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To eat…or to be eaten, that is again the question for the Simply Good Foods Company! In this latest episode, I'll utilize the Q3 2025 Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ: SMPL) financial statements, earnings call, and supplemental presentations for my expanded strategic commentary around convenient nutrition market dynamics and trends. In fiscal Q3 2025, Atkins Nutritionals brand dragged down the overall portfolio performance, but Quest Nutrition (up 11% YoY) and OWYN (up 24% YoY) beat categorical competitors in tracked and untracked combined channel retail takeaway. What's at the heart of the Quest Nutrition success? Quest Nutrition is still known for the original Quest Bar. And that means the company needs the bar business to be healthy for any of this innovation risk to make sense. But Quest Nutrition has proven it's one of the few brands that can successfully extend across multiple product forms...and its customer base expects them to come into an indulgent snacking category and flip it into great tasting (high protein, low sugar) offerings. The snacks segment of Quest Nutrition, which now accounts for half of all retail sales...and if we analyze one layer deeper, the salty side of the Quest snacks segment had quarterly retail takeaway growth of about 31%. And while that's super impressive…I believe there's a realistic path to doubling retail sales over the near-term. How? The single most important piece of this strategic growth playbook will revolve around expanding physical availability of the Quest salty snacks platform. So, utilizing its “categorical leadership” for leverage, Quest Nutrition has made “increasing the physical availability” of products a significant initiative within the organization…and recently landed a Quest chips mainline snacking aisle test within a large mass retailer. And if proven successful, I believe it would create a massive “snowball effect” that leads to increased display support, merchandising everywhere, and even new sales channel penetration. Also, I run through what's causing the weak brand performance at Atkins and explain actions the company is taking to change it…especially against the backdrop of GLP-1 weight loss solutions. In my opinion, you're going to see weight management brands like Atkins (and others) get repositioned on the right side of GLP-1 second-order effects through both product innovation (e.g. Atkins strong)...but most of the “innovation” will come in the targeted communication marketing strategies. And then, OWYN had quarterly retail takeaway growth of 24% YoY...coming from a balance of distribution gains and velocity growth. Moreover, OWYN has significantly accelerated performance across all major sales channels (including ecommerce) and all key retail customers. Finally, I'll explore again this “eat or be eaten” fork in the road for Simply Good Foods. While the more probable scenario in the next year is that SMPL acquires another middle market convenient nutrition brand that fits into their strategic focus…wouldn't it be interesting if a Big CPG name like PepsiCo acquired the portfolio?
A research team at University of Galway has revealed that Storm Éowyn generated the highest storm surges ever recorded at key locations on Ireland's western seaboard. By analysing sea level information from 47 datasets provided by the Irish National Tide Gauge Network and the Office of Public Works, the team based at the University's School of Engineering have highlighted the unprecedented power of the storm's surge - more than 2.5 metres above the normal predicted tidal water level. Storm Éowyn, one of the most powerful storms to hit Ireland in recent years, also saw record-breaking winds. The highest gust recorded was 184 km/h, with the highest 10-minute wind speed reaching 142 km/h at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station in County Galway. Storm Éowyn highest storm surges ever recorded Despite the severity of Storm Éowyn in other ways and the devastation wrought by hurricane force winds and lasting damage to power and water supplies, the timing of the tides during storm landfall meant little to no flooding impacts. The research team highlighted data from three coastal locations during Storm Éowyn - Galway Port, Limerick Docks and Shannon Airport. At Galway Port, the storm surge peaked at 2.60 meters above the normal predicted astronomical tide, the highest ever recorded at this station since its operation began in 2007 At Limerick Docks the highest surge along the western coastline was recorded - reaching 2.99 meters above tidal level At Shannon Airport, the tidal gauge recorded surge of 2.70 meters. Had these surges occurred a week earlier during the high water spring tide, the water levels would have been much higher, with data predicting that the water level at Galway Port would have reached 4.96m, Limerick Dock at 5.85m, and Shannon Airport at 5.43m above mean sea level, inundating the areas. Dr Indiana Olbert, School of Engineering at University of Galway's College of Science and Engineering, said: "Extensive research suggest that flooding has increased in frequency and severity in recent decades around the world and this is attributed to climate change. Our analysis of the drivers of flooding in Ireland show that the anthropogenic climate change - that's the changes related to human activity - will drive more extreme rainfall and generate more intense flooding. Such changes are likely to continue with further warming. In future we will witness more extreme weather events that will result in devastating floods. "Our analysis also shows that a rise in mean sea level rise will significantly increase the risk of coastal flooding in the future. The data we have recovered from the hours around Storm Éowyn shows just how narrowly tens of thousands of people avoided tidal inundation and threats to cities, towns and coastal communities. It is hard to imagine how narrowly we avoided unprecedented storm surge flooding and an inundation, in particular in towns and cities." Dr Niall Madden, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at University of Galway, said: "In spite of how devastating Storm Éowyn was, in an odd way, we were incredibly lucky. The worst of the storm surge coincided with a low and ebbing tide. Had it hit just a few hours earlier, on a full or flooding tide, Galway could have been dealing with a double disaster of record high winds and record high flooding." Model imagery of the areas at risk of a 2.5m storm surge or sea level rise in the Galway Bay area. Credit: Climate Central/climatecentral.org Climate Central | Land below 2.5 meters of water. Please note content licensing for use https://www.climatecentral. org/what-we-do/legal#content_ licensing About University of Galway Established in 1845, University of Galway is one of the top 2% of universities in the world. We are a bilingual university, comprised of four colleges, 18 schools and five research institutes, with more than 19,700 students, including around 3,000 international students. We have been accredited with an Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Awa...
Quest Chips are getting called up to the Big League…and that should make established players like Doritos nervous! In this latest episode, I'll utilize the Q2 2025 Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ: SMPL) earnings report, earnings call, and supplemental presentations that were filed on 4/9/2025 as the backdrop to provide broad nutritional snacking market insights. In fiscal Q2 2025, Atkins Nutritionals brand dragged down the overall portfolio performance, as Quest Nutrition beat categorical competitors in tracked channel retail takeaway (up 13% YoY). What's at the heart of the Quest Nutrition success? Quest Nutrition is still known for the original Quest Bar. And that means the company needs the bar business to be healthy for any of this innovation risk to make sense. But Quest Nutrition has proven it's one of the few brands that can successfully extend across multiple product forms...and its customer base expects them to come into an indulgent snacking category and flip it into great tasting (high protein, low sugar) offerings. The snacks segment of Quest Nutrition, which now accounts for half of all retail sales...and if we analyze one layer deeper, the salty side of the Quest snacks segment had quarterly retail takeaway growth of about 45%. The Quest Nutrition salty snacks platform now represents about 35% of the total Quest Nutrition net sales and provide a substantial share of new users to the brand. And I've been a broken record when it comes to stating that salty snacks are where the excitement (and focus) should be placed within Quest Nutrition, as the platform generates over $300 million in retail sales. And while that's super impressive…I believe there's a realistic path to doubling retail sales over the near-term. How? The single most important piece of this strategic growth playbook will revolve around expanding physical availability of the Quest salty snacks platform. So, utilizing its “categorical leadership” for leverage, Quest Nutrition has made “increasing the physical availability” of products a significant initiative within the organization…and recently landed a Quest chips mainline snacking aisle test within a large mass retailer. And if proven successful, I believe it would create a massive “snowball effect” that leads to increased display support, merchandising everywhere, and even new sales channel penetration. Also, I run through what's causing the weak brand performance at Atkins and explain actions the company is taking to change it…especially against the backdrop of GLP-1 weight loss solutions. In my opinion, you're going to see weight management brands like Atkins (and others) get repositioned on the right side of GLP-1 second-order effects through both product innovation (e.g. Atkins strong)...but most of the “innovation” will come in the targeted communication marketing strategies. Finally, OWYN had quarterly retail takeaway growth of 52% YoY...coming from a balance of distribution gains and velocity growth. Moreover, OWYN has significantly accelerated performance across all major sales channels (including ecommerce) and all key retail customers.
Pat McGrath, Western Correspondent, on the ongoing impact of Storm Éowyn for forestry in Ireland.
Jerry spoke to the director general of Engineers Ireland Damien Owens. He gave his response to Government’s plans to increase the resilience of the electricity grid – including bringing in laws to give ESB Networks greater control over privately-owned lands with electricity lines. Engineers Ireland has also warned that failure to address the shortage of engineers threatens future prosperity.
Keira Keogh, Fine Gael TD for Mayo, discusses how some vulnerable, elderly people in her county remain without a phone service since Storm Éowyn hit last January.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Éowyn Ivey is the author of "The Snow Child." The book captivated readers with its blend of folklore and the Alaska wilderness. Raised in Alaska, Éowyn's connection to the land is woven into her storytelling, creating atmospheric and emotionally resonant narratives. Before becoming a novelist, though, she worked as a journalist and then as a bookseller. Both shaped her approach to research and storytelling. As a journalist, she says she often felt constrained by the need to report just the facts, realizing that the full story often involved emotions, complexities and more nuanced truths that couldn't always be captured in a news story. This naturally led her to fiction, where she could immerse readers in themes like isolation, survival and the mystical interplay between humans and nature. Her latest novel, "Black Woods, Blue Sky," continues her exploration of myth, survival and the untamed beauty of Alaska. She says that there's a power in fiction, an empathy that forms between the book, the reader and the author. As a storyteller, she strives to create feelings and experiences that resonate — moments where a reader might think, “That's exactly what I felt, but I've never been able to put it into words,” or, “I've never felt so seen.” This is true for situations she's personally experienced and ones she hasn't — that's where her research comes into play. For Éowyn, writing is about more than just crafting a narrative, it's about discovering the metaphors and the poetry within the concepts she explores. When she set out to be a novelist, she never imagined it would go beyond the Pacific Northwest. But it has. Her writing is known by people all over the world. But at heart, she still writes for her fellow Alaskans.
In this episode, Cody talks to author Éowyn Ivey, whose debut novel, The Snow Child, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. It captivated readers with its blend of folklore and the Alaska wilderness. Raised in Alaska, Éowyn's connection to the land is woven into her storytelling, creating atmospheric and emotionally resonant narratives. Before becoming a novelist, though, she worked as a journalist and then as a bookseller. Both shaped her approach to research and storytelling. As a journalist, she says she often felt constrained by the need to report just the facts, realizing that the full story often involved emotions, complexities and more nuanced truths that couldn't always be captured in a news story. This naturally led her to fiction, where she could immerse readers in themes like isolation, survival and the mystical interplay between humans and nature. Her latest novel, Black Woods, Blue Sky, continues her exploration of myth, survival and the untamed beauty of Alaska. She says that there's a power in fiction, an empathy that forms between the book, the reader and the author. As a storyteller, she strives to create feelings and experiences that resonate — moments where a reader might think, “That's exactly what I felt, but I've never been able to put it into words,” or, “I've never felt so seen.” This is true for situations she's personally experienced and ones she hasn't — that's where her research comes into play. For Éowyn, writing is about more than just crafting a narrative, it's about discovering the metaphors and the poetry within the concepts she explores. When she set out to be a novelist, she never imagined it would go beyond the Pacific Northwest. But it has. Her writing is known by people all over the world. But at heart, she still writes for her fellow Alaskans.
A few weeks back, in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, we spoke to Carna native, Maureen Folan who's roof got blown off her house from the impact of the storm. She joined Oliver in studio today and sadly we learnt that she has been virtually homeless since.
Colman O'Sullivan reports that the damage wreaked by Storm Éowyn in January has caused many home and business owners to look at other sources of backup power for the next big storm.
Aengus Cox, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Correspondent, examines what lessons Storm Éowyn can teach us about our energy in the future.
Recovery works brought about by Storm Eowyn are underway at the 12 O'Clock Hills. Walkers are being urged to exercise extreme caution at the recreational facility during the period of the works. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by Patsy Neville from 12 O'Clock Hills Community. Photo (C): https://www.facebook.com/12oclockhills/photos/1078412172299766/
How many brands can you name that secured national distribution at Whole Foods just weeks after launching? In this episode, we dive into one such success story: Yaza, a rapidly emerging brand of Lebanese-style labneh. We also test yet another "pizza wine" and chat about Hailee Steinfeld's angelic take on RTD cocktails. Show notes: 0:25: Call It A Tease. See Y'all Soon. Oh, Yes We Did. Marvelous Miami. We've Had Our Fill. First Look. – Melissa Traverse is buckled in for banter and has a surprise in store for BevNET's community. We're all headed to Anaheim in a couple weeks – reach out beforehand. Domino's collaboration with Yellowtail wine garners mixed reviews. We recap Taste Radio's Miami meetup and spread love to those who attended. Ray casts doubt at the viability of another celebrity-backed beverage alcohol brand, Melissa speaks about digestives and Swedish treats, Jacqui has “blue tea” and John unloads a box filled with early-stage brands. 35:51: Interview: Christian Karim Khalil, Founder & CEO, Yaza - Yaza specializes in Lebanese-style labneh, a creamy, dairy-based spread that has long been a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine. Launched in 2024, Yaza sets itself apart by emphasizing authenticity and health benefits, including high protein and probiotics. In this conversation, Christian shares how Yaza overcame early production challenges, why Whole Foods recognized the brand's potential, and how he is strategically evaluating potential collaborations to fuel further growth and expansion. Brands in this episode: Yaza, Yellowtail, Bang Energy, Milonga, Sky Barn, Fruga, Gorgie, Shōjō's Dojo, Little Saints, Lemonicious, Seasa, Scobucha, Verse, MAA+TE, La Gringuita Cookies, Leisure Hydration, OWYN, Brooklyn's Best, Hummii Snacks, Mela, Big Mama's Foods, Frutero Ice Cream, Coconut Cartel, Casalu, Angel Margarita, Wilderton Apertivio, Chikka Chikka, Kolsvart, Wilderton, Kamana, Blue Durango, Cuddle, Nooish, Grounded, Chubbies, Cedar's
George Lee, Environment Correspondent, looks at the continuing issues and cost of Storm Éowyn four weeks after it inflicted huge damage accross the country.
Michale Healy-Rae, who’s minister of state with responsibility for forestry, spoke to Jerry about the ongoing assessment of damage since Storm Éowyn last month and the status of Ukrainian refugees living in Ballybunion.
According to Insurance Ireland, claims for Storm Éowyn could reach €300 million, making it the most expensive extreme weather event of the past 25 years. Michael Horan from the insurance body joins us.
Uinsinn Finn, Director of Services for Physical Infrastructure, Fire & Emergency Services with Galway County Council on the continued cleanup in the county following Storm Éowyn.
Conor Hunt reports on the damage done to State-owned forestry by Storm Éowyn.
Ivana Bacik TD, leader of the Labour Party, discusses the Government's response to Storm Éowyn
Keith Lamkin, Head of the Climate Services Division with Met Éireann, on the wind speed records seen at a number of weather stations last month during Storm Éowyn.
Sally-Ann Barrett speaks to people in the west of Ireland who are still without power almost a fortnight on from Éowyn and Andrew Reddington, Fine Gael Councillor, Headford Co. Galway on the response that has been shown in the last two weeks.
Brian O'Connell reports
Paul Cunningham, Political Correspondent, outlines what's on the agenda as the Dáil returns following a two-week recess.
Siobhán Wynne, Regional Manager with ESB Networks discusses the how they are mobilising all available resources to restore power to its remaining 25,000 customers.
Paddy Hayes, ESB Chief Executive
Siobhan Wynne, Regional Manager ESB Networks, has the latest as some people remain without power over a week on from Storm Éowyn.
Storm Éowyn has changed the face of some treasured public gardens. This week David visits the National Trust's Mount Stewart which was one of the worst affected. Rob Wilson tells David that with thousands of trees down, the garden on the Ards Peninsula has completely lost some of its shelter belts. Despite the destruction, Gardeners' Corner finds hope in the simple snowdrop at Ballyrobert Cottage Garden. Maurice Parkinson has over 250 varieties including favourites such as Galanthus ‘The Pearl', ‘Primrose Warburg' and ‘Fly Fishing' which all perform well in the garden's heavy clay. As Ireland kick off their Six Nations campaign, former rugby international Andy Ward tells David how he transitioned from flanker to gardener. In studio, David is joined by Brendan Little to answer questions and provide some seasonal inspiration. Email the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk
Joe Caulfield speaks to Barbara Warbout, Principal of Tully Primary School, as they continue to deal with the fallout from Storm Éowyn one week after it struck.
The ongoing lack of power has had significant implications for many businesses in the affected areas. With Clíona Standún Managing Director, Stantún Clothing & Gift stores in the West of Ireland.
The Irish Farmer's Association has said a Government review is needed as many of it's members remain without vital services. For a look at the national picture, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs correspondent Aengus Cox is in studio.
Following Storm Éowyn there are still around 108,000 customers across the country without power. This has raised questions as to how prepared we are for events of this nature, and whether more could be done to increase the resilience of the network. Nicholas Tarrant, Managing Director of ESB Networks is in studio.
With power and water supplies still out for thousands of people around the country, older, vulnerable people are of particular concern. For those with underlying health issues, or relying on regular medication, being cut off from the outside world has left them in desperate circumstances. With ALONE charity CEO Sean Moynihan.
Hannah Daly, Professor in Sustainable Energy and Energy Systems Modelling in University College Cork, discusses the impact Storm Éowyn may have on the roll out of cleaner green energy and retrofitting.
Paul Cunningham, Political Correspondent, reports that the Cabinet will meet in Dublin this afternoon, with ministers due to be updated on the State's response to Storm Éowyn.
Christina McHugh, Editor of the Roscommon Herald, Declan Murray from Athboy in Co. Meath and Aaron Kennedy in Moyvore, Co. Westmeath explain the situations they're in following Storm Éowyn and Siobhán Wynne, ESB Networks Regional Manager, has the latest updates on how many households remain without power.
Joe Howley, Collector General, Revenue, outlines how it will provide flexible tax payment arrangements for businesses impacted by Storm Éowyn.
Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann, outlines the operation to restore water supply to over 100,000 customers after Storm Éowyn.
As Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald has said she has written to the Taoiseach calling for a reconvening of the Dail, Michael Collins of Independent Ireland is on the line urging immediate Government action amidst Storm Éowyn Crisis
Nationwide reaction as the aftermath of Storm Éowyn's impact continues to be felt. Including comment from Siobhan Wynne, Regional Director of ESB Networks. Matt Foley is a tomato grower in Rush county Dublin and Padraig Fahy is an organic vegetable grower in Balilnasloe in county Galway, and they detail how they have been affected.
As people start to count the cost of last week's storm, insurance companies are preparing to hear from their customers. Michael Horan of Insurance Ireland is on the line.
More Storm Éowyn reaction with Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann, Margaret Attridge who was speaking to our reporter Dyane Connor. Carole Coleman called to some homes where power cuts and internet blackouts are becoming an unwelcome feature of life in Leitrim.
Storm Éowyn brings wind gusts of more than 100mph to parts of the UK and Ireland, disrupting travel and forcing schools to close.
Hour three of an extended Morning Ireland programme covering the impact of Storm Éowyn.
Hour two of an extended Morning Ireland programme covering the impact of Storm Éowyn.
Hour one of an extended Morning Ireland programme covering the impact of Storm Éowyn.
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715,000 homes without power, record-breaking gusts of 183kmh and widespread serious damage to homes and property across the country – Storm Éowyn has landed in Ireland. How long will the clean-up take? Host: Dave Hanratty Guests: Alan O'Reilly & Mark MadiganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Keith Leonard, Chair of the National Emergency Coordination Group, looks ahead as Storm Éowyn is set to hit Ireland.
Cian McCormack reports from Cappagh Pier in Co. Clare ahead of the arrival of Storm Éowyn.
Gerry Murphy, Senior Forecaster, Met Éireann, looks ahead to Storm Éowyn and that Red alert for the entire country.