Podcast appearances and mentions of Chris Kirby

This week's guest is the founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus, Chris Kirby.Ithaca Hummus makes amazing hummus with minimal ingredients and maximum taste.We talk about his journey from selling at farm stands in upstate New York to being in over 9,000 doors (with the final boss coming in October), the diversification of flavors, the importance of steady growth versus exponential growth, and a little lesson on Beanie Baby sales.

What if the secret to building a nationally recognized food brand started with nothing more than an ice cream scooper and a dream? That's exactly how Chris Kirby, founder of Ithaca Hummus, turned a farmers market side hustle into one of the fastest-growing brands in the refrigerated dips category. In this interview, I sat down with Chris to discuss how he scaled from a tiny kitchen to national grocery shelves, the unconventional strategies that set Ithaca apart, and what's next for the brand as it continues to push the boundaries of flavor and innovation.

Payroll is the backbone of any organisation, ensuring employees are compensated accurately and on time. Yet, despite its critical role, payroll teams often operate behind the scenes, dealing with complex challenges that many outside the function rarely consider. In this episode of the HR on the Offensive podcast, Chris is joined by LACE payroll experts Adrian Axtell, Simon Puryer, Chris Kirby, Tricia Conway, and Simon Bunday. Together, they delve into the realities of payroll, the obstacles professionals face, and how the function is evolving to meet the demands of the future. Payroll is no longer just an administrative function—it is a vital component of a company's success. Listen now to learn payroll can evolve to meet the challenges of the future of HR.

What do you get when you ask 5 of the best turkey hunters on the planet, who live in different regions and have different styles, the same 20 questions? A treasure trove of wisdom from those who've mastered the game. This week, we sit down with Chris Kirby of Quaker Boy Game Calls, a true expert in turkey calling and  strategy. From his deep-rooted hunting heritage to the techniques that have made him a household name, Chris shares invaluable insights, memorable stories, and game-changing advice. Tune in and take your turkey hunting skills to the next level!     Leave us a message! Say Hello ..  662.350.0211   Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt:  Instagram: @ffodpodcast Instagram: @moplandforsale Twitter: @FistDirt TikTok: @originalturkeythug Instagram : @CuzStrickland Twitter: @CuzStrickland Facebook: @CuzStrickland YouTube: Cuz411

What does the future hold for payroll? In this episode of the HR on the Offensive podcast Chris and LACE payroll expert Chris Kirby speak with Nick Day, Founder of JGA Recruitment Group as they discuss how you can build the perfect payroll professional. The future of payroll is evolving rapidly, and those who embrace change won't just thrive—they'll redefine the impact payroll can have on organisations. Listen now to discover the key skills payroll professionals need to succeed in today's landscape.

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Chris Kirby.Chris has been speaking about how technology will change the automotive landscape since he published a white paper on the subject in 2017. Since then, he co-founded Tomorrow's Journey, an Enterprise SaaS platform that enables automotive brands to launch and scale fully digital solutions, working globally with the likes of Hyundai, Jaguar and Leaseplan. Chris Kirby has a diverse career spanning multiple roles in the automotive industry including as a Strategic Advisor at Autofutura Limited, as the Automotive Director at WeCreateClarity and as the Head of Business Development at FGA Capital UK Ltd. As well as speaking at events across the globe, Chris also hosts the Autocar Change Makers Podcast, where he regularly meets and engages with automotive industry leaders on the future of the industry.In our conversation we talk about how he left school at 16 and how he had an early opportunity to demonstrate his leadership skills on the rugby field.Chris shares how he somewhat fell into a career in the automotive industry. He found himself with a good manager in his first role in a Ford dealership, he worked hard and made good progress.His father had been an entrepreneur and so he'd seen the reality of how hard that can be. Nevertheless he felt the need to step out of his corporate environment to be able to work on the significant change initiatives that he believed the industry needed.Even though he went in with his eyes wide open to the likely challenges, external factors like Covid and difficult conditions for fund raising proved strong headwinds. Chris explains his approach to navigating the ups and downs of start up life and is clear about what constitutes the right reason to become an entrepreneur.I enjoyed and appreciated getting to know Chris better through this conversation and look forward to hearing what resonates with you.Connect with ChrisLinkedIn: Chris Kirby Website: Tomorrow's Journey About AndyI'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK. At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.Learn more about Fulfilling PerformanceCheck out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub. Connect with AndyLinkedIn: Andy Follows Email: cvm@aquilae.co.ukJoin a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae AcademyThank you to our sponsors: ASKE ConsultingEmail: hello@askeconsulting.co.ukAquilaeEmail: cvm@aquilae.co.ukEpisode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror  If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app. Episode recorded on 13 August, 2024.

Recently, Uncle Ray recorded a series of guest interviews with "Tiny" TIm Kjellesvik & Matt Drury of the  Drury Outdoors' 100% Wild Podcast. In this installment, the guest is Chris Kirby.Drury Outdoors' 100% Wild Podcast: https://www.druryoutdoors.com/100-wild-podcast

In this episode, Chris brings in LACE Payroll specialists Simon Puryer and Chris Kirby to discuss the payroll fundamentals you need to get right. Listen now to learn why it's important to have the payroll basics right and why you should start thinking beyond the next tax year.

In this episode of our HR on the Offensive podcast, Chris introduces the topic of discussion, the HR operating model, particularly focusing on the payroll aspect. He is joined by Chris Kirby, a senior manager specialising in Payroll at LACE, to delve into the intricacies of payroll operating models. Listen now to learn how you can evaluate your organisation's payroll operating model.

This is a very special episode of Fist Full of Dirt and we don't say that lightly! Chris Kirby of Quaker Boy calls grew up in a great family and it just so happens his Dad was Dick Kirby, the founder of Quaker Boy. From folding labels and packing boxes as a kid to being thrust into running the company at an early age, Chris had to grow up fast and in doing so made his own world class path in the competitive calling world. What a story!  Have a question or a podcast idea?  Email us at ffodpodcast@mossyoak.com   Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt:  Instagram: @ffodpodcast Instagram: @moplandforsale Twitter: @FistDirt Instagram : @CuzStrickland Twitter: @CuzStrickland Facebook: @CuzStrickland YouTube: Cuz411

Chris Kirby joins Darcy Walsh for a chat about his latest album, his musical career, collaborations, upcoming songwriter camps with his wife Victoria Howse, and his new Christmas single. “He's the East Coast music scene's secret weapon!” - Colin MacDonald (The Trews) Chances are you've heard a Chris Kirby song lately. The Newfoundland born, Halifax based award winning artist has co-written hits for The Trews, Matt Andersen, The East Pointers, Quote the Raven, and many more. Find Chris Kirby with a new holiday single on  @eastcoastdna  Holiday Music 2023 Edition playlists on YouTube and Spotify. Subscribe to  @eastcoastdna  for more artist chats and live performances --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/east-coast-dna/message

Chris Kirby is the Founder and President of Ithaca Hummus, the leading fresh-crafted hummus brand. After launching a lemon garlic hummus made with fresh ingredients, Ithaca became the fastest-growing hummus brand in America, sold at over 8,000 retailers nationwide including Wegmans, Whole Foods, Publix, and Sprouts. Chris started his career in the culinary industry as a professional chef.  In this episode… Fresh ingredients are expensive and difficult to mass produce, so some growing CPG brands compromise on product quality to reduce their COGS — but for mission-focused brands, skimping on ingredients is not an option. Learn how to maintain freshness while navigating growth and manufacturing challenges. As a formally-trained chef, Chris Kirby prioritizes fresh ingredients and quality, so he built a sustainable business model around transparency and education. He teaches his audience the difference between chemically-extracted and expeller-pressed seed oil, facilitating informative dialogue about healthy fats. With a Detox Project-certified hummus brand, Chris ensures his chickpeas are glyphosate-free, delivering healthy products to consumers. When striving for high-quality ingredients, Chris emphasizes the value of cultivating relationships with outsourced partners and vendors. In today's episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf sits down with Chris Kirby, the Founder and President of Ithaca Hummus, who shares his journey of creating a clean-label hummus brand. Chris talks about the brand's expansion from hummus to salsa, his entrepreneurial evolution, and the genesis of Ithaca Hummus.

Tomorrow's Journey is an award-winning platform that helps fleet operators launch pay per use mobility businesses in rapid time.In this episode, Co-Founder and CEO Chris Kirby talks through his jump from the corporate world to founding a start-up and shares his views on the glamorisation of tech entrepreneurship and how it actually compares to his experience as a technical founder. Chris shares how he initially built the business in a way that doesn't rely on VC funding, but why now they are ready to seek investment. And finally, Chris discusses his experience adjusting to the role of a founder and he has had to adapt to not having that ‘boss' figure above him. It truly covers all things start-ups: from investment journeys, to team building, to the dark days, and the 'pick me up' pitches. Questions asked:1. Tell us a bit about yourself and the story behind Tomorrow's Journey2. Going from a corporate job with plenty of experience, leaping in to the uncertainties of a start-up, what made you take that plunge?3. Something that you mentioned, and a topic that we like to demystify a lot on this show, is that of the glamorisation of tech entrepreneurship. What are your views on this how does it compare to your actual experience as a technical founder?4. You mentioned that initially you built the business in a way that didn't rely on VC funding, but are now doing a round of fundraising. What changed and why did you decide to look for investment?5. What has your experience with VC investment been like?6. When we were putting this episode, you mentioned that one of the toughest parts has been coping as a Founder when things don't necessarily go to plan, and not having that ‘boss' above you that you can turn to. How have you dealt with this and what advice would you share with other founders going through a similar experience?7. How has this impacted how you've built your culture and the team around you?8. What has been the biggest challenge in your career to date?9. And finally, what one piece of advice would you give to someone looking start their own business or to join a start-up?Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn or learn more about Burns Sheehan. Subscribe and leave a review!

The latest HR on the Offensive podcast has Chris being joined by two fellow LACErs Simon Puryer and Chris Kirby to delve into the world of faster payments and earned wage access. In this podcast our in-house payroll experts discuss the evolving landscape of financial wellbeing and the role of payroll professionals in this context. Listen now, if you are considering earned wage access, for valuable insights into the world of faster payment.

*Welcome to another episode of Geek Peek!* Today I'm interviewing Hunter Thompson and Chris Kirby. You may know them better as adventurers on QuestjunkiesUK or as @GenasiQuoi on TikTok. In this interview, we answer burning fan questions and discuss our TTRPG hot takes, adding music to your role playing games, and their latest projects!

Another edition of the Drury Outdoors 100% Wild Podcast Long Beard Legends. In this episode, Uncle Ray and the 100% Wildguys sit down with Mr. Chris Kirby.100% Wild Podcast: https://www.druryoutdoors.com/100-wild-podcast

The Longbeard Legends series struts along this week with Quaker Boy owner Chris Kirby. Unwilling to rely on his dad, Dick Kirby's reputation, Chris has proved his legendary status as a world-class turkey caller, hunter, call builder, and force in the turkey-hunting industry. In this episode, he shares with Matt, Ray, and Tim how competitive the turkey calling world is, yet the strong brotherhood that unites us at the same time.  Ray is breaking down tactics this week for Phase III: Breeding Time.   Want your turn in the spotlight? Submit your audition video, here!  Leave us a Question of the Day by clicking here and you could win a DeerCast hat! Watch every episode of the podcast on DeerCast and subscribe to the audio version of the show on the platform of your choice: Apple  Google  Stitcher  Spotify 

How has the perception of pensions changed over time? In the past final salary schemes were commonplace which encouraged long-service in a company. Pensions should be seen as a contribution not a deduction. Chris along with Chris Kirby discuss payroll with the founder of PayCaptain, Simon Bocca. They discuss how the term financial wellbeing is being misused and should organisations' support their employees who lack financial literacy.

In this special edition of the HR on the Offensive podcast, Chris Kirby talks to Sam Isaac from Neeyamo about their January event - 'Evolve Beyond Borders' - which will be a global hybrid event with both online and offline sessions, including one in London that the team at LACE are involved in. Register for the event here -https://www.evolvebeyondborders.com/

In this episode of The Physical Product Movement, Chris Kirby, Founder of Ithaca Hummus, shares the story behind building his hummus company, the value of an incremental approach to wholesale, and how that allowed him to continue to develop his product into a nationwide CPG brand.

In this episode of The Physical Product Movement, Chris Kirby, Founder of Ithaca Hummus, shares the story behind building his hummus company, the value of an incremental approach to wholesale, and how that allowed him to continue to develop his product into a nationwide CPG brand.

An impromptu trip to Nashville in 2019 set the wheels in motion for the sophomore record from Americana Folk duo, Quote the Raven. The sounds filling the Nashville airways reinvigorated the Newfoundland duo's inspiration and they found a new home in the Americana genre. Their upcoming record titled Can't Hold the Light, is a summation of the journeys that the pair have experienced over the past three years.Collaboration has always been at the forefront of everything Quote the Raven has done. Similar to their first record Golden Hour, Can't Hold the Light features an A-list of Canadian collaborators including Chris Kirby, Charlie A'Court, Blake Reid, Andrew Waite, Jessica Pearson, Andrew Sneddon, Nick Earle, and so many more.In the past two years, Quote the Raven have reached over 650,000 streams, been added to the prestigious “Folk & Friends” playlist on Spotify, and earned showcases and award nominations at the East Coast Music Awards. They've performed at the 2019 AmericanaFest in Nashville, been featured regularly on Stingray's Folk Roots channel, charted on the Canadian Country top 100 and received multiple sync placements, including the CityTV drama “The Wedding Planners”.Music Newfoundland & Labrador's 2019 Group of the Year have embarked on a whopping five tours of Eastern Canada, mapped out a Home Routes trek of Western Canada and performed at the legendary Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. Quote the Raven marry smooth vocal harmonies with an, at times, haunting aesthetic that both bewitches and allures the listener. They draw influence from the likes of Joy Williams (Civil Wars), Brandi Carlile, and The Milk Carton Kids. The pair entertain audiences with their quirky, quick wit dynamic that glimpses into the daily lives of touring musicians.#galeforcewins is an inspirational podcast with New episodes every Tuesday evening on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts.You can also visit https://galeforcewins.com/To message Gerry visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrycarew/To message Allan visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allanadale/

Some say, “The journey is the destination.” though, what if the struggle is the journey? As a recovery advocate, Chris Kirby has personal experience with seeing how imperative struggle has been in his own journey, as well as a front row look at how important it has been for his recovering clients in treatment. Chris graduated from The Last House in 2014 and now works in direct client care as a counselor and in facility management. He brings a wealth of knowledge in encouraging clients and loved ones by using his own experiences from young adulthood, recovery and surfing; pulling parallels between riding the ocean waves and the waves of life and emotions in recovery. In this episode of Success is Subjective, Chris joins Joanna to share his journey from losing his dream job as a lifeguard, to going on to become a ‘lifeguard' to young men and parents in their recovery journey. From how childhood shaped him, what it was like having an addiction in college, and all the way up to where he finds himself now: working in a treatment center, Chris's story goes to show that a little struggle in every season of life is nothing but an accelerator on your path to success. Listen in to gain insight on embracing struggle in every season of your life and hear how Chris has been able to use his own challenges in developing himself.What You Will LearnWhat it was like being the first in the family to go to collegeHow important making others proud was for Chris growing upHow being hearing impaired prevented him from serving in the ways he dreamed of When Chris turned to substances for a sense of fulfillmentWhen Chris left LAYour past doesn't always have a part in addiction Running away from hometown A time of desperationAllowing your child to be uncomfortableWhat brought Chris to work in recovery after years of saying he wouldn't What Chris has learned from working in the recovery worldDon't use your experience as your first line of defenseThe amazing life that he now gets to liveEmotional sobrietyHow Chris is now able to be a ‘lifeguard' to young men and parents in their recovery journeyConnect with Chris KirbyThe Last HouseThe Last House on FacebookThe Last House on InstagramConnect with Joanna Lilley  Success is Subjective WebsiteSuccess is Subjective PatreonLilley Consulting WebsiteLilley Consulting on Instagram Lilley Consulting on Facebook Success is Subjective on Apple PodcastSponsored by: College AlternativeEmail joanna@successissubjective.org 

If you've been around turkey hunting or more so, turkey calling for as long as I have then the name Matt VanCise probably more than rings a bell. Yep.. Matt was calling on the "big stage" with some of the greatest ever 25 years ago.   The likes of Mark Drury, Denny Gulvas, Matt Morrett, Dick and Chris Kirby, Preston Pittman. The list goes on.  Aside from sounding like a hen turkey on stage, (Honestly if you find Matt on Facebook and listen to some of his calling, you'd swear he has feathers)  Matt has spent a lifetime chasing thundering gobbles through the mountains of Pennsylvania. Yep, born and raised in PA, Matt cut his teeth chasing the ever so difficult PA mountain gobbler(s). In this podcast we break down the way Matt hunts gobblers. from scouting, calling, patience, and everything in between. This is an action packed podcast full of real hunting stories, ones that are explained in so much detail you think you were sitting right there beside Matt. As always.. Let me know what you think.  I enjoy hearing from you. 

This week on The Gamekeepers Podcast:  More turkey talk as previous World Champion caller, Chris Kirby, the owner of the iconic Quaker Boy brand, joins us to discuss his calling style and hunting strategies. He also talks about growing up around the turkey call business, and his dad the legendary Dick Kirby.  At the end, Dudley answers a question about mistletoe. Listen, Learn and Enjoy!Stay connected with GameKeepers:  Instagram: @mossyoakgamekeepers Facebook: @GameKeepers Twitter: @MOGameKeepers YouTube: MossyOakGameKeepers Website: Mossy Oak GameKeeper Support the show (https://mossyoakgamekeeper.com/)

What changes are we likely to see in the payroll function? What impact will things like blockchain have? Which function should Payroll sit within - HR or Finance? We explore this and more in the latest HR on the Offensive podcast with Chris Kirby and Chris Howard.

While the IMechE is recognised as a charitable organisation, you may not be aware that it does own a number of businesses. These 'wholly owned subsidiaries' have been acquired by the institution over many years and specialise in learning and development; providing training and expert knowledge to engineers all over the world.  One of these businesses is IMechE Argyll Ruane, a world-renowned Non-destructive Testing, Corrosion and Coatings Training and Consultancy, based in the heart of Yorkshire's steel industry. Sheffield. Non-destructive testing is an invaluable tool which enables engineers to look inside materials to find out if there are defects not visible to the naked eye. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) acquired the Argyll Ruane in 2012. But the company itself has been serving the engineering community since 1985.  During its 30 odd years, Argyll Ruane has certified thousands of engineers in different aspects of NDT, corrosion and coating examinations and testing, and issued over 15,000 qualification certificates. The IMechE Argyll Ruane (IAR) Engineering Training Centre opened in August 2015 at the Sheffield Business Park, were some of the world's leading engineering organisations are also based. The training team, lead by general manager Chris Kirby, are a highly skilled group of engineers with over 150 years of experience between them, but they are also extremely proud to be passing that knowledge on to the next generation, and have several apprentices working in the team who hope to carry on Argyll Ruane's impressive tradition. Christian Beever Training engineers at IAR    In this months episode, Helen speaks to two of IAR's training team, to find out more about the role they play in providing this invaluable service to the engineering community and what is involved in the training itself. Christian Beever joined IAR as an NDT Apprentice and completed a 3-year NDT Engineering Technician Apprenticeship in August 2021. He is now fully qualified to teach students in PCN Level 2. Mick Mullins is a Level 3 Consultant at IAR and has over 40 years' experience in NDT. His role involves supporting clients to ensure their NDT departments are compliant with industry standards. Mick Mullins teaching Magnetic Particle Testing   Useful Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondestructive_testing https://argyllruane.imeche.org/ https://www.imeche.org/about-us/our-wholly-owned-subsidiaries https://www.imeche.org/careers-education/careers-information/apprentices  https://www.skillstraininguk.com/ https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-your-education-and-training-choices?utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=gtj_launch   We would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this episode. If you would like to get in touch, email us at podcast@imeche.org You can find more information about the work of the IMechE at www.imeche.org 

In this weeks episode of The Becoming a Champion Show, Coach Dana Cavalea sits down with Chis Kirby, the founder of one of his favorite brands, Ithaca Hummus. Chris dives into what gave him the idea to take on the hummus industry, how we came up with his ideas for unique flavors, and how he lead his company while still remaining very "green" and not knowing everything. This episode is filled with nuggets of success- and is a true capture of what it takes to be a gritty, scrappy entrepreneur. With a team of only 11- Ithaca Hummus can currently be found on over 9,000 retail shelves! Sit back and enjoy the show. #hummus #entrepreneur __________________________________________________________ If you enjoy today's video, please share it and help us grow our community of CHAMPIONS. Join our daily blog at: https://danacavalea.com/blogs/train-like-a-pro Come hang with Coach.... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachdanacavalea Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealcoachd/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DANACAVALEA Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danacavalea/

Chris Kirby is an established professional coach and the Founder of BridgeField Group. He has worked as a business development coach since 2000, working initially for the WJF Institute before founding PCT Solutions in 2005. He then founded BridgeField Group which offers development and diversity programs for firms of all sizes. He has firsthand experience in law, having started his career as an attorney. Now he uses the experience to give firms and individual clients the tools they need to excel. Dominica McGinnis is an experienced coach herself and the CEO and Co-founder of BridgeField Group. She started out as an executive coach and has worked with influential clients from organizations such as USAA, the City of Austin and Pfizer. She has likewise worked with PCT Solutions in conjunction, working alongside Chris Kirby to train the next generation of firms. Before BridgeField, Dominica worked as a Business Development and Client Services Consultant for MediaTracking.com. She served in the US army for four years, rising to the rank of Captain and Senior Military Consultant. In this episode: Diversity has been the elephant in the room with law firms for decades. Despite the efforts of diversity training, most law firms still struggle to retain a varied staff with their own unique strengths. It's not only a matter of principle, but also of profits. A lack of diversity and inclusion has been shown time and time again to hurt the performance of law firms. Even the firms that want to improve have struggled to implement it. So how can you do diversity the right way? One solution is to take the training out of diversity training. BridgeField Group has found tremendous success by utilizing coaching and more personal interactions to fuel that change. It's no longer a token effort or a checklist, but a broadening of perspective and identity that can transform law firms. They have seen it work with their clients, and now, they show you how they do it. Michelle Calcote King hosts Chris Kirby and Dominica McGinnis of BridgeField Group to find out about their approach to diversity and inclusion. They go over the unique challenges of diversity and BridgeField's process for building relationships. The three also touch on pressing topics such as mental health, the hiring process and making lasting changes. Find out the rest by listening to this episode of the Spill the Ink! podcast.

Genius Juice CEO & Founder, Alex Bayer, interviews Chris Kirby of Ithaca Hummus. Chris is the Founder & President of Ithaca Hummus with the catch phrase, "Taste hummus for the first time even if it's your hundredth time." He offers quite possible the best tasting, most creamy hummus on the market with simple ingredients straight from nature and no additives. Chris is very passionate about product quality and from humble beginnings, he has built a multi-million dollar business with distributing hummus all over the country including Wegman's, Whole Foods, Sprouts and many more. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/genius-juice/support

Chris is the founder of America's fastest growing hummus brand - Ithaca Hummus. In this episode we discuss:Why you must create content that leave people with a feeling of "they get me"Changing the perspective from "steal market share" to "let's grow this category"Why he didn't go onto Amazon for the first 7-years but has just launched with a huge bangThinking about how you can communicate with your packagingWhy educating customers why you are premium is much better than running discountsWhy he lists the ingredients on the packaging twiceHow important it is to "just care" and what the knock-on effect is You can find Chris on LinkedIn here. At georges.blog we help brands with Amazon Advertising. Get in touch to find out more.

What are the biggest challenges that companies face when thinking about changing their payroll provider? How do you build your business case for change? Adam Morris and Chris Kirby from LACE Partners discuss some of the challenges they have seen from some of the businesses we work with on payroll consultancy support.

(Starts at 0:59) School principal in London, ON, who's from Corner Brook, says the deadly attack on a Muslim family has left her shaken, (8:48) Memorial University is breathing fresh air into its policy regarding smoking on campus and asking for your input, (15:39), a nursery owner explains why the selection of certain soil types may be a little slimmer this summer, and (23:29) a musician from Newfoundland was so homesick, he wrote a song about it. We'll hear Chris Kirby's story and his tune.

In this episode of the Physical Product Movement Podcast, we're joined by, Chris Kirby, Founder at Ithaca Hummus. Chris talks about how, as a chef, he got burned out of the restaurant business and how he then used this love of food to identify hummus as a new potential CPG category. Learn how Chris rented a commercial camp kitchen for $200 per month to make the initial batch of product, uses farmer's markets for distribution and gets valuable, direct feedback from his customers.

In this episode of the Physical Product Movement Podcast, we're joined by, Chris Kirby, Founder at Ithaca Hummus. Chris talks about how, as a chef, he got burned out of the restaurant business and how he then used this love of food to identify hummus as a new potential CPG category. Learn how Chris rented a commercial camp kitchen for $200 per month to make the initial batch of product, uses farmer's markets for distribution and gets valuable, direct feedback from his customers.

XZRS: Chris Kirby - Is There Canada Post - Intelligence Community ConnectionFor Your Listening Pleasure for these Lockdown / Stay-At-Home COVID and Variants Times - For all the radio shows available on The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network visit - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv.Our radio shows archives and programming include: A Different Perspective with Kevin Randle; Alien Cosmic Expo Lecture Series; Alien Worlds Radio Show; America's Soul Doctor with Ken Unger; Back in Control Radio Show with Dr. David Hanscom, MD; Connecting with Coincidence with Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD; Dick Tracy; Dimension X; Exploring Tomorrow Radio Show; Flash Gordon; Imagine More Success Radio Show with Syndee Hendricks and Thomas Hydes; Jet Jungle Radio Show; Journey Into Space; Know the Name with Sharon Lynn Wyeth; Lux Radio Theatre - Classic Old Time Radio; Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka; Paranormal StakeOut with Larry Lawson; Ray Bradbury - Tales Of The Bizarre; Sci Fi Radio Show; Seek Reality with Roberta Grimes; Space Patrol; Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka; The 'X' Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell; Two Good To Be True with Justina Marsh and Peter Marsh; and many other!That's The ‘X' Zone Broadcast Network Shows and Archives - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv

BGBS 059: Chris Kirby | Ithaca Hummus | It's Simple.Ithaca Hummus. America's fastest-growing hummus brand founded by Chris Kirby: CEO, trained professional chef, and mustache aficionado. Chris's career identity began in the restaurant world before he gained the courage to declare that he had a different path to follow, and returned to school. It was a tough decision to make, but this pivot lead to Chris stumbling upon a certain, special chickpea dish that needed his help. Did Chris Kirby find hummus or did hummus find him? We may never find out. From here we learn about the birth of Ithaca Hummus, which shot from a farmer's market stand to 7500 stores nationwide today using a small, yet big-hearted team of 8. We can't wait for you to hear all about Chris's journey to get here. Fair warning: After all that mouth-watering hummus talk, you may find yourself checking out ithacahummus.com/where-to-buy for your nearest retailer selling this delicious dish. We speak from personal experience. Quotes[17:27] It's almost like admitting failure, you know? Kind of like, “Oh, I thought one thing, and now, I don't think that anymore.” And it's not failure—it just feels like it in the moment. [25:32] It seems so simple on its face, and it really is at the end of the day. But you know, sometimes those simple ideas are the ones that really have the most impact. [29:43] I can't remember a moment where I had any hesitation that I was going to throw myself full-fledged at this. I think in the beginning like what was so just fueling me was having something of my own for the first time and just being able to experience these little success points along the way. [39:46] Our mission is to introduce America to its new favorite brand of hummus and we've got some proof points that we're actually, really doing that. And I think that's what gets us all excited on the team at Ithaca hummus is thinking about the success that we've been able to demonstrate on a mid-size scale, not full blown quite yet and dreaming about like, “Well, what happens when our distribution is four times the size that it is now?” ResourcesLinkedIn: Chris Kirby Website: ithacahummus.com Where to buy: ithacahummus.com/where-to-buy Podcast TranscriptChris Kirby 0:02 We were at the farmers market but also in the morning, I would deliver hummus to natural food stores and coffee shops and things. I just remember going in and seeing that just one had been purchased. And that was so energizing for me to just think that like, wow, like, I put that here yesterday and now someone that I don't even know like, picked that up and it's in their refrigerator and they're eating it right now. Like, wow, what a cool feeling that is and so there was a bunch of stuff like that, you know, that I've heard other people call entrepreneurial currency that I just latched on to and really use to energize. Marc Gutman 0:44 Podcasting from Boulder, Colorado. This is the baby got backstory Podcast, where we dive into the story behind the story of today's most inspiring storytellers, creators and entrepreneurs alike big back stories and I cannot lie. I am your host, Marc Gutman, Marc Gutman, and on today's episode of Baby Got Backstory. We are talking hummus. Yep, that delicious snack inside dish made of chickpeas. And before we get deep into hummus, trust me, you're gonna love this one. A gentle reminder. If you like and enjoy the show, please take a minute or two to rate and review us over at Apple podcasts or Spotify. Apple and Spotify use these ratings as part of the algorithm that determines ratings on their charts. Better yet, please recommend this show to at least one friend. Maybe while eating hummus. It's time we bring the world together over the common love of the Baby Got Back story podcast and hummus. Which brings me to today's guest, Chris Kirby. Chris is a trained professional chef, and the founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus, which is available in over 7500 stores nationwide. At the recording of this episode, back in 2013, Chris left his successful restaurant career as a chef to go back to college. And this is where it dawned on him. hummus needed his help. And he got to work perfecting a simple lemon garlic hummus recipe. and a month later he was selling it at the Ithaca farmers market on the weekends. And Chris's story is one of the entrepreneurial dream of taking what you love and finding a way to make a living at it. As you'll hear, I'm not sure if he found hummus or if hummus found him. But what Chris did find was a way to take something that already existed and make it better. And that's what being an entrepreneur is all about. He made it so much better, that he and the team if the gothamist are now shipping approximately 30,000 containers of hummus per week. That's a lot of hummus. But Chris Kirby didn't always know the hummus was in his future. And this is his story. I am here with Chris Kirby, the founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus, Chris, thank you for coming on the show. So appreciate it. And like let's hop right into it. You know, I normally have a big dossier of questions for you. But as I was doing some pre show research I was on your website and most intriguing to me is your own bio on the website and a couple things that really stood out to me You say you're a ping pong champion. I'd like to hear a little bit about that. Chef Pitbull lover, but more importantly, mustache. afficionado. Tell me a little bit about that. Like the word is becoming a mustache afficionado come from Chris Kirby 4:02 Well, I luckily have my mustache on today. And you know, I wanted to be a little bit out there and embellish a little bit on the bio. But I've had a mustache since my son was born and went out to lunch with a friend. Like, right around the time my son was born had this mustache grown and he was like, You know what, I think you could be like one of those dads that just always has a mustache. And I had never thought about it that way and all of a sudden I just committed to it. Yeah, I'm really into it trimming with scissors. And you know, the whole nine yards is fun. Marc Gutman 4:37 Hashtag mustache dad. I love that my father had a mustache I was like is like, like kind of his defining attribute was he always had a mustache. So that's really, really great. And so let's hop into it. You know, Chris, you're the co founder of ethika hummus. We're gonna talk a little bit or a lot a bit about hummus and that's a baby got backstory first. We haven't dove deep on chickpeas and hummus yet, so I'm excited to do that. But when you're ready young boy, I mean, were you into hummus. Was that something that was even on your radar when you were? Let's just say like eight, nine years old? No, Chris Kirby 5:06 Not at all. I was really into food, and daytime TV cooking shows like Jacques papan. And Julia Child like, I would watch them daily. But Thomas didn't enter my life until much later on. Marc Gutman 5:22 And so tell me a little bit about those shows and what life was like for young Chris. I mean, most people today take for granted that we can just go to YouTube or go to a chef's page or a channel and catch up on all these shows. But like a Julia Child show that guy there was like, PBS, I was like some weird fringe kind of stuff. So kind of take me back there a little bit and tell me about what your childhood was like. And what turned you on to cooking at such a young age? Chris Kirby 5:45 Yeah, well, I had a great childhood, I was really fortunate to come from a loving, supportive family. Both my parents were great role models. My dad was the first one in his family to graduate college. And my mom's like, the most selfless person that I know. But I come from a family of four kids, which isn't huge, but for us, it was a lot. And my parents had to be somewhat selective with limited time and money. And that seemed difficult at times. But looking back, you know, I had everything that I needed to thrive and really learn the value of hard work from them. Why did I love cooking shows so much? That's such a good question. And it gets to like the core. And maybe it's a combination of like something so tangible, and like process. And also, I'm a visual learner. So I loved being able to watch and hear and just learn and get explanations behind. Like, why you tie a chicken this way? and etc. So it's a good question. I don't know, really, what about me really turned me on to that. But I know it stuck Marc Gutman 6:50 Yeah, and so were either of your parents in the restaurant space, or in the cooking or anything like that? Did you get that from them? Or was this something that was unique to Chris and just your thing? Chris Kirby 7:01 No, my mom was a good cook. I'm from Maryland. So there are some like food, rituals. They're like blue crabs and things like that, that really showed me how good food can be when it's prepared the right way with fresh ingredients. But neither one of my parents were in the food industry now. Marc Gutman 7:19 And so at that point, were you. So you're looking at cooking shows, you're enthralled by them? Are you actually kind of getting the ingredients together and trying to attempt some of these things. I mean, I always remember those shows were so interesting, because it took me forever. Like I just had this disconnect I could never understand like how they always had like these perfect bowls of ingredients, always measured out. Like for some reason, I just didn't understand that. They pre measure the ingredients, you know, like I was like, Wow, it's like, they've always got these perfect, like amounts of ingredients that they're just dumping into the recipe. And it was always just like really hard for me to I was like, that's so complicated and cool. But were you taking these and were you actually cooking? Or were you just like, was this a little bit of escapism? Were you just kind of thinking, wow, someday maybe Chris Kirby 7:59 I was experimenting horribly, like I think most people when they first get involved in cooking and excited about it, they enter the like, empty out the spice cabinet phase, like as the first one. And so I spent a long time there making things like, Hey, I made this try and people would be very polite and kind of choke things down now and again, but I just like tinkering around and then this was like a creative expression way to do that. Yeah, I was definitely practicing what I was inspired by watching on TV. I wouldn't say I was following verbatim though. Marc Gutman 8:37 Yeah, how serious were you? I mean, Was this something you were doing after school? and on weekends? It was it like something that was personal or private to Chris or Was this something that was starting to take over was this showing up at school was this showing up as a bit of a this is called a healthy obsession, for lack of a better word, Chris Kirby 8:54 I guess when it started to become real for me was I got my first job when I was 14 washing dishes at the local restaurant. And I remember looking at the cooks on the line and just idolizing them. I was like man, look at how fast and organized and efficient and just working so hard and doing such a good job and they just look badass to me. And at that time, my dream was to go to the Naval Academy, being from Maryland that's like a something that's in front of you right there. But I had this discussion about idolizing these line cooks at work with a guidance counselor in high school and she was like you know what, you sound really passionate about this, maybe you should think about culinary school. And that was kind of the direction and push that I needed to like really be confident about a path at that age and I just kind of geared towards that. Marc Gutman 9:48 That's crazy like at a young age like if someone you know I've talked about this before, but if someone just gives you permission tells you like hey, like you can do this I can influence it can have and really be pivotal and you're like oh I can like that's Really, really cool. And so when you talk about these line cooks and the chefs being badass, I mean, is that what you were really into? Was it the technical aspect? Was it almost like you saw them as like these great technicians or even craftspeople or artists, however you want to define it? Or were you enthralled with what was on the other end of the plate? You know what having a great meal man, like, Where were you following? on that spectrum? Was it more about like, kind of that technical skill? Or was it more like, hey, like, food is this like, amazing thing that brings people together or whatever it might be, I don't want to put the words in your mouth. Chris Kirby 10:31 I think it was a little bit of both. I think at 14, I was more, I think intrigued by like the badass theory of it. And then as I developed into my own career and culinary school, I started to really appreciate the technical side and the processes and the ingredients and the importance and then ultimately, got into my career as a chef and really started to fall in love with my ability to influence people's outlook on food and their diet. And I would get really motivated anytime someone said that they didn't like an ingredient like beets or something and wanted to change that Marc Gutman 11:11 Chip on your shoulder about beets or just to show people that they can be a good ingredient or something like that? Chris Kirby 11:16 Anything. Yeah, any of the above like chicken breasts always dry? Like, okay, well, I will make one that that isn't. And I think it was much about like having a little bit of an ego of like, trying to show that I can do something as it was about the ingredient, but healthy mix, like anything. Marc Gutman 11:35 And so sounds like that you were getting into high school, you decide to go to culinary school. Any doubts there? I mean, were your parents totally cool with that? Did they have any reservations? Or like, what was going on there? Did they say maybe you should look at other things? Or were you just like, gung ho and plus? Sounds like you abandon your dream of Annapolis. And I don't know how serious that was, like within your family or anything. But what's going on there as far as culinary school and the general attitude of everyone around you? Chris Kirby 12:01 Yeah, it was a big discussion at home. Because I was very serious about Annapolis, and the Naval Academy, I had an uncle who went to the Naval Academy, and I was really inspired by him early on. And I think my parents just felt like, Wow, what a drastic difference this would be. And how would that impact your life and his parents do? You know, they're just trying to look around corners and want to see their kids make the best decisions? And they were definitely concerned about the lifestyle that would come with being a chef, in the worst case, you know, that's where their mind went as normal, I guess, you know, is that going to be sustainable for the life that I may want to live one day, and ultimately, I ended up confronting all those things later in life, but they were totally concerned about it. Marc Gutman 12:50 And as he went to culinary school, where'd you end up going to culinary school? Chris Kirby 12:54 Johnson and Wales in Charlotte, North Carolina. Marc Gutman 12:57 I don't know much about culinary school. So was that something that you had set your sights on? Like, you're like, Hey, this is like where I really want to go? And if so why? Chris Kirby 13:03 I wouldn't say so. It was like, I knew that. I wanted to move south, a little warmer. And so I think that was probably in all honesty, the biggest draw the CIA is in Hyde Park in upstate New York, which was like colder than Maryland. And Johnson and Wales had just built this brand new campus in Charlotte. And they're also renowned culinary school. And I think that was ultimately what drove that decision, was it it was in North Carolina? Marc Gutman 13:32 And did you have any sense like of what kind of food you were drawn to what kind of cuisine what you wanted to do? Or at that point? Was it all exploration? Chris Kirby 13:40 It was very exploratory. I didn't have like a passion for any one specific cuisine or culture. In fact, kind of the opposite. I think at that stage, what was fascinating to me, it was like, there's a noodle in every single culture ever. There's some kind of grain dish, and it's just variation from one part of the planet to another based on abundance of other ingredients. And so I just wanted to learn more. I think from a cuisine perspective about how that all comes together and how everyone seemed to make it work. Marc Gutman 14:14 Did anything develop at Connor school? Did you start to see a path or a light? Or how did that shape up for you? Chris Kirby 14:20 I would say, Oh, really evolved at the beginning of culinary school. I also, I've always had a very entrepreneurial mindset. And so I would listen to some classmates talk about like wanting to work in fine dining, and it would make me think like, well, that's kind of like, stupid, because that's only 4% of the industry and really difficult to make money at and how is that going to actually work for you? Didn't seem like very good odds. And so in coronary school, I was definitely more like, how do I make really great food for the masses, and kind of like, focus on that, that actually evolved, you know? When I got into restaurants, I did become really passionate about fine dining, French cuisine and just the classic, you know, European techniques and recipes. Marc Gutman 15:10 And so when you left culinary school, it sounds like you had a bit of a worldview where you're like, Look, I'm going to make food for the masses. I mean, what was the plan? What did you think you were gonna do? When you left culinary school, Chris Kirby 15:22 I never really had ambition to be like a chef on TV, or I think I was what seemed most attainable and realistic. And the biggest goal that I could set for myself at the time was owning a restaurant group, like a bunch of restaurants with different concepts. And that didn't last very long. But I think if I did have a clear thought, at that time period, that was probably it. Marc Gutman 15:45 Done. So what happened, what changed your you know, we all come out of school and training we like with big vision and idealistic. And then I think the world shows us kind of how it's going to react as well. And we got to make some changes. So what happened for you? Chris Kirby 15:57 Well, I just kind of got burnt out on the lifestyle, and I was in it big time, just working like crazy. And alcohol fueled, and you know, that ended up kind of being something that I had to come to terms with later in life as well. And I can just feel it, this isn't gonna lead where I think I ultimately want to go. And it just something inside of me just felt like, I've got to do something different and maybe take a different path. I don't know what that is. But after about seven years, I felt like I needed to make a change. Marc Gutman 16:31 That's what that point like, where are we like, what restaurant? Are you working at? What's your title? What's your role? What's going on for you? Chris Kirby 16:38 So I went from working in Baltimore, where I grew up to Washington, DC, fine dining, French restaurant, then out to Las Vegas, then to Austin, Texas, which is where I ultimately stayed the longest. That's where I made the decision. After about three or four years of living in Austin, I was the chef at a wine bar in downtown Austin called mulberry. And yeah, I was just ready to ready to move on. Marc Gutman 17:04 That must have been hard. I mean, you know, you've spent a good chunk of your life at this point. As a chef, that's your identity, you declared it that's your training. I mean, how to be hard to make that decision was? Chris Kirby 17:20 It was I mean, I think I knew that I needed to make it long before I actually mustered up the courage. It's almost like admitting failure, you know, kind of like, Oh, I thought one thing, and now, I don't think that anymore. And it's not failure, it feels like it in the moment. But it definitely took a lot for me to leave my life in Austin, and all my friends. And what I ended up doing was moving back to Baltimore and going back to community college for a year to figure things out, really, and then apply and think about the next step. Marc Gutman 17:54 And what did you study and figure out? Chris Kirby 17:56 I took some basic courses, basic business, accounting, finance, things that I could really tap into that entrepreneurial spirit that I knew I had. So I did a year at community college, and ended up applying to a handful of schools to finish my bachelor's degree. And Community College was really just like, let's be smart about this, like, let's take the courses that I can transfer and like, into whatever the next school would be Marc Gutman 18:28 Yeah, and where was that? Chris Kirby 18:29 Shockingly, I ended up getting into the hotel school at Cornell, which sounds like very fancy Ivy League, and it is, but I was like, shocked when I got in. And I was out of place there, for sure. I was 26. And all my classmates were 18. And I'm convinced to this day that the way that I got in was my essay, you know, how you write the letter and everything and as part of the application and I told them exactly what I was going to do. I said, I'm going to come to Cornell, and I'm going to start a business as soon as I get there. And I'm going to use all the professors as consultants, and I'm going to take everything that I'm learning and apply it in real time to the business that I build. I don't know what that's gonna be I'll figure it out when I get there. But yeah, I think that's what sparked their interest. Marc Gutman 19:22 Did you know when you went to Cornell, I mean that this business that you're gonna start that you didn't know what it was, but you knew what you wanted it to be? Did you know it was gonna be in the hospitality space? Because Cornell I mean, as you know, and but most of our listeners might not know, I mean, that's one of the best, if not the best hospitality programs in the country. I mean, it's renowned for that. And so thinking that were you like, hey, like, I'm gonna do something in this food slash hospitality space. Are you just not sure? Chris Kirby 19:51 Yeah, I totally did. I wanted to figure something out that I can parlay like all the experience and knowledge of food that I had built. And definitely stay in that lane for my own business. But yeah, my girlfriend at the time, and now what I think I told her that maybe what I'll do is I'll go to Africa, and I'll work at a McDonald's and learn the like processes of how they make that work on such a huge scale, and then apply like just better food to that down the road. That was one of many, many ideas. And I'm shocked that she listened to that was like, Okay, yeah, it sounds good. It's a little far fetched. But… Marc Gutman 20:32 So did you work at McDonald's? Chris Kirby 20:34 No, I didn't end up doing that. No, no, no, no, I didn't, you know, the hotel school there as I knew it was right for me, because everything was tailored toward the hospitality industry. So I got it, you know, it wasn't totally outside of my purview of what I understood. And so they say that instead of ball bearings, they talk about biscuits, and you know, and like economics and finance, which is true. So just tailored to what I already know. Marc Gutman 21:01 So you show up at Cornell, you're all fresh face, you have big dreams, you're an old freshmen. What was the first business idea? was it? Was it like a hummus? Or was it something else Chris Kirby 21:10 It was, I knew within a week of being an Ithaca, that this was a product that was missing in the local food economy and food scene. There's a an amazing farmers market, the Ithaca farmers market, that it didn't take very long, you know, I spent a weekend at the farmers market, and hit up greenstar Co Op, which is the local natural food store. And I was looking for what I could do locally that would be successful, but also on a national level, like, what's a category or type of food that's available in grocery stores that needs the most help from someone like me. And I just felt like that's where I could add the most value. And hummus just happened to check both of those boxes. Marc Gutman 21:59 This episode brought to you by Wildstory. Wait, isn't that your company? It is. And without the generous support of Wildstory, this show would not be possible. A brand isn't a logo or a tagline. or even your product or a brand is a person's gut feeling about a product service or company. It's what people say about you when you're not in the room. Wildstory helps progressive founders and savvy marketers build purpose driven brands that connect their business goals with the customers they want to serve. So that both the business and the customer needs are met. This results in crazy, happy, loyal customers that purchase again and again, in this is great for business. If that sounds like something you and your team might want to learn more about, reach out@www.wildstory.com. And we'd be happy to tell you more. Now back to our show. Why hummus? Like why did it Need help? Like what don't we get? Because I go to the market and ton of hummus. There's other competitors out there like what did you see? Chris Kirby 23:10 So hummus is you know, I think most people would agree if you eat a lot of hummus that the best time is comes from like a local restaurant or a local producer. It's made fresh and some of the nationally available stuff and brands like it's just kind of a little bland, and not really all that exciting, certainly not as good as it can be when it's fresh. And so I saw first of all the opportunity to be that local hummus in Ithaca. And on a longer view, the opportunity for someone like me to figure out how to replicate that quality on a national level through the commercialization process. How do we commercialize something that's as high quality as a local product without totally ruining and destroying all the things that make that local product good in the first place? Marc Gutman 24:00 And I'm so just intrigued and amazed by this because I mean hummus, like you probably know better than I have done our research on this. It's been around for 1000s of years, right? Like This isn't like, like hummus has been around for you know, much longer than just about everything. And we've had it and it's so it's not like also, I mean, this isn't like the 60s and like the advent of like natural foods. I mean, I find it just so interesting that there was this opportunity. And so prior to all this, like were you sitting around, were you kind of like this, like hummus snob or hummus kind of sewer where you're like thinking like, Oh, this isn't good, or they, but it was purely looking at it more from a business perspective. Chris Kirby 24:37 Yeah, it was trying to recognize an opportunity that I could take advantage of now and in the future. And that's how I would describe for me at least when I say I haven't this entrepreneurial mindset, it's just looking at things and thinking like, I could do that better. You know, maybe there's a way What if we change this or did this better did this different and you know, yeah, they're brilliant. 1000s of ideas that spark out of that way of thinking, and this just happened to be one that was like, Man, this really clicks, I don't need to reinvent Thomas, I just need to make really good, authentic commerce available to the mass market. Marc Gutman 25:17 And as you went, and you told your girlfriend at the time, now your wife, or you told your professors, hey, I am going to be the hummus king of Africa, then I'm going to be the hummus king of the nation. Where did they say Chris Kirby 25:30 Mixed reactions? You know, I mean, it seems so simple on its face, and it really is at the end of the day. But you know, sometimes those simple ideas are the ones that really have the most impact. Marc Gutman 25:44 So maybe walk us through a little bit like what happened. So you're at Cornell, and you're going to use your professors as your unofficial board and your consultants and you have this idea for hummus, like, what happens? Do you just start blending in your kitchen? Like, how do you how to kind of get this thing going? Chris Kirby 25:59 Yeah, so first of all, food safety is something that I was very well trained on as a chef and I had never produced a product made for resale. That plus like, how do I start a business? How do I form an LLC? Or now what do I is an S corp or a C Corp? Or what? So those two questions like forming the business and figuring out how to operate and make this product safely so that it could be distributed to people and they weren't going to get sick? were the first two things that I tackled, and then it became about where am I going to make it and where am I going to sell it. And I was very lucky to find a summer camp in Ithaca that had a food safe kitchen and you know, everything that I needed, basically to get started. For $200 a month, I rented this place and would go and make test batches and eventually, like batches for sale at night. And I would take it to the farmers market on the weekend and sell it there. Marc Gutman 27:00 And so prior to this, how would you rank your level of hummus chef or had you shut up any hummus prior to this? Or like, are you just kind of figuring this out at this point? Chris Kirby 27:11 Yeah, so I had had some hummus training, you could say, throughout my voluntary career, I was really close with one of my friends in DC at the restaurant I told you about who was Lebanese and he would make on Sundays when it was his turn family meal. And hummus was always a big part of that. And what I loved about his hummus compared to like the stuff you could buy at the grocery store was the fresh lemony, like garlicky, it was just tasted fresh, very intense flavor wasn't bland or boring at all. So yeah, I learned how to make comments from my buddy fi's all. And that's basically the recipe that I used when I started at the comments and still use today. Marc Gutman 27:52 Yeah, in addition to it being fresh, like what makes a great hummus, like what's everyone else getting wrong? And what's it good doing right with what you can share? Obviously, Chris Kirby 28:01 I can be totally open about what we do. I think I've got to be very careful because hummus is one of those like regionally funny things like Israeli hummus is very different than Lebanese hummus. Lebanese hummus is what we make it's lemony, a lot more fresh lemon, less tahini, Israeli hummus has a lot more tahini in it, and it doesn't really have the fresh zing like the product that we make. So to me, what makes it great is very fresh ingredients. From a package perspective. I think where it goes wrong for a lot of brands is they actually heat the product after it's blended and everything is you know, mixed in. When you think about what that does to food when you heat it up fresh lemon juice or even garlic, for example, like it really changes the flavor profile. And for me, I think it's just really important to capture that fresh, raw flavor of the ingredient. Marc Gutman 28:54 Before I forget, what's your favorite dipping apparatus into the hummus? What do you think's the best Dipper? Chris Kirby 29:01 Also not like historically culturally accepted? I wouldn't say but I'm a big raw broccoli. I like raw broccoli and cauliflower. For my homies Personally, Marc Gutman 29:12 I love that. So here we are. I imagine you're at this summer camp, you're renting out this kitchen you're if you've got like hummus everywhere. You're like trying to figure it out. What's going on? Are you just like, and you're going to school, by the way if I got this right, so like are you like, enthralled with this? Are you like just no one can take the wind out of your sails or any given point. Are you like, what did I get myself into? Like I'm putting a big bet on hummus right now. Like Like what was going on for you right there. Chris Kirby 29:38 It's funny, and I don't know why I felt so strongly about it. But I can't remember a moment where I had any hesitation that I was going to throw myself full fledged at this. I think in the beginning like what was so just fueling me was like having something of my own for the first time. And just being able to experience like these little success points along the way, like, we were at the farmers market, but also in the morning, I would deliver hummus to natural food stores and coffee shops and things. I just remember going in and seeing that just one had been purchased. And that was so energizing for me to just think that like, wow, like, I put that here yesterday, and now someone that I don't even know, like, pick that up, and it's in their refrigerator. And they're eating it right now. Like, wow, what a cool feeling that is. And so there was a bunch of stuff like that, you know, that I've heard other people call entrepreneurial currency that I just latched on to and really use to, to to energize me. Marc Gutman 30:44 And so that's all like, good and gets you going. But imagine like, you're selling at some coffee shops and some natural grocers, your your local, you're at the farmers market. At what point do you look at this thing and go like, it could be bigger than that, you know, this could actually be a business not like, a bit of a hobby, like when do you like really start to get the sense that maybe I'm onto something and I have to think to that, at some point, you're starting to gain maybe a little bit of tension from your competitors and other people in the space. So that's sometimes a good thing, because it means you're becoming relevant. But it also has to be a little scary. So like as you're growing like, what's going on? Are you thinking like, how do I take this to the next level or just kind of enjoying the ride? Chris Kirby 31:28 I'm always thinking about what's the next step? What's the next step? For sure. I think what really keyed me on to thinking that this really could be big was the reaction that I would get from people at the farmers market. I mean, anyone that I speak with now about how do I start a food or beverage, you know, business, I always recommend starting out in a channel where you are standing face to face with people who are potentially going to be your customers, and just sampling them and getting their reaction to getting their feedback. And in some cases, because if you do that enough, and you've got the right product, and you're getting the right reaction from people, and that alone will tell you like, wow, if I could just make this bigger, how could it not be successful? If I could do that the right way? I just felt like I was onto something for sure. And you know, also, I think it didn't hurt that I was in Ithaca, New York, which is a very granola kind of town. It's like the old saying, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere Well, in the hummus, business and ethic in New York. I think that's definitely true. Marc Gutman 32:40 And so what did you do? I mean, how did you make that leap? Like, how did you take it from farmers market to something bigger, like regional and then national? Chris Kirby 32:49 Yeah, very, very incremental steps. When I started, we had a seven day shelf life on the product. So it was like, how do we get it to 14 and then 20, and then 25 and 35? And same thing with distribution? It was what can I physically deliver out of the back of my car? And how many farmers markets can we go to in a weekend with more people to grow the business, which was all we could figure out how to do it the time, especially with a very, very short shelf life, it was really the only thing that we could do. But over time as awareness of what we were doing, and the brand and the product grew, so did the shelf life and so did the size of our business and revenue and profit and just was a great way to just fuel from within, you know, kind of take the scrappy, not go out and raise a ton of money like way too early route, and I'm so glad I did it that way. Marc Gutman 33:47 And is it self funded? Or do you end up going out and raising money to fuel the growth? Chris Kirby 33:52 We eventually did raise money from our manufacturer Actually, I moved on from the summer camp kitchen into a factory of my own which was like the dream like I built out this 10,000 square feet of like, it was insane. I felt like Willy Wonka. But after I like got into that and started managing it, it was insane and just way more than I could handle at the same time as everything else. So ultimately, I ended up partnering with le Desiree foods in Rochester, New York not far from us and Ithaca and after a year of just manufacturing the product they wanted in and couldn't think of a better more strategic partner than not Marc Gutman 34:31 so incredible. And so you started this business with nothing more than an idea started $200 a month rental in a summer camp kitchen. didn't really even know too much about hummus other than having experience from Sunday dinners. And here you are on the website it says you're the fastest growing hummus company in the nation which is an incredible accolade. So what does going from nothing to today? What does it go look like in terms of sighs and how much hummus Are you pumping out? Chris Kirby 35:04 Well, we're still very, very small and scrappy. We're a team of eight people, which is incredible to me. And I mean, to a degree, I think you could look at all of us very experienced and knowledgeable and smart, hard working all that stuff. But in one way or another, I think anybody on our team would admit, like, I have no business doing what I do every day sometimes, which is, I think, a healthy thing. So we very much have that like small, scrappy mentality, which I love. And we went from that farmers market stand and a couple stores in Africa to today, we're at 7500. stores nationwide, and how much how much do we produce? It's a really good question, I would say, of the containers that you buy in the store, 10 ounces, you know, 25 to 30,000 of those a week at this point, and growing. Marc Gutman 35:56 So does that like blow your mind? Like, would you say that number that is? Chris Kirby 35:59 Like crazy. It's it's not? It's not? I used to, you know, well, we used to apply every label by hand. And actually, when we started, we didn't buy labels, because we couldn't afford them. We just put paprika oil on the top for a little bit of like branding, and to think of going from there to where we are now is definitely mind blowing, in hindsight, Marc Gutman 36:21 In terms of that volume of actual packages, like how do you purchase chickpeas? Like is it by the bushel is it by the crazy by the ton, Chris Kirby 36:32 It's by the train load, actually, our facility has a rail that comes in to the back of it. And it's awesome, because when I first started buying chickpeas, I would like go to restaurant depot and like get a sack of chickpeas. And then eventually I got hooked up with some growers out in Washington State in Pullman, Washington, actually. And they would put it on a rail car from Pullman to this depot in Chicago, and then we would buy it, buy the pallet from there. And yeah, we've moved up in the food chain. And now we just get the rail car strength sent straight into the factory, which is really cool. Marc Gutman 37:11 How many rail cars of chickpeas are coming your way? on a regular basis? Chris Kirby 37:16 I'd have to check on that. So don't quote me. But I think we're definitely moving through multiple rail cars a month at this point. Marc Gutman 37:23 That's so cool. And what's hard about this like, like you said, it's simple sounds like it's all gone pretty much to plan but like What don't we know, like what's really hard about doing what you're doing and maintaining ethika Hama spray and ethika hummus brand? Chris Kirby 37:39 Yeah, if I portrayed it as overly simplified, I can guarantee you that it has not been just so many challenges that I never thought in the moment, sometimes I would be able to overcome that just, you know, end up ended up working out, I would say, what's been hard for me consistently throughout the business is learning how to grow myself professionally and as a leader, as fast as the business has grown. And as fast as my team that I rely on needs me to grow and really step into that role the best that I can. Marc Gutman 38:15 So how are you doing that? What kind of things are you doing to fuel your own growth and to become a better leader? Because I think that's something that a lot of entrepreneurs, look, none of us are born entrepreneurs number is born with this knowledge, we learn it, we educate ourselves, we come up a lot of times out of need, rather than you know, being ahead of time. It's like we're catching up or something of that nature. But like so what are you doing to stay up to speed and make sure that you're developing as a leader, Chris Kirby 38:40 I spend more time now just not just thinking and not feeling like I've got to make decisions and do things like so quickly. And so just off the cuff sometimes. So I've definitely slowed down a little bit. And I've really tried to not react to things or overreact to things as much as I am naturally inclined to do. I've also surrounded myself with some great people, and I could name names, but everyone on my team and even some people outside of the team that I'm more open with in terms of weaknesses now so that they can understand that and they can help backfill and I don't know, this is a long winded, probably more complex answer a complicated answer than I wish I could give. But I don't know, I just if I can sum it up, I've just tried to be more self aware and transparent about what that actually looks like. Marc Gutman 39:35 And as it relates to the business, like what are you most excited about right now? Is there something happening with Ithaca or something that you see in the future that is keeping you going and keeping you excited? Chris Kirby 39:46 Well, our mission is to introduce America to its new favorite brand of hummus and we've got some proof points that we're actually like really doing that and I think that's what gets us all all excited on the team at ethika. hummus is thinking about like, the success that we've been able to demonstrate on a mid size scale not full blown quite yet and dreaming about like, well, what happens when our distribution is four times the size that it is now. And we've had that much more time in market to generate that much more awareness and that much more trial? What kind of impact is that going to have on the category and on the diets of Americans in the grander scheme? Marc Gutman 40:34 Is that the metric? Like Is that how you will know that you're America's favorite brand of hummus? Chris Kirby 40:40 Well, I would say, share of category would be that metric. But how will we know that we've accomplished that goal? I don't know. I think we just day by day focused on what can we do today, to grow a little bit more and keep pushing the ball down the field. Marc Gutman 40:56 And as we come to a close here, Chris, like, I want you to think back to that young boy who is watching Julia Child is watching those cooking shows and just thinking, being intrigued by cooking. And what if he ran into you today? What do you think he'd say, if he saw what you were doing? Chris Kirby 41:14 I don't think he would fully understand it. And probably just think it's like boring. Start cutting up some chickens or something so that I could this is more exciting, you know, but at the same time, I think if he would probably think it's pretty cool. You know, if he really understood it, and could think about it the way I think about it now, I certainly do. And I'm having a lot of fun and very fulfilling and rewarding a lot of hard work, but I feel grateful and blessed every day. Marc Gutman 41:44 In that is Chris Kirby, founder and CEO of Ithaca hummus. As I reflect on our conversation, so much of what Chris shared resonated with me. But if I were to highlight one thought, it was his comment about making the switch from being a chef from declaring that his dream had changed. And he wanted to do something different. And while it could be labeled as a failure, it wasn't. It was merely a change in what he wanted in his evolving world view. And as I think back on my own pivots, my own changes that I've at times labeled as failures. This is a resonant reminder that they weren't failures at all. Just a change in what I wanted. A big thank you to Chris Kirby and Ithaca Hummus team. We can't wait to see you become the number one hummus brand in America and then the world. We will link to all things Chris Kirby and Ithaca Hummus in the shownotes. And if you know of a guest who should appear on our show, please drop me a line at podcast@wildstory.com our best guests like Chris come from referrals from past guests and our listeners. Well that's the show. Until next time, make sure to visit our website www.wildstory.com where you can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher or via RSS so you'll never miss an episode a lot big stories and I cannot lie. You other storytellers can't deny. ‍

BGBS 059: Chris Kirby | Ithaca Hummus | It’s Simple. Ithaca Hummus. America’s fastest-growing hummus brand founded by Chris Kirby: CEO, trained professional chef, and mustache aficionado. Chris’s career identity began in the restaurant world before he gained the courage to declare that he had a different path to follow, and returned to school. It [...]Read More...

Ithaca Craft Hummus is a disruptive young company with a clean label, extended shelf life, and cold-pressed process that ensures the freshest, most flavorful product possible.

G. Steven Cleere is the Founder and Chief Brand Developer of NexxtLevel Marketing, a consulting firm that specializes in retail marketing. For over 30 years, he’s been actively involved in marketing, advertising, and promotion disciplines. In 2019, Steve and his wife, Debra, combined their backgrounds and created Kitchen2Shelf, an educational service that provides online courses and in-person workshops for food and beverage entrepreneurs at all stages of growth. Steve was previously the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at TradeMarketing, Inc., or the TMI Group, a retail marketing agency. His unique background has allowed him to gather a wealth of expertise for top CPG companies to scale and grow.  Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: Words of advice from Will Nitze of IQBARS Words of advice from Grace Ventura and Sarah Bird from Beyond Broth Words of advice from Marc Siden of Cloud Water Brands Words of advice from Chris Kirby of Ithaca Hummus Words of advice from Hans Schatz of CULT Artisan Beverage Company Words of advice from Lindsey Cunningham of RollinGreens Words of advice from Keith Belling of RightRice Words of advice from Ashi Jelinek of KidsLuv Words of advice from Shannon Roddy of Marketplace Seller Courses Words of advice from David Lemley of Retail Voodoo Words of advice from Kara Romanik of Mamie's Pies Words of advice from Kiri Masters of Bobsled Marketing Words of advice from Amy Lacey of Cali’flour Foods Words of advice from Steve Caldwell of Swiss Rösti Words of advice from Kara Goldin of Hint Words of advice from Ryne O'Donnell of Sol-ti Words of advice from Cynthia Tice and Jane Miller of Lily’s Sweets Words of advice from Jim Lassiter of REJIMUS, INC Words of advice from Elliot Begoun of TIG  Words of advice from Michael Panara Jr., Pretzel Man Bakery Words of advice from Katherine Harvey of Bare Bones Words of advice from Steve Cleere of NexxtLevel Marketing Words of advice from Loren Brill of Sweet Loren's In this episode… There’s no doubt about it: 2020 was very different from the years before and affected people differently, be it professionally or personally. It brought forth several challenges, COVID-19 being only one of them, all of which impacted many businesses and families. Some businesses were forced to close down while others thrived and saw tremendous growth. Despite all these challenges, the NexxtLevel Podcast had some great guests on the show who had so much expertise and insight to share. They talked about building CPG businesses, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, shared solid and realistic wisdom to grow your business, and more.  On the first NexxtLevel Podcast episode of 2021, host Steve Cleere shares the best tips and tricks from 2020. He shares actionable insight and nuggets of wisdom from 23 of his own guests from the past year, as well his own words of advice on how to build a successful CPG business and be a great leader. Keep listening! Subscribe and Listen on: iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Play Deezer iHeartRadio TuneIn Radio Public Resources Mentioned in this episode Kitchen2Shelf NexxtLevel Marketing Steve Cleere's interview with Will Nitze Steve Cleere's interview with Grace Ventura and Sarah Bird Steve Cleere's interview with Marc Siden Steve Cleere's interview with Chris Kirby Steve Cleere's interview with Hans Schatz Steve Cleere's interview with Lindsey Cunningham Steve Cleere's interview with Keith Belling Steve Cleere's interview with Ashi Jelinek Steve Cleere's interview with Shannon Roddy Steve Cleere's interview with David Lemley Beloved and Dominant Brands: The Brand Ecosystem that Drives Better-for-you Brands from One of Many to Category Prominence by David Lemley Steve Cleere's interview with Kara Romanik Steve Cleere's interview with Kiri Masters Steve Cleere's interview with Amy Lacey Steve Cleere's interview with Steve Caldwell Steve Cleere's interview with Kara Goldin Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters by Kara Goldin Steve Cleere's interview with Ryne O'Donnell Steve Cleere's interview with Cynthia Tice and Jane Miller Steve Cleere's interview with Jim Lassiter Steve Cleere's interview with Elliot Begoun Steve Cleere's interview with Michael Panara Jr. Steve Cleere's interview with Katherine Harvey Expo West Steve Cleere's interview with Loren Brill Sponsor for this episode... Our podcast today is sponsored by Kitchen2Shelf, the educational arm of NexxtLevel Brands. Kitchen-2-Shelf provides online and in-person courses and workshops for CPG entrepreneurs at any stage of growth.  Whether you're an early-stage startup, a local growing business, or if you want to just expand your distribution to a national level, Kitchen-2-Shelf can help you learn what you need to know to grow. Visit their website to get access to some free tools that can help you understand where your business stands.  Contact them today to find out how they can help you grow your brand and expand your business to reach its full potential.

This week on the Auto Futures Podcast, Alex Kreetzer and Chris Kirby are joined by 'EV evangelist' Sam Clarke, who has recently joined the team at Gridserve, which is building the UK's first electric forecourts.With a depth of experience in electrification, from building a successful EV-related business from the ground up and ties with the public sector, Sam discusses his journey from China to the UK, whilst analysing the current state of the industry.

Back by popular demand, the Auto Futures Podcast returns for Season 4. Alex Kreetzer, Ben Boutcher-West and Chris Kirby catch up on what has been a turbulent year, discussing the ongoing impact of the pandemic on business and how the mobility industry has been reshaped forever. Subscribe to AutoFutures.tv and follow us on Spotify, Itunes and Sticher to make sure you don't miss any weekly episodes.

Now the fastest growing hummus company, Ithaca Hummus started out from our very own Ithaca Farmers' Market. Chris Kirby'15 started making hummus while studying at the Hotel School! Learn about his entrepreneurial journey and how he handled a business while being a full-time student!

Chris Kirby - Is There Canada Post - Intelligence Community Connection

This episode Todd & Dalton talk with Chris Kirby and Jim Seefeldt in Part 2 of Operations Department Updates. There is a TON of great info in this podcast as well and is definitely worth a listen.

Chris Kirby’s small time company has taken the hummus market by storm, competing with the likes of Sabra. But how? He didn’t invent a radical new flavor, nor add a previously unheard of secret ingredient. Instead, he restored this all too often processed snack food to its simplest form— chickpeas, lemon, and garlic, all fresh and no preservative. On today’s episode, we talk to Chris about his journey in creating a fresh, ethical, and of course delicious product.

Five months into a pandemic, going to the grocery store requires much more than a reusable tote. You're probably suiting up with a mask, hand sanitizer, and a grocery list to make sure that you're in and out as quickly as possible.Ithaca Hummus can only be found in grocery stores but the founder, Chris Kirby, built the brand to be flexible so they could adapt to times like these. He's always been focused on making sustainable, scalable choices for the business, and that hasn't changed in the pandemic.On this episode, Chris talks about how the packaging challenges of DTC made them focus their efforts on brick-and-mortar grocery, his biggest takeaways from being part of the Chobani incubator, and how they've had to shift their strategies to adapt to the new expectations of shoppers entering grocery stores.

SONGLIST: 1) Chris Kirby - Pot Of Gold, 2) Chris Kirby - Better Not Let Me Down, 3) Matt Andersen - Honest Man, 4) Charlie A'Court - The World Around Me, 5) Chris Kirby - Victoria, 6) Chris Kirby - Mary Brown, 7) BONUS: Loviet - The Thrill. ENJOY!!

Chris Kirby is the Founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus. He grew up in the Baltimore area in the late 80s and early 90s, and despite the popularity of processed food at that time, he was drawn to the concept of real food at a very early age. He ended up attending culinary school where he developed a strong passion for influencing people through his food, which fueled a subsequent seven-year career as a chef.  In 2013, Chris left the restaurant business and started selling fresh hummus at the Ithaca Farmers Market. Six months after launching, Wegmans discovered Ithaca Hummus and decided to put it into their Ithaca store and it ended up being an instant success. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:  Chris Kirby talks about his career as a chef and why he chose to start selling hummus at the Farmers Market. What is a hummu and what flavors does Chris’ brand carry? Chris recalls how Wegman connected with his company and how he got his products into other retail stores. Chris explains how he handled the growth, inventory, cash flow and costs for his business. How Chris built his team and moved to a bigger commercial facility. Chris’ involvement with No Kid Hungry and Chefs Cycle. Why Chris decided to stop selling his products directly on his website and how he found a distributor. The future plans for Ithaca Hummus. How Chris got into selling in Publix and his current geographical reach. How Ithaca Hummus products are promoted. Chris' advice to fellow entrepreneurs on building a brand. In this episode… Chris Kirby has always been drawn to good, real food from an early age so much so that he ended up taking Culinary Arts and pursuing a career as a chef. But seven years into his culinary career, he decided that the restaurant lifestyle was not for him. This decision to move out of the kitchen and step into the business side of the culinary world led him to selling hummus at the Ithaca Farmers Market in 2013.  Chris Kirby believes that a brand is a mirror reflection of its founder and so he has worked hard to be as authentic as possible in his business. From selling his hummus at the Ithaca Farmers Market, Chris has grown his brand, Ithaca Hummus, to be the fastest-growing brand in its category and is now available in over 5000 stores including major retailers such as Publix, Whole Foods, Target, Hannaford, and Wegmans. Join G. Steven Cleere in this episode of NexxtLevel Brands Podcast as he interviews Chris Kirby of Ithaca Hummus about his transition from being a chef to running and growing his own business. Chris talks about the early start of his company, how he was able to adapt to the fast-growing demand and scaling up to a large commercial facility, getting his products on the shelves of top retail stores, and his advice to budding entrepreneurs looking to grow their own brand. Stay tuned. Subscribe and Listen on: iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Play Resources Mentioned in this episode Ithaca Hummus  Chris Kirby on LinkedIn  Ithaca Farmers Market  Wegmans  Publix  Safeway  Gelson's Markets Nugget Markets  Food Lion Frank Cavallaro, COO of Ithaca Hummus No Kid Hungry  Chefs Cycle  The Swag Shop Amazon Fresh  IDDBA Show   Sponsor for this episode... Our podcast today is sponsored by Kitchen2Shelf, the educational arm of NexxtLevel Brands. Kitchen-2-Shelf provides online and in-person courses and workshops for CPG entrepreneurs at any stage of growth.  Whether you're an early-stage startup, a local growing business, or if you want to just expand your distribution to a national level, Kitchen-2-Shelf can help you learn what you need to know to grow. Visit their website to get access to some free tools that can help you understand where your business stands.  Contact them today to find out how they can help you grow your brand and expand your business to reach its full potential.

We talk farmer's market, tasty hummus and raising velocities at store level.

The insurance sector has seen a drastic change over the last decade, from both a business and consumer perspective. People have changed the way they use and supply vehicles around the world, from shared services and private ownership to leasing and multi-purpose vehicles.To find out more about the digitisation of insurance, the Auto Futures Podcast welcomes Ed Axon of Trov, a leading insurance technology platform from California which is supporting the new ways people live, work, and move.Alex Kreetzer, Ben Boutcher-West and Chris Kirby sit down with Ed to speak about such things as analysing and reacting to the global market, 'multiple-use insurance' and the era of shared transport. In association with Boston Consulting Group.

The Auto Futures Podcast welcomes back Mobility and CAV Strategy Consultant Catherine Hutt, who joins Alex Kreetzer, Chris Kirby and Ben Boutcher West to talk about the future of business within the transport sector. This includes how mobility services can support their drivers with protective equipment, but also create an attractive package to retain them in the business and not lose out to emerging rivals. The discussion also touches on the new age of jobs in the mobility sector, looking at emerging partnerships between established companies and startups, attracting talent and the pros and cons of both startups and big organisations.In association with Boston Consulting Group.

The Northwest Florida Fishing Report for May 11-17, 2020 is here. Joe and Blake talk to this week's local fishing experts and contributors: Capt. Chris Kirby with Charter Boat Backlash, Capt. Brett Tennant with Bout Time Charters and the "Legend" Patrick Meek delivers the onshore report. Enjoy and stay well! Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and if you'd like us to email you the podcast, just head over to greatdaysoutdoors.com/nwffr, and we'll send you the new show each week. Sponsors: Fishbites Flora Bama Marina Great Days Outdoors Killerdock National Land Realty Reel 30A

To kick off season 3 of the Auto Futures Podcast, Mobility expert James Carter joins Alex Kreetzer, Ben Boutcher-West and Chris Kirby remotely to discuss the state of the automotive and transport industries during Covid-19, looking at how companies can remain agile and find success in tough times. What will happen to automakers, fleet operators, dealerships and startups? What about the inevitable recession looming over? Find out below.

The Northwest Florida Fishing Report for April 20-26,2020 is here. Joe and Blake talk to this week's local fishing experts and contributors: Capt. Chris Kirby with Charter Boat Backlash, Capt. Garrison Rosie with Reel Rosie Inshore Charter, and Matthew Vann of Sails and Tails Kayak Charters. Enjoy and stay well! Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and if you'd like us to email you the podcast, just head over to greatdaysoutdoors.com/nwffr, and we'll send you the new show each week. Sponsors: Fishbites Flora Bama Marina Great Days Outdoors Killerdock National Land Realty Reel 30A  

Chris Kirby is the Founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus. On this episode of ITS, Chris tells Ali the story of Ithaca, how he's grown into 5000 stores without venture funding, and how he's managing the company during the current pandemic.In The Sauce is powered by Simplecast.

For more than a decade now BridgeField Group’s founder, Chris Kirby, has focused on assisting attorneys and other professionals in all aspects of professional and personal success. Though he has maintained an active law license for over 22 years, for more than a decade Chris has been solely dedicated to coaching and training corporate and legal clients throughout the United States and internationally. By recent count, Mr. Kirby has worked with well over 3000 professionals from well over 100 law firms and other organizations in 38 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 40 countries.In this episode we discuss...Why Strategic Plans Matter and How to Create ThemThe Benefits of Strategic Planning Communication and Competition Applying Strategic Planning to All Facets of Your Law Firm

Over the last few episodes weeks, I have received quite a few emails with regards to finding more about our sponsors Bartercard. In order to answer some of the questions, I thought I would speak to there MD and see if I could come down to there head office and speak to some of the team to find out more. A massive thanks to Russell and Nadia for taking the time out of their busy day to chat to me and explain the different opportunities that are available to you for working with Barter and a special thanks to Chris Kirby for allowing me to take a room away from them all to record the show live. If you would like to know more about Bartercard then please visit www.bartercard.co.uk where you will find all of the information about contacting their trade and franchise departments.

This special edition of Taste Radio Insider highlights actionable insights and advice from interviews with six founders, creators and investors who joined us on the show during the second half of 2019. Our guests include Zico founder and Powerplant Ventures co-founder Mark Rampolla; Zoe Feldman, the director of the Chobani Incubator; Rick’s Picks founder and CEO Rick Field; Mike Cessario, the founder and CEO of Liquid Death; Harbinger Ventures founder Megan Bent and Chris Kirby, the founder of Ithaca Craft Hummus. Show notes: 1:28: Mark Rampolla, Founder, Zico; Co-Founder, Powerplant Ventures --  We kick off the episode with Mark Rampolla, the founder of Zico coconut water and the co-founder of plant-centric CPG investment firm Powerplant Ventures. In the following clip, pulled from our interview with Rampolla in Ep. 53, he discussed how he sets and reviews long-term goals, why it’s critical to write them down and look at them daily, the importance of thoughtful communication and alignment with employees and colleagues and why daily huddles are key for highly effective organizations. 9:18: Zoe Feldman, Director, Chobani Incubator -- Next up is Zoe Feldman, who is the director of Chobani Incubator, which invests in and supports purpose-driven, early-stage companies. We spoke with Feldman for an interview featured in Ep. 63, and in the following clip she spoke about how she’s using her voice and platform to support marginalized communities and shared the advice she has for brand owners and executives that might be afraid to have “the diversity conversation.” 15:10: Rick Field, Founder/CEO, Rick’s Picks -- Let’s continue with Rick Field, the founder and CEO of premium pickle brand Rick’s Picks. Field joined us in Ep. 42, and in this clip he urged potential and early-stage entrepreneurs to understand the minutiae that comes with building a food brand, why it’s not a part-time endeavor and why he describes entrepreneurship as being an “army of one.” 19:23: Mike Cessario, Founder/CEO, Liquid Death  -- Next is Mike Cessario, the founder and CEO of Liquid Death, a canned water brand whose heavy metal vibe and edgy marketing has generated considerable online buzz and attracted funding from a range of prominent investors. In an interview from Ep. 51, Cessario explained why upstart CPG companies must stand for something, the importance of conveying “small,” why customer acquisition is about getting people to “invest in your brand” and how to establish proof of concept for an untested idea. 27:16: Megan Bent, Founder & Managing Partner, Harbinger Ventures -- We continue with Megan Bent, the founder and managing partner of Harbinger Ventures, a specialized investment firm whose mission is to provide growth equity and strategic resources to the next generation of female entrepreneurs. We spoke with Bent in Ep. 64 and in this clip, she explained how Harbinger vets potential portfolio companies, the “trifecta” that she looks for in growing brands and why she encourages entrepreneurs to establish a “common language” with potential investors. 34:40: Chris Kirby, Founder/President, Ithaca Craft Hummus -- Wrapping up this episode is Chris Kirby, the founder and president of fast-growing brand Ithaca Craft Hummus. In this clip, pulled from an interview featured in Ep. 55, Kirby explained how he identified white space in legacy food category, why carefully crafted success stories have been key to landing placement at new retailers and why he advises entrepreneurs to be “very intentional about what you’re spending and why.”  Brands in this episode: Zico, Chobani, Rick’s Picks, Liquid Death, Ithaca Craft Hummus

Will premium services continue to exist and flourish in the urban mobility market? Absolutely.This week on the Auto Futures Podcast, Alex Kreetzer, Ben Boutcher-West, Chris Kirby and Luke Rust sit down with Addison Lee's Catherine Hutt to discuss the future of premium mobility services, such as how they can help advertise the benefits of EVs and the importance of human interaction.Don’t forget to subscribe to Auto Futures and follow us on Spotify, Itunes and Sticher.In association with Boston Consulting Group.

The tagline for Ithaca Craft Hummus is simple and direct: “This Hummus Tastes Fresh.” For founder/president Chris Kirby, the mission to build a disruptive yet profitable brand is just as clear cut. Launched in 2013, Ithaca’s ultra fresh flavor -- derived from cold-pressed ingredients and non-thermal pasteurization -- has helped the brand build a consumer following and gain placement in thousands of retail stores across the country, including Wegmans, The Fresh Market and Publix. Throughout Ithaca’s development, Kirby has emphasized a scrappy approach to growth that’s based on strong relationships with his co-packer and retail partners. The result has been a lean, profitable operation that is now one of the fastest-growing hummus brands in the U.S..  In an interview included in this episode, Kirby spoke how he identified white space in the hummus category and what he learned during four years of operating his own production facility. He also urged entrepreneurs to be thoughtful about their retail relationships and deliberate about expenses, and discussed why he hires people that are highly self-sufficient. Show notes: 1:16: There’s Gold In This Discussion About U.K. Brands and “No-gronis” -- The hosts convened for a wide-ranging chat about John and Mike’s visit to London, where they attended the recently held Bread and Jam festival. Along with BevNET/NOSH brand specialist Melissa Traverse, they discussed the investment environment and sourcing challenges for U.K.-based food and beverage brands, and what it takes to go to market in the U.S. They also riffed on gold-plated Kit Kat bars, dessert hummus and John’s impressive grasp of soccer lingo. Finally, they spoke about the latest edition of BevNET Magazine, news and incentives related to BevNET Live and NOSH Live and what the future might hold for non-alcoholic cocktails.  18:15: Interview: Chris Kirby, Founder/President, Ithaca Craft Hummus -- Kirby sat down with Taste Radio editor Ray Latif at BevNET HQ, where he spoke about his background as a trained chef, the formulation of Ithaca hummus and why it initially benefited the brand to stay narrow and focused on velocity instead of store count. He also explained why producing the hummus in-house was the “most difficult four years” of his life, and how the experience was critical to the brand’s relationship with co-packer and equity partner LiDestri Foods. Later, he discussed Ithaca’s marketing and communication strategy, how the brand strives to “make it easy” for fans to become ambassadors, and how carefully crafted success stories have been key to landing placement at new retailers. Finally, Kirby spoke about why profitability “has always been a really important piece” of his business strategy and why he advises entrepreneurs to be “very intentional about what you’re spending and why.” Brands in this episode: Ithaca Craft Hummus, GT’s Kombucha, Delighted by Desserts, Tribe Hummus, Sabra, Joseph’s Hummus, Cedar’s, Kit Kat, Ugly Drinks, TaDah Foods, Kind Snacks, The Bitter Housewife, Bitters & Soda, Seedlip, White Claw, Everleaf Drinks, Three Spirit, Fix8 Kombucha

We catch up to the mega-award winning singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and all around cool cat for a long over catch up to talk about everything from touring with Matt Andersen, writing with Gordie Sampson and his brand new incredible album WHAT GOES AROUND and so much MORE! Listen...

Welcome to episode three of the Auto Futures Podcast.In this episode, Alex Kreetzer, Chris Kirby, Ben Boutcher-West and Luke Rust talk about Uber's unexpected IPO, a possible Addison Lee acquisition and Enterprise's American Dream.Want to get on the pod? Contact Editor Alex Kreetzer on akreetzer@dma-media.com or reach out on Twitter: @Auto_Futures

Ithaca Hummus is the cleanest, purest hummus on the market and by far the best tasting. I have always been impressed by Ithaca’s commitment to real, fresh ingredients and integral processing methods so I was honored to connect with Chris, a fellow hummus colleague that I inherently have so much respect for. Show Resources: Find Ithaca products. Follow Ithaca Hummus on Instagram Delighted By products Delighted By mission   Must Listen: Learn about Makenzie, her story, the Delighted By mission and MORE in Episode 0!

On this episode of the Peppered Podcast I’m speaking with Chris Kirby, founder of Ithaca Cold-Crafted, the first ever, cold-crafted hummus. This is not just another “me too” hummus. They use a cold pressure process instead of heat pasteurization, which keeps their ingredients raw, full of nutrients, and incredibly flavorful. On this episode we discuss: • The Ithaca Cold-Crafted brand story • How small brands can compete against category giants • Gaining distribution for emerging brands • Production scale-up challenges • Maintaining profit along the journey • The role of social media

Welcome to the Inside Silverstone™ podcast!    In episode #12 your host, Chris Broome, interviews Chris Kirby, CEO of Tomorrow's Journey. Listen as Chris explains his vision of a neutral network for new mobility; how they've identified a gap in the B2B market; and how they've successfully navigated their first round of funding. Chris also talks through his career journey to date; lessons learned along the way; and how the basics of opening a door once eluded him. Links: Tomorrow's Journey Leave a review!   Don't forget to check out the Longhurst website for more great content. Would you like to appear on the podcast? Own a business or work in/around the Silverstone business or motor-sport region? Have a story or/and knowledge to share? Get in contact with Chris on insidesilverstone@longhurst.co.uk, or reach out on Twitter @SilverstonePod.   ABOUT THE HOST Chris Broome is first and foremost a big tech, motor-sport, and gaming fan. So the opportunity to host a podcast focusing on these topics was too good to turn down. In his day-to-day life Chris is a Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Insurers. His business, Longhurst, has a niche providing financial advice to clients and businesses who work in the tech, innovation, and engineering sectors. Their head office is located on Silverstone Park, Northamptonshire. 'A business plan without a personal plan is pointless.' 

Marc brings back some previous interviews with Chris Kirby and Will Primos.

Marc brings back some previous interviews with Chris Kirby and Will Primos.

Joy Mohr of the Mohr Stories Podcast #mohrstories, and the new America's Lakers Podcast #alakerspod returns to talk This Life #YOULIVE with Bob Forrest and Dr Drew. Then, Chris Kirby stops by to talk about Sober Living. This episode is sponsored by Hydralyte and The Last House Sober Living Of Los Angeles.

WALKING DEAD SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON PREMIER!!! You've been warned. Jeff's cousin Chris Kirby joins us this week as we FINALLY get political. We've played coach pitch with touching politics thus far, but now we take the gloves off. Join us for a civil and somewhat humorous look at the impeding election. Or armageddon. Part two with another libertarian airs in a few days.

We have a GREAT show for you this week as Tony and Krista Chris Kirby from the Richard Petty Driving Experience and so much more Contact Us Email us at DisneyParksPodcast Call The Crew at 407-476-8898 Disney Parks Podcast YouTube Channel Show Notes, Links & Information CHECK out The Richard Petty Driving Experience DRIVING & RIDE-ALONG EXPERIENCE SPECIALS...

We have a GREAT show for you this week as Tony and Krista Chris Kirby from the Richard Petty Driving Experience and so much more Contact Us Email us at DisneyParksPodcast Call The Crew at 407-476-8898 Disney Parks Podcast YouTube Channel Show Notes, Links & Information CHECK out The Richard Petty Driving Experience DRIVING & RIDE-ALONG EXPERIENCE SPECIALS...

Chris Kirby and I have started a podcast! It’s not really related to this blog, but I am using the blog feed to post the podcasts. So, enjoy episode 1, entitled: Hobos, Gangs, and Google Glass!

Followup to Episode 126.  Now we know what Second Life is, what is it you do there?  Just about anything and everything, I suppose.  Second Life as Social Media.  Second Life as a virtual world and "actual" place, where you don't spend time killing people or critters for gold.  Mostly.    Oh, it turns out Chris Kirby has a brand new album, "Wonderizer."  I just got my MP3 copy from Amazon (and then Chris wanted to send me one, oh well...) and I look forward to listening to it.  Might be getting a signed CD for a later giveaway, we're talkin'.  ;) Show Theme "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com Comments to 218-214-CALL  (218-234-2255) Contributions: https://www.paypal.me/grizzlysgrowls  

Followup to Episode 126.  Now we know what Second Life is, what is it you do there?  Just about anything and everything, I suppose.  Second Life as Social Media.  Second Life as a virtual world and "actual" place, where you don't spend time killing people or critters for gold.  Mostly.    Oh, it turns out Chris Kirby has a brand new album, "Wonderizer."  I just got my MP3 copy from Amazon (and then Chris wanted to send me one, oh well...) and I look forward to listening to it.  Might be getting a signed CD for a later giveaway, we're talkin'.  ;) Show Theme "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com Comments to 218-214-CALL  (218-234-2255) Contributions: https://www.paypal.me/grizzlysgrowls  

Leo LaPorte said on "This Week in Tech" that he abandoned Second Life because "it's all about sex."  Made my jaw drop to the floor.  After I picked it up, this is what I wanted to tell you about Second Life, what it's not "all about," and what it is, at least from my viewpoint.  Used a tune called "Day Job" from Chris Kirby's album "Vampire Hotel" on the show.  Back when I interviewed him on The IDSL he said I could use his music on my show.  He may even vaguely remember who I am.  I encourage you to buy and check out the rest of the album, too -- I think the title tune from "Vampire Hotel" reminds me of almost all the clubs in Second Life where I've DJed late into the night.  Except of course we take vampires a lot more seriously in Second Life.  ;-) Oh, it turns out Chris Kirby has a brand new album, "Wonderizer."  I just got my MP3 copy from Amazon (and then Chris wanted to send me one, oh well...) and I look forward to listening to it.  Might be getting a signed CD for a later giveaway, we're talkin'.  ;) Show Theme "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com. Crap, quoted Cunning Minx from the Polyamory Weekly podcast, and forgot to provide a link.  Till now.   Comments to 218-214-CALL  (218-234-2255) Contributions: https://www.paypal.me/grizzlysgrowls  

Leo LaPorte said on "This Week in Tech" that he abandoned Second Life because "it's all about sex."  Made my jaw drop to the floor.  After I picked it up, this is what I wanted to tell you about Second Life, what it's not "all about," and what it is, at least from my viewpoint.  Used a tune called "Day Job" from Chris Kirby's album "Vampire Hotel" on the show.  Back when I interviewed him on The IDSL he said I could use his music on my show.  He may even vaguely remember who I am.  I encourage you to buy and check out the rest of the album, too -- I think the title tune from "Vampire Hotel" reminds me of almost all the clubs in Second Life where I've DJed late into the night.  Except of course we take vampires a lot more seriously in Second Life.  ;-) Oh, it turns out Chris Kirby has a brand new album, "Wonderizer."  I just got my MP3 copy from Amazon (and then Chris wanted to send me one, oh well...) and I look forward to listening to it.  Might be getting a signed CD for a later giveaway, we're talkin'.  ;) Show Theme "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com. Crap, quoted Cunning Minx from the Polyamory Weekly podcast, and forgot to provide a link.  Till now.   Comments to 218-214-CALL  (218-234-2255) Contributions: https://www.paypal.me/grizzlysgrowls  

Geek is Chic is a podcast where technology is fashionable and practical. In episode 39 - Let's talk gadgetry we talk about some of our favorite gadgets. Here's the show notes for that episode of the podcast. Geek News ATT Catching up with the times * Sign up for the A-List starting September 20, 2009. * Individual minute plans of $59.99 or higher * Family Talk plans of $89.99 or higher * iPhone MMS rolling September 25, 2009. Podcast Recommendation My Audio Journal Gadgetry The Questions are: What is your favorite gadget? What is one gadget that is on your wish list? Is there an older gadget that you like better than a modern day equivalent? If money was not an object what would be the next gadget youâ??d get? Amanda Rob The Red Epic Scarlet camera Website Recommendation cnet Geek In You Geek Is Chic is a podcast where technology is fashionable and practical. One of our favorite things is to interact with you. Be a part of the show, and share the geek in you, with me. On this episode we'll talk about Taking online, offline. What conferences would attract your attention? Have you taken any relationship from online to offline? Do you still consider it taboo to find relationships and friendships online? How do you balance your interaction with your friends between online and offline time? The show ended with "Don't forget about me" by Chris Kirby. Special thanks to my friends at Ariel Publicity. Leave us a comment www.geekischic.org listener line (786) 693-2290 email contact@geekischic.org

Decided to try a Grizzly's Growls the old way I used to do it.  Turned out pretty good, I think.Part 1 -- A Hell of a ThingMy rant about taking a beginner's writing course -- blatantly swiped from my blog."We Dream For Jeanne" from Spider RobinsonPart 2 -- Thinking in PicturesThis video stuff is very new to me, and now I'm learn to do it professionally?  Yikes!  A bit of story about my life in pictures.Part 3 -- Bits and PiecesI've gotten pretty good at all those little bits that get added to podcasts.  There's a story behind that. "Feedback PSA" from NobilisAnd Finally...Comments to 218-234-CALL, grizzly@grizzlysgrowls.com or here at the website.Theme: "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod.Closing Music: "Vampire Hotel" from Chris Kirby.

Decided to try a Grizzly's Growls the old way I used to do it.  Turned out pretty good, I think.Part 1 -- A Hell of a ThingMy rant about taking a beginner's writing course -- blatantly swiped from my blog."We Dream For Jeanne" from Spider RobinsonPart 2 -- Thinking in PicturesThis video stuff is very new to me, and now I'm learn to do it professionally?  Yikes!  A bit of story about my life in pictures.Part 3 -- Bits and PiecesI've gotten pretty good at all those little bits that get added to podcasts.  There's a story behind that. "Feedback PSA" from NobilisAnd Finally...Comments to 218-234-CALL, grizzly@grizzlysgrowls.com or here at the website.Theme: "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod.Closing Music: "Vampire Hotel" from Chris Kirby.

You could download direct from Archive.org, if you'd like. On "The IDSL" today: SPECIAL!!! Interview with R&B artist Chris Kirby, with music and discussion of his new album, "Vampire Hotel." Listen in, call in, join in! Thanks for listening! Theme: "140 Times" from RockOn Want to hear it all better? Try here! This program sponsored by You, our loyal listeners! Want to help? Go to our Donate page!

On "The IDSL" today:"Bye Bye Bananas" from Doc's Kids"Byte Me!" from ROMBAL"Come Clean," "Don't Forget About Me," and "Lift_This_Fog" from Chris Kirby, who I found via Ariel Publicity"Pancho and Lefty," Track 11 off John MacLean's "Letters Home" albumThanks for listening!Themes: "In My Dreams" from Natalie Brown and "140 Times" from RockOnWant to hear it all better?  Try here!

I spent a couple hours very early this morning doing a live show with my new Birthday Present, a Behringer PodcastStudio Firewire Bundle, trying to stream over BlogTalk Radio with that.  Didn't work out well.  Too many stages."Tom Cruise Crazy" from Jonathan Coulton"God Is In The City" from Nicholas Howard"Re: Your Brains" from Jonathan CoultonMentioned "The Takeover" from Mur Lafferty.  Played the promo from her book, "War," the fifth book in her Heaven series."Ain't So Bad/Radio Mix combo" from LeVar Thomas"Queen of Me" from Natalie Brown"Carry the Light" from Kelly Richey"Chiron Beta Prime" from Jonathan Coulton (I'd forgotten it's a Christmas song.  Oh, well!)"Wasted (Crunk mix)" from C.B.Y.A."Come Clean" from Chris Kirby off his "Vampire Hotel" album"We're Goin' to the Dells!" from The Great Luke Ski off The FUMP"Oh No!" from Kaiser Cartel's "March Forth" album"Lift This Fog" from Chris Kirby"Baby Got Back" from Jonathan Coulton (a bit different from the original version!)"Big Fish Lazy River" from Owen Poteat"Ain't Like We" from Shalone's self-titled CD"In My Dreams" from Natalie BrownThat's all.  Took me two tries to get the shownotes and file uploaded.  Not a good tech-day for me, I guess.Thanks for listening!Theme: "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod

I spent a couple hours very early this morning doing a live show with my new Birthday Present, a Behringer PodcastStudio Firewire Bundle, trying to stream over BlogTalk Radio with that.  Didn't work out well.  Too many stages."Tom Cruise Crazy" from Jonathan Coulton"God Is In The City" from Nicholas Howard"Re: Your Brains" from Jonathan CoultonMentioned "The Takeover" from Mur Lafferty.  Played the promo from her book, "War," the fifth book in her Heaven series."Ain't So Bad/Radio Mix combo" from LeVar Thomas"Queen of Me" from Natalie Brown"Carry the Light" from Kelly Richey"Chiron Beta Prime" from Jonathan Coulton (I'd forgotten it's a Christmas song.  Oh, well!)"Wasted (Crunk mix)" from C.B.Y.A."Come Clean" from Chris Kirby off his "Vampire Hotel" album"We're Goin' to the Dells!" from The Great Luke Ski off The FUMP"Oh No!" from Kaiser Cartel's "March Forth" album"Lift This Fog" from Chris Kirby"Baby Got Back" from Jonathan Coulton (a bit different from the original version!)"Big Fish Lazy River" from Owen Poteat"Ain't Like We" from Shalone's self-titled CD"In My Dreams" from Natalie BrownThat's all.  Took me two tries to get the shownotes and file uploaded.  Not a good tech-day for me, I guess.Thanks for listening!Theme: "Hot Swing" from Kevin MacLeod