in Seattle. Just go to smartkitchensummit.com to register. For easy access, just click on our link for this episode’s show notes. Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you do?: I’m a makeup artist for food. I beautify the food-based off of the client’s parameters Any tips on how to make food look good?: It depends on the product, it takes time to know the components of the product and apply it. How did you learn the craft?: I apprenticed for two and a half years. I didn’t cook but I watched and read. When I branched out on my own, I found the same problems. So I spoke to a ton of different people and helped learn about it. It’s been 7 years since I was independent. The best way to learn is to get yourself into a problem. How did you get into this?: Since I didn’t have a  food degree, I got a stable job but hated it Ratatouille - “Anyone can cook” Chef Jacob (famous Indian chef) How did you find out about being a food stylist?: sabbatical lead me to a movie, a movie led me to search the net, and then I called approximately 40 food stylists Mentors: Mentors who are confident and know when it’s time to leave are the best mentors to follow. Book Mentioned: The Last Lecture by Randy Posh Do companies contact you?: Ad agencies get contacted, then tey find the right fit TedEx Talk: Ordinary Ingredients for an Extraordinary Life What is your dream project?: I actually had the chance to meet the Prime Minister of my country What’s your favorite quote?: Nike Tagline: Just Do It Favorite Book: Eat Pray Love Favorite Kitchen Item: I just need one knife. My knife is from Singapore gifted from my boss Favorite Food: Rasmalai (softball of cottage cheese) How can we contact you?: design@chefpayalgupta.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the plant-based movement in full force, you have burgers and milk, but you also have something that already naturally feels like meat. Jackfruit, young jackfruit in particular, has been an up and coming food that when Annie Ryu first found it in India, saw the potential to save the world. Eight years ago, Annie was in pre-med student at Harvard and during a trip to India to implement a healthcare program, found Jackfruit and its potential as a food that could reduce meat consumption, improve health and most importantly, improve the lives of the farmers who grow it. She saw Jackfruit as a simple solution to solve complex problems So Annie dropped everything to try and commercialize this then-obscure meaty fruit and it has been a wild ride but now more popular than ever, the Jackfruit Company has products all over the United States. There are so many good pieces of advice in this interview. Whether you need inspiration get up your butt and start something meaningful, or maybe you want to understand the complexities of jackfruit, or why there might be too much protein the American diet and why? This episode is a wealth of knowledge and I hope through this interview, it’ll inspire you to take on a big problem. After all, what have you got to lose? About Annie Annie Ryu is the founder and CEO of The Jackfruit Company, the world’s largest supplier of jackfruit products. While attending Harvard, Annie discovered the jackfruit plant as part of her work in India to implement a maternal and child healthcare program she developed with her brother. In discovering jackfruit, Annie saw an incredible opportunity to convert an underutilized crop to nutritious, delicious food, and income and opportunity for farming families. In 2015, Annie launched The Jackfruit Company, introducing U.S. consumers to this innovative, plant-based meat alternative in ready-to-eat formats. The Jackfruit Company’s products are available today at retailers from coast-to-coast and feature a variety of options, including meal starter pouches, frozen ripe jackfruit and single-serve frozen entrees. In addition to achieving many accolades while attending Harvard, Annie was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Social Entrepreneurs in 2017. Awards and Recognition: Forbes 30 Under 30 for Social Entrepreneurs (2017) - Annie Ryu NEXTY Editor’s Choice Award at Expo East (2015) - The Jackfruit Company Harvard’s Women in Business Competition Winner (2012) Harvard’s i3 Innovation Challenge (2012) Resolution Project’s Social Venture Challenge (2012) Additionally, Annie has been recognized as a Global Good Fund Fellow, an Honorary Fellow at the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT, and one of Glamour’s Top 10 College Women in 2012. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future of food, technology, and the kitchen. Well-known leaders within the food tech industry will all be speaking on engaging topics such as food robots, alternative protein, and connected kitchen devices such as smart refrigerators. Trust us, you’ll want to be there. Use code FOODJOB15 to get a 15% discount on tickets and I’ll see you there on October 7-8 at in Seattle. Just go to smartkitchensummit.com to register. For easy access, just click on our link for this episode’s show notes. Show Notes When someone asks what you do, what do you say?: We’re an early growth-stage startup When did you start?: I started at 2011 as a college student What is Jackfruit?: The meatiest plant on the planet. It’s uniquely positioned as a whole food meat substitute. Young Jackfruit (not immature jackfruit) Quote: We see the world as we are Why Jackfruit?: When I was working in global health and delivery, I was trying to solve global health and poverty was related. With Jackfruit, I could support the farmers Ripe Jackfruit: A tropical mango pineapple flavor When was the pivotal moment that you changed?: When I saw the potential of Jackfruit it did not matter what, I want it to make it a reality How do you decide tough decisions?: Know yourself and know what you want to do in your life. What is it going to take to be happy and healthy and survive? What was the first thing did you think about when starting this company?: Is it even legal to import jackfruit? How did you get your product into the store?: I had two shots at this. My first time, the farmer added the preservative and it was just above the levels and had to pull of everything. Fruitation to the Jackfruit Company What is the hardest thing about starting and scaling a business?: For a first time founder, You have so much to learn and you have to constantly run up hill. How did you find your resources to succeed fast?: Some of my first connections in the food industry was from winning pitch competitions. The mentor I had was amazing and really cared about what I was doing Lord Of the Rings Endgame My Food Job Rocks: I get to make a positive difference every single day For young jackfruit, this fruit not only reduces meat, but is very sustainable What type of food trends and technologies are exciting you right now?: More talks on biodiversity I also wish medicine and healthcare was more involved in food How much protein is in jackfruit?: A common question, but too much protein is bad for you. We are actually really low in fiber. Will fiber make a comeback? Vegan versus plant-based survey What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: How we correlate health and food Do you have any stories about the farmers?: We want more. Right now we are working on scale How do you grow?: We have  a  more food service focus than you think Do you have any advice for starting your own food business?: It’s a balance between strategy and execution No business plan survives first impact Where can we find you?: annie@jackfruitcompany.com; Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam shares his journey being an exhibitor and freeloader at Expo West/Natural Products Expo hosted by Informa/New Hope Network. In this conversation, Adam speaks with Kim Shaw and Jessica Rubino, the ones running the show, about the evolution and growth of Expo West, a major trade show for natural products. They discuss the increasing number of exhibitors and attendees, the importance of supporting startups, and the new features and changes for the upcoming Expo West 2023. They also touch on pricing strategies aimed at enhancing buyer engagement and provide valuable tips for first-time attendees and exhibitors. The conversation concludes with resources for further information and networking opportunities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a short episode of the future of My Food Job Rocks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tetrapak is one of the biggest packaging companies in Europe and you might know them for their unique boxed packaging. When you think of boxed chocolate milk or juice, these guys might have made it. But more importantly is that TetraPak is more than just a packaging company, they solve complex ways in how to package and sustain food. You’ll learn about how Jesper Thomsen (Food Technologist)  and Helen Sellar (Product Manager) found out about food science and why they love working at TetraPak. You’ll also learn about the types of problems TetraPak is trying to solve from packaging complex food systems to solving sustainable packaging. Also, this is a great episode about what you can do with a  degree in Food Science! Both Jesper and Helen have food science degrees and utilize it in solving Tetrapack’s food division! Enjoy this episode with Jesper and Helen all the way from Europe! About Jesper Thomsen Food Technologist – Dairy Chilled, Business unit Liquid Foods, Jesper Thomsen works as a food technologist covering various liquid dairy products such as pasteurized, Extended Shelf Life, flavoured, fermented, recombined and lactose free milk products. This includes customer trials run at Tetra Pak product development centres, and for full scale deployment on customer sites. Before joining Tetra Pak in 2016, Jesper was working as a dairy technician in Denmark where he managed development work on UHT RTD products with specialised nutritional content along with other dairy-based drinks and smoothies. Furthermore, he has also worked with other diary-based product such as processed cheese, mozzarella and spray dried cheese powder. Jesper holds an Academy Profession degree in dairy technology from Lillebaelt Academy in Denmark. About Helen Sellar Product Manager Helen Sellar is a Product Manager for Tetra Pak Dairy & Beverage Systems. In her role she is responsible for development projects, such as a recent project to develop the next generation on standardization units. She has over 27 years of processing and technical experience, of which 23 years have been at Tetra Pak based in Sweden. During her 23 years at Tetra Pak she has led project teams to implement leading technology that focus on cutting costs for customers, provide enhanced automation and reduce maintenance requirements. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future of food, technology, and the kitchen. Well-known leaders within the food tech industry will all be speaking on engaging topics such as food robots, alternative protein, and connected kitchen devices such as smart refrigerators. Trust us, you’ll want to be there. Use code FOODJOB15 to get a 15% discount on tickets and I’ll see you there on October 7-8 at in Seattle. Just go to smartkitchensummit.com to register. For easy access, just click on our link for this episode’s show notes. Show Notes JUST Water Tetrapak Describe how you got to where you are today: We had different paths but we ended up in the same company. Technical to management: Why did you do it?: I just really like working with people What are the hard parts of the job?: You get into territory you can’t look up anywhere. How big is Tetrapack?: 3600 people in Sweden alone Does Tetrapack do just food?: our core business, but we do equipment, and cosmetics My Food Job Rocks: I get to work with food producers all around the world. Helen: I enjoy the short term and long term rewards in the industry What is Tetrapak’s stance on sustainability?: We are putting a lot of resources to make our packages recyclable What type of food trends and technologies are exciting you right now?: Nutritional shakes in a tetrapak environment. Also, chilled products becoming ambient What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Sustainability. We need to prepare for that What do Swedes drink in plant-based: First soy, and then Oat. Oat milk has exploded What do you want to more about?: alt-meat trends Favorite kitchen item: Male: Beer brewing system Favorite Quote: Jesper: To do a common thing uncommonly well, bring success – Heinz Helen: Quote: Tetrapak’s quote – Protect what’s good Any advice for anyone who wants to be in the food industry?: Go for it, go for the first job and see where it takes you. Jesper:  your first job is not going to be your last job. Take your learning, it’s not the end goal, but you’ll learn a lot. Where can we find you for advice?: Jesper: If you’re a tetrapak customer, you can find me. Or find me on LinkedIn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Jakobi is a serial food entrepreneur who founded Metcalfe, Itsu, and is now CEO and Founder of BOU, a company reinventing bullion. What makes Robert’s story so fascinating is that he made successful companies in two different countries. Originally from the United Kingdom, he built Metcalfe and Itsu, and now is growing a successful bullion company right in the United States. You’ll get a great overview of Robert’s history, on all three companies that he’s built or is building, and then we dive straight into dissecting his whole story, so this episode is structured a bit differently, because you’ll hear everything upfront and then we get into the heart of what makes a successful food business. You’re going to get some amazing advice no matter what stage of a business you. You’ll get advice on how to start a company, what to do with your money whether in the Seed round or the Series A round, and being at the right place at the right time, but finding the pattern to turn an old category on its head. About Robert Robert Jakobi is the CEO and Founder of BOU, the innovative food company bringing joy back into cooking with its versatile range of bouillon, gravy and miso broth cubes, and instant soup cups. A serial food entrepreneur, Robert was previously the CEO and Co-Owner of Metcalfe’s Food Company, which he launched with renowned entrepreneur Julian Metcalfe (itsu and Pret-a-Manger) in 2010 and quickly turned it into the fastest-growing privately-owned food and drink company in the UK. In 2015, they launched their spinoff brand, Metcalfe’s Skinny, a leading premium popcorn brand which was acquired by Snyder’s (owner of Kettle Chips) in 2016. In May 2017, Robert launched BOU in the US with COO Kunal Kohli, disrupting a section of the supermarket that had not seen innovation in decades. An overnight success thanks to major stockists such as Amazon, Fresh Direct, Wegmans, Wholefood, Krogers, Walmart and 6,000 more retailers, BOU encourages people to rediscover the joy of cooking with its convenient cubes full of big, bold flavors that are US-made with non-GMO and no artificial ingredients. To date, BOU has raised $7.8M with backers including Nebari Ventures, Andy Gellert (Gellert Group) and Shelly Stein (Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits). Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future of food, technology, and the kitchen. Well-known leaders within the food tech industry will all be speaking on engaging topics such as food robots, alternative protein, and connected kitchen devices such as smart refrigerators. Trust us, you’ll want to be there. Use code FOODJOB15 to get a 15% discount on tickets and I’ll see you there on October 7-8 at in Seattle. Just go to smartkitchensummit.com to register. For easy access, just click on our link for this episode’s show notes. Show Notes Wharton in Penn Barclay’s Capital in New York PODBites Pret a Manger Metcalf Food Company Metcalfe Skinny HouliHand Lokey Diamond Foods Snyder Lance Itsu and Itsu Grocery Boullion Cube When did you start feeling entrepreneurial?: At Penn, I started a nightlife promotion company Also Fashion Retail What’s the difference between the UK and US market?: Quite a few things. US is a great opportunity but it’s very crowded How did you get rid of the noise?: There are a  ton of different pieces. You need a great product and savvy marketing. For example, social media, trade shows What are the big challenges for brands?: New media and channels will be introduced and new competition will always show up. The right people and the right systems matter in this business. How do you spend money on your business?: Pre-Series A: Design and Product and Product-market-fit Series A: After we launched in Whole Foods: Money to support the brand scaling nationally. Bigger and better marketing programs Consecutive Series help grow the brand What advice would you give a budding food entrepreneur?: Believe in yourself and don’t be scared of failure. Go with your gut. It might not work because there’s so many things that build a brand. Really believe in yourself and your ideas. Having the ability to listen well is super important My Food Job Rocks: I get to work with smart, passionate people What type of food trends and technologies are exciting you right now?: Trends that last. Anti-examples: Cricket. Examples: protein, popcorn, etc. What are your thoughts on innovating ramen?: It’s happening. Asian is hot right now and we havea  Miso version. Our products have better-for-you Vertical Integration: Our manufacturers are our cofounders Favorite Quote: Winston Churchill: We shall fight….. We shall never surrender Where can we find you for advice?: Robert@bouforyou.com I’m always reachable and happy to chat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The name of the game in this episode is food service, an area that’s not well talked about yet it dwarfs retail space. Think about it, lunch spots, schools, universities, and prisons all use the foodservice channels to feed people and this channel has its own challenges. That’s where Stephanie Lind comes in. Stephanie Lind has a good understanding of the food system and I like to say I do too so we get into some really complex discussions about supply chain in the foodservice industry. So you will learn a ton about the complex world of foodservice and I hope this interview helps you discover this whole new world right under your nose. About Stephanie Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Elohi Strategic Advisors Stephanie Lind is the Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer of Elohi Strategic Advisors, a firm she founded in early 2015.  She works closely with emerging natural and sustainable food and beverage companies as well as their venture capital and private equity investors. Elohi acts as a full service commercialization engine and provides holistic Go-To-Market strategies, outsourced sales execution, robust product innovation road maps and B2B marketing services. Prior to returning to Elohi Strategic Advisors in January 2019, Stephanie lead the global sales initiatives for Impossible Foods which included sales strategy for all channels (foodservice, industrial and retail), sales operations, B2B marketing and product innovation.  She has over 25 years of experience across Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain working for Fortune 500 companies including PepsiCo, Sysco, McDonald’s supply chain partner Havi Logistics as well as smaller, privately owned businesses including those started by her parents. Stephanie earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Washington and Lee University and her MBA in Marketing from DePaul University. She is a member of the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council, Women’s Presidents Organization, the Plant-Based Food Association and acts as a mentor for the Big Idea Ventures accelerator.  Outside of work, Stephanie and her husband enjoy spending time with their three dogs and four cats, exploring their new community in Half Moon Bay, California and volunteering. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future of food, technology, and the kitchen. Well-known leaders within the food tech industry will all be speaking on engaging topics such as food robots, alternative protein, and connected kitchen devices such as smart refrigerators. Trust us, you’ll want to be there. Use code FOODJOB15 to get a 15% discount on tickets and I’ll see you there on October 7-8 at in Seattle. Just go to smartkitchensummit.com to register. For easy access, just click on our link for this episode’s show notes. Show Notes What are the cultural differences between Chicago and the Bay Area?: There’s a surge of new brands in the Chicago area. There are a ton of big food companies in that area. For the Bay Area, you have the money. Good Food Business Accelerator I teach emerging sustainable brands how to navigate the world of food service What is food service?: Commercial and Non-commercial. Basically those that choose to feed people and those that need to feed people We have a bootcamp that funnels our clients through the food service channel Hidden Cost: Distance, Freight Charges, Booking trucks, lack of data Does food service price lower?: It depends What would you tell a new person who wants to distribute their product?: You have to make your product in your backyard. Not only literally, but also figuratively (as in local). Have B2B marketing, especially in the ingredient end. The consumer isn’t walking in expecting your brand. For restaurants: Does it increase traffic? Does it increase the check? Does it decrease labor/waste costs? How do you market B2B?: It’s not sexy. A lot of B2C marketers hate food service marketing. Does my website answer the questions? Can I sample the product in the industry? For chefs, they use Instagram and that might be an angle for B2B. There are a ton more foodservice institutions than retail institutions The steps it took to get to where you are today: I graduated in college during the recession and started with being a truck driver for Pepsico. Then worked as a supervisor at a distribution center Nabisco Mass Drug Club Convenience (ALDI, for example) Went back to pepsico Laid off, then went back to Distribution Elohi – Cherokee word for Earth or Mother Earth How was working at Impossible Foods?: Money doesn’t solve every problem, but it gets you there faster They are great for PR and excellent In communicating their brand. Strategy: going towards innovative chefs Blitzscaling Food service is very unforgiving. Build slowly and cater to the customers you have. If you run out, you’re screwed Any advice for anyone in sales?: You have to listen. And you have to approach them to help them solve their problem. What type of food trends are exciting you?: Food is medicine ZOLA – Cannibis industry How do you focus without the hype? (Cannibis industry): Keep your emotions out of it, and think of the what-if scenario planning. If big companies move, you’ll go from fad to trend What about plant- based meat?: iternations will focus more on fat or less processed. PDCAAS What in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: The marriage between science and innovation, marketing, sales, etc. I’d love to understand the science. Favorite Kitchen Item: Bunn Single Serve Coffee. I also like Mugs The ritual of coffee Do you have a favorite meal?: A meal at home. Do you have any advice for anyone in the industry?: Get as much cross-functional training as you can. If you want to start your own business, it’s really hard and will take a long time. Sometimes you have to fail to learn something How do you reflect being fired?: You have to learn from it. The higher you go in an organization, the bigger the risk it is to be fired because there’s bigger risk. If you see someone let go at a senior level, you never know what’s happening in an organization. Also, there is a difference between organization versus background. The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Find Stephanie on LinkedIn or her email here: Stephanie@elohi.us Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coca-Cola has probably the most ubiquitous and well-known branding in the entire world but they need scientists to do it. Scientists that help innovate in multiple countries Wendy Zhang is one of those scientists who works on Coke products to bring them internationally. She works with teams from China and Japan to get innovative coke products onto the market while still maintaining that delicious coke brand. Learn about the interesting nuances in communicating internationally and the different techniques to understand flavors and customs when bringing product to different nations. You’ll also get perspective on the value of a PhD and an MBA, because Wendy has her PhD and is getting her MBA after work. Another fun part about this episode is Coke’s initiative on sustainability. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future of food, technology, and the kitchen. Well-known leaders within the food tech industry will all be speaking on engaging topics such as food robots, alternative protein, and connected kitchen devices such as smart refrigerators. Trust us, you’ll want to be there. Use code FOODJOB15 to get a 15% discount on tickets and I’ll see you there on October 7-8 at in Seattle. Just go to smartkitchensummit.com to register. For easy access, just click on our link for this episode’s show notes. Show Notes Where is Coke?: We operate in 200+ countries with over 700,000 people Coke owns: Core sparkling (coke products, Fanta, Sprite, Minute mAde, Monster, Honest Tea, Odwalla, Suja, Zico, etc) STA- Short Term Assignment. I had an Opportunity in Shanghai When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you do?: I make coca-cola products They ask oh cool but then they ask – What do you need to develop? 5 flavors of diet coke Orange Vanilla Coke What products do you work on?: All coca-cola trademark We have multiple R+D satellites all over the world US and UK have different perceptions on chocolate. Is that the same with other products? Peach we eat in the US is different from the peach in Japan What’s the difference between working in China vs the US?: Access to consumers How much autonomy is in Coca Cola?: Not that much Did you know you were going to work in food science?: No. But I got in via college entrance exam. I wanted to do a foreign language job but was put in food science. As I studied more, the more interested I was in food. What’s fundamentally different between US and China?: China is more competitive and focuses more on multiple-choice. US is more focused on critical thinking? For PhD, I’m supposed to solve a specific problem but the training is about focusing on curiosity and gives you the method of solving a problem Why did you get your MBA?: I’ve always been interested in the business side. Though I’ve always been in the technical side, I don’t know how people sell products. An MBA really helps me connect the dots. Most companies have financial aid to get advanced degrees Is it hard to balance your MBA and your job?: Yes, after work at 5 or 6 pm, and then 3 hours of class, and then you have to read 30-40 pages of case studies. What are some tips on improving the product development process?: Understand the whole business. Food Safety, food chemistry, and sensory, know all of this. Be involved, and understand the trends Who do you follow for trends?: BevNet, Food and Beverage, and a lot of suppliers. We have access to Mintel and Nielsen Where do ideas happen?: Depends on the project. Some come from marketing, the science projects are from R+D Why does your food job rock?: I have the opportunity to work in one of the biggest brands in the world Coca Cola Japan What’s a popular product in Japan?: clear products such as milk tea, beer, coffee, and transparent coke (Coca Cola Clear) What type of food trends and technology is really exciting?: High-pressure processing. My dream is to work on a product that does that. HPP is the alternative Retort What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: packaging. The food industry has to use packaging Coca Cola’s Word without Waste Sustainability Report What in the food industry would you like to know more about?: Consumers are hard to predict and how do you understand them better? Coca Cola is an indulgence Anyone who inspired you to get into food: My advisors from graduate schools Favorite Kitchen Item: Phillips Pasta machine Favorite Food: Cheese! I’ve just started to get into cheese Gary Danko Any advice for anyone who wants to get into the food industry: Understand yourself and what you’re good at Where can we find you for advice?: LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might have heard of Salt of Earth because they sponsored our podcast So David Hart was a native in California but more to Israel on a scholarship and kept on coming back. Now in Israel full time, he’s worked for companies, started his own company, and recently heads a company within a company. You see, Salt of the Earth is actually a parent company where they sell well, salt. However, David is exploring selling the Mediterranean Umami brand, a salt reduction solution to lower sodium content. So this episode has a lot of tangible tips to become an intrapreneur, but also some really good sales tips on how ingredients can be sold to big and small companies. Though the timelines are different, the process is the same. Learn from David’s variety of experiences and how each trial made him better and better throughout his career. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future of food, technology, and the kitchen. Well-known leaders within the food tech industry will all be speaking on engaging topics such as food robots, alternative protein, and connected kitchen devices such as smart refrigerators. Trust us, you’ll want to be there. Use code FOODJOB15 to get a 15% discount on tickets and I’ll see you there on October 7-8 at in Seattle. Just go to smartkitchensummit.com to register. For easy access, just click on our link for this episode’s show notes. Show Notes When someone asks what you do, what do you tell them?: I sell new natural products to the industry What’s the difference between a sales director and the business unit director?: I’m in charge of everything in that business unit. At the end of the day, I have a business Mediterranean Umami How did this hotdog company find out about Mediterranean umami?: Where did you go to college?: I went to UC Davis for BS and MS. BS in agricultural economics FFA Fellowship to study in Jerusalem Ranchman Foundation Spent a semester in college in Washington DC Spent 5 years in cultural absorption – You work in a dairy and serve in the army. After you’re done, you have to find a  job. Went back to California to work on a lycopene Lycopene Lycored Frutarom Ori Yehudai – head of Frutarom IFF Cannabinoids Qualitas Health No Business Plan Survives First Contact Israel as a startup nation Drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers – Israel invented that Mantra Silicon Valley: Move fast and break things Israel trends: cultured meat – Aleph Farms ,Artificial Intelligence/machine learning, Food Safety IFTNext Competiton NEXTY Finalist IFT Innovation Awards 2017 Advice: Life is too short to work for an asshole DavidH@salt.co.il Davidshart1@gmail.com Call: 2132610088 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode's main focus is talking about the legal nuances of starting a food business. Everything you’d like to know about NDA’s, patents, and copyright, it's is all here. But Abe Cohn also does a great job talking about the fun stuff like LLCs, stocks, and fiscal cliffs, you know,  the fun stuff.  But another hidden gem in this interview is talking about networking. Whether you're an introvert who has a grand invention or an extrovert with a grand vision, Abe gives multiple scenarios on how bright minds can meet each other. So maybe next time, you can use these tips to find your next cofounder. About Abe Abe Cohn is an Intellectual Property Lawyer at Cohn Legal Group, a specialty group of a larger law firm, designed specifically to provide a boutique and highly individualized experience for entrepreneurs and startups. Though we cover legal here, what about technical? Well my friend Rachel has something for you.  Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I’m an Attorney for Intellectual property and startup law Intellectual Property – At its core, it’s an idea. Not only recipes but logos and slogans (trademarks) and copyright law (screenplays, movies, songs, literary things) Provisional Patents Utility Patent Design Patent Copyright Trade Secrets Non-disclosure Agreement When does an NDA take effect? What are the options available for starting a company? First, write down a narrative. Are you having cofounders? Are you raising? Do you have any proprietary technology? Depending on what you write down, is what you should set up LLC C-Corp Preferred Stock Common Stock Board of Directors If you’re going to a VC firm, just get a C-Corp S-corp Any other advice: Choose your cofounder wisely. Your cofounder needs to fill a need. Fiscal Cliff 4 year vesting schedule with a  1 year cliff Why does your Food Job Rock?: I get to work with these amazingly passionate people Pilot Works Kenny Lao In Manhattan New York, you can hop place to place and meet people Equinox Hot Tub Business Area Book Recommendations: Oscar Wilde (Dorian Grey). Entrepreneur Circle Scholarship ENDS SEPT 30 What would you do for a $1000?: Register my company and use the rest to cheaply make a logo. The rest, you need to hustle out. Instagram: cohnlegalgroup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of High-Pressure Processing, you might think guacamole, or hummus, or juices, but can you do it for a snack bar? Brenden Schaefer has spent the last three years developing a fresh-tasting fruit and vegetable bar that’s sold in retail such as Whole Foods, etc. Brenden knows his stuff, and there’s a reason why. He worked for one of the biggest food company in the world, Pepsi! He advised the CEO Indra Noori directly making tough decisions based off of data. He took this experience and brought it to marketing emerging brands such as IZZE and ONE coconut water With this experience in tow, Brenden started Bright Foods and has been doing super well. Find out not only about the technology of High-pressure Processing but also about how Brenden switched from one expertise to another and how he progressed through the food industry by starting out, loving music. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by TraceGains! Why not speed up new product development with TraceGains. With 25,000 suppliers, 200,000 ingredients and items, and a million supplier documents like an organic, allergen, non-GMO at your fingertips, sourcing and supplier approval is a snap. Plug in and go faster with TraceGains. Talk to a TraceGains representative to receive a demo and discount just for listening to this podcast head over to https://www.tracegains.com/npd-podcast today for more information! Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you do?: I’m an entrepreneur and I started my own food company about 3 years ago. Bright Foods is a new, organic refrigerated bar that uses High-Pressure Processing Naked Juice What were you doing for college?: I was a musician at first and at a difficult time in my life, I just cooked and started to develop a love for food. I spent a summer working at Berkeley California, Food PR firm. I starting loving food more than music. After college, I bought a one way ticket to Paris to try and meet this bass player I worked for a small food company in New York, wasn’t for me, and then someone told me to get into management consulting. I did my research and learned how to read case studies Management consulting answers big strategic questions After a while, it hit me I wanted to create a food company and I got in the strategic position where I gave advice to the CEO directly How did you jump completely into different roles?: painting by numbers and going through the motion. Thinking methodically really helped me break down problems to solve solutions. What’s the best way for me to go here from there. Propel Naked Juice ONE What didn’t you know when you started Bright Foods?: The whole manufacturing side What did having a corporate background teach you?: There’s a big difference between managing teams at a high level versus stressing about fixing a machine to get your order in soon The Hard Thing About Hard Things Creativity Inc How to Meditate Tools of Titans Vipassana Meditation Advice to start your own food business?: Connecting with people who are qualified and well-informed and ask them how to figure it out. The more specific you are, the better Where can we find you for advice?: @eatbrightfoods, @bhschaffer, Sometimes I post on LinkedIn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are looking at the field of sensory, then this is the episode for you! This is probably the most technical sensory episode we’ve had so far as we learn about new sensory techniques, what type of groups should do what type of sensory and also, great tips on how to sensory test for kids! Emily Kimmins from KraftHeinz does a great job explaining the purpose of sensory, and how focusing your testing parameters and delivering compelling data allows you to convince a global organization that everything will be alright: that you can do a global launch for a product. But even if you aren’t a huge company, Emily and I still discuss great tips for small businesses or one-man sensory teams. You’ll also get to hear about Emily’s first sensory job, which involved working with Dentures, and how she got into the food industry. Like many, it’s usually never a straight path. Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes What do you do for a living?: I’m a sensory scientist at Kraft Heinz Kraft Mac and Cheese Canadian pushback Type II Error For sensory, we need to make sure to mitigate risk using data Tetrad Method – a more statistically robust method How much data does someone need to be convinced that something is fine?: It’s not about data or the amount, it’s if you have enough 3 different types of consumers: Internal or sensory acuity – discrimination testing or technical evaluations for product development Professional tasters – Come in 2 hours a day 4 hours a week. Trained panelists to describe and quantify tastes Consumer testing – Huge amounts of people but very simple answers All employees go through sensory tasting View on Supertasters – When they discovered it, it was very helpful to our field because it introduced a new scale PROP paper The easiest way to describe the taste is to compare it to something We do a lot of “always like something else” Background: Emily has a degree in biology and went to pre-pharma. I switched mindway and just said I wanted a science job I asked a temp agency to get me any science job First Job: Proctor and Gamble products and worked with their Dentures. Next job was the flavor industry Givaudan Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to switch job roles?: Explore and talk to different managers. Explore early! Any advice for kid sensory testing: Separate genders, or do take-home/home-use tests How big’s your sensory team?: 4 food technologists and 4 food technicians What type of food trends and technologies are happening right now?: We want more reactionable data. For example, facial recognition and Tinder sensory We need to reduce the amount of thinking time What is one thing you’d like to know about the food industry?: Food supply chain. I’d like to spend more time with the farmers What’s your favorite kitchen item?: a 4-quart pot that I use for everything (I call it the everything pot) also a kitchen pot. I'm currently using the instatpot What’s a recent favorite food?: Recently went to a restaurant and it has an interesting Poke dish with cubed seared rice and topped with spicy tuna Girl and Goat The Safehouse – secret restaurant Society of Sensory Professionals IFT has a great sensory division How do we find you?: Linkedin is the best way Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Dr. Maya M Warren, Sr. Director of International Research and Development and the Tastemaster at Cold Stone Creamery. I’ve seen Maya twice on TV. One on an episode of the Amazing Race with Amy DeJong (a podcast guest from way back) and last Christmas at my Grandma’s house watching Dr. Oz (my grandma loves the show, not me). Anyways, I had to get her on the show so I asked Amy for Maya’s contact and we went from there. Thanks Amy! Maya is a delight to talk to as the first thing you notice about her is that she absolutely loves what she does. I mean, she has her PhD in ice cream, gets to travel the world formulating ice cream, and gets to be on TV to talk about ice cream! She lives and breathes it. Maya and I talk about the fact that she didn’t even know about food science until midway through college, and even though her college didn’t offer food science, that did not stop her from working mornings at a processing plant and doing her thesis solely on ice cream. You’ll also learn a bunch of other stuff like how Maya and Amy got on the Amazing Race, how to communicate with foreign product developers, and how Maya expresses her passion for ice cream in multiple ways. Also, you’ll learn super valuable tips on creating your own ice cream and how to optimize your home ice cream experience. By the way, if you’re listening to this in July, happy ice cream month! Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly suggest doing your research. Luckily, my friend Rachel Zemser has the perfect resource for you. She has a book called the Food Business Toolkit that will help you understand everything about starting a food business from formulation to regulation. Use the code MYFOODJOBROCKS at the checkout for 10% off not only the book, but it also applies to an hour of consulting. As someone who’s started their own food business, acquiring knowledge is super important. You can find the book here: https://alacarteconnections.com/shop/ Money will come and go, but you’ll always run out of time so it’s very important to get the knowledge necessary to move forward. Show Notes Winners of the Amazing Race (Season 25) Amy DeJong Interview Dr. Oz and Low-Calorie Ice Cream How do you get on Dr. Oz?: They found me because of being on the race Coldstone Tastemaster How do you describe yourself?: I make people smile Coldstone: 33 countries A big part of what I do is to modify the formulation of ice cream in different countries. How different is ice cream in other countries?: The global landscape of ice cream is different everywhere. For example, US has 10% milkfat and has to be cow milk. Some countries don’t have a legal definition. How did you hear about food science?: I never did until I saw how bacon-flavored soda was made. Carleton College Unwrapped Malt-o-meal company Richard Hartel UW Madison Coldstone was my first job. They found me on the Amazing Race Coldstone uses granite slab Skillsets in your job: Being able to formulate, work in excel and communicate especially in different countries. Sensory science is great as well Skillset for: Bench-top to scale-up: Be aware that things can change Skillset for: Communicating with people in other countries: I mainly communicate with the experts in that country’s field. The dairy and food engineers in that country. Sometimes they use outside consultants to translate. Why Does Your Food Job Rock?:  I love ice cream, and I want to share my love of it to the world. What type of food trends and technologies are exciting you?: We are embracing other people’s foods now McDonald's flavors around the world Turmeric Ube Personalized nutrition Favorite Flavor recently: Brown Sugar Texture Innovations: Gelatinized Starch and Chia textures Chia Pets Flavor is usually showcased through money and exposure Halo Top Is Halo Top actually healthy? Same with Plant-based burgers. Is it healthy? One thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Plant (or other) alternatives for milk Perfect Day Ice Cream Ben and Jerry’s CBD ice cream Ice Cream Maker – Happy Joy Batch Freezer Remember: The freezer can really abuse ice cream My ice cream is really hard and my spoon bends: bad formulation or no overrun Twitter: @mayawarren Maya M Warren Official Website: MayaWarren.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Mathilde Do Chi, a food law consultant, shares her journey into the world of food law, discussing her background, the importance of networking, and the role of social media in building her personal brand. She explains the complexities of novel foods and the regulatory challenges involved in bringing food products to market. Mathilde emphasizes the significance of effective communication in her work and how her diverse experiences have shaped her understanding of food regulations. In this conversation, Mathilde Do Chi and Adam discuss the complexities of cultural communication, particularly in the context of food and business. They explore how different cultures approach communication and food, the challenges of navigating novel food regulations, and the future of food innovation. Mathilde shares insights on the regulatory landscape for novel foods, the importance of understanding cultural sensitivities in food marketing, and the need for adaptability in entrepreneurship. The discussion highlights the interplay between cultural identity, food innovation, and market dynamics. Find Mathilde here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathilde-do-chi/  Substack - https://mathildedochi.substack.com/ Thinkific (online course platform) - https://forwardfoodlawtraining.thinkific.com/ Website - https://forwardfoodlaw.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are listening to a bonus episode where I talk about my actual day job at the Concept to Consumption podcast. I talk with Gary Nowacki, the CEO of TraceGains! So you’ll learn mainly about how I think about things and my thought process on innovation. I talk a lot about growing Better Meat Co and the steps it took to do so. A big portion of the interview is also about analyzing the current plant-based meat landscape, and how the players, both the restaurant and the manufacturers are differentiating themselves. Enjoy this one, I love to talk shop and I appreciate Gary’s team for letting me do so. No ads this time, this one’s a freebie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today you are listening to episode 180 with Alexander Zox, New Business Development Lead and Dianna Rogers, Director of Account Services and New Business Development at BrandFirst Creative Agency. BrandFirst Creative Agency specializes in branding food companies form confections to food tech. They were the main creative agency behind the Alt Protein Show and I bumped into them at Expo West This episode was recorded a bit earlier, but the main reason was that I wanted to coincide with BrandFirst’s newest podcast, Innovativeness. You can find that in the show notes with their first episode with Victor Santos Director of the Cellular Meat, at JUST who I met at the Cultured Meat Symposium. This podcast is a great overview of the landscape and language in the food tech world. We talk a lot about how the current food tech players are communicating right now, and how language is a huge thing to consider when communicating something new. About Dianna As Director of Brand Strategy and New Business, Dianna is a strategic thinker with over 12 years of experience in developing cohesive brand experiences. Driven and detail-oriented, Dianna is inquisitive and analytical by nature with an ability to think creatively and find unconventional solutions to tough challenges. She is also a multi-tasker who is responsible for account leadership, project management and new business initiatives. About Alex As the Strategic and New Business development lead at Brand First Alex tries to focus on forward thinking and finding unique and successful solutions for our clients. He grew up in NYC among a family of fine artists. He would watch his father, an abstract painter, and mother, a textile designer, constantly create and debate creativity. His love of all things culinary and his passion for science all help to connect him to his passion for communicating with some of the industry’s leading innovators. His ability to challenge the conventional and push the boundaries leads to different perspectives that can yield new and exciting results, both conversationally and in a practical sense. Show Notes Expo West Expo West Brand First Article Sprouted ventures What do you say in a sentence or less?: Dianna: I work for a branding agency. We work on naming and branding and packaging for upcoming brands. Alex: I work for a design studio but research what is going on in the food space Alternative Protein Show Brand First specializes in: Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Confections and others. It's a 30-year-old company We started with working with M and M’s Mars and went from there Olivia Fox Cabane We started podcasting in December. (Eventually, we created our own podcast) Abbott’s Butcher Cow with the Cape Beyond Meat Impossible Foods cartoon Elmhurst Milkadamia Good Catch Silk Rebrand Hippeas Smashmallow Instagram Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: Diana: In Brand First, I started as a proof reader and copy writer. I evolved account manager and then business development Alex and I actually worked together in the entertaiDiscussionnment industry Alex: My Father was a painter, my mother was a textile designer Sara Lawrence College: Studied Liberal Arts Alsace Restaurant: Alsace in between France and Germany How was the booking agency?: Cover bands have big egos Science Needs a platform JUST- Victor Santo – Moderated a panel with him Cellular Agriculture CRISPR GMO Sally Squires Vegan baggage word Adding eggs and calling it plant-based What is the biggest challenge the food industry is trying to face: plastics and packaging General Mills – Regenerative Agriculture Joseph Robertson Paul Shapiro’s book Clean Meat War and Peace Modern Meadows Favorite Book: Thomas Monds Budden Brooks – a quarter of the book is depicting a meal Kitchen Confidential Michael Pollan’s Book How to Change Your Mind Michael Pollan’s Botany of Desire BrandFirstnj.com Range Me LinkedIn: Dianna Rogers and Alexander Zox Food Marketing Institute Emerge   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zachary Lones started working as a cashier at Sam’s Club (which I didn’t know was owned by WalMart) and rose through the ranks from a business associate to multiple levels of managers and landed in the director’s seat 8 years later. I saw his story on LinkedIn and I thought, Zachary would be a great podcast guest. A lot of people want to get promoted, especially in a large company and Zach has done it so many times and I wanted to distill the method on how he did it. This is great episode about climbing up the ranks, but I think the heart of this episode is what Zachary’s mission in life is, and how being promoted allows him to accomplish it. He empowers and showcases people through media the people at Walmart who love their jobs. From the cashier to the janitor. About Zachary 11 years ago I began as a cashier at Sam’s club, climbed the store ladder til I was running stores at Walmart, today I am the Local Social & Walmart World Director. My aim is to use my job to do work that makes the world a better place. My current role let’s me connect the dots of our past with our future in a way that helps Associates grow as individuals. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Salt of the Earth. During IFT, I went to their booth. They were serving vegetarian meatballs and mac and cheese using Mediterranean umami. I would say, it was probably the best meatball made of pea protein I’ve tasted. Mediterranean Umami brings a rich, savory component while being clean label and reduces sodium and made with simple ingredients such as tomatoes, sea salt, seaweed, and mushrooms. Ask my friend David for a bottle of Mediterranean Umami any time by emailing  info@salt.co.il Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them?: I’m trying to improve the world one customer, one associate, one person at a time. What is your official title?: Director of local social media and associate magazine I started as a Cashier at Sam’s Club (owned by Walmart) then I was a business associate department manager assistant manager co-manager store manager Director Any advice on climbing the ladder?: If you’re doing a good job and working hard and someone’s asking you to do more, you should do it and say yes. Why did you decide to go into management?: I could impact more people being a manager How does structure work?: Hourly positions, then there’s different levels of management. Supervisors, managers, support managers, assistant managers, co-managers What was the story from switching from Manager to Director?: Every Walmart has its own Facebook page. I took charge of their facebook page and it was one of the best. The CMO noticed this and challenged me to teach other people to do social media Zachary Lones post about social media Social media has a tremendous amount of reach for my area and can let them know about the people who work there. It boosts moral for the associates and they can serve more customers Servant Leadership Comic: If you go to school, you’ll never have to end like that guy: If you go to school, you’ll make a better place for that guy What’s wrong with the guy cleaning up the road? What’s the value of a magazine?: to showcase amazing people and improves the company culture It’s plain ordinary folk that change the world If the company doesn’t celebrate the people and the culture, the people might be looking into other stories and Why does your job rock?: You can be anyone in the world and there is a job for you in this company and you can give people real opportunity to change the world What kind of cool technology is happening right now?: There’s services where you can text someone to find a perfect gift for a customer. How do we digitally serve the customer and give the same WalMart experience? What have you noticed in terms of buying things in different generations? We purchase things through Instagram We have Walmart groceries delivered to our house We do go to the store but mainly to get out of the house and have our daughters be immersed outside We don’t shop because we have to, but because it’s the experience Retail might be more experience focused now Bruce Willis Surrogates We might be living in a world where we stay in our home forever Favorite Quote: Tupac Shakur – I may not change the world but I guarantee I may spark the brain that will change the world. Favorite Book: I commit to read about 25 pages a day. I like books because I can write in it. I went to college for Jewish Studies and read the Bible a lot A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger The Book of Beautiful Questions by Warren Berger My Book List for Creative People The Coaching Habit Any advice for anyone who wants to climb the career ladder?: There’s an entrepreneur culture of running off and live your passion and whatnot. You can also do this as an Intraprenuer. I can have a purpose in a company as long as I change my mindset My Personal Mission Statement: How do I change the world one person at a time? Into The Spiderverse Where can we find you for advice?: I’m on instagram@zacharyelones and LinkedIn: Zachary P Lones or Zacharyplones@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have Roger Berkowitz, CEO and President of Legal Sea Foods on the show. A Third generation family business that not only does fish processing, but has a fish restaurant, and a fish grocery store. All of my fans in the East love this restaurant. I interview Roger on the complexities of the fish farming industry and there was some things I didn’t know about, one, Roger talks about how the rising temperature of the water is affecting fish yields, and two, the complexities of fish farming. You will also learn some tips Roger has learned in his life of leadership. And also, learn about Roger’s other food love. It’s not fish, it’s actually….coffee! About Roger Roger started working in the family fish market in Inman Square, Cambridge at the age of 10 and held a variety of roles prior to becoming President and CEO in 1992.  Since taking the helm, he’s led the company’s growth and diversification.  He now oversees restaurant, retail and mail order divisions and steers the course for 4,000 employees. Roger is a member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Regional Selection Panel for the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships and NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee.  He is a member of the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Advisory Committee and a member and past President of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. In addition, Roger serves on many non-profit Boards including: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, UNICEF, the Environmental League of Massachusetts and the Blue Frontier Campaign.  He is a member of the Board of Overseers for Brandeis International Business School and serves on the leadership council at the Harvard School of Public Health. Roger graduated from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and attended executive education programs at Harvard Business School, University of London School of Business and Stanford Graduate School of Business.  He holds an honorary master’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America and honorary doctorates from Johnson & Wales University, Newbury College, Salem State University and Nichols College. Among numerous awards and recognitions, Roger was named a James Beard Award winner in 2017, inducted into the “Menu Masters Hall of Fame” by Nation’s Restaurant News and received the “Chairman’s Award for Distinguished Meritorious Service” by The Atlantic States Marines Fisheries Commission.  He was also the recipient of the George Arents Award, which recognizes Syracuse University alumni for their extraordinary achievements. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Salt of the Earth. During IFT, I went to their booth. They were serving vegetarian meatballs and mac and cheese using Mediterranean umami. I would say, it was probably the best meatball made of pea protein I’ve tasted. Mediterranean Umami brings a rich, savory component while being clean label and reduces sodium and made with simple ingredients such as tomatoes, sea salt, seaweed, and mushrooms. Ask my friend David for a bottle of Mediterranean Umami any time by emailing  info@salt.co.il Show Notes What advice would you give a CEO?: The best experience you can get as a CEO is to get on the front lines and interact with people What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: I’m a fishmonger What is Legal Seafood?: We’re a restaurant, and a grocery store, and getting into ecommerce but all-in-all, we’re a food business We’re a 3rd generation seafood business. Every generation adds a new part of the business. We have to recognize our DNA to make great decisions What have you observed throughout your years in the food industry?: There are people who have traveled more, or experience more and we have to broaden our scope. How do you get your fish?: We usually go through an auction, however, we’ve realized that ocean is heating up and we’re looking into fish farming NOAA – Green fisheries and advisory committee What is fish farming?: Anything we should know about fish farming: We test every single fish for fecal coliforms and vibrio, and also mercury Vibrio Vulnificus Oysters must be fresh water and not break temperature Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today?: After I went to college with a  degree in journalism, I worked in the restaurant business. I learned it was hard to communicate with the public about fish crises so I took that with me to improve the company. I met James Beard: One of our customers early on was Julia Child and she introduced me to “Jimmy” Beard What food trends are exciting you right now?: Coffee! I bought a coffee plantation and I’m creating a crop in Kona. I not only want to make coffee, but the best coffee ice cream Do people order coffee in a fish restaurant?: We run through 30,000 lbs of coffee a year. How much coffee do you drink?: 1 to 2 great cups of coffee Netherlands: They want 7, but Netherlands coffee cups are very small What is the biggest challenge the food industry has to face?: Cost of labor for restaurants is a big challenge so people in the industry has to change their model. What has Legal been doing to improve the model?: Actually working with Toyota to install lean processing. It’s helped us a ton with handling fish. I can produce a better fish Favorite Book: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari How do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business?: Start out with a large one Any advice for anyone who wants to go into the food industry?: If you want to be in the business, immerse yourself in the business How about advice for starting a new industry?: I’ve been working into coffee for 10 years and it’s an ongoing pursuit. I’m going to continue the pursuit All beans have their particular nuances Rogerb@legalseafoods.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Pierce analyzes hot trends, consumer behavior, and innovative breakthroughs and collects this data to help natural product industries strategically innovate. If you guys don’t know, the New Hope Network is at the forefront of the food industry as they are the ones in charge of Expo West, Supply Side East, and many more industry conferences throughout the world. I was fortunate enough to meet Eric during my shift at the Better Meat Co in Expo West. I was so excited to see him because I’ve listened to Eric speak a few times, especially on podcasts such as Alex Oesterle’s Food Marketing Nerds. The way Eric talks about trends and breakthroughs is insightful and digestible. So this is the basis of this interview. I ask Eric how can we understand trends, such as Turmeric, CBD and plant-based foods. Is there a deeper context when trends emerge and does knowing this, create better products? Well, you’ll learn a ton about just how deep, the rabbit hole goes. We talk about macro forces and trend hierarchies in this episode. If you’d like to learn more about this, the data is not yet available, and I was fortunate to get a beta version of it before the interview. However, you can learn more about it by reaching out on New Hope’s Contact page www.whatsnextinnatural.com/contact/ About Eric Eric J. Pierce is a strategic marketing and market research professional who brings business management experience and consumer behavior perspectives to his work. Specializing in helping businesses develop strategy and identify and prioritize opportunities; Eric is sought after as a speaker at industry events and for corporate training. Eric' s passions lie in the intersection of consumer behavior and business strategy within the Natural Products industry. These passions are focused on helping companies navigate the dynamic and changingfood system, helping to re-imagine brands, inspire product innovation, and focus business investments with an eye towards meeting the needs of the food-forward consumer.  At the New Hope Network Eric and his colleagues on the NEXT Data & Insights Team and sit at theforefront of the Natural Products industry, well positioned to identify the cultural forces and trends creating opportunity in this exciting and evolving marketplace. Together we help companies large and small identify, prioritize and take advantage of opportunities in the evolving food economy. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Salt of the Earth. During IFT, I went to their booth. They were serving vegetarian meatballs and mac and cheese using Mediterranean umami. I would say, it was probably the best meatball made of pea protein I’ve tasted. Mediterranean Umami brings a rich, savory component while being clean label and reduces sodium and made with simple ingredients such as tomatoes, sea salt, seaweed, and mushrooms. Ask my friend David for a bottle of Mediterranean Umami any time by emailing  info@salt.co.il Show Notes Alex Oesterle: Eric Pierce interviews In a sentence or less: Use data and marketplace intelligence to impact food and have food companies make better decisions Official Job Title: Vice President of Business Insights with the Next data and insights team New Hope Network Our trade shows: Natural products east, west, NBJ summit, Supply-side east and west Expo West Expo West Stats: 35-3700 exhibitors 90,000 pre-registrations during the show We basically build a city in a week How do you handle Expo West?: Wear great shoes. But seriously, it’s very hard. You might have to go multiple times New Hope was founded in 1975 Turmeric: For innovators, look at the broader context. Articles about throwing trending ingredients into products Suggestions for innovation: take the time to understand why hot things are relevant. Does this hot product CBD: Irrational Exuberance? There’s a lot of hype and excitement. We’re going to see a huge amount of time and money go into this Cauliflower as a grain replacement What are the catalysts to make more meaningful trends?: I see the momentum to see a more sustainable trend How do we know what trends (like plant-based meat) will take off?: Look at the series of things that are happening, but it is extremely difficult to find the tipping point. There are so many things surrounding a solution in hindsight. Look for products that are solving a lot of problems Better Meat Co How many “and’s” can you count and if there’s a lot, there’s a bigger chance it will work What got you into what you do?: Goudy’s farmer’s market: When I changed the banana prices from 0.29 cents to 0.19 cents and I was perplexed how people reacted to it I got a degree in marketing at the University of Wisconsin. I found out about market research through college What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Agriculture The Wizard and the Prophet The Road to Survival Kiss the Ground – Josh Tickell What advice would you give to people entering the industry?: Find yourself in it, give yourself to it Where can we find you for advice? whatsnextinnatural.com newhope.com Eric J. Pierce at New Hope Linkedin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is with Scott and Jon Demers, two brothers who founded a frozen meal company that specializes in healthy seafood. They’ve recently rebranded, so you might know their previous brand, Cheating Gourmet but now they’ve gotten a bit more personal and call it simply, Scott and Jon’s. Maybe you’ve seen that small little refrigerator right next to the fresh fillet of salmon. If you’ve ever peeked inside of it, you might have found something from Scott and Jon’s. From their deep fried seafood appetizers to their new shrimp noodle dishes, these brothers are innovating the frozen seafood section. Learn about the humble origins of how the brothers thought of the idea to enter this category and what it felt like to experience the amazing growth they went through. About Scott and Jons Scott and Jon Demers are co-founders of Cheating Gourmet premium frozen seafood. The brother’s passion for providing consumers with healthy, convenient food is at the core of their business and shines through in their mission to deliver the best seafood products to families nationwide. For them, building a brand is about quality and integrity. A study conducted in recent years by the USDA found that 80-90% of Americans are not consuming the recommended amount of seafood in their diet. As a great source of protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals, making seafood more accessible was important to Scott and Jon. That, combined with the increasing demand for on-the-go lunches made with premium seafood, inspired the launch of their Shrimp Rice Bowls. The brothers wanted to create an easy, everyday rice bowl with high quality shrimp and fresh ingredients. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Salt of the Earth. During IFT, I went to their booth. They were serving vegetarian meatballs and mac and cheese using Mediterranean umami. I would say, it was probably the best meatball made of pea protein I’ve tasted. Mediterranean Umami brings a rich, savory component while being clean label and reduces sodium and made with simple ingredients such as tomatoes, sea salt, seaweed, and mushrooms. Ask my friend David for a bottle of Mediterranean Umami any time by emailing  info@salt.co.il Shownotes Why did you start a business?: We wanted to start our own business. We grew up with a family of entrepreneurs. Where did you find your first mentor?: The third broker we called decided to become our mentor Who was your first hire?: My mother Cheating Gourmet Scott and Jon's Why did you rebrand?: We wanted to feel more connected to the consumer, a family-to-family dynamic My Food Job Rocks: Seeing your baby grow is an amazing experience IQF/Flash Frozen What type of trends and technologies are exciting you right now?: Frozen foods What’s the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Cleaner and cleaner labels What is something you’d like to know more about?: Forecasting trends. Where are we headed? Expo West Boston Seafood Show – We had the shrimp ramen there. We were chosen as a finalist Grapefruit Smoked Salmon Favorite Quote: Arnold Schwarzenegger – You can’t climb a mountain with your hands in your pockets Favorite Book: Let my people go surfing – written by the founder of Patagonia Quote from the book: A Perfect product is when you can’t take anything out of it Any advice for anyone who wants to start a food business?: Don’t quit, be innovative What made you not quit?: Have a good cofounder Whwere can we find you?: scott@demersfoods.com Scottandjons.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you recall, a year or two ago, we did one of these and had a pretty good response so we’ve decided to do one again to catch up. The issues we discuss in this episode aren’t really well talked about, so I view this as a very transparent heart to heart. It helped Kim Schaub, perhaps it might help you. Things like communication, impostor syndrome, prioritizing your life versus your work life all come up in this episode so if you’re dealing with issues like these, this one is a good listen. No ads this time, this one is a freebie Show Notes Ohio State - Citation Needed and NCSU Gabriel Keith Harris American Food Innovate Summit La Terra Fina Dear Ambitious Students So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport Anyway You Want Derek Sivers Paul Shapiro Episode 102 Better Meat Co. Gratitude Katie Jones Podcast with Kim Schaub Impostor Syndrome Type-A People Black Swan Decision making capital Phil Saneski Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Richardson has a PhD in anthropology and has worked for the Hartman Group for a little less than 15 years. During that time, he’s done work for a whole variety of different companies. From small companies to legacy brands. With a tone similar to Anthony Bourdain’s view of the restaurant interview, James brings a realistic yet refreshing viewpoint on the food industry and throughout the interview, brings a ton of tangible tips on how to grow, especially if you’re in the beginning stage of starting up. Questions like if your time is valued in trade shows, or what year food companies are typically profitable, or how you can navigate through different selling channels are all topics that we talk about. So get ready for a jam-packed interview on the inner workings of what really goes into growing a food business By the way, James has some awesome stuff in the pipeline. Not only does he have a podcast called Startup Confidential, but he also will be launching the book, Ramping Your Brand, at the end of the year. Enjoy the show! About James I am a strategy consultant for emerging food and beverage brands, with a professional background in consulting, market research and social science. I have studied natural/organic consumers and brands for my entire career, beginning with proprietary work for Whole Foods Market in 2003. I have advised well over 75 food and beverage brands on specific aspects of growth strategy (i.e. marketing, innovation, channel placement and pricing), from large legacy brands such as Triscuit to small, early stage food companies. Based on years of Nielsen and SPINS analysis of real world performance, I have developed proprietary IP to guide product design/innovation and go-to-market strategy for early stage natural/organic brands. My work in the natural/organic marketplace is based on understanding category nuances that affect success for emerging brands. All my work involves a holistic, competitive analysis of your brand and its prospects for growth based on understanding category nuances in modern food culture. Past Clients: My understanding of the food and beverage marketplace and growth strategy is built on 15 years of work for leading manufacturers and retailers across the sector: Pepsi-Cola, Coke VEB, McCormick, Campbell's, ConAgra Brands, General Mills, Nestle USA and Nestle SA, Kraft Foods, The T. Marzetti Company, Rich Products Co., Hershey's, Whole Foods, Target, Wal-Mart, and Kroger. I have also worked with over a dozen early-stage food brands in various capacities including Corazona's, Bobby Sue's Nuts, Wellgen, Snack It Forward, LLC, Nibmor, Mother Kombucha, Zaca, and others Finally, I have also performed confidential due diligence evaluations for VC firms such as Prairie Capital and Colfax Creek Capital. For more info and client testimonials, please see my website: www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Salt of the Earth. During IFT, I went to their booth. They were serving vegetarian meatballs and mac and cheese using Mediterranean umami. I would say, it was probably the best meatball made of pea protein I’ve tasted. Mediterranean Umami brings a rich, savory component while being clean label and reduces sodium and made with simple ingredients such as tomatoes, sea salt, seaweed, and mushrooms. Ask my friend David for a bottle of Mediterranean Umami any time by emailing  info@salt.co.il Show Notes Why did you decide to make a podcast?: Podcasting is a powerful form of content marketing What do you do?: I do strategic planning for early-stage premium CPG planning What stage of the process do people contact you?: First 3 to 5 year and the journey to half a million in gross sales If you want to grow into a flat-lined $10-20 million business, you need to shove all of your money into growth How do you prepare to “weather the storm”? – Line your angels, get a house lone, make sure everyone close to you is ok with this E-locks Cara Golden – The Passion has to be obsessive. The Scaling is not particularly glamorous Have a competitive streak. You want to win Good Crisps What is the fastest way to grow a food business?: Get on e-commerce and get to 20-30 thousand dollars in revenue. Foodservice onboard people faster. Ultramarathoners: James Richardson Linkedin post You’re running a marketing experiment: set realistic revenue practices Anthropology: It’s a bookworm’s paradise and your friends don’t get it I went to India, almost died 3 times but lived there for 3 years When I got home, I took a job at market research and did nationwide research in whole foods Hartman Group Power Bar Clif Bar Skinny Pop Popcorn My unique set of knowledge is a ton of case studies that help you get to scale The market changes faster than you realize and I learn fast as a consultant UPC mix – Universal Product Attributes Mix trend slowness is about 7-10 years Any advice for anyone who wants to be in the industry?: If you want to master CPG, you should join a fast growing food company (2-5% 15-20million dollars) There are 100 companies to choose from Examples: Spindrift A big company, you won’t learn much Website: premiumgrowthsolutions.com Startup Confidential podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pete Brennan is the Co-Founder of Soñar! Foods. A mission-driven company that sells plant powered tortilla chips. Pete might have started his own food business, but he is a veteran in the food industry. With experience from E&J Gallo Winery, Kelloggs, Foster Farms, and Zola, Pete’s specialty is marketing big brands. He teamed up with the best person he knew to start Soñar! Foods, his wife, Maria. Pete and I met at the Fancy Food Show, and again at the Alt Protein show. Pete’s a go-getter and cares about his community and every time I’m on LinkedIn, I see pallets of his chips get delivered to the nearest community market. The best part about this family business is that they really do care about doing good in the world, as 1% of their annual sales goes to helping the Latino community. Learn more about the amazing origin of this on-fire startup, its mission, and the shoulders it stood on, to be successful, and perhaps the content of this interview allows you to explore what good you can do in your world Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Fancy Food Show Lauren Joyner Alt Protein Show Will Holsworth What do you tell people?: I’m a food entrepreneur who wants to make a better world What do you make?: We’re on a mission to feed a nation of dreamers 1% of annual sales is to advance the mission Latino Community Foundation Gary Hirshberg Stonyfield farms -1% for the planet What was your first food job?: Sales and management trainee at E&J Gallo Maria and I met at E&J Gallo Kelloggs How did Gallo help you with Sonar?: Their training program is phenomenal Gallo Wine Jug: Our best marketing campaign was shifting consumer perceptions on drinking wine from a jug. Branding has the ability to persuade What is the difference between launching a Sonar campaign vs a big brand campaign?: Scale. Hershberg Institute June 2018 Gary Hirshberg book The power of one Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: I get to make an impact with the people I love and the community I love What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face right now?: There’s a lot. Each of us can and should use our brands to build a more socially and environmentally powered society What is the one thing in the food industry you’d like to know about?: Everything. Since launching the startup, that one thing is just everything Did you originally want to go into the food industry?: I definitively wanted to go into food because I wanted to work for a great brand. Most great brands came from food. Do you have any advice for people who want to just into entrepreneurship?: DO it with a commitment of doing good. Reach out at Pete@sonarorganics.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Crowell has had quite an amazing culinary journey with a lot of risks and a lot of reward. First he tells me how he found out about cooking, by staging at a restaurant in Europe, and brought that love back to the United States and worked hard enough to open his own restaurant. But opening up a restaurant was really hard, and he struggled. Eventually, he became an R+D Director at both Olive Garden and Starbucks. Eventually, Mark threw it all away and started consulting. He again struggled at first but then he started to build. Now CuliNex is a thriving clean label consulting company in Washington. He has a dozen members on his team, people with whom I’ve met personally! I think the best part of the episode is the stories Mark gives about the struggles of creating businesses. But there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. As long as you have some faith. Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them?: We’re in the clean label development business What does CuliNex stand for: My wife made the name 15 years ago, it’s Culinary and Next It wasn’t until 2011 that clean label started to buble up Clean Label definitons: Length of the label, complex wording, nutrition label Lo Han -Monkfruit for bakery application. A client came to us right after it was approved Describe the Steps it took to get to where you are today?: Talked my way into a national hotel kitchen, practiced for a year, then worked 5 years as a line cook. Applied to the Culinary Institute of America Took 2 years to get accepted. At the time, it was a while before I heard back Continental Cuisine: Not a specific type of cuisine Florida International University: Hotel Management I was in the restaurant business: manager, district manager, coffee shops, dinner houses, discotheques Why did you decide to start your business Other example: Kenny Lao Made a Mediterranean restaurant. Huge restaurant Didn’t go so well, got a job referral for Olive Garden TUFTS Analysis Darden Restaurants Season 52 Howard Schultz running for president Howard Schultz’ book Pumpkin Scone Pumpkin Spice Latte NRA Show Consulting was hard the 1st year, but I ended up building it until 6 years later, had a sustainable business but then I got bored and started to build up a company Emily Munday was my first employee The E-myth Revisited What is some advice for things that are hard?: You gotta do what you are passionate about. It will see you through the tough times. You also gotta have faith. I’ve learned the word over the past 25 years. You’re up on the high wire, but you gotta trust your people My Food Job Rocks: I get to work on amazing projects with amazing people Phil Saneski Food Trends and Technology: Upcycling movement, Cultured Meat The biggest challenge the food industry has to face: diet misinformation Favorite Kitchen Item: Stainless Steel Bowls Advice for starting something scary: Entrepreneurs are weird. They are different. Are you different? Research Chef Association; Why Donate?: Education is really important and community is really important Where can we find you?: mark@culinex.biz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dig In is a new sub-podcast where Adam Yee gets an expert to chat about something very specific. Michelle Klieger, an agricultural economist, discusses the complexities of agricultural economics, the cultural implications of meat consumption, and the significance of cold chain technology in food supply. She highlights the challenges faced by modern farmers, including market volatility and the impact of trade policies, while also exploring the evolution of food supply chains and the importance of sustainability in agriculture. This conversation delves into the current state of the cocoa and coffee markets, exploring the significant price fluctuations in cocoa due to weather challenges and market speculation. It discusses the shift in consumer behavior towards chocolate alternatives and the impact of trade policies on food security. We also highlight the intersection of food security and national security, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that populations are fed. Finally, the conversation touches on the future of food, addressing the challenges and innovations that may arise in response to changing market dynamics and consumer preferences. About Michelle Michelle Klieger is an agricultural economist with 15 years of agricultural and business consulting experience. An economist and a business strategist, she works with the global agricultural businesses, agtech companies, regional food and supply chain companies, conventional and non-conventional agriculture firms, governments, and philanthropic foundations. Her knowledge of farm economics, international trade, macro and micro trends on production systems, agricultural supply chains, and regional food systems allows her to help clients explore new business ideas, assess their feasibility, and advise on their implementation, helping to ensure success at every stage. Michelle is a professional speaker, the author of The Demise of Free Trade, and host of The Grower & The Economist podcast. She taught Economics at Bentley University and holds a Master’s in Agriculture Economics from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.   She is most active on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/michelleklieger. Her company page is stratagerm.com and my podcast is The Grower & The Economist (podcast players and Podcast). She also has a linkedin newsletter. And if you want her Book, here it is Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Smith, founder of LaunchPad has impacted iconic brands such as Apple, Chobani, Bob’s Red Mills, Urban Remedy and Kumana. This episode has prime examples on how Jeremy has worked with these company's and how these companies went to the next level. A lot of great takeaways for food entrepreneurs and marketers including how to recognize superflourous trends versus trends that stick, with also amazing advice on how to make your brand everlasting. You’ll get so many great examples from iconic brands in this episode that will blow you away. Jeremy is not shy to say what’s on his mind, but he backs it up with some pretty compelling feats. If you’re a starting brand or even an experienced product developer, you’ll learn something from this episode that might help you on your next project. Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Food Startups Podcast What do you do for a living?: We turn an entrepreneur’s visions into reality. How did you start launchpad?: I started in the brokerage business. I used to work with Steve Jobs in designing projects with him. Level 1 Marketing Chobani Kumana Food Brokers: Either strategic people or powerpoint pushers. A Brokerage’s job is supposed to be to set up a movement Expo West CBD Presence Marketing Urban Remedy Bitcoin Tommy Burgers Mattson Eric Ree at Market Brand and DAB Albertsons-Safeway Steve Jobs: He looked at every experience and improved on it Bullet Cans Air Pods How do you get people to take you seriously?: You have to develop a sense of fearlessness (it took me 30 years). It’s a two-way street though. Companies must also accept negative feedback well Popchips Good Crisps Paul Clement at Urban Remedy Ultra Fresh – 3 to 5 day shelf-life How do you convince grocery stores to take a risk on you?: We would find a region that has a heavy concentration of buyers. You have to convince them that you have to be crazy enough to believe in them. What helps is to convince the grocer that people are not going to X store because they re buying the product from Y store. John Wisgran Some groceries have different ways of buying Do you have any advice on starting a food business?: Lots of people are going to tell you no. But you have to believe more than anyone. Ray Kroc: His determination outweighed the doubt from everyone. Great ideas fail, bad ideas succeed and visa versa LinkedIn: Jeremy Smith Jeremy@launchpadgroupusa.com Cell: 650-576-8803 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sally Squires is a food communicator who works with really cool companies crafting messages. She spent her early years at the Washington Post, and now works for Weber Shadwick, as their SVP-Management Supervisor & Director, Food, Nutrition and Wellness Communications A funny story about this interview is that you might recall I had the opportunity to go to The Ohio State University to talk about podcasting and they dropped me off in a room with Sally Squires. After a brief talk about some interesting topics, I took out my podcasting gear and did an interview there on the spot! During Sally’s 24 years at the Washington Post, she built out the nutrition section of the organization. She started with small column where people would send her questions and this launched her career from working with the USDA, to collaborate with cool food tech startups to improve their messaging. So get ready to learn about how to be a critical thinker, to have the ability to sort fact from fiction as you’ll look into the mind a trained journalist, an expert at critical thinking. Or rather, be like a scientist when it comes to reading the news. About Sally Sally Squires, MS, MS, wears many professional hats. She is a senior vice president at Powell Tate, the Washington, DC division of Weber Shandwick, a weekly contributor to the leading all-news radio station in Washington, DC and an adjunct professor at the Tufts Friedman School. She spent 24 years as an award-winning health writer at the Washington Post, where she also created the Lean Plate Club, a nationally syndicated nutrition column and online community that now resides at her website, www.leanplateclub.com. Ms. Squires is an author, keynote speaker, documentary filmmaker and has written for a wide range of publications, including Parade and Reader’s Digest.  She holds two master’s degrees from Columbia University; one in nutrition, the other in journalism. She is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, the American Public Health Association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Institute of Food Technologists, among others, and serves on the editorial boards of Nutrition Today and the Nation’s Health, published by the American Public Health Association Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Citation Needed American Society for Nutrition Graduate Degree Columbia University Powell Tate – public affairs Weber Shadwick Nutrition 2018 Glassdoor Clean Plate Club Lean Plate Club Senator Ted Kennedy How do you network in Washington DC?: Our office has tons of interns who ask this question. You have to get yourself out there and meet people. You’d be surprised who you can meet by just reaching out and talking Washington Post Malcolm Gladwell Michael Spector What did you find valuable about the column?: The digital age allowed people to participate in more real time and builds community faster USDA Food Database Supertracker – case study curriculum for low income students Slaughter-Free meat Sustainably Grown How do companies talk about innovative technologies?: Transparency is key Good Food Institute Botulism Refrigeration Clean Meat – Paul Shapiro Artificial Ice The Lean Plate Club Adjunct Professor at Tufts Society of children’s book writers Youtube Knitting Cook’s Illustrated Vertical Farming Ring Nest What advice would you give for communicating science?: Be a good writer. Convey what you’re trying to get across in clear language Potpourri Grammarly How do you write better?: reading aloud. Does what you read make sense? Curiousity. Keep asking questions. Be curious. A good book: A more Beautiful Question Julie Yip-Williams – Unwinding the Miracle Favorite kitchen item: Deyhydrator. I’m trying to make dog treats Favorite cookbook: Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten Where can we find you?: Sallysquires.com; sally@sallysquires.com LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met Darryl at an NCIFT event about a year ago and we talked, and after the event, he invited me to drink with him and I got a free beer out of the deal. I talked his ear off about podcasting and he wanted to start one. Every month, when I saw him at an IFT event, I asked him if he started. 8 months later, this podcast came to life and I’ve been giving Darryl pointers ever since. What’s great is that in almost every IFT event where Darryl and I are there, we gather a group of friends to go and drink at a local craft beer afterwards and it’s always a blast. If you’re in California, you’re welcomed to join us! Just a disclaimer, this is a very long episode! If you want some good career advice, the first 45 minutes are full of that. The rest, we talk about random stuff and as I keep on drinking some really good beer. This includes topics such as marketing craft beers, describing beer in specific detail, slurring my words, and sprinkled in there are bits of wisdom, from all of the knowledge. So the first half, the standard fun stuff about my life. The second half, is a bit more chaotic and sporadic, but I found it pretty fun. You aren’t obliged to listen to the whole episode. Jump around a bit! This is a fun episode. Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Alcohol I talk about Boxed Wine Keystone Coors Light 805 Beer Four Peaks Moose Drool Left Hand Milk Stout Kentucky Bourbon Lemon Drop Cleophus Quealyhttps://www.beertalknow.com/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices