Podcasts about evolution fresh

Is 2025 the year of the acquisition? The hosts highlight two more headline-grabbing deals announced over the past week: Hershey's $750M purchase of BFY snack maker LesserEvil and the sale of watermelon water brand Mela to King Juice. We also speak with Jesse Bongiovi, who alongside rockstar father Jon Bon Jovi, co-founded Hampton Water Wine, a rosé brand that's taken the industry by storm. Show notes: 0:45: In Memoriam. NY → Texas. New With Nom. Congrats CC. Ray, The Fresh Cartoon. Sober Informed. Bert & Ernie. – Mike opens the episode with a tribute to the late Jack Craven. The hosts hype Taste Radio's upcoming meetups in NYC and Austin and Melissa spotlights valuable content featured in recent episodes of the Nombase Podcast. They also discuss the acquisitions of LesserEvil and Mela, and how both brands resonate with modern consumers. Everyone shares their lesser known nicknames and riffs on the term “sober informed,” before Ray is compared to a Sesame Street character. Ray reveals a brand's innovative way to smuggle soda into movie theaters (it's not what you think). Melissa and Jacqui highlight coconut water, protein- and honey-based bars as well as “salad sprinkles.” 33:15: Interview: Jesse Bongiovi, Co-Founder, Hampton Water Wine – Jesse joined us for a conversation amidst the tropical buzz of the Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival, which was held last month in The Bahamas. Jesse, who co-founded the award-winning rosé wine brand with his father and rock icon Jon Bon Jovi, talks about how a focus on accessibility without pretension is at the core of Hampton Water's success and how he's built a premium French rosé brand by staying scrappy, authentic and grounded. Brands in this episode: Fishwife, Petit Pot, Pistakio, Ithaca Hummus, Happy Wolf, Mela, LesserEvil, ISH, Evolution Fresh, Coaqua, Superfoodio, Bon Bee, Payday, MOSH, Salad Sprinkles, Painterland Sisters, Chutni Punch, Hampton Water Wine

Jeff Church knows the highs and lows of brand-building like few do.  A serial entrepreneur, Jeff co-founded cold-pressed juice pioneer Suja and led its development to a $100 million brand. Jeff also lost over $4 million of his own money in Rowdy Energy, a now defunct energy drink challenger he co-founded with NASCAR driver Kyle Busch. Jeff's experience and perspective on how brands succeed – and the reason they don't – is why we asked him to join us for a live interview as part of an industry networking event in San Diego hosted by BevNET and Taste Radio on Sept. 25. As part of an expansive conversation, Jeff spoke about how he navigated Suja's early development and rapid growth and what he believes was the most impactful decision in determining the brand's success. He also discussed the failure of Rowdy Energy, which launched in 2020 and shut down less than four years later.  Jeff, who currently leads an accelerator program for emerging brands, also shared his take on the current landscape for early-stage food and beverage companies, weighing in on the value of innovation, high quality package design, profitability and staffing. Show notes: 0:35: Jeff Church, Co-Founder & Former CEO, Suja – Jeff chats about his background in the beverage industry and why he has focused on building and working with startups. He also talks about the most challenging aspect of operating a food or beverage brand in the first two years of its development, why it's critical to “over communicate” with family members about the hardships of entrepreneurship and why he crafts a business strategy by “starting from where you want to get to and working backwards.” He also talks about how skill sets of a brand founder are significantly different from that of a brand manager and why he encourages a “fake it till you make it” mindset. Jeff also discusses the problems that led to Rowdy Energy's demise and why he believes that success is 25% luck and timing, before he answers a series of true or false questions related to early-stage entrepreneurship. Brands in this episode: Suja, Rowdy Energy, Blueprint, Evolution Fresh, Pop & Bottle

He may be nicknamed “The Beverage Whisperer,” but when Ken Sadowsky speaks he's heard loud and clear.  A longtime industry advisor and investor, Ken is one of the most respected and influential voices in the beverage business. Ken is currently the executive director of The Northeastern Independent Distributors Association, known as NIDA, a group of wholesalers that operate in states from Maine to Pennsylvania. He's also a senior advisor with Verlivest, the Belgium-based investment holding company founded by the owners of Anheuser-Busch InBev, which holds stakes in Oatly, Vita Coco and Hint Water. Ken is personally invested in and an advisor to several beverage companies including LifeAid, Icelandic Glacial, Recess and Dyla Brands.  This episode is the third of a trilogy with Ken, who also joined us for conversations in 2016 and 2019. Ken and Taste Radio editor Ray Latif sample drinks representing fast-growing, bleeding-edge and established categories, including better-for-you sodas, cannabis libations, nonalcoholic cocktails, and shots of the juice variety. As they sip their way through a mish-mash of beverages, Ken shares his perspective on trendy concepts, package design, formulation his investment thesis, and successful retail strategies. Show notes: 0:35: Ken Sadowsky, The Beverage Whisperer – Ken and Ray engage in some Sox talk before they dive into a mass of beverages, foreign and domestic. Ken talks about cutting his teeth back in 1983 and his ability to understand what brands have what it takes to go from “the core consumer to the more consumer” and why he's not bullish on non-nutritive sugar alternatives. They sip on some Chamberlain Coffee and chat about how the cold brew coffee category has morphed and whether non-alcoholic cocktails are – at this point – more sizzle than steak. Ken also explains why he's a fan of entrepreneurs with industry experience and why it's important to be nice to your distributors, before sipping on Olipop's limited-edition Barbie collaboration and sharing his take on the future of better-for-you sodas. He also admits to being an “illegal cannabis consumer” (not really), why you should sample beverages warm, getting retailers to merchandise your brand in two locations and the Catch-22 of fundraising. Brands in this episode: Mountain Dew, Chamberlain Coffee, Throne Sport Coffee, Vitaminwater, De Soi, Little Saints, Lapo's, Seedlip, Parch, Honest Tea, Prime, Alani Nu, Olipop, Slim Fast, Poppi, Evolution Fresh, Nantucket Nectars, Nixie, Late July, Cape Cod Potato Chips, Milonga, Recess, Magic Cactus, Alldae, Guayaki, Yerbae, Louie Louie, Fhirst, Wunderground's Brain Wash, Califia Farms, Starbucks, Loom, The Turmeric Co., Icelandic Glacial

As expected, commerce reigned at the annual Coachella music festival, but which food and beverage companies stood out? We have a report. This episode also features conversation with Laura Merritt, the CMO of Diageo Beer Company, who discusses how Guinness' non-alcoholic Zero variety is helping the brand cultivate a new generation of consumers. 0:35: A Sordid Past. Cat's Milk. The Bramins. Jacqui's Spirits. Robin's Egg Blue. TB12 In 0.5 Sec. – Jacqui chats about personal pub culture before diving into her trip to Coachella and interactions with a handful of brands, including one that slyly promised “a good time.” The hosts briefly discuss Momofuku's decision to abandon its trademark battle and the proper way to say “pecan,” two products that highlight a new era for cocktail culture, a game-changing package for condiments and, perhaps, the most beautiful color in the world. 32:36: Interview: Laura Merritt, CMO, Diageo Beer Company – Laura is the marketing lead for Guinness, the iconic brand best known for its draught Irish stout beer. We met with Laura at Expo West 2024, where Guinness was highlighting its Zero variety, a non-alcoholic beer brewed to approximate the classic taste, mouthfeel and color of the original liquid. In our interview, Laura spoke the reason Diageo brought Guinness to Expo West, why she compares the rise in consumer demand for non-alcoholic beer to that of a popular food trend, how its Zero variety gives the brand optionality and how the company is attempting to cultivate a new generation of Guinness consumers. Guinness' innovation strategy and how modern trends fit into its approach. Brands in this episode: Guinness, Lucky Energy, Poppi, Bitchin' Sauce, Momofuku, Homiyah, This Little Goat, Archer Roose, Evolution Fresh, Pecana, Sayso, Gorgie, Mission Craft Cocktails, Haven's Kitchen, Healtea, Ringa, Unreal, Heineken, Athletic Brewing, Seedlip, Ritual Zero

Has Starbucks slipped on its own slick innovation? Why are spice-obsessed millennials grumbling about Huy Fong's famous sriracha? And is space a new frontier for food and beverage? The hosts shared their thoughts, opined on the food selection in a $2.5 million Super Bowl suite and sampled several innovative  and new products including nacho-inspired chocolate, nitro-infused cinnamon tea and a sea moss-based chocolate pudding. Show notes: 0:35: No Sun S.D. Yo, TCHO! Mike Is Stuntin'. Lots Of Selling. BFY Candy Bar FTW. – Jacqui and John shared deets from a recent Naturally San Diego community meetup, Mike and Ray showed two distinct ways of sampling sriracha and the hosts collectively wondered about the runway for olive oil-infused coffee. And while they didn't all love cheese-flavored chocolate and had different opinions on pop rock-infused Oreos, they showed love for two emerging brands with sweet sensibilities. Brands in this episode: Chef's Life, TCHO, Jolly Moss, Starbucks, Huy Fong, Harney & Sons, Partanna, Evolution Fresh, Fireball, Coca-Cola, Oreo, Mountain Dew, Lesser Evil, Funyuns, Harken Sweets, Snickers, Mars Bar, Gigantic Candy

When Target embraces emerging categories, we take notice. The hosts discussed the retailer's new curated endcaps of non-alcoholic cocktails and wine and what it means for the nascent set of zero-proof beverages. They also spoke about why Nosh is broadening its coverage (and tapped a new leader to helm the vertical) and how a fast-growing hydration brand and popular sparkling water company have each taken a bigger-is-better approach to their packaging,  This episode also features an interview with Will Fabry, the master distiller for CraftCo, a Michigan-based portfolio company that owns several acclaimed spirit brands, including  Jos. A. Magnus and Fox & Oden. Fabry spoke about CraftCo's distilling philosophy, how it operates at the intersection of production, consumer demand and pricing, and how he attempts to improve upon and become more proficient in his role. Show notes: 0:40: More Green Juice & THC. LinkedIn Loves Monica. A ‘Perfect' Upgrade. Kids + Tuna… Hmmm. – The hosts shared their thoughts on healthy habits for 2024 and chatted about Nosh's expanded lens and the warm reception online for its new managing editor, Monica Watrous. They also spoke about Lemon Perfect's move to a larger bottle and Spindrift's similar shift, why they're not convinced that a tuna company's attempt to woo kids will work and a sports drink brand's new line of better-you-sodas. 28:24: Interview: Will Fabry, Master Distiller, CraftCo – A 20-plus year veteran of the culinary industry, Fabry joined CraftCo in 2018. In our conversation, he spoke about the impact of Michigan's climate in how the company's spirits are finished, how he and his team are consistently meeting the high expectations that consumers have come to expect from CraftCo brands, and how he managed Covid-driven supply chain challenges. Brands in this episode: Trader Joe's, Evolution Fresh, Pressed Juicery, Biena, The Good Crisp, Lesser Evil, Lemon Perfect, Spindrift, De Soi, Ghia, Kin Euphorics, Surely, Nooma, Coppercraft, Jos. A. Magnus, Fox & Oden

Starbucks has turned the dial on its hoopla machine all the way to 11 for the introduction of its new olive oil-infused beverages, a line the coffee giant is touting as The Next Big Thing. If the situation feels like a rerun, you may be recalling the blare of trumpets that similarly heralded such past up-enders as Evolution Fresh juices, La Boulange baked goods, or even Starbucks-brand music stores.  To be fair, there's no reason to doubt the new drinks will prove more of a Pumpkin Spice Latte than a Dolce Misto or the Unicorn Latte. And the home of the green apron is far from the only restaurant chain to hype a new menu item or product line as a disruptor, only to generate more fizzle than sizzle. Remember, Taco Bell once tried a diet line. Join me on this week's edition of our Restaurant Rewind podcast for a look back at some of the products that failed to live up to their hyped potential. You'll find this and every episode of the retro-focused program wherever you usually get your podcasts.

BevNET's director of community Melissa Traverse joined Taste Radio hosts Ray Latif and Jacqui Brugliera for a discussion about a new source for valuable industry info, ways that our team can connect with and highlight Expo West exhibitors and a high-profile CEO's shocking exit. They also spoke about a hot brand's big retail win, luscious limited-time offerings and had a frank chat about the Whole30 diet and intermittent fasting. Show notes: 0:36: Back On The ‘Cast. ‘Boys' Brilliant Advice. Expo Plans Revealed. Green Juice, Black Coffee, No Dairy. – Ray praised the return of Melissa, who, along with Jacqui, shared insights gleaned from the first episode of ‘Community Call,' before each discussed their preparation and planning for Expo West 2023 (send us your info!), including their social media and video content strategy at the event. Later, they reacted to the news that Miyoko's founder Miyoko Shninner had been removed from her role as CEO of the alt-dairy company, shared their admiration for a fast-growing brand, their excitement about a TV-show themed ice cream and indulgent, LTO snack before they each described their current rituals for healthy eating. Brands in this episode: Belgian Boys, Miyoko's, Omsom, Jeni's, Honey Mama's, Lattini, Pressed, Evolution Fresh, Suja, Trader Joe's

Bolthouse Farms finalized the purchase of a popular juice brand from Starbucks, adding even more to the Bakersfield, Calif.-based carrot grower's stockpile of premium juice products. By August 1, the company closed the deal to acquire Evolution Fresh from Starbucks, including the brand, business and employees supporting Evolution Fresh, Uniting the two brands is another way for Bolthouse Farms to meet the growing consumer demand for functional nutrition in the fresh produce department and gain more leadership in the premium juice and refrigerated beverage categories in retail.  “Evolution Fresh is a business and a brand that we have long admired,” said Chief Customer Officer Phil Kooy,” in this Tip of the Iceberg podcast episode. Our websites are www.producemarketguide.com,  www.thepacker.com and www.ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and artists@producemarketguide.com LinkedIn: PMG: Produce Market Guide and The Packer Instagram: @packernews and @producemktguide Facebook: @ProduceMktGuide and @PackerNews Twitter: @produceretailer and @thepacker To find our guest: Website: https://www.bolthouse.com/ Facebook: @bolthousefarms Instagram: @bolthousefarms Twitter: @bolthousefarms Pinterest: @bolthousefarms See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taste Radio's hosts discussed Coca-Cola's decision to discontinue Honest Tea, the brand's legacy and impact on better-for-you beverage and food companies, and what the move might mean for new and emerging upstarts. They also highlighted recently announced speakers, including Bang Energy founder/CEO Jack Owoc and top executives from Whole Foods and Kroger, that will be joining the stages at BevNET Live and NOSH Live this summer and chatted about several innovative products that crossed their desks over the past month. Show notes: 0:40: Jacqui Wins Again, Mike Is ‘Country Curious' And Drinks Broccoli, Ray's Essential Travel Food – The episode opens with a chat about a country music star's bourbon brand, another trophy for Jacqui and why March 1, 2011 was a special day. John explained why some small brands will likely benefit from Honest Tea's discontinuation, Ray noted the sale of a pioneering cold-pressed juice brand and the hosts collectively spoke about some of their favorite new products, including a mouthwatering coated nut snack, outstanding RTD cocktails and cannabis drinks, plus some beverages made with unusual ingredients. Brands in this episode: American Highway Reserve, Honest Tea, Smithwick's, Shaka Tea, Odwalla, Zico, Nantucket Nectars, Snapple, Evolution Fresh, Bolthouse Farms, Bang Energy, Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar Energy, SkinnyDipped, Tipsy Lady Cocktails, Madre Mezcal, Artet, Levia, Reveal Avocado Seed Brew, Frescos Naturales, Broc Shot, Doozy Pots, Honey Mama's, Unique Belgique, Blissfully Better, Momofuku

Episode 38: Moti Ankari stops by the AH"M table and chats content creation, cancel culture, and Coachella.  About our guest: Moti Ankari is a New York-based content creator and the founder of The Metro Man, as well as footwear brand Ankari Floruss. A regular at fashion week, Ankari has been dressed and sat front row at shows for Tom Ford, Versace, Etro and Amiri. He also serves as ambassador for companies Evolution Fresh, Marriott Bonvoy and Express, and has partnered with Stella Artois, Ferrari, Verizon, The Ritz-Carlton and American Express.Follow Moti Ankari on all social channels @MotiAnkari.For information about upcoming shows visit www.modilive.com.Follow Modi on Instagram at @modi_live.

¿Es Starbucks una franquicia? ¿Cuánto cuesta abrir un Starbucks? ¿Cuántos locales se abren? ¿Cuántos están cerrando durante la más reciente pandemia? Starbucks se fundó en 1971 y se convirtió en una corporación en 1985. Es una empresa que cotiza en bolsa y cotiza en Nasdaq con el símbolo de cotización “SBUX”. El presidente y director ejecutivo de Starbucks es Kevin R. Johnson, y ha ocupado su puesto desde abril de 2017. Su marca de café insignia se conoce como “Starbucks”, pero también venden productos y servicios bajo las marcas subsidiarias Teavana, Seattle's Best Coffee , Evolution Fresh, Ethos, Starbucks Reserve y Princi. Actualmente, operan en 83 mercados diferentes, con tiendas en todo el mundo. Según su informe anual, tienen tres “segmentos operativos” principales: las Américas, que abarca los Estados Unidos, América Latina y Canadá; Internacional, que incluye China, Japón, Asia Pacífico, Europa, Medio Oriente y África; y Desarrollo de canales, que se refiere a Starbucks o productos de marcas afiliadas que se venden fuera de sus tiendas. Puedes seguirnos en: https://twitter.com/FranquiciaAmer https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6IFpdAMOJIvlHhL3sUskg --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/visa-franchise/message

Paul McDowall and Catherine Clark were neighbors when they founded ClarkMcDowall, a 21-year-old agency that with “intelligence and imagination” architects growth for “visionary companies.” Originally starting with big clients Catherine “inherited” from her previous employer, the agency had to put in effort to bring on the startups and mid-size companies that keep an agency nimble, fresh, and entrepreneurial – where there is a higher chance of “getting stuff done.”  Paul says the agency's most productive relationships come with clients that want to think ahead and think differently, make changes and do something different, and push boundaries – that these companies have a “sophistication in the way they think, but also a progressive way of thinking about their own industry or their own business.” Catherine notes that the human side is important to the mix and that today's clients are far more savvy about marketing and innovation than they were even six years ago. Brand-architecting involves broad-scope innovation in such activities as creating new brands, amplifying “rising star brands,” and transforming legacy brands for visionary clients by changing brand strategy, purpose, or positioning. The agency's brand expression work covers verbal expression (naming/ messaging) and visual expression (visual ID, packaging, design across the whole ecosystem, and web, video, and social components). Catherine says, “Architecting a brand is really about getting into what it stands for and then really thinking about how that impacts in all the ways it expresses itself.” As an example of client work, Catherine talks about the agency's multi-year effort with the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team; addressing such issues as – What is their purpose? Why do they exist? How do they uniquely do things? What is it they actually do? – and then thinking how that manifests in the organization's operations – a campaign, a tagline, player experience, how a new player is greeted . . . or about the arena itself and the experience of the arena. Paul extends the scope by mentioning that these things include the internal culture as well, “how they talk to each other” and “how they hire.” Although ClarkMcDowall is based in New York City, the 2020 Covid lockdown forced the agency to rethink its organization. Catherine talks about the tension that comes with change . . . and the agency's decision to “Just go hybrid and start building it.” Today, the agency uses different systems, different ways of hiring, and different ways of working than in the past . . . and has a strong focus on creating a work environment that is less transactional and more about people's lives. About 25% of the agency's 25 employees work remotely – across the country.  Catherine says all this change has come with some nice surprises (and these are quotes): The more we allow people to try to find their own rhythm and their own environment, the more we're able to retain them and get the best out of them. I feel like we're even truer to ourselves in our values. We've really doubled down on the way that we treat people, the way that we integrate into our community, some of the pro bono stuff that we're doing.  There's this weird thing that the more you innovate, in a way, the easier it is to be true to yourself. You have to change a lot in order to really notice that anchor that you have. Catherine and Paul can be reached on their agency's website at:  clarkmcdowall.com or on LinkedIn. Transcript Follows: ROB: Welcome to the Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Rob Kischuk, and I am joined today by a duo, Paul McDowall and Catherine Clark. They're both Founding Partners at ClarkMcDowall, based in New York City. Welcome to the podcast. PAUL: Thank you. CATHERINE: Thanks for having us. We're very excited to be here. ROB: It's very excellent to have you here. Maybe you could start off by telling us about ClarkMcDowall and about what it is that makes the firm unique. CATHERINE: We call ourselves brand architects. I guess we'll start there with the unique piece. Just to be tangible for everybody who might be listening in, that means we do a bunch of things. We create new brands, we amplify what we would call “rising star brands,” and then we transform legacy brands for clients that we would consider to be visionary clients who are really looking for some change. What does that mean? It means we offer services like brand strategy, brand purpose, positioning, architecture. We also do a lot of innovation work, as that is also part of architecting those brands. Finally, we do brand expression work, whether that's verbal expression like naming/messaging or visual expression like vis ID packaging, designing across the whole ecosystem, web, video, social. There's about 25 people in our agency. Our roots and our base are in New York City, but we are hybrid. We also have talent across the country. I think what makes us unique is – we phrase it as “intelligence and imagination,” and I'm sure Paul will jump in and add to that, but it's really born from the partnership that Paul and I have. I'm a strategist originally and Paul is a creative originally, and we both own 50% of this business. It's very much about the fusion of two sides of our business that are usually not seen in equal partnership very much in the agency landscape. PAUL: Yeah. We got to the intelligence and imagination – for a while we were talking about “we have strategy brains and creative brains working together,” and it sounded a little clunky. It also felt quite limiting as well. It feels as though creatives can't think and then strategists don't have a creative thought. It's just not true. The idea of intelligence and imagination is something that we do collectively as a team. It's not one team, one person owns that. It's everybody, whether it's the strategists, whether it's the creatives, but also whether it's our client experience team, whether it's our marketing team, ops team, whoever it is. That's how we think and how we approach life. It's a broader philosophy which has stood us in good stead for the last, gosh, 21 years, Catherine. CATHERINE: It's been a journey. PAUL: Yeah. Awesome journey. ROB: Congratulations on that alone. That's quite a journey. You mentioned building brand architecture. When someone goes to your website and looks at the range of brands that are on there, we see quite an array of impressive top-level name brands. How does that play out? I imagine you can talk about some of those brands that are on the site. What does brand architecture look like for one of those examples that we might see looking at the firm? CATHERINE: I could pick a couple of examples. Architecting a brand is really about getting into what it stands for and then really thinking about how that impacts in all the ways it expresses itself. One client we like to talk about a lot is the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team. We worked with them for a number of years, really helping define their purpose, why they exist, how they uniquely do things, what it is they actually do, and then thinking about how that manifests in all kinds of ways. It could be a campaign, a tagline, some visuals. It could also be the player experience. How do you greet a new player when they show up at your team? Or it could be about the arena itself and what the experience is like. PAUL: Even their internal culture as well, how they talk to each other, how they hire. It's from the inside out. Sorry, Catherine. CATHERINE: No, no problem, Paul. This is our two heads thinking together, like we do. [laughter] So that's how we would talk about being brand architects. It's actually a little bit like an architect thinks about creating a building that is influencing the way people live their lives, the way they interact with each other, the way that building leaves a mark on the landscape. It's really bringing a lot of things together. Another manifestation of our work might be some work we did with Starbucks, restaging Evolution Fresh, which is their juice brand that was doing really well. They had this incredible, beautiful design, actually, that won some awards. But then the whole landscape changed around them. That's what happens when we get brought in to do brand transformation. It's like, “Hey, we've got this thing. It was doing great and now it's hit a wall.” We would help them from the get-go in terms of understanding, what is the problem? Who is your audience? How do we change the way you position yourself and tell your story? Then we're able to bring it to life. In that particular instance, it was mainly packaging. The packaging was their main source of communication; they didn't have any advertising. So that's where we applied all our efforts, into the visual expression, and it turned their business around. They went from major decline to double-digit growth. PAUL: They were getting delisted. Even from their own Starbucks stores, they were getting delisted. That's how dire the situation was. Through the work we launched, they were doing double-digit growth. They had the biggest growth I think they'd seen in the brand itself, and actually outpacing the category itself. So a pretty dramatic transformation. ROB: What was the timing of your engagement with Oklahoma City? Were you there right when they were moving and that transition? Was part of the brand design around the new team name? Or was it downstream from there? CATHERINE: Downstream. We came in at the Kevin Durant free agency time. I can't say too much about all of that, but you can imagine that that team was going through a lot of soul-searching in terms of what they stood for, and if that player was going to leave – which he ended up leaving – how do you make sure you define that team so that it has a real sense of purpose, regardless of the outcome they can't control? So we came in at that point and really helped them articulate what makes them different. And as Paul was saying, impacting their culture internally. They made this incredible bounce-back as soon as he left. And they're always changing and there's always players coming in, coming out. How, with a brand like that, do you help them to find what they stand for, agnostic of the players that might be there, knowing that the players are actually a huge part of the experience? So trying to create some stability and a sense of agency, if you like, for themselves outside of wins and losses and players. PAUL: I think it's interesting. They have a very progressive team way of thinking. I'm impressed with the GM, who we worked closely with and Catherine has a very good relationship with. He's super thoughtful about everything, not wanting to be just another sports team or thinking like another sports team. I think they're the folks that we do really well with, those clients that really want to push the boundary, thinking ahead – not just reflecting the status quo – and wanting to do something different, wanting to make a change, wanting to think differently, wanting to think fresh. There's a sophistication in the way they think, but also a progressive way of thinking about their own industry or their own business. We create wonderful, productive relationships with folks that are wired that way just because we're wired that way as well. CATHERINE: Just to build on that, a lot of agencies in our business are used to helping their clients narrow down their bull's-eye, target audience and all those good things. We've had to do the same thing over the years and say, “Hey, what kind of clients do we work best with?” Because you can't be everything to everyone. That's really been the thread: people who we consider to be visionary, who really want to do something different, transcend their category, push the boundaries, but at the same time have this very human side to them. We're a very casual agency in terms of how we present ourselves and how we work with people. So there's a real human side. We know we do better with clients that want that very personal, intimate relationship versus clients who are maybe looking for a big agency with lots of fancy style of working. We're in a category where there's lots of different people doing different things, and if you can really define your niche, you're more likely to be successful and be able to focus on that. ROB: Right. There's a big piece of the story there that I would like to come back to, because I think you look at a lot of the brands you've worked with, and I think a lot of agencies would look at the overall top-level brand and say that that brand is untouchable, that you really have to be a big holding company shop to engage with them. But I'm going to put a pin in that for a moment. I want to get back to the origin story a little bit. Clearly, you two teamed up and you're combining worlds of your own strengths. But how did ClarkMcDowall come to be in the first place? What's the origin story? PAUL: [laughs] This is a story that we actually didn't tell from the get-go because I think it would've scared our clients, but we were literally next-door neighbors, literally over the garden fence. Catherine was running the UK side of a London branding company and I was doing my own thing with somebody else. I was very dissatisfied; I was on the creative side/design side, very limited. Wasn't really allowed to ask a lot of questions. I'd inherit a brief and then respond to that brief. Catherine was on the flipside, doing all this incredible thinking with innovation thinking, strategic thinking, and then it would be mistranslated or turned into – just lost, just melt into the ether and never see what happened to it. We had a conversation one day – I think our spouse and partners were like, “The person next door, you should talk! They do what you do!”, whatever. And eventually we did. I remember Catherine sharing her insights. Catherine is extremely eloquent, as you can tell already. Very intelligent, bang-on. I just exploded and was like, “This is incredible.” It opened my mind to things. Likewise, Catherine, different side, “Here's a creative that thinks differently about the industry and is dissatisfied and doesn't just want to be a designer,” all those sorts of things. It was literally a meeting of the minds. It was happenstance. It was one of those magic moments in your life that is transformational. And I mean that in the biggest sense of the word “transformational.” Then we built the business from there and basically shared thoughts and insights. We started in the East Village because that's where we lived. As your audience will know, running an agency is a 24/7/365 job. We had babies at the time, or babies to come, so we wanted to stay close to our families. The human side, as Catherine touched upon, is super important to us, and recognizing that and trying to make it work for people. By the way, Catherine, jump in at any time. You've heard this story a thousand times. You don't need to hear me warbling on. CATHERINE: But you tell it so romantically. It's amazing. [laughter] I think what Paul's saying is incredible because we ended up having two girls, two boys, they were the same ages, they all went to school together. It became kind of like a family thing. The company never felt like a family business, but there was definitely a sense of community. We were very proud to have an office open on E 11th Street between A and 1st back in 1999. It was a complete scary neighborhood, and we were like, “This is where we live. We love it. We're doing it.” Our clients were a little freaked out at first, and then as soon as they got into our office, or past the front door, they were like, “This is awesome. I feel energized. I feel like I'm part of something.” I think we really stuck to who we were, and that's carried us all the way through. Then we ended up in various spaces on the same block. We couldn't really expand the space. At one point we had an apartment, we had a storefront, we had a studio, all literally on the same block. We called it our little village. That's how we grew. We started with some big clients that I'd inherited from my previous employer, Unilever – that then turned into Mars that then turned into other companies – just literally following people around. So we started really having what I would call big clients right from the get-go, and then over time actually had to work to try to get smaller clients – which is the opposite of maybe the journey a lot of other agencies take. They start with the smallest startups and then make their way up. We started literally with the big corporations and had to make an effort to go and acquire startups or mid-size companies that are actually really important to work with also, because they keep you nimble, they keep you fresh, they keep you entrepreneurial, and you have a higher chance of getting stuff out the door and published and all of those things. But it's been definitely a very organic journey for us. PAUL: Yeah. And it's not being afraid to evolve, I think. It's interesting because even after 21 years, we'll stop and do a brand refresh or want to choose our narrative or whatever it is, and we go back to those original core tenets, those values. Maybe the language around them changes, but the essence of those things, what we believe in, is still really true to who we are – this idea of being original, this idea of evolving and problem-solving and going with the times, this idea of having an optimistic outlook, because you have to in order to keep in business and keep going. The idea of community, the idea of taking care of people, nurturing people. Those things were baked in from the start. They weren't things that we made up. They're just true to who we are as people. I think that's something, if any of your audience are new business owners as well, really doubling down on what you believe in and your values and being brave and sticking to them. When you start off, you're a bit insecure. You think you need to be something else than you actually are. We had that, right, Catherine? We said, “Oh, we need to be like this agency,” and in the end it took a couple of years to be like, “No, people are buying ClarkMcDowall. They're not buying the other agency.” Then it was like, “Oh, we are who we are.” You embrace it more and you really go with it. That quirky little storefront we used to have or whatever it might be, it becomes part of you, and then that's what you build upon. ROB: It's really a key point. Maybe since you've made it through 21 years and probably continue to actually refine your authenticity – sometimes you think about building up layers; it seems like it's almost the opposite sometimes. It's peeling away the layers of what people made you think you were supposed to be and finding who you can authentically be. How have you figured some of those moments out? Because it's really, really hard when you think about the expectations that people have upon you when you say, “This is us, this is what we do. We're in the market.” CATHERINE: There's something about knowing your values. I think it was helpful that Paul and I met as people and shared values, so it's easy for us to return to, if you like, as opposed to maybe people meeting through a business lens. We just genuinely wanted to do work together and respected each other's ways of thinking. So there's a human side. I will say the tension comes when you want to change. For example, when 2020 hit, we were really quick to say – I think it was like April or something, a month or two after lockdown – “You know what? Just go hybrid and start building it. Whatever that means, we'll define as we go, but let's commit to that.” So we've changed in the last year and a half probably more ways of working than we've ever changed. Basically moving everything to Google, using different systems, different ways of working, having maybe 25% of the company remote. But somehow, I feel like we're even truer to ourselves in our values. We've really doubled down on the way that we treat people, the way that we integrate into our community, some of the pro bono stuff that we're doing. So there's this weird thing that the more you innovate, in a way, the easier it is to be true to yourself. You have to change a lot in order to really notice that anchor that you have. ROB: Have you hired in a particular secondary location, or has it really been anywhere, everywhere, or maybe just North American time zones? What's the range? CATHERINE: We're in North American time zones. We have had some team members go abroad for a month or so, and that's fine, as long as it doesn't exceed let's say the 5- or 6-hour time range. But in general, it's across the U.S. We have some people on the West Coast, which is great because we have some business over there as well. But there are some other people in places where we don't have clients. What we're noticing, though, is there's a fair amount of movement. Everybody's like, “Do I want to move?”, or they move and then they miss New York and they come back. I think what's been nice for people is that they've felt that they had the freedom to go and explore and not feel like, “I have to not move because we're going to have to go in the office next month” or something. We've allowed people to also discover what works best for them, and I think it's going to take a while to settle, because we're still in this very unexpected, volatile time. The more we allow people to try to find their own rhythm and their own environment, the more we're able to retain them and get the best out of them. That's our attitude. ROB: It's been an exciting opportunity. To your overall point, I think it can almost help when you're not trying to choose “Who's the best person we can find that wants to commute into the East Village?”, and instead you say, “Who's the best person that aligns to our values and needs who wants to work remotely?” It's a different question, and I think the numbers are bigger. The candidate pool is bigger. In our experience, at least, you can hire faster in a lot of cases. CATHERINE: Absolutely. We've also experimented with different hiring models, getting people on short-term contracts so that they're more willing to say, “I'm usually freelance, but I'm going to try to have this full-time experience for a period of time, but I'm not fully committed,” or people working part-time. I don't know that we've cracked the code yet, but we're very much in an open mindset around different ways to engage people, and that's been super successful for us. We've been able to attract people and retain people that maybe in the past it would've been like, they're not local, they don't want to work on these hours, and we might've passed them by. And actually, they've contributed tremendously to the business. PAUL: It's like constantly learning. Same with the space as well, like Catherine said. We gave up our lease. The timing worked out. We've got other pals who are big agencies who are locked into leases and they're like, “Gosh, what do I do with this now?” I guess we were in a fortunate position of being able to give that up, which means that we can experiment and we can learn and beta test. We keep saying we could never imagine – if you were to create an office from the get-go, there's no way you would put people in desks side by side, 9:00 to 6:00. You just wouldn't build it that way. So we're thinking about if and when we have the space – don't even want to call it an office, but what would that space be? What's its role, what's its function? How do we design around people? How do we design around the team? How do we design around people's lives? Because it's not just about work. It's not a transaction. I think work can often become, or has been in the past, a transactional relationship. We want to make it much more integrated and thoughtful in that sense. So that's the sort of experimentation. Do we have the answers? No, not at all. The same way Catherine said we don't have the answers on the hiring. But we're super open. We're not afraid of testing things, and we're not trying to be rigid because “That's the way it was.” It's, “What could it be?” And then we'll try to figure that out. ROB: It's fascinating that you were able after 20 years to hold the office lease even somewhat loosely. But I'm sure maybe because you've moved around so much, it's been possible to recognize that there will always be someone who will let you sign a lease when you show up with a signature in hand. But this moment is unique in what you can learn from it. We talked a little bit about some other lessons along the way around peeling those layers back, but Catherine and Paul, what are some other key lessons you'd say you've learned along the way that if you were rewinding 21 years, you'd tell yourself to consider doing differently on this journey? CATHERINE: Maybe I won't answer fully the doing things differently, but one thing that has been a big thing is how much brands have changed and how much our clients' needs have changed. For a long time – I would say for at least 10-15 years – I remember we used to do some work for a client, a big corporation, and you'd be educating them on this innovation process. They'd never done it before. Then six months later, you work with somebody else in the same company and they also don't know anything. The years would go by. I'm like, when are they going to figure out that they keep learning the same stuff? And suddenly, all of a sudden, I would say maybe five to six years ago, we started to see a shift where a lot of our clients became very sophisticated. They in-housed a lot more things, and all this stuff that we tended to have to educate them on, they know. What it means is you really have to make sure that you're adding value on top of what is basic 101 for everybody now. So the level of sophistication has really increased in the industry – which is great, actually. Different agencies are going to bring different things. For us, it's really about joining the dots. I think having a company that's owned both by somebody that comes from a creative background as well as someone who's coming from a business and strategy background has meant that we've created this culture where one doesn't trump the other. We don't have a design-led culture where strategists are post-rationalizing, or the opposite. That confluence of thinking, of different minds, is really, really rich. We find that harder to replicate in-house for clients just because they're not built that way. They're coming from a business perspective. So we're able to maybe crack things, join dots between things in ways that really add value, and we understand that process really well. But every agency is going to need to be finding how they add value over and above clients being much more educated. So if you ask me what we would do differently, I don't know if I have an answer to that other than just keep staying ahead and making sure that we're always attuned to what our clients really need and where the gaps are for them. PAUL: Yeah. I think about doing differently, maybe things to avoid is avoid limitations. Don't feel as though one has to behave and operate within a box. You can define that box yourself. I think there's more – well, not just you're able to do it; there's more need to do it, to really redefine what those parameters are. I think that is super important, whether you want to call it evolution or whatever it might be. And not just talking about services. That's a part of it, but how you do business is really important as well. And then going back to the transactional nature of business – and we see it with other agencies. I know great agencies. I'm not going to name anybody. They do fantastic work. But what we hear is they're still in a transaction with those folks. They have slots, they have people, they do the job, they go, they quit, they stay, whatever it is. They do great work. We believe that's really shifting and it's really putting the human being first. You need to craft a different kind of relationship with the folks that work for you and work with you, and putting those at the center, and then how do we build around those needs and how do we support those needs? Because if they're doing well and they're feeling fulfilled and they're feeling really good and energized, then your work product, what you do, your clients and your experience, is better as well. I think that's how we think about our business tool. ROB: It's healthy. Definitely, as you get the team in there and aligned, it really lightens the load as well as they become more capable. You don't have to always fill every hat that you've been wearing since the year 2000 or 1999. CATHERINE: Yes, that's definitely – and that's probably been our biggest challenge, getting to a team that is really empowered and that works well together. I look back over the years; we've had incredible talent, but it takes a lot of time and effort to get to a place where you can look at your leadership team and the rest of your talent pool and go, “Whoa, what an amazing bunch of people, and they work really well together.” Actually, we have an all-female leadership team at the moment, which is amazing, and they're really empowered. We have a Head of Client Services, a Head of Creative, a Head of Strategy, a Head of Operations, and a Head of Growth, and they have incredible relationships with each other. A number of those people have been with us a long time and some of them are newer. I think what's been really amazing is exactly what you just said, finding ourselves not having to wear absolutely every hat every day. I think when you do that for too long, it's hard to have big ideas when you're running around basically taking care of millions of different things. As an agency owner, allowing a team to grow under you that can really take some of the responsibility and ownership is huge. I think Paul and I spent a good 10 years running around like headless chickens. [laughter] Suddenly we hit a wall and it's like, “We have to have a reorg,” all these kinds of things that we had to do 10 years ago. But we've really managed to build this incredible team under us, which enables us to do things like this and reflect and think about where we want to take the business. PAUL: It's an old adage, but hiring people that are really good at what they do and in certain things are better at you. There are certain disciplines where I'm happy to hand that over because you're really good at that thing, and you're going to make us better and up our game. Advice to anyone starting a new business is don't be afraid of that. As business owners, your ego – you say, “Oh my God, I've got to be the best at absolutely every single little thing.” You can't. Nobody's that good. Nobody can do that. A lot of it is just trust and support and letting those people do what they do, and letting them shine as best they can. Like Catherine said, we have an awesome leadership team as well, a bunch of very intelligent, motivated, lovely human beings that I think have really helped us think about our business and move our business forward about the way we do things. Right, Catherine? And brought ideas to the table that we said, “Wow, we never thought of that” or “That really helps,” or building on ideas that we have and going with it. We call it “yes, and-ing.” That really energizes you, and it pushes us all forward. It's exciting when that happens. You get off one of those calls, those sessions, like “We just did something really good. I feel as though we've made steps forward here. I feel really good about this.” Those are great moments. ROB: Gosh, all sorts of lessons in there. I'm grateful to have you both on the podcast here. Paul, Catherine, when folks want to get in touch with you and when they want to connect with the firm, ClarkMcDowall, where should they go to find you? PAUL: If you go to our website, clarkmcdowall.com – that's “McDowall” with an “A,” not an “E” – you'll have contact details there if you want to get in touch, for talent. And then there's also LinkedIn as well. We're happy to connect with people. ROB: That's excellent. Paul McDowall, Catherine Clark, congratulations on what you've accomplished together, at the meeting of the minds known as ClarkMcDowall. Thank you for sharing your journey, and I wish you all the best moving forward with this new hybrid adventure as well. CATHERINE: Thank you for having us. It was a great conversation. We also appreciate the forum that you have for other agency owners and talents to hear about agencies and get a little bit of an insight into the underbelly of these different companies. Really appreciate that focus on the industry. PAUL: Totally agree. Thank you so much. ROB: That's wonderful. We all need each other. Thank you, and be well. CATHERINE: Take care. PAUL: Awesome. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye. CATHERINE: Bye. ROB: Bye. Thank you for listening. The Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast is presented by Converge. Converge helps digital marketing agencies and brands automate their reporting so they can be more profitable, accurate, and responsive. To learn more about how Converge can automate your marketing reporting, email info@convergehq.com, or visit us on the web at convergehq.com.

This week, we’re joined by Brandon Schwartz and Lawrence Cisneros, the co-founders of DRNXMYTH, a brand of ready-to-pour fresh cocktails whose proprietary bottle and ultra-high quality ingredients have made its products among the most unique -- and sought after -- offerings in the spirits industry. Amid a rapidly expanding market for ready-to-drink cocktails, DRNXMYTH has differentiated itself via an innovative package that keeps the spirit and a cold-pressed juice-based mixer separate until the time of consumption. A twist of the bottle and a quick shake and the result is a fresh craft cocktail. DRNXMYTH made its official debut in early 2020 and has since built a strong direct-to-consumer business among cocktail enthusiasts thirsting for high-quality offerings at a time when most bars around the country were shuttered.  In an interview included in this episode, Schwartz and Cisneros spoke about the origins of the brand and how they navigated a complex web of alcohol regulation, supplier partnerships and packaging technology to achieve their vision for the products. They also discussed how the pandemic impacted their go to market strategy and how they surrounded themselves with investors that understood the impact of technology within an emerging category. Show notes:  0:52: Remembering A Legend. Ray’s New Love. And, A Spirited Chat About New Products. -- The episode opened with a chat about Jacqui’s passion for Gaelic football, high school athletic endeavors and a few updates to Taste Radio. The hosts also shared remembrances of industry icon and Odwalla and Califia Farms founder Greg Steltenpohl, who passed away earlier this month. Later, they spoke about a new line of indulgent ice cream bars, buzzy cocktails and Spindrift’s foray into hard seltzer. 20:44: Interview: Brandon Schwartz & Lawrence Cisneros, Co-Founders, DRNXMYTH -- BevNET CEO John Craven sat down with Schwartz and Cisneros, who discussed their backgrounds in law and consumer products, the inspiration for the brand and how they identified white space for a super-premium bottle cocktail. They also discussed the lengthy timeline for developing DRNXMYTH’s bottle and operational strategy, convincing investors to buy into the concept before the package was commercially ready and why they aligned with bartenders and mixologists to create the recipes for and market the cocktails. Later, Schwartz and Cisneros talked about their innovation strategy and how they crafted a consumer experience, building DRNXMYTH’s direct-to-consumer platform and how investors perceive the opportunity for ready-to-drink cocktails. Brands in this episode: DRNXMYTH, Califia Farms, Odwalla, Nutpods, Kokomio, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Leilo, Deloce, Bomani, Intent Beverage, Mindright, Spirit & Co., Spindrift, Suja, Evolution Fresh

In this episode, we profiled the remarkable rise of Organifi in an interview with CEO Mae Steigler. Launched in 2014, Organifi is best known for its flagship powdered green juice and has quietly emerged as one of the leading direct-to-consumer brands in the nutritional supplement space, generating over $100 million in sales since its debut. The company is now setting its sights on the grocery channel, part of a growth strategy led by Steigler, who has been with Organifi since its launch and was promoted to CEO in January.  As part of our conversation, Steigler spoke about the origins of Organifi, the company’s impressive direct sales business and how she and her team crafted an effective consumer acquisition and retention strategy. She also discussed how Organifi scaled while being bootstrapped and taking in no outside capital and how daily huddles and employee empowerment are key to the company culture. Show notes:  0:42: Oatly’s ‘Super’ Gamble, Clubhouse Fatigue And Why We’re Talking About Leggs -- The hosts discussed Oatly’s admired/reviled Super Bowl ad, evaluated the usefulness of social media platform Clubhouse, encouraged entrepreneurs to join us for a “closeup” and riffed on a few new and notable products sent to the team over the past two weeks. 18:53: Interview: Mae Steigler, CEO, Organifi -- Taste Radio editor Ray Latif sat down with Steigler who spoke about how Organifi was born out of healthy lifestyle media platform Fitlife.tv, the reason that the company focused on powders and supplements and why direct-to-consumer (DTC) has been the brand’s primary sales channel. She also discussed the key components of an effective DTC strategy, why the company is now making retail sales a priority, the reasons that the company has avoided outside capital and how it has stayed under the radar within the food and beverage industry. Stiglier also spoke about her leadership style, how to cultivate efficient meetings and why the company takes a cautious approach to new hires. Brands in this episode: Organifi, Oatly, Harmless Harvest, Clearly Kombucha, Better Booch, Culture Pop, Flow Water, Kite, Skittles, Prevail Jerky, GT’s Living Foods, Big Easy Bucha, Magic Bullet, Suja, Blueprint Juice, Evolution Fresh

Denise Woodard, the founder and CEO of Partake Foods, is not shy about asking for advice. In an interview featured in this episode, she reflects on how guidance from other entrepreneurs has been a key part of her success in building a fast-growing packaged food brand. You might be surprised, however, that the counsel she most values comes from unsuccessful founders. “I think oftentimes when you’re company’s on a rocketship to success, it’s hard to remember the stuff that went wrong,” Woodard said. “But when you’ve lost your last dollar and put all your blood, sweat and tears into a company that didn’t work for whatever reason, you have really good advice about what not to do and what you wished you would have done.” A former executive with The Coca-Cola Co.’s Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) unit, Woodard founded Partake in 2016 after her infant daughter was diagnosed with severe food allergies. Frustrated with the lack of allergen-friendly food brands, she launched Partake with a line of cookies that are free from the eight major allergens, followed by a move into baking mixes. The brand, which sells its cookies at Target, Whole Foods and Sprouts stores nationwide, made waves in June of 2020 when it announced a $1 million seed round that was partly funded by Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners. Seven months later, Partake closed on a $4.8 million Series A round that included industry luminary John Foraker and music icon Rihanna.  It took a lot of heavy lifting, sacrifice and hearing the word ‘no’ dozens of times to get Partake where it is today, and as part of our interview, Woodard spoke about how her experience working with entrepreneurs while at Coca-Cola impacted the planning for and development of Partake, as well as how a boom in allergen-friendly brands has affected the brand’s growth and why leaning into retailer programs that support Black and female-owned companies has been critical. She also discussed why Partake was self-funded at launch, how she went from raising $5,000-$10,000 at a time to multi-million dollar, celebrity-led funding rounds, how the tragedy and social unrest of 2020 impacted Partake and why she sings the praises of a leadership coach. Show notes:  0:36: Celebrate Green Juice! But Did You Forget About Everything Bagel Ice Cream? Join The Club. -- The hosts chatted about waves of greens and green juice, a new ice cream product with a unique flavor and what they are learning about social media app Clubhouse. They also discussed new packaged food and beverages to hit the office, including better-for-you noodles, a “big” candy bar brand and non-alcoholic craft beer. 23:22: Interview: Denise Woodard, Founder/CEO, Partake Foods -- Taste Radio editor Ray Latif spoke with Woodard about her prompt email replies, her background as an entrepreneur, her transition from a beverage executive to a founder of a food brand and how she’s saved at least $250,000 in retailer fees. She also discussed how she was able to differentiate Partake from a growing set of competitors in the allergen-free space, how she determined her capital needs for launching the brand, staying focused after hearing rejection from investors, why data was a key asset in the company’s Series A round and why she doesn’t separate personal and professional responses to issues of racism and inequality. Later she explained why entrepreneurs should ask for specific versus general advice about building a business and why she views her employees as her “boss.” Brands in this episode: Partake Foods, Suja, Evolution Fresh, Your Super, Organifi, Jeni’s, Coolhaus, Ben & Jerry’s, Foodstirs, Zesty Z, Ayoba Foods, Belgian Boys, Nona Lim, Om Som, Banza, Daytrip, BrewDog, Athletic Brewing Co., De La Calle, immi, Gigantic Bar, Ugly Drinks, Milky Way, Hershey’s, Honest Tea, Zico, Once Upon A Farm

American’s obsession with health and wellness and grown exponentially over the last few years. And gone are the days of “hippy” organics. The influence of food culture shows and celebrities and San Francisco's technology industry has collided into a multi-billion-dollar world of better-for-you food and ingredient alternatives. As this part of the food industry grows and consumers continue to push manufacturers and retailers to mitigate impacts on the environment and better our health altogether, food technology is playing a huge role in meeting those needs.In this episode, Karen Huh, CEO of Joywell Foods, and I cover the gamut of food tech. From fundraising during COVID to consumer adoption and leadership management style, Karen brings her start-up experience and dedication to servant leadership to this exciting (and exploding) category.In this episode we learn:The Joywell Foods genesis backstory, its mission and long-term plans to reduce refined sugar consumption.Karen’s journey from Starbucks to Bulletproof to Joywell.Who’s open to adopting alternative sweeteners in manufacturing.The importance of developing a consistent brand experience.The impact of food tech on natural and Better-For-Your products.The impact COVID had on investment and capital raises.How fundraising and investment has changed for the food tech and natural food industries in the last 18 months.A little bit about Karen's personal obsession with RTD's and who she's watching.About Karen Huh:Karen Huh brings a deep background in consumer, brand, and products from 15 years in the food and beverage industry. Prior to Joywell Foods, Karen served as Vice President of Product and Brand Strategy at Bulletproof 360, a food and beverage brand, where she built the consumer strategy and product portfolio to support the Bulletproof lifestyle while scaling teams across R&D, brand, marketing and product development. Prior to Bulletproof, Karen was at Starbucks Coffee Company for nearly 11 years in a wide range of roles including coffee innovation, launch of RTD and packaged coffee in international markets, and the acquisition of Evolution Fresh. Before joining Starbucks, Karen was an investment professional at two tech-focused venture capital firms.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-huh-19b5/Show Resources: Joywell Foods - A food tech company focused on building new a new and exciting class of foods around the best tasting and healthiest sweeteners in the world. Bulletproof - a lifestyle brand that takes a science-based approach to nutrition and wellness. The original butter coffee brand. Bulletproof makes beverage, snacks and other health brands to help high performers hack their own biology to operate at peak performance. Starbucks - More than just great coffee. Starbucks in an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roasters reserves headquartered in Seattle, WA. As the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, Starbucks is seen to be the main representation of the United States’ second wave of coffee culture.Whole Foods -  an American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which exclusively sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A USDA Certified Organic grocer in the United States, the chain is popularly known for its organic selections. Beyond Meat - a Los Angeles-based producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company's initial products were launched in the United States in 2012. The company has products designed to emulate chicken, beef, and pork sausage. Impossible Foods - A company that develops plant-based substitutes for meat products. Founded in 2011, and headquartered in Redwood City, California, the company’s state aim is to give people the taste and nutritional benefits of meat without the negative health and environmental impacts associated with livestock products. Burger King - An American multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida and founding in 1953 as Insta-Burger King. Tech Crunch - [Article] Alternative protein raises $1.5 Billion in first 7 months of 2020 DRY - Welcome to DRY Botanical Bubbly! The non-alcoholic sparkling soda perfect for celebrating any occasion. Enjoyed on the rocks or in your favorite zero-proof cocktail. Episode Sponsor - Retail Voodoo: A branding firm building, growing and evolving brands in the food, beverage, wellness, and fitness industry. If your brand is in need of positioning, package design, or marketing activation, we’re here to help. You can find more information at www.retail-voodoo.com 

Learn more about BeBOLD Bars and use the special code 'HTM' for 25% off your first order!Support the show – and get on monthly advisory calls with Fabian (in groups for both creatives as well as entrepreneurs)Full Transcript:F Geyrhalter:Welcome to the show, Stacy.S Madison:Thank you so much for having me on.F Geyrhalter:Oh, absolutely. So, first off, you have no idea how thrilled I was when you accepted the invitation to be on my show. We met briefly at a summit last year, but while reading your Wikipedia page to prep for this podcast, I realized that our paths have already almost crossed in the past. Back when I ran my design studio in Santa Monica we shared our office with a company called Evolution Fresh before they moved-S Madison:Oh my God.F Geyrhalter:... to their factory. While at the same time, my small studio go into a larger agency, so I took over that whole space, and for a good 10 or so years I actually worked alongside Jimmy, Evolution's founder, on all of the designs of the brand up to the acquisition of Starbucks. So, you actually sat on the board of Evolution during that time, so we were already part of the same company and we didn't even know it.S Madison:That is so funny. You were like, "I was down in Santa Monica," and I'm like, oh my God, I hope I remember what he's talking about. But no, Evolution, yeah, definitely. Evolution, wonderful company. I was on the board. It sold to Starbucks, and that was really my first exposure to the whole juicing world, and as you know, I own a juice bar in Needham, Massachusetts, so that was just great experience, and I kind of fell in love with juicing. It was great, because I was kind of at a point in my life where I wasn't sure what I was going to do, and my juice bar here in Needham... It's not just a juice bar. We have lots of sandwiches and other things, but I kind of really found my passion project. So, it really kind of completed my life, and that's how I was introduced to it.F Geyrhalter:Oh, that's so good.S Madison:A great company.F Geyrhalter:Yeah, it's a great company, wonderful founder. We had a really, really good time.S Madison:Yep.F Geyrhalter:You are a celebrated entrepreneur. I know you don't want to say that about yourself, but I can say it about you, so here you go. Your first brand, which you have since sold, is now known by everyone, at least here in the US, Stacy's Pita Chips. They're a healthy and, may I say, addictive chips brand, which is loved by so many. Even though we will focus on your shiny, new brand, BeBOLD Bars, on today's show, please do entertain me and my audience with a quick story about that accidental brand creation that is Stacy's. I mean, it all started with day-old pita bread, correct?S Madison:Sort of yes and no. It was back in the 1990s, and it was my boyfriend at the time. He and I were... We had lived out of state, and then we moved back to Massachusetts. We didn't have jobs yet, or money, or anything. We ended up buying a food car, and we converted it into a sandwich cart, and we sold sandwiches made on pita bread. When you're running a sandwich place you can run out of tomatoes, you can run out of alfalfa, sprouts. You can run out of cucumbers, but if you run out of bread and that's all you're serving your sandwiches on, then you're closed. So, we always had to over-purchase. We had to have an excess inventory of all of this bread. So, at the end of the day we baked the bread into pita chips that we flavored, and we handed them out the next day for free, kind of as a thank-you to our customers for waiting in line.S Madison:That was kind of our first... Where they first started. Ultimately, we had to make a decision along our path whether we were going to have an indoor location... It was called Stacy's Delights, the sandwich place, so whether we were going to save enough money and try to get an indoor spot, or whether we were going to follow the path of the pita chips. Ultimately, we chose the pita chip pathway, and we kind of hoped it would have grown into a modest regional business, but with the expansion of the natural food business, everybody was like, "Oh, to be a natural food you have to have cane sugar and not regular sugar," and this, that. There were all these guidelines, and we were like, those guidelines? We're like, that's how we always made them. We just obviously fell into that category, and with a combination of a great product and two people that were overachievers with a lot of perseverance, that's kind of how the pita chip company was born.F Geyrhalter:That's so great. Stacy's is one of a few brands that is synonymous with the founder's first name, which I believe is tough to pull off at scale. I mean, how weird was it to sell Stacy's, a brand that carries your name, to Pepsi? I mean, it's a huge achievement, right, but from a naming perspective, did you feel like you were losing a little piece of you and you should have just named the chips, I don't know, BeBOLD Pitas?S Madison:You know, it's really... I love the fact that my name is on the bag, because when you're building a brand, trust is such a big factor, and it really kept me connected with the brand. So, it was important that people trusted it, and I think that as we did trade shows and as we got out in the industry that people understood what we were all about.F Geyrhalter:Yeah, no, absolutely. I heard you say on another podcast... I don't know which one it was, but you talked about that one day you saw a woman putting all of these Stacy's chip bags into her cart in the market, and then you approached her and you're like, "Hey, these are mine," and she's like, "No, those are mine."S Madison:Yeah. I'm like, "These are my chips," and she goes, "No, those are my chips," and she kind of gave me this weird look, like get away from my cart, you weirdo. Then, after that, I was like, oh, I got to be more careful. But you know what's funny... So, I'll tell you another funny story. Not to get sidetracked, but I'll tell you another funny story. We were doing the breast cancer walk, and it's something that we did in Boston, we've done in Boston. I mean, I've done it for more than 30 years. We were out by the Charles, it was five miles long, and we had just started the pita chip company, and as a company we brought everybody down there, and everybody did the walk together, and when we were walking along the Charles we saw, on the ground, an empty bag of pita chips.S Madison:Mark, my business partner, he and I looked at it and we stood over it, and it wasn't a bag of Frito, and it wasn't a bag of something else, it was actually a bag of Stacy's. We were like, wow, this is our first piece of litter. Then, we stood there, and Mark's like, "Well, we should pick it up," and I'm like, "Oh, I don't know. There's 30,000 people walking through here. This could be really good branding." So, we kind of went back and forth and we joked about it, and we're like, "Do we leave it here? Do we pick it up?" We ended up picking it up and framing it and putting it in the factory as our first piece of litter.F Geyrhalter:That is so great. That's really great.S Madison:It was funny.F Geyrhalter:Yeah, absolutely. I had another founder on this show whose food product is named after herself, Jeni, of Jeni's Ice Cream, who I believe-S Madison:Yes, I've met her too.F Geyrhalter:Of course, naturally.S Madison:She's beautiful.F Geyrhalter:Naturally, right? But let's talk about a different ice cream brand for a second, Hakuna Brands. Now, that is the brand that won Stacy's Rise Project. Tell us about how Rise came up and how Stacy's turned into a brand that empowers women entrepreneurs, or if this is solely Pepsi carrying on your legacy. I don't know how much you actually had to do with that, but it seems like it has your personal footprint all over it.S Madison:So, yes and yes. It is Pepsi carrying on the legacy, and although I'm not involved with the brand anymore, I still... They called me up last year... Or, two years ago, actually, and said, "Do you want to be involved in this?" And they told me about it, and I was like, "Oh my God, this is so on par with what the brand is about, and if I were there, the kind of thing that I would be doing." I just loved the program, so yeah, anytime they have that Stacy's Rise going on and I can help, I am 100% there. People are like, oh, they might think, oh, she's getting paid for that, or this, that, and that is like, no way. It's just such a great program that I'm in it wholeheartedly just for the benefit of all that that program can do to help women entrepreneurs get ahead.F Geyrhalter:Right, and that's what it does. It supports women entrepreneurs, food entrepreneurs to become the next big brand, and I think it's so interesting because you... When suddenly everyone wanted to buy Stacy's Chips, not customers, but actual brands taking over Stacy's, they were literally... Suddenly, you got a lot of calls of companies being interested to acquire your company, and I believe you didn't even take the highest bidder. You actually went with Pepsi, which wasn't the highest bidder, but it was the one where, surprising to, I'm sure, a lot of people listening, because Pepsi seems like such a conglomerate and Frito-Lay seems so different from Stacy's, because you felt like they would actually carry on the legacy the best. It seems like that actually really seems to work out with projects like the Rise Project. So, that's really amazing.S Madison:You really did your homework, didn't you?F Geyrhalter:Well, thank you.S Madison:You even read Wikipedia. I don't think I've done. I'm going to hang up and I'm going to go do that.F Geyrhalter:No, Stacy, I'm actually outside your house.S Madison:I know, where are you? You did your homework.F Geyrhalter:It's so funny. I think this is one of the episodes that I had the least amount of time to prep for, so I guess I absorbed the right amount, so thank you.S Madison:Well, you and me both.F Geyrhalter:Great, great. It really shows, right, and that is really... It's nice to see how the brand now, after that many years, is carrying on your legacy; it's really beautiful. This is a selfish question coming up, as I will be on the panel discussion next week at the Social Enterprise Conference in Boston, which is your hometown. I will be at Harvard, and it's going to be a panel about the politics of corporate citizenship, and I saw that Hillary Clinton endorsed the Rise Project. Not only you, but also Hillary, right, and boy, did Facebook explode with messages of support, as well as backlash.F Geyrhalter:So, when Stacy's Pita Chips, the company, put Hillary Clinton's endorsement on their Facebook, which you may or may not be aware of, but people just went crazy. People said, "I thought I liked Stacy's. Why would they want Hillary Clinton's endorsement? She's a disgrace to women." All the way to rather hilarious statements by a Trump supporter, who wrote, "Trump has done a lot more to empower women around the world than just writing a letter in support. Actions speak louder than words."F Geyrhalter:Wow, that's crazy stuff, right? Happens when you start getting into politics, even though it was just an endorsement letter by an important female leader for a project that helps female entrepreneurs. But I want to know... Now that I understand you are not involved with Stacy's on a day to day level, but how do you see the fine line, you yourself, with politics and brands taking a stance in 2020? Does BeBOLD take a stance? I mean, it is kind of in the brand, the idea of being bold, right? How do you go about politics and your brand?S Madison:Oh my God, I love this question. So, number one, I did not know that Hillary supported or endorsed or whatever, or gave us a nice mention about the Stacy's Rise program, and as far as I'm concerned, that is not a political thing, that is a... Listen, she went to Wellesley College. She is an extremely smart woman, and whether you liked her in politics or not, she has really risen just as a female just in general. I don't know her as a person, I've never met her, but I just assume that she's smart. Whether or not I voted for her, whether or not somebody else did has absolutely no effect on the quality of what I will say is my product or what I'll say is Pepsi's program for helping women.S Madison:What I say to the people who had something negative to say about that is that they're kind of missing the point, that we are just all women and we are all in the same bucket. We are all trying to help women rise, so we got to kind of get past that political point of it. That's number one. I am flattered that she did say something. Number two, the political environment right now is one of... I think of my kids, okay. Let me back up. I think of my children, and forget politics; forget the political environment. Just the environment that they are growing up in, some of the things that they have said... They're now 16 years old, two girls. Some of the things that they've said, even as far as, "Well, why would I have kids and bring them into this world? Do you know what environment, environment-environment, is going to be like by the time I have children?" And asking me questions like that, and I'm like, oh my God, and it's just heartbreaking.S Madison:Another comment that one of them said once was about school shootings, and, "Well, nobody cares that people go into a school and kids get shot." I'm like, oh my God. They're like, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it," and I'm like, oh. Comments like that, these are... This is what they're growing up in, and at their school they recently had a lockdown, just because some kid said something in the hallway, and it scared the piss out of the kids, out of the parents, out of the... As a parent raising children in this environment, you have... For me, I was... I am and I was dysfunctionally upset. I never pictured myself going back into the industry. I have always, over the years, for 10 years, just stayed on the periphery of the natural food business, I go to a trade show once a year, I'd sit on a board. That was just it. I never pictured this quote unquote serial entrepreneur going back into the business, because that's not...S Madison:I said, "You know what, I took all my risk in life and I don't need to do this again," and with this atmosphere that my kids are growing up in, and with myself, I look at myself and I say, "Well, you know what? I have a skill and I know what I'm doing, and I feel like I kind of have to step up so that not only do my girls see that yes, there's something that we can do, but to help the whole female entrepreneur environment." So, you know what? This is me, this is what I know how to do. I can do this, and I'm going back into it, and I am going balls to the walls, if I can say that, to get this product out there and kind of do it again, just because I can, and that's kind of my way to get a grip on the whole situation of this atmosphere, where the kids and where people are growing up. I'm sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.F Geyrhalter:I love having you on the soapbox. Thank you for stepping up. I appreciate it.S Madison:Oh, it's just so frustrated, and I am... It's not a political thing, it's just... Look, everybody just take a fucking step back and look at your children, and you can believe that, whatever. But you know what I'm saying.F Geyrhalter:No, totally, totally, and I'm so there with you, and I can't wait to be on my soapbox at Harvard to talk about this too, because I'm very much of your opinion, and that idea of what is politics, what is common sense, and what is just the best for the next generation? I mean, there should be no politics involved. It's not about politics. A school shooting is not about politics, right? A brand taking a stance to support a good cause is not politics, and I think that's a huge, huge problem that we, as people, and even more so as brands, have to really figure out, because I think that it is, in a way, a responsibility of brands to speak up, because a brand has a huge influence. It's a fascinating topic. I still have a-S Madison:Yeah, and you know what? It is about inclusion, it's about being humanistic. Just the reality of that situation, and everybody needs to take a step back, and we with BeBOLD are... What's behind that, other than a great bar and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, is that just sharing the optimism. There are so many people out there that just are positive people and are... If we all just kind of get together and make ourselves stronger and louder and embrace others, that kind of, "Hey, look, that looks like fun, let's come along," then I think that that's going to just be more than the negativity. That's my hope and that's kind of some of the bold part of what we're doing.F Geyrhalter:That's exactly something that I wanted to ask, is how did the BeBOLD name come about, and how is BeBOLD bold?S Madison:How is BeBOLD bold? So, you will find out as we start to get it more into the market, but initially, we went through so many different names to try to name the bar, but one day I was looking at not just my kids, but just in general, they were just starting high school at the time, and one of my girls decided to join a ski team, and they're really... She had just started the school and she had just started, and she didn't know how good the other skiers were. It was 90% boys that she didn't know, and some of the girls that were on the team were upperclassmen and they were probably better skiers than her, and I'm just like, "You know what? Listen, you go for one week and you give it a try, and see how it goes first before you decide yes or no that you're going to do this."S Madison:And she did. She walked into the room, she went on the trips, and sure enough, she did a whole semester of ski team and she did great and she loved it. But then I asked myself... Same thing with my niece. My niece started the high school from a private school, didn't know anybody. Moves like that that we forget as adults, to have that courage and to do that, and so when I'm asked about the word bold, I was thinking if you be yourself outside of your comfort zone, little by little, and do it again. We challenge ourselves the exact same way as kids in any grade challenge themselves. They do it, and we just assume they should do it. As adults, we don't do that anymore. So, I though, you know what? This works. So, [crosstalk 00:21:47].F Geyrhalter:It's super interesting, Stacy, because in a way, it seems to me... Also, besides your amazing successes, you had a lot of hardships in your life, right? I mean, there was a divorce, there was a fire at the plant. You overcame breast cancer and an autoimmune disease. And it seems to me that BeBOLD is synonymous with that powering through attitude, with that fist in the air, I can do this attitude, which now you're talking about your daughters and how you're trying to instill that into them. It seems like BeBOLD is a really personal brand now, even though it does not wear your name on its sleeves.S Madison:Right. Listen, with my other daughter, she's been doing cheerleading, she wanted to do cheerleading. She worked a year and learned how to do a roundoff back handspring. She doesn't have a gymnastic background. She's taller than I am, which puts her taller than 5'8". It was not an easy thing to learn, but she did it, and being bold isn't necessarily jumping out of an airplane. It could be something like, hey, you set a goal for yourself and you did it. Or, it could be you've set a goal to do something with your kids and you made that happen. Or, maybe your New Year's resolution is you're going to put away your laptop at seven o'clock p.m. every single night, and you did that. Stuff like that, that's all part of being bold, and we have a hashtag #whatsyourbold kind of campaign coming out, and we want to recognize those things, that everybody has their bold.F Geyrhalter:How far are you into the BeBOLD brand launch? Is it out there? Can people buy the bars at this point? Are you just wrapping up to it?S Madison:Yeah, so we are in Publix down in the southeast. We're in the Midwest in Myers. We are soon to be... Within the next couple months we're going to be in Shaw's and Stop & Shop up in the northeast. Of course, I have them at my juice bar, and I'm happy to sell them to any other juice bars or coffee shops, or things like that, because we love the independent accounts as well. But that is where our start has come from, so...F Geyrhalter:Yeah. No, totally, so this is a... It's much more grassroots, it's much more... It's really startup, right? It's interesting for you, coming from Stacy's and seeing it grow to a brand that was worth $65 million when you sold it, to be back in the startup world. It is a startup, in a way.S Madison:It's a total startup, and you know what's funny? People are like, well, you've already done it once and you know how to do it, and I'm kind of feeling... I don't know what the... So, I do a little bit know what I'm doing, but in some areas I just don't know. Look, in 1997 there was no such thing as a podcast.F Geyrhalter:Yeah, crazy, right? Yeah.S Madison:Right? And Instagram. I have my personal Instagram and I have the BeBOLD Instagram, and I have to get other people to show me how to maneuver it. It's almost like you... It's like the nature of the beast, and you have to have this, and you have to have that, and I'm like, why? We didn't have that. But now I'm kind of starting to see the value in all of that, and I'm just like, oh my God. I'm learning all over again.F Geyrhalter:Right, right, but there must have been a lot of brand mishaps that you went through with Stacy's, I mean, naturally, through the whole time.S Madison:Oh, yeah.F Geyrhalter:That I'm sure are extremely important for people not to step into... I mean, from naming to packaging to design to positioning, I mean, there must have been an immense amount of knowledge that you gained throughout raising your first brand to be that crazy, $65 million brand. Were there any brand mishaps that-S Madison:Oh my God.F Geyrhalter:... were just totally crazy, and now you're like, okay, this is something that we're definitely going to do differently this time?S Madison:Oh my God, that's so funny, because... So, we designed this bag, where kind of the words had angles, the chips had angles, and it was kind of chippy, the whole bag. So, we designed this bag and it said Stacy's Pita Chips. Big, Pita Chips, right on the front, because people didn't know who Stacy's was, and they didn't know what a pita chip was, so we felt first and foremost we had to write pita chips large so that people knew what was in this bag, because nobody would know if it was just Stacy's.S Madison:So, until we had a brand identity, then we kind of made pita chips smaller, and Stacy's larger, and that's kind of how the brand grew from a branding standpoint. But when we first started we had that pita chips really large, and on our first bag we put the P a little too close to the I, and it looked like... It you stepped back three feet from the shelf, it looked like Rita Chips, and I'm like... People would call up, "I love your Rita Chips," and I'm like, oh my God, what did I do, and so I guess my lesson learned, you can't just design a bag looking at it on the table. You have to take a step back and pretend it's on the shelf.F Geyrhalter:I mean, that's so important. When we worked with Evolution that's what we did all the time. We actually created all of these labels, and we created those shelf talkers, as they call them, and all of these things, and we literally just went to Whole Foods over lunch break, and we just exchanged a bottle with that bottle, took a step back, walked around the aisle, and there was nothing in there; there was no juice. So, we just hoped no one else would see it, and we kind of took a picture, and I mean, it's so important to try things out.S Madison:I'm doing that with my bars now too.F Geyrhalter:Yeah, no, I know.S Madison:Trust me, I did that. I would never make that mistake again.F Geyrhalter:Were there any moments with Stacy's where you had data, where you had early customer data, and it said, well, you should, I don't know, have a new flavor, or the chips should be bigger, or they should be crunchier, or the packages should be larger, smaller? Did you just totally neglect it and say, "Oh, well, great. Thank you for the data, but I'm going to go completely with my instinct."S Madison:Okay, so we never had any data. We never purchased data.F Geyrhalter:We're talking '90s.S Madison:Yeah, we never did that, and even if we did we couldn't afford it. So, our data was our connection to our customers. We had the pita chip hotline. If somebody called us, we would record... I mean, I guess it is data, but we would write down everything, just even on post-it notes, where somebody called and said, "Oh, I got your chips. I mean, they taste really good, but they're so crumbled, they're all broken." Then, all of a sudden, we would get all of these... We would see that when customers would call up that we would be getting all these broken chip complaints. Granted, now that they're owned by Pepsi, you don't get broken chips, because they have engineers that are really good, and it was the first thing that they were able to solve for.S Madison:But our customer service was always great. People would call up, we got some broken chips, we're like, "Well, you know what? Let me mail you some more. Thank you so much for loving them enough that you cared enough to call, and that means so much to us." Then, we wouldn't send them a coupon, we wouldn't send them... We would send them chips, and we would then follow up and say, "Well, how is this bag? Is it better? It went through the regular postal service. We just wanted to check in." Eventually, we put a recipe for stuffing or...F Geyrhalter:How to fix your broken chips.S Madison:How to fix your broken chips. We talked about launching a stuffing, because we're like, maybe we could take all the broken pieces and make stuffing, or...F Geyrhalter:That's really smart, yeah.S Madison:We had some recipes for Pesto Parmesan-Encrusted Chicken, which I must say came out really delicious when you use all the stuff at the bottom of the bag, but-F Geyrhalter:Oh, I'm sure. Yeah, it's really smart.S Madison:But we had to solve for that, and it wasn't that we went out and we bought data, we just really listened to our customers. Another one was we... Someone would call and say, "I love these chips, my grandmother loves these chips, but I bring them over to my grandmother's house and she cannot get the bag open." Then, the guy says, "But she really loves them, so I went out and I bought her a new scissors just for her pita chip bags," and I was like, okay, we have to figure out how not to seal them so tight. So, that's a lot of the times how we would solve for things.F Geyrhalter:That's so great, and a lot of people would just not listen to all of that feedback. They would be like, ah, it's granny, whatever, right?S Madison:Yeah, it was a fluke, it was one bag.F Geyrhalter:Exactly.S Madison:But we were running so fast and so hard, and we took every comment very seriously, because look, if you have chips coming off the line, hundreds at a time, if one person called, you have to keep in your mind that that's probably at least 100 or hundreds of people that might have had the same problem before you realized it.F Geyrhalter:Totally, totally. Yeah, I published my first book, I think, eight years ago or something like that. I don't know what it is, maybe eight years, and I literally... Just on Instagram three days ago, someone pointed out that there's a word twice on the list of words. It's like a brand personality thing, and there's all these words that your brands can be. It's freaking 50 words, right, but there's... Confident is in the beginning, and confident is, again, on column three, and I'm like, this book has been out for eight years or so.S Madison:Eight years?F Geyrhalter:I mean, it's been selling really well, and this is the first person that actually mentions it, and to me, it's still mind-blowing, and back to what you just said, I guess maybe people don't care enough about my book to actually write me.S Madison:Oh, my gosh.F Geyrhalter:That's what I learned. But it is amazing.S Madison:You know what's funny? Another screw-up we had on our bag is that we wrote on the back that the pita chips were great with hummus, and apparently we spelled it with one M, not two Ms, and it's humus, H-U-M-U-S, which actually means dirt. It means dirt you get from the ground, and some woman called up. I mean, nobody noticed. It was out there forever.F Geyrhalter:That's amazing.S Madison:And nobody kind of realized, well, do you spell hummus with one M or two Ms, until some woman, it was a teacher or something, said, "Do you know that your pita chips are great with dirt?" And we're like, "What are you talking about?" She's like, "You spelled it wrong on the bag," and we were like, "Oh dear God."F Geyrhalter:That is so good, so good, and I mean, to your team's defense, I mean, back in the day hummus wasn't as big as it is now, so [crosstalk 00:33:16].S Madison:We looked it up and everything. We thought, technically, it was spelled either way, but I don't know, apparently in this country you can't.F Geyrhalter:Well, I guess you can spell it with one M. That's funny. So, now with BeBOLD, when did you start actively investing in branding? I mean, with the name, the packing, et cetera, do you now work with a consultant or with an agency, or is it all very, very bootstrap?S Madison:Nope. Well, yes and no. So, we worked with one of the design companies, that branding and design that we worked with the pita chip company more toward the end. So, after we sold and Ike was kind of there for a little while, there was a great company, Culver Brand Design, and the guys are great there, and they're very down-to-earth. We all just related very well, and so when I launched this company I ended up using them again, and they kind of get it. So, yeah, I mean, that...S Madison:But other than that, we really didn't have any other agencies that we started with. We didn't have a team of people that we hired on, and when it first started it was just my brother and I, and then my brother came to me and he said, "Look, do you really want to do this again and do it the same way as we started the pita chip company?" He's like, "Do you really want to be out and packing boxes and doing this, this?" He's like, "Let's do it different. Let's fund the company. If we were to fund the company, who would you have running it?" Not doing your job, but running it, being in charge of all of... Getting this out and contacting this one, and answering the emails, and doing this, and all those thousand things that somebody does all day long.S Madison:We both hands-down agreed that that was a woman that was at the pita chip company. Her name is Maren, she lives out in Chicago, and I said, "I'd pick Maren." He said, "I'd pick Maren." So, then we called up Maren, who's now working for a large company. I mean, she originally worked for Quaker, then she left that big company because she wanted to come to a small company. She came to Stacy's, then we sold to Pepsi. Pepsi owns Quaker. Then she ended up back at Quaker. She's gone through a number of large jobs, and she was recently at a different one, and we called her up, and we're like, "You want to come run a company for us?"S Madison:She's like, "Oh, God. Let me get back to you." We said, "Give it a week or two, talk to Brett, your husband, let's see what... " We get a call a week later, and she's like, "I've made my decision," and we're like, "What?" She said, "I'm going for it. Brett and I agreed. You know what? We're going to do it." So, when she quit her job to run BeBOLD, we were like, okay, that was for us, our first enlightening moment, like wow, this is now real.F Geyrhalter:Totally.S Madison:Then, we had a staff... Still, we only have a staff of... We have some interns and just a couple of people, one of which is my cousin, so it's like... But it becomes real when people start leaving their other jobs, and there's a sense of responsibility. There's an energy there when you surround yourself with people who have the same goal. There's a real energy, and it just kind of keeps you moving forward and gets you excited about it.F Geyrhalter:Yeah, and accountability and payroll and things like that, and that's very, very important. What does branding mean to you, Stacy?S Madison:So, like I said with... Initially having my name on the bag is a tremendous responsibility, because people are going to hold you personally accountable. So, I learned that at the inception of what became a very large company, and I feel like getting that same trust to be associated with your brand is what branding is all about. So, it's the same thing. Our mission with BeBOLD is really for... It's an amazing product and it's just clean, and for people to understand, well, when they buy BeBOLD, right now we have two places on the shelf.S Madison:We don't have a whole line of products or anything like that, but we just have two bars, an almond butter and a peanut butter, but you know what?When you eat one people will understand what we're all about, and just... We don't bake the bars or anything like that. They're in the refrigerated section of... The refrigerated yogurt section, and when people eat a bar they're going to see it's just a handful of ingredients, and all we do is mix, press, package, and chill. There's no boiled syrups, there's no adhesives, there is no backing, there's no... Nothing is processed about the bar.S Madison:We take the almond butter or the peanut butter and we mix it with oats and chia and nuts, and we even use Brazil nuts, and people are like, "Brazil nuts? Aren't those really expensive?" And I'm like, "Yeah, but you know what? Brazil nuts are delicious." For me, eating a bar and getting a bite of one of those big chunks of Brazil nuts is... That's kind of like a gustatorial surprise. So, people will get it, and I think that that will come across, and for me, that's kind of what the branding is all about.F Geyrhalter:No, absolutely, and trust is so important, trust and experience. I think that kind of sums it up. As we slowly come to the top of your hour, and I know you've got a call to catch, do you have any brand advice for founders as a takeaway? You've been going through so much. You're obviously, with the Rise Project, helping female entrepreneurs that want to follow your footsteps. Do you have any thoughts of what you can tell these women to actually create a brand?S Madison:God, I've worked with so many companies that I have seen that have great products, and they don't make it. On the flip side, I've seen so many products that are out there that have made it big, and you're like, oh God, how do people choke these things down? So, I think if you have a great product and you stick true to your product and integrity of that product, and then, at the same time, you have to figure out how am I going to commercialize this in a way that I can make enough money and not go out of business, and build that brand. I think that that brand comes from...S Madison:To grow that brand, it comes from making those everyday decisions, because when you're a small business you have to make every decision like it's your last, or like you're drowning. You can't just assume... Even if you have some private equity money come in, or venture money, or whatever, you have to be so careful the way that you spend that money, and you can act like a big company, but you can't spend like a big company. Even when we're launching BeBOLD, we're in a position where we could... We've properly financed the company, but it doesn't mean that we can participate in each and every promotion and advertisement and all of that, because we're just going to blow through money and not have anything left.S Madison:That is not how you're going to grow your company. You can't look at what do these big companies do and say, "Okay, well, I'm just going to do that, and if I just spend that money, my brand is going to be successful," because that's not the way it happens. You really have to... When it comes to those day to day decisions, those little ones are really, really important. So, when you build your brand, you have to kind of be careful of those day to day decisions, because those are the ones that could put you out of business. Getting involved in the wrong programs or programs that aren't equivalent to the level of the company that you're at and don't... You got to remember, you have to...S Madison:When you don't have money you have to get creative with how are you going to grow the business? How are you going to get people to try it? Not just to try it and feed the masses, but while you're feeding them, if they love it, how are you going to get them to remember it? That's the branding piece of it. So, if you're going out and you're sampling, think of am I sampling in front of a store that sells the product so people can go in and buy it, as compared to oh, there's an opportunity to sample here, and people will taste it. That was good. They throw the wrapper away, and then that's it.S Madison:So, even with Stacy's, when we went on... We sampled at a ski resort, and we gave away chips, people would eat it on the chairlift, they go, "Oh, those were so good." They'd get to the top, and they would throw the bag away. And I'd think to myself, well, now what are we going to do? How are they going to remember the name? How are they going to get them again? We branded from the time they get on to the time they get off the chairlift, and then it's gone. So, with every bag of chips we got a sticker.S Madison:You could put it on your pole, you could put it on your jacket, and it says Ski Simply Naked, and it had the website on it. Again, before socials and all this. So, everybody was skiing around with these Ski Simply Naked stickers on them, but that's the kind of thing. So, thinking beyond the I'm just going to sample as people get on the lift and get off the lift, and so the most important piece of branding is you got to think of branding as remembering, and how is whatever action you're taking going to get the people to remember your product?F Geyrhalter:Absolutely love that. It's such a great actionable example too. Wise words, wise words. Stacy, we're coming to an end. Listeners who fell in love with your brand, where can they find BeBOLD bars online right now to dive a little bit deeper?S Madison:So, you can go to... Our Instagram is, I guess, if I'm saying it right, it's @beboldbars, B-E-B-O-L-D-B-A-R-S. My personal one is stacybebold, which you won't see anything nearly as interesting, probably, as the other one. Our website is there, it's beboldbars.com, and even if we're not in stores, there's a place there where you can tell us what store you'd like to see them in, and then we will go ahead and we'll try to get into those stores. You can also order online, and we can give you a code too. We can do HTM, Hitting The Mark, or whatever you want your code to be. What do you want your code... Give me a code and we'll give it for your listeners.F Geyrhalter:The code is HTM.S Madison:Okay. So, you can go online and you can use code HTM and place an order, and you'll get a discount off of your first order, compliments of yourself.F Geyrhalter:Awesome. That's great. Thank you, Stacy. This was so, so informational. It was so much fun. There were so many insights. We're so appreciative of your time. Thank you for being here. Really appreciate you.S Madison:No, I'm flattered that you had me, and thank you so much for having me on.

Maslow's Hierarchy can be used in so many ways, and in this episode, J. and Zach look at a Bain study from the Harvard Business Review and discuss how it can apply to independent authors.Thanks to our newest Patrons: Whitney, Paul GeltmacherGet exclusive bonus content by supporting The Career Author Podcast on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thecareerauthorWant to work with us? Get the details at https://thecareerauthor.com/services/Links:Daily Greens - https://drinkdailygreens.com/Evolution Fresh - https://www.evolutionfresh.com/beverages/essential-greens-lime/The Elements of Value - https://hbr.org/2016/09/the-elements-of-value Reedsy Discover (use THECAREERAUTHOR discount code and save $10) - https://reedsy.com/discoveryTake our first annual listener survey by April 30th and be entered to win a stack of books on writing and craft. - https://thecareerauthor.com/survey/The Career Author - http://www.thecareerauthor.comThe Career Author YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmIYVcr1UdWgSvYpb3Ol3xgStoryLevels - http://www.storylevels.comMolten Universe Media - http://www.moltenuniversemedia.comEvents - https://thecareerauthor.com/events/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this special edition of Taste Radio, we feature highlights from interviews with a few of the leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs and who joined us on the podcast during the second half of 2018, including BodyArmor investor Kobe Bryant, Angie’s Boomchickapop co-founder Angie Bastian, “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmern, Blueprint founders Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss, America’s Test Kitchen/Milk Street creator Christopher Kimball, and AriZona Beverages co-founder and chairman Don Vultaggio. Show notes: 1:56: Interview: Angie Bastian, Co-Founder, Angie’s Boomchickapop -- We kick off the episode with Angie Bastian, who we featured in Ep. 126. Angie and her husband Dan launched Angie’s Boomchickapop in 2001 and it has evolved from a tiny operation selling kettle corn at farmers’ markets and fairs to an ubiquitous retail brand that was acquired last year by ConAgra Foods for $250 million. In the following clip, she spoke with NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg about why she believes in celebrating “the feminine with food,” and how that perspective played into a celebrated package revamp. 7:20: Interview: Christopher Kimball, Founder, Milk Street/America’s Test Kitchen -- Next up is Christopher Kimball, best known as the creator of television show “America’s Test Kitchen.” In 2015, Christopher, who also founded the magazines Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country, launched Milk Street, a company focused on instructional recipes and techniques inspired by global cuisine. In this clip, from Episode 124, he explained why he’s not a fan of the term “ethnic cooking” and shared his stance on trendy buzzwords in the food business. 13:26: Interview: Zoë Sakoutis & Erica Huss, Founders, Blueprint -- We continue with Zoë Sakoutis & Erica Huss, the founders of Blueprint, a brand that pioneered the packaged cold-pressed juice category and helped mainstream juice cleansing. In a clip from our wide-ranging interview, which we featured in Ep. 133, they explained how a phone call from former Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz accelerated BluePrint’s eventual sale to Hain Celestial. 19:58: Interview: Andrew Zimmern, Host/Co-Creator, “Bizarre Foods” -- From Blueprint to Bizarre Foods, the show, that is. Andrew Zimmern is the host and co-creator of the popular television series in which he has chowed down on stomach-churning foods like raw pig testicles, a frog’s beating heart and cobra penis. In an interview included in episode 127, Zimmern discussed the role of food as a cultural medium that unites people and why he has a bone to pick with the natural food industry. 25:22: Interview: Don Vultaggio, Co-Founder/Chairman, AriZona -- On to Don Vultaggio, co-founder and chairman of AriZona Beverages and, at height quite literally, a towering figure in the drinks industry. In this clip, pulled from Ep. 139, Don discussed the mindset of successful entrepreneurs, how the company has maintained its iconic 99 cent pricing model for 26 years and why running a business means handling all kinds of problems, even if it means mopping up blood. 30:05: Interview: Kobe Bryant, Investor, BodyArmor -- Last, but certainly not least, we have NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who is an investor in fast-growing sports drink brand BodyArmor and has an active role in its business and marketing strategy. As part of an interview featured in Ep. 137, Kobe explained how the same ambition that fueled his NBA career drives his passion for beverage. He noted that with co-founder Mike Repole leading the way, the insatiable desire to win permeates every aspect of the brand. Brands in this episode: Angie’s Boomchickapop, Blueprint, Starbucks, Evolution Fresh, AriZona Beverages, BodyArmor

BluePrint founders Zoë Sakoutis and Erica Huss admit they don’t drink as much juice as they used to. It may seem odd that the creators of BluePrint, which pioneered the packaged cold-pressed juice category and helped mainstream juice cleansing, have cut back on their consumption of fruit and vegetable blends. However, Sakoutis and Huss point out that since the launch of their brand in 2007, there’s been a dramatic increase in the amount of information that consumers have about nutrition and healthy foods. Cold-pressed juice and cleansing, which previously embodied the concept of nutrition for many consumers, are now just part of a larger conversation about wellness. “There are different ways to check that box now,” Sakoutis said in an interview included in this episode. “I think everyone is interested in the wellness space right now in a much larger way than they were. It was the spark of something and it was one of the few ways that people could engage. And now I think that there are simply more options, there are more ways to go about it.” That mindset is big reason behind the launch of Sakoutis and Huss’ latest venture, Highway to Well, a podcast focused on “the business of being well.” The show features entrepreneurs who operate in the health and wellness space and explores the trends, fads and triumphs of a rapidly evolving industry. Listen to our full-length conversation with Sakoutis and Huss, in which they shared BluePrint’s origin story, examine how the company navigated early wins and struggles, and how a voicemail left by former Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz factored into their decision to sell the company. They also reflect on learnings from their unsuccessful foray into the food space with Erzo, a brand of vitamin-infused biscuits, and explained how the podcast has provided a way to address some unfinished business. This episode is presented by Symrise Califormulations.   Show notes: 3:21: Interview: Zoë Sakoutis & Erica Huss, Founders, Blueprint -- As part of a wide-ranging interview recorded in New York City, BevNET Managing Editor Ray Latif spoke with Sakoutis and Huss about the launch of BluePrint and the early days of operating as a direct-to-consumer brand (Zipcars were key), how Tribeca moms ushered the brand’s debut in Whole Foods, the decision to incorporate high-pressure processing as a safety step, and BluePrint’s influential front of the label ingredient list. They also explain why Starbucks’ acquisition of Evolution Fresh accelerated BluePrint’s eventual sale to Hain Celestial and how their next venture, vitamin-enhanced food brand Erzo, was ahead of its time and folded the company prior to a chainwide activation at Target. Finally, they delve into why they got into the podcasting world with Highway to Well and their expectations for the show. Brands in this episode: BluePrint Organic, Suja, Erzo

While debate over the country's travel and immigration policies continues to dominate the news cycle, Christopher Kimball is thinking beyond borders. The founder of iconic cooking show “America’s Test Kitchen,” Kimball believes that all food has a cultural value with the potential to bypass walls and transcend politics. “You almost can experience a culture through the food,” he said in an interview included in this episode of Taste Radio. “There’s context around [a] recipe, and you learn a lot about the people. And nobody can stop that from coming across the border.” Exposure to global flavors and cooking techniques are rooted in the philosophy of Kimball’s latest venture, food media platform Milk Street. Founded in 2015, Milk Street, which produces a television show, magazine, website and podcast, expands upon Kimball’s long-held belief that -- with the right guidance and well-tested recipes -- everyone can learn how to make good food at home. Listen to our full-length interview, in which Kimball discussed Milk Street’s mission in further detail, offered his take the evolution of the American palate and the food industry as a whole, talked about why he believes flavor is more meaningful than any trend, and shared the proudest achievement of his storied career. Show notes: 2:25: Interview: Christopher Kimball, Founder, Milk Street/America’s Test Kitchen -- Since 1980, Kimball has built a food media empire, one that includes “America’s Test Kitchen” and magazines Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s County. In 2015, Kimball founded Milk Street, a company focused on instructional recipes and techniques inspired by global cuisine. In this interview, recorded at the company’s headquarters in downtown Boston, Kimball explained his perspective that, at its core, there is nothing “authentic” about food, which he views as a “river that keeps moving,” discussed what he learned about making scallion pancakes in Hong Kong and dining in Denmark, shared his stance on trendy buzzwords and meal kits and why flavor “is what’s missing in the discussion” about organic food. 40:40: Does Jay-Z Drink Kombucha? -- The hosts discussed news in the booming business of kombucha, including a new line launched by Starbucks-owned Evolution Fresh and moves by leading players Humm and Brew Dr. They also riffed on a handful of new and innovative products to hit the office, including those from healthy and sustainable snack brand Amazi, Shaka Tea and Chameleon Cold-Brew. Brands in this episode: Evolution Fresh, Brew Dr. Kombucha, Humm Kombucha, Wonder Drink, Amazi, LÄRABAR, Häagen-Dazs, Chameleon Cold-Brew, Kanguru Energy, NuttZo, Shaka Tea, Laphroaig

Available On: iTunes  | Google Play  | Stitcher  | Spotify Jimmy Rosenberg was looking for a way to make some dough in the summer of 1983. He got this idea…sell juice on the beach. So he got some fruit, blended it in his kitchen, and started selling the juice by the cup (poured from a jug) on the beach in Santa Monica. Little did he know that inauspicious start would lead to the formation of two mega juice companies – Naked Juice and Evolution Fresh. His first attempt, a pretty impressive first attempt by the way, was a company called The Naked Juice Company. After growing it to a size that allowed him to serve most of California, he sold it and got out of the juice business entirely. But not for long. Two years later, with a renewed commitment to delivering the highest quality juice possible to consumers, he started Evolution Fresh. He steered this company for 19 years before being acquired by Starbucks in 2011.  Before I sat down with Jimmy, I didn’t tell him that I’d be asking him for photos and a bio, or that I’d be posting his story about this podcast on social media. He’s a very private person. He’s never been on social media and has never shared these incredible stories about the two companies he’s championed. Fortunately for us all, and in spite of this, he agreed to proceed. I’m incredibly grateful for his willingness to share his story, and trust me, you will be too! From Andy: Before I sat down with Jimmy, I didn’t tell him that I’d be asking him for photos and a bio, or that I’d be posting his story about this podcast on social media. He’s a very private person. He’s never been on social media and has never shared these incredible stories about the two companies he’s championed. Fortunately for us all, and in spite of this, he agreed to proceed. I’m incredibly grateful for his willingness to share his story, and trust me, you will be too! The thing I relate to most about Jimmy – he’s just an ordinary guy like you and me. But for some reason, he was willing to listen, to experiment, to put in the hard work, to be open to learning on the job, and to be steadfast in his commitment to never sacrifice the quality of his product. These have all be part of his journey, all part of the reason he’s been so successful, twice! Listen. Love. Learn. This story has it all. Enjoy! FORWARD TO A FRIEND - If you enjoy the podcast, please help us spread the word by sharing it. LEAVE A REVIEW - Your written reviews in iTunes go a long way in helping us get the word out. Here's a link to make it easy - bit.ly/breakingordinary. Thanks in advance for your help and support! Episode Links University of Santa Monica. Belcampo – Organic grass-fed meat supplier and restaurant in Santa Monica The Three Principles – mind, consciousness, and thought The Three Principles Global Community   Questions? Feedback? Email - podcast@wholelifechallenge.com Instagram - @andypetranek Facebook - @andypetranek Twitter - @andypetranek REVIEW THE PODCAST ON iTUNES - bit.ly/breakingordinary If you liked this episode, try these: 122: Chris Kresser — NY Times Bestselling Author of “Unconventional Medicine” 125: Dr. Jason Fung — On Cracking “The Obesity Code” – Making Better Food Choices and Eating Less This episode is brought to you by The Good Kitchen. One of the best things I’ve ever done is to get prepared, Whole Life Challenge-compliant meals delivered to me during the week. It makes my life so much simpler, eliminates any questions I might have about healthy food for those meals, and reduces the number of decisions I need to make each day. I highly suggest trying it out. It was a game-changer for me. The Good Kitchen will deliver pre-made, chef prepared, WLC-compliant meals (breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner) right to your front door via FedEx. A special offer for podcast listeners: get 15% off your first order. Just use this link: thegoodkitchen.com/wlc

The AFG Group discusses a celebrity twitter blunder, and Starbucks acquiring a new company. Our strategy revolves around promoted hashtags and twitter handles, and some excellent mailbag questions. Send is your mailbag questions via twitter: @theAFGgroup or e-mail them to theAFGgroup@gmail.com