Podcasts about foodpreneur

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week, Chef Mawuli Dzansi allows us the honor of being his first podcast appearance. And we definitely count that as a win with this rising start in the Ghana food movement. Rooted deeply in his Ghanaian heritage, his passion for food grew as he explored flavors, techniques, and ingredients he discovered while living with his Aunt in Accra. Chef Mawuli's expertise is largely self-taught, honed through years of dedication and an unrelenting curiosity about food. His experiences as an Executive Chef and his time at a Michelin-starred Kitchen in Amsterdam have shaped his innovative approach to showcasing the vibrancy of African ingredients. He has always been considered unconventional, having led impactful projects like Dawadawa at Impact Hub Accra and The Kitchen By Ghana Food Movement, a food hub designed to train young chefs and promote Ghanaian and West African cuisines globally. He currently works as a private chef and consultant to some of Africa's bold thinkers and organizations. His serial entrpreneurship journey started from the moment he discovered how to please people's palatte's and Prekesse, a hospitality practice focused on private dining, brand activations and culinary consulting, is the culmination of his journey so far—a bespoke dining concept celebrating Ghana's rich culinary heritage while embracing sustainability and modernity. Working across concept development, sourcing, menu design, and execution of immersive experiences for brands and private individuals his focus is on building considered hospitality that connects food, people, and place through African ingredients and contemporary dining formats. Where to find Mawuli? @Prekesse On LinkedIn On Instagram What's Mawuli listening to? Omawumi's In the Music Other topics of interest: Where is Ho, Ghana? Visit Ashaiman On Ewe languages About Ga Fisherfolk Culture Out and about in Surulere, Lagos On “Continental” Cuisine Dikan Center, Accra Akuna Pod The story of the Clubhouse app Chef Mawuli at Odo ValleySpecial Guest: mawuli dzansi.

Send us Fan MailIn the eighth and final episode of Season 17 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I am joined by Helen Johnston, co-founder and creative director of Honey and Fox, and Henry Nevile from the Natural Foods Trading Company - two industry insiders who were on the ground at both the BiteBack Awards and Foodpreneurs Festival on 21 and 22 May. Both were there last year, too.Together, the three of us unpack what actually happened. What stood out at Stickybeak Station, our product showcase. What Brand Story Studio revealed about where emerging brands are right now. And what Helen and Henry observed about the sophistication of this year's attendees' businesses.More than 15 brands are named throughout the conversation - not as a roll call, but as real examples of what's working, what's standing out on shelf, and what the market is telling us right now to help you grow.And after four years of bringing the event to life, and ten years working directly with emerging brands, I share what I'm seeing across the market and give you practical advice to help you grow your sales and brand faster.If you were at the Foodpreneurs Festival, this is your recap. If you weren't, prepare to take notes - this is your free advisory session.Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement—NFTC is worth knowing about.LINKS & RESOURCES:Collide DrinksIntentional TeaMulled BeveragesUproar SnacksSpicetubOaty ButterSeedy SnacksCoast N SmokeFabio SodaUmei FoodsMade4ChangeUrban ForagerRaffi CookiesGet DressedSweet Pea & PoppyHoney & Fox websiteHoney & Fox InstagramFood Marketing AcademyJayne Gallagher LinkedInHelen Johnston LinkedInDownload your FREE copy of our Brand Story Starter Kit - Brand Story StudioNFTC websiteNFTC LinkedIn pageHenry Nevile LinkedInYour Free Pitch PlanBecome A Foodpreneurs Festival InsiderChelsea Ford Co. Industry NewsletterSeason 17 with NFTCSeason 17, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan MailMost people only think about fibre when something goes wrong. It's been sitting in the health aisle, powdered and medicinal, for decades. Nobody had moved it - until now.Priscilla Mellado saw something everyone else missed.Twenty years ago, pregnant and struggling with gut issues, she looked at the fibre category and thought: somebody has to do this better. That child is now 24. And Liquify Drinks is finally here.In episode 164 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Priscilla pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a CPG brand from scratch. The 6,000 bottles she couldn't sell. The 6am fitness classes she shows up to pour tastings. Packing orders - even on the morning of this interview. Priscilla describes it best herself: sometimes it literally feels like hanging upside down, spinning.And yet - she's built something with real substance, and this week she walks into a room of investors and pitches for the future of her business. You're hearing her story right before that moment.This is episode one of two. Priscilla pitches at Foodpreneurs Festival this week. We follow up after. You're coming on the journey with us.Season 17 is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company. If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase - scaling up, landing your first major retailer, or figuring out procurement - NFTC is worth knowing about.LINKS & RESOURCES:Liquify Drinks websiteLiquify Drinks InstagramNFTC websiteNFTC LinkedIn pageYour Free Pitch PlanBecome A Foodpreneurs Festival InsiderSeason 17 with NFTCSeason 17, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.Check them out at nftc.com.au

Send us Fan MailDon't treat your label as the last thing you sort before going to print. Retail buyers assess your label before they'll taste your product. They have to. Competitors can scan your claims looking for grounds to report you. A formulation change — even a small one - or a new product launch means you need a compliant label. Every time.Bring compliance into your NPD from the start - not as a checklist, but as a strategic tool. Nutrient content claims, general level health claims, health star ratings — used together, they let you build a marketing story that's genuinely substantiated. One that holds up to a buyer, a competitor, and an enforcer. That's differentiation. And it comes from your regulatory work, not despite it.In episode 161 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Roslyn Anderson — founder of Tastebuddies, a regulatory compliance consultancy — breaks down why your food label is a legal document, not a design asset, and what's actually at stake if you get it wrong.Don't miss this episode - you'll learn:

Send us Fan MailWhat does it take to build a brand that lives in the hearts and minds of consumers without a big budget, a big team, or a big agency behind you?In episode 160 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I sit down with Mirko Bonmassar, founder of Social Fixation, a marketing agency with a fixation on making brands impossible to ignore. In this episode you'll learn:

Send us Fan MailShe was hyperventilating backstage. Her cards went everywhere. She ran over time. She was ready to congratulate someone else when they announced the winner.That winner was Theresa Dang from SUP Foods. Theresa won the inaugural CPG Investor Hub pitch competition at Foodpreneurs Festival 2025.SUP Foods is Asian freeze-dried soup cubes inspired by Theresa's family's greenhouses in Vietnam. Before SUP Foods, Theresa had no food industry background, had never pitched to investors, and was up against founders with major retailer listings and corporate pedigree. In episode 159 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Theresa gets into what it really takes to build a food brand from the ground up while working full-time and what happens when you back yourself publicly, even when every nerve in your body is telling you not to.Don't miss this episode — you'll learn:

Send us Fan MailYour ingredient supply chain is the backbone of your product. Get it right from the start and everything else — ranging conversations, scaling production, landing major accounts — becomes a lot more manageable.The challenge is, most brand owners are laser-focused on their finished product — the packaging and the branding — and the supply chain gets built around it as an afterthought. But what happens when you can't get your product on shelf in the first place? Or when your single-origin ingredient is suddenly unavailable? Or when you finally scale and your supplier can't move with you?In episode 158 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Shaun Borg — sales lead for Langdon, the go-to purveyor of the finest ingredients, and the man overseeing the Natural Foods Trading Company (NFTC) — shares everything you need to know about sourcing ingredients, straight from someone who has been doing it for over 25 years, with origin trips across India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Cambodia under his belt.Don't miss this episode — you'll learn:

Send us Fan MailPitching your story does not mean telling people everything about your product.Yet many do. When you're close to what you've built — every detail, every decision, every reason it's better — it can all come out at once when given half a chance to talk about it.The problem is, customers, buyers and distributors won't listen for more than a few seconds. And buyers have heard it all before. #sorrynotsorryThe consequence is real. Inconsistent, overloaded messaging erodes trust before a customer even picks up your product, makes ranging conversations harder, and means every new stockist, channel, or distributor feels like starting from scratch.In episode 157 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, Jayne Gallagher and Helen Johnston from Honey & Fox, a specialist branding and marketing agency working with premium food and drink businesses, walk through how to fix it, including their framework for building the soundbites that become the foundation of everything your brand says and does.Don't miss this episode — you'll learn: 

Send us Fan MailYour product is good. Your packaging was too — once. But something's shifted.Maybe your range has grown and the system hasn't kept up. Maybe you're pitching to bigger retailers but your pack still has a farmer's market feel. Maybe sales have plateaued and you can't put your finger on why.In episode 155 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Natalie Townsend, founder and creative director of Griffin Grace, a brand and packaging studio that works with founder-led CPG brands across food, beverage, beauty, and wellness.You may remember Natalie from episode 71 where we covered building a brand from scratch. Today we go deeper into the refresh: what to do when your packaging is holding your brand back.Tune in to hear Natalie share:

Send a textTwo creatives, a side startup, and a pasta sauce that's turning heads across Australia.In Episode 155 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast - Season 16, Planning Season - I sit down with Lachlan and Grga, the Melbourne co-founders behind Sorry Nonna. One's a graphic designer. The other's an advertising creative director who's worked with Netflix and Gatorade. Together, they're doing things in the pasta sauce category that Nonna absolutely did not approve.Gochujang Arrabbiata. Limoncello Marinara. A limited-edition Carolina Reaper collab with Doom Juice wine. Oh, and a coffee bolognese that consumer testing quietly killed before it saw the light of day.But underneath the cheeky branding and flavour obsession, there's a real business story, about what happens when creatives lean hard into their strengths, start planning (loosely), and build a cult following before chasing the majors.Tune in to hear:

Send a textGetting on shelf is a milestone, but (close your ears if you're faint hearted), it's just the starting line.In episode 151 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I sit down with Rebecca Brook, founder of Rise Growth Lab, a food and beverage accelerator.This conversation is for brand owners already on shelf. If you want to finish 2026 with more accounts, more reorders and more money in your pocket - and stop leaving it on the table - this is your episode.Grab your pen and tune in to hear:

Send a textYour brand is killing it on social media. Sales are growing. But are you actually making money?In episode 150 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast - the first episode of Season 16, Planning Season - I sit down with Jason Stockton, founder of ERP system, Supply'd, and Patrick LaManna, CEO of LaManna Supermarket and Director of social media sensation Pistachio Papi.Here's the thing: even wildly successful brands with a multitude of followers need tight operational systems. They still need to nail forecasting, manage cashflow, and understand true costs. Jason's Supply'd helps food businesses do exactly that - streamlining inventory, production, and financial planning so you're not bleeding money as you scale.This conversation is a reality check for every brand owner who thinks growth solves operational problems. It doesn't. It exposes them.Grab your pen and tune in to hear:

Send us a textYou're on shelf. Now what?In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Sonia Martinez, a retail expert from AUR Foodworks who works with both retailers and brands to improve in-store ranging, product positioning, and merchandising.Sonia is clear: retailers provide real estate, they won't do the selling for you. And if your product isn't moving, you're at risk of getting delisted.Grab your pen and paper and take notes. If you're driving for velocity, tune in to hear:

Send us a textYour product is great. People love it. But you're still struggling to sell it.Sound familiar?In episode 148 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I chat with Jayne Gallagher, CEO and co-founder of Honey & Fox, a marketing consultancy that helps good food brands turn provenance into sales.Jayne and her business partner Helen work specifically with food and drink businesses to cut through the marketing overwhelm and create systems that actually drive revenue - without needing a four-year marketing degree to do it.Tune in to hear Jayne share her provenance-powered marketing system: 

Send us a textHow do you build a beverage brand when the margins are slim and you have no outside funding and growth depends on you?You make sales your North Star. Every single day.In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Ollie Puddick, founder of Innerbloom, a functional beverage brand that's gone from farmers' markets to over 300 retail doors across Australia and New Zealand in just a few years.Ollie quit his job as a professional firefighter at the end of last year to go all-in on Innerbloom. No safety net. No investors. Just relentless focus on the one thing that keeps the lights on: sales.And he's brutally honest about the mistakes he made along the way.You'll hear:

Send us a textYour product is great but is your packaging selling it when you're not there? Packaging is your silent salesperson so you need to make it work.In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Gwen Blake, founding director of Boxer & Co, a packaging design agency specialising in fast moving consumer goods.Here's the reality: we make 95% of our decisions by instinct. Colour, shape, and typography trigger autopilot purchases - green signals healthy and handwritten fonts signal crafted and your packaging has three seconds to trigger the right instinct - or your product stays on the shelf.In this episode, you'll hear:

Send us a textYou've got a great product. You're posting on social media. But are you actually building a community - or just racking up likes?In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Sandra and Jordana from Six-Eyed Scorpion, the award-winning crispy chili oil brand that's absolutely nailing brand building in a crowded condiment category.Sandra is a chef by trade and founder. Jordana is the head of marketing and brand (and a graphic designer). Together, they've built a premium brand that stands out in a sea of red, bold competitors by going blue, sophisticated, and unapologetically fun.You'll hear:

Send us a textHow do you really know if your packaging works? If your campaign will land? If your new flavour will sell?You ask the people who matter most - your customers. Fast.In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Anna Henwood, CEO of Stickybeak, a rapid consumer testing platform that delivers feedback from your target audience within 48 hours.Anna reveals her frameworks for marketing effectiveness that help you get more product into more consumer baskets. We dig into the everyday decisions that often leave brand owners stuck at a fork in the road - campaign creative, pack design, claims, naming, flavours - the ones where a wrong move can be costly, but intel is hard to access quickly.You'll hear Anna's three game-changing frameworks and:

Send us a textBuilding one successful food brand is hard enough. But what if you could leverage your existing production to create multiple brands that serve different markets and price points?In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with sisters and co-founders Michelle Blyth and Justine Curtis from Cremorne Street Bakers, Balmain Baking Co., and cookï. Over eight years, they've built a wholesale baking business that now operates across three distinct brands - each serving different customers, channels, and price points.Their retail journey escalated when Coles Local called them out of the blue after a category manager's mum spotted their products in Melbourne cafes. They had no retail presence, no barcodes, and no retail ready packaging - but they said yes and figured it out.Today, their business spans foodservice (including Starbucks), Coles Local, independent retail, petrol & convenience, and direct-to-consumer.Listen today and learn: 

Send us a textYou've got a great product, decent packaging, and maybe even a few stockists. But here's the problem: your product is moving off the shelf. You're spending all your energy chasing new listings while your existing stockists are losing confidence. This is the wake-up call you need.In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I'm breaking down why so many CPG brands focus on the wrong metric.I share real examples from brands that are crushing it. You'll hear about brands like Bippy Chili moving 30-40 units per week, Ammazza Pizza doing 2,000 units in a single week, and Mingle Seasoning achieving a 350% sales uplift for three months after one collaboration.These results aren't accidents. They're the outcome of strategic marketing at every stage of the funnel.Listen today and walk away knowing: 

Send us a textScaling up from the bench top to commercial manufacturing is one of the biggest turning points for food, drink, and pet food brands. It's exciting but it comes with challenges too: ingredient integrity, process changes, minimum order quantities, and the founder's mindset all play a role in whether scaling feels like a breakthrough or a breakdown.In Episode 141, I'm joined by Naishad Dalal of Food Entrepreneurship Academy, who has worked with countless startups and established brands to take them from idea through to commercial launch. We unpack:

Send us a textOrders arriving by text at midnight. Quantities scribbled on receipts. Spreadsheets that don't match the coolroom. The result? Wasted product, missed shelves, and supply chaos retailers simply won't tolerate.In Episode 140 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I speak with Philip Fierlinger, co-founder of Upstock (and one of the brains behind Xero), about why running a modern food business on scraps of paper isn't just inefficient - it's a systemic roadblock costing brand owners money, credibility, and growth.If scaling matters to you, this episode is a must-listen.This Season of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford is brought to you by Chelsea Ford Co.'s tenth anniversary. Ten years in, I'm more committed than ever. The next decade is wide open for those ready to do things differently and back themselves to grow.LINKS & RESOURCES:Upstock websiteScale your FMCG brand on UpstockPhilip Fierlinger LinkedInEatKindaCoaching Claire MacDonald, Episode #43 What to do When a Stockist Says ‘No' or ‘No for Now'Your Free Pitch PlanBecome A Foodpreneurs Festival InsiderChelsea Ford Co. websiteSeason 14 Season 14, out now, is 'Scale Season' and is being presented by Chelsea Ford Co.'s 10th anniversary. For a decade, Chelsea Ford has backed Foodpreneurs and pushed to shake up an industry that too often plays it safe and leaves smaller players behind. She champions bold products, smarter tech, and better ways of working - because the future of CPG should be shaped by ideas, not just deep pockets. Chelsea believes every emerging brand deserves a fair shot - not crumbs from the big end of town. Founders, no matter their gender, ethnicity, cultural background, spiritual path, sexual orientation, or beliefs, deserve their place on the shelves. Chelsea stands for healthy competition - real competition - where brave ideas and fresh brands rise up because they're good, not because they're bankrolled. This podcast is part of that mission. Every episode sparks bigger thinking, practical action, and the connections you need to get your products into more hands - and more money in your pocket. Ten years in, she's more committed than ever. The next decade is wide open for those ready to do things differently and back themselves to grow. Click this link to see how you can be part of it.

Send us a textYou think you know what your customer wants… but do you really?Turns out, most of us get it wrong.In Episode 139 of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I'm joined by Angela Beswick from Stickybeak - the rapid consumer testing platform - and Bonnie Slade, founder of NaturKidz, whose last-minute product testing changed the trajectory of her pitch to a major retailer.This one's a must-listen if you're launching a new product, updating your packaging, or prepping for a retailer meeting that needs to go right.Why you'll love this episode:

Send us a textIt's the milestone every brand owner chases - landing that major retail listing. But without solid systems in place, supply chain slip-ups, inventory miscalculations, and cash flow gaps can turn that win into a serious setback.If you've just landed your first big retail order - or you're gearing up to expand nationally without running out of stock (or cash) - this episode could save you time, money, and sleepless nights. I'm joined by Cameron Aboud and Joel Alderden from sc3sixty, a fractional supply chain company helping emerging food and drink brands scale sustainably. We discuss:

Send us a textBrand owners could literally be leaving thousands of dollars on the table simply because they don't realise they're eligible for funding. If you're making, baking or creating - and not claiming the R&D tax incentive - then this is the episode that will help put money back in your pocket.In this episode of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I'm joined by Anthony Chi from Bluerock Consulting. Anthony is a rare breed who's both a lawyer and an accountant. He's worked with countless food and drink businesses and knows exactly what it takes to get tax incentives for packaged  food, drink or pet food businesses. We talk about:

Send us a textMany brand owners think the only way to grow is to do more. More products, more orders, more late nights. But being busy and trying to do it all yourself to save money doesn't mean you're building a smarter business.In this episode of the Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I'm joined by two brilliant minds who know how to scale without the chaos - Jason Stockton, founder of the ERP system Supply'd, and Ross Galettis from Madhouse Bakehouse, who's supplying Qantas (and hundreds more) with mouth-watering baked goods.In this episode, we lift the lid on:

Send us a textScaling or just staying busy?Too many brand owners are growing, and keeping busy. But don't confuse that with scaling. More stockists, more sales… and a whole lot more stress. Margins stay razor-thin, costs creep up, and burnout isn't far behind. So this podcast season, I'm calling time on the chaos - because it is possible to scale without losing sleep or profits - using systems, strategy and structure.In this solo episode, I'm breaking down:

Send us a textScaling a frozen food brand? It's not for the faint-hearted. Cold chain logistics, merchandising nightmares, and razor-thin margins make it one of the most challenging categories in the game.But Mrinali Kumar, CEO and co-founder of EatKinda, is flipping the script - proving that bold innovation, sustainability, and smart operations can carve out a winning edge.In this episode, Mrinali reveals how EatKinda - the world's first cauliflower-based ice cream - went from a small-town pitch comp in New Zealand to over 120 retail listings, and garnering international buzz, for its mission to reduce food and plastic waste.And now? They're exiting NZ (for now!) to go all to focus on the US market.Tune in to learn: 

Send us a textAlexandra Bekker, founder of Drink Nimbus, is on a mission to shake up plant-based milk and the sustainability issues that come with it. After a highly successful eCommerce career, she discovered the shocking truth: 138 billion long-life cartons end up in landfill each year. So, she set out to create a better alternative.In this episode, Alexandra shares how she:

Send us a textSandra Seah, founder of Six-Eyed Scorpion, has built a premium, seriously flavourful crispy chilli oil brand that's shaking up the condiment aisle. Voted #1 chilli oil by Gourmet Traveller, her range blends bold Singaporean flavours with top-tier Australian ingredients - and retailers are taking notice.For episode 131, fresh off landing in Harris Farm Markets, I spoke to Sandra about how she's scaling smartly, ensuring profitability while keeping quality at the forefront. In this episode, we dive into:

Send us a textBurnout is a real challenge in the industry. Many Foodpreneurs start their businesses as a side hustle - juggling production, marketing, sales, packing, and every other task that comes with running a business solo.But it doesn't have to stand in the way of scaling.For episode 130, I sat down with Laura Allan, founder of Isaac's Snacks, the wholefood bites brand keeping it real with fewer than 10 ingredients. With 900+ Woolworths stores stocking her products and a strong presence in independents, Laura has built what so many Foodpreneurs dream of. But it hasn't been easy.Scaling isn't just about getting more products on more shelves. It's about navigating MOQs, cashflow pressures, and the hidden costs of retail that no one warns you about. And for Laura, it also meant hitting a breaking point - stuck in the relentless cycle of doing everything herself, until burnout forced her to rethink how she was running the business.In this episode, we unpack:

Send us a textYou've got the vision - but do you have the supply chain to scale it?For episode 129, I sat down with Stefan Di Benedetto, founder of Solbevi, the limoncello spritz brand shaking up the drinks industry across Australia and New Zealand. His goal? Nothing short of global domination.But here's the reality: scaling a challenger brand isn't just about a great product, it's about making smart manufacturing and distribution moves, fast.Stefan's story is one of relentless ambition, resilience, and strategy. He went from a side hustle in construction to outselling Aperol in key venues, securing Dan Murphy's, and landing a major NZ retail deal with Super Liquor.But it hasn't all been smooth sailing, and in this episode, he opens up about:

Send us a textBusiness isn't always exciting - and that's exactly the point.In episode 127 of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, we're kicking off Season 13 with a solo session that dives into a truth many overlook: success isn't about chasing shiny new strategies. It's about implementation.Yep, the boring stuff. The routines. The consistency. That's where growth lives.This episode includes:

Send us a textSpotting a gap in the market often sparks the creation of something truly innovative - and that's exactly what happened for Tim and Liam from Bae Juice. They saw the need for a reliable hangover solution and turned it into a thriving business. Bae Juice - a Korean pear juice infused with a unique enzyme to tackle hangovers, launched in 2019, has become a go-to remedy, stocked in over 3,500 stores across Australia and now Brooklyn, New York!Their approach is all about smart, intentional growth and in this podcast episode, they share:

Send us a textWhen Roz White and her husband Michael started their first White's IGA store 31 years ago, they weren't just opening a business; they were planting roots. Fast forward to today, and they've grown into a Sunshine Coast icon with six stores, over 520 staff, and deep connections to their local community.Roz's formula for success? A steadfast commitment to people, relationships, and purpose-led retail. From choosing not to implement self-checkouts—valuing connection over convenience—to building partnerships with 200 local Sunshine Coast suppliers, Roz's vision has always been about more than just groceries; it's about community. If you want insights into the mind of a buyer, Roz's story is packed with practical lessons on creating impact in retail, including:

Send us a textWhen Jarahad Valeri saw parents struggling to get kids to eat more fruits and veggies, he saw an opportunity. That spark led to Welly — a snack company that turns fruits and veg into kid-friendly, gut-healthy bites that parents can trust. Launching Welly Kids in 2022 and expanding to adults in early 2023, Jarahad set out to bring these health benefits to a wider audience. His formula for success? A powerful mix of internal data, direct consumer conversations, and retailer insights that shaped Welly's path forward to where they are now - stocked in Coles and Woolies across the country as well as in 250 independent retailers.In this episode, Jarahad reveals the core strategies that have helped Welly grow, including:

Send us a textFrom brand identity to building customer loyalty, this week's episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford is packed with insights for emerging and challenger brand owners. I sit down with Hannah Murphy from Tracksuit and Matt Kowal from Naked Life Group, two experts who have successfully helped brands cut through the noise in today's crowded market.We dive deep into the power of branding—what it truly means, how it can make or break your business, and why packaged food, drink or pet food owners must focus on more than just their products to thrive. With real-world examples and candid stories, Hannah and Matt break down the strategic thinking that helps brands stay top of mind and competitive, whether they're launching a new range or scaling up.Tune in to this week's episode to discover:✨ What makes a brand memorable and successful.✨ The role of emotional connection in brand building.✨ Key strategies to differentiate your brand in the marketplace.✨ The balance between short-term performance marketing and long-term brand equity.✨ How tracking brand performance helps you make smarter decisions.✨ Why your brand matters just as much as your product.✨ Insights into how Naked Life is carving out space in the non-alcoholic drinks market.Ready to elevate your brand? Hit play now!

Send us a textFrom an aspiring entrepreneur to the CEO of Australia's leading 'better for you' frozen dessert brand, Cass Spies' journey is a testament to grit and determination. In this week's episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I sit down with Cass, the powerhouse behind Twisted Healthy Treats.Cass launched her dream business in 2009 after returning from the UK, inspired by Janine Allis' Boost Juice franchise model. What started as a retail frozen yoghurt shop quickly evolved into a thriving wholesale business, landing Twisted's treats in 2,500 supermarkets across Australia, 5,000 school canteens, and even Costco in Australia, China, and the US.In this episode, Cass opens up about the highs and lows of running her own manufacturing facility, the importance of lean manufacturing, and how she's built a brand that's both innovative and sustainable.Tune in to this week's episode to discover:

Send us a Text Message.From award-winning Executive Chef to consumer packaged goods creator extraordinaire, Shaun Quade's journey is nothing short of inspiring. In this week's episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with the talented Shaun. Shaun and his life and business partner Veronica Fil recently returned to Australia from the US where they scaled a plant-based CPG cheese product called Grounded. Together they landed Grounded in more than 2000 stockists across the US, raised $4M in investment and faced the challenges of an industry dominated by big food companies. In this episode Shaun speaks about doing business in the food industry at scale, including slotting fees, distribution, merchandising and brand building. With Shaun's love for good food and keen interest in the rapid changes in the food system, he shares insights from his global journey, answering practical questions about scaling a perishable product in this current economic client and what it takes to put more money in your pocket for every product you sell. Tune in to this week's episode to discover:

Send us a Text Message.From unlocking funds through grants, and winning awards can both be a game-changer for your business. In this week's episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with Madonna Melrose, founder of Melrose International, about leveraging grants to fuel your growth.Madonna, a specialist in grant applications, shares how understanding the grant landscape and having a clear future growth plan are key to securing funds. With billions of funding dollars available, and with only 35% of businesses accessing these grants, now is the time to get grant-ready!Listen to discover:

Send us a Text Message.From tech exec to meal kit mogul, Ambika Malvia's journey is nothing short of inspiring. In this week's episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, I chat with the amazing Ambika, co-founder of Spicecraft meal kits. Starting from a humble market stall in Sydney, Ambika and her partner, Vikram, have scaled their business to over 430 retailers across Australia.Ambika's unique approach to user experience, honed from her background as an electronics engineer, has been the secret sauce to Spicecraft's success, and she's sharing her insights in Ep 114: From Market Stall to Major Retailers: Scaling Through a Focus on Experience Excellence.

Send us a Text Message.From legal aspirations, to drama school, to brand owner and specialty distribution, it's been an interesting (to say the least!) pathway to the F&B industry for my latest guest on Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast. This week I chat with the incredible Melinda Dimitriades-Catt. As a professional cook, small goods and cheese expert, and speciality food distributor based in Sydney, Melinda has navigated the trenches of the speciality food world.With her profound love for speciality produce and keen understanding of consumer preferences, Melinda shares insights from her journey, highlighting the importance of packaging that captures attention, the strategic timing of involving producers in-store, and mastering the art of specialisation.Tune in to this week's episode to discover:

“Can you share advice for getting in contact with buyers” is a question I'm asked often. Brand owners can sometimes be afraid to make the approach. It's understandable, buyers can be pretty elusive and appear on the horizon like demigods with divine powers to consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand owners. But, the truth is, they're human too. Just like you and I. There are so many ways you can make the approach, but whichever one you choose, you should have the core knowledge that all buyers will want to know regardless of what you're selling.  In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, the first episode of Season 11, I give you the method and the knowledge to prepare for your next buyer meeting so you have what it takes to land your product on more shelves to get the best results possible for your business.Listen to learn:

Scaling a consumer packaged goods (CPG) business is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. There are so many options on how you can go-to-market and they all look shiny, delicious and different. But, what are the real opportunities? And the real pitfalls? There are more than 20,000 new food and drink products launched every year and the go-to-market strategy for each can just be like choosing a goodie from a mixed box of chocolates, too much choice, unless you know what you're doing. Of the new products launched every year, unfortunately many fail. I don't want you to be one of those. In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, a quick fire final episode of Season 10, I help you know what to choose so you get the best results possible. Listen to find out:

What happens when you're not from the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, you've managed to bag $1M dollars in investment (I know right!) and you want to scale a big food business? You move to the other side of the world and participate in an accelerator program, lean heavily into everything you can learn and source as many contacts you can to grow your business fast and go on to land 200 retailers in just 12 months.That's what happened to Veronica Fil, former CEO of Grounded Foods Co. and her partner and Creative Director, Shaun Quade. In 2020 they landed in New York City with their world's first plant-based cheese that Shaun had created from hemp by isolating hemp protein. For the next four years, with Veronica leading their business to phenomenal success, she pitched to 100's (and we mean 100's) of more potential investors and they did land more millions of dollars in investment.In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford, you'll hear Veronica talk about all those investor pitches. She also speaks about managing the two highest costs; manufacturing and logistics and she highlights the struggles many brand owners face when surprised with all the other costs associated with retailing many don't know about, like slotting fees and trade spend.Listen to find out:

Buyers inside the Pitch Hub at Foodpreneurs Festival told me what brands and products they really loved and wanted to see more of.  Would you like to know what they told me? How handy would it be for you to understand why some brands were chosen, by the buyers, to pitch and others weren't?Now you can. In this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast, I invited Brent Vrdoljak and Mia Van Tubbergh to talk with me immediately following Foodpreneurs Festival 2024. Brent, a marketing strategist; Mia, a sales strategist; and me with my business scale lens on, discuss why some of the brands will land on the shelf and get picked up by consumers while others, unfortunately, will struggle.You'll hear:

According to Warren Spence, founder Motor, a brand design agency and my guest in this episode, the modern world is as fast as a Japanese bullet train and our generation is fixated on digital media content. Let's just say, according to Warren, that visual communication is a little out of control, mainly because of social media but it will only get faster. Supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers stock thousands of brands that create visual noise. Products are competing fiercely so to cut through the ‘blah blah basic boring', you need to disrupt, be outstanding, and simply stand out.In this episode Warren tells me what his 8 Game Plan is for getting food, drink & pet treat packaging design selling. Listen and discover:

Want to know all the steps to develop a food or drink packaged product for commercial scale? Want to bring a product from overseas and launch it in your local market? How about trying to get ahead of the food trends and launch a product before anyone else does?All these questions and more are answered in this episode of Foodpreneur with Chelsea Ford podcast where I chat to food scientist and entrepreneur, Naishad Dalal from Food Entrepreneurship Academy. Naishad has launched over 110 products for 35 startups, so he knows a thing or two about the end-to-end process of getting product development right. And there's far more rigour than many think. Listen to find out:

Victor Dedaj is a lifelong New York born and raised in the Bronx. He is also a coach, motivational speaker, and transformational trainer. He is a Certified Canfield Trainer in the Success Principles. Victor is also a Certified Wholistic Health Coach Victor has built businesses in affiliate marketing, network marketing, digital products, paid advertising and e-commerce. He is also a social media expert. Victor is the author of the book You Can Become Successful. He is also a contributing author to Mark Hoverson's book The Million Dollar Day: Proven 24-Hour Blueprint Reinvents Your Future With Radical Productivity. He is also a co-author with Jack Canfield in a book called Success Breakthroughs Victor Dedaj is also a Traveling Freedompreneur and Foodpreneur. As a foodpreneur, Victor's motto is “Food determines mood.” Guest Links Email: victordedaj@victordedaj.com, Facebook: http://facebook.victordedaj.com⁠ Twitter: http://twitter.com/victordedaj SJS Website: https://thesuccessjourneyshow.com Facebook: @successjourneyshow Instagram: @successjourneyshow

The Cupcake Collection founder Mignon Francois shares how taking a chance and flipping her last $5 turned into an empire with over five million cupcakes sold to date. "I realized I could be sick and tired but I couldn't be both," said Mignon Francois - speaker, entrepreneur, community leader and founder of The Cupcake Collection. On this episode, Mignon dives into how she was able to get out of debt and brokenness - by founding The Cupcake Collection in 2008, on the last $5 she had to feed her family. That determination and will turned into an empire with over five million cupcakes sold to date. Mignon shares the details of the beginning days of running the business and some of the mental hurdles she had to overcome in order to truly soar along her #dreamdriving journey. She gives advice for other dream drivers who may feel like the dream has "passed them" or that "it's too late" and why being willing to let your gifts shine is the best thing you can do for your chance of future success. SHOP THE DREAMS IN DRIVE STORE: https://www.dreamsindrive.com/shop SUPPORT DREAMS IN DRIVE: https://www.dreamsindrive.com/donate BROWSE THE BOOKSTORE:https://www.dreamsindrive.com/bookstore SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER – THE KEYS: https://www.dreamsindrive.com/join FIND MIGNON ON: Instagram: @mignon.francois Web: https://www.thecupcakecollection.com/ FIND RANA ON SOCIAL: Instagram: http://instagram.com/rainshineluv Twitter: http://twitter.com/rainshineluv FIND DREAMS IN DRIVE ON:Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dreamsindrive Twitter: http://twitter.com/dreamsindrive Web: https://www.dreamsindrive.com