Episodes

In this Taste Radio interview, Ray Latif speaks with Scott Florentino, Chief Commercial Officer of Bio-Botanica, about how botanical extracts are powering innovation across today’s beverage landscape. Florentino explains how the 50+ year-old, family-run company works with brands to develop high-quality, made-to-order botanical extracts, helping founders bring differentiated products to market with ingredients like green tea, yerba mate, ginseng, and functional mushrooms. The conversation also explores growing demand for cognitive and functional ingredients, including lion’s mane and other mushrooms, as well as Bio-Botanica’s unique cold-extraction process designed to preserve the natural balance of plant compounds. With trends often emerging first in supplements before moving into beverages, Florentino shares how Bio-Botanica helps brands stay ahead of the curve. To learn more about their ingredients or connect with the team, visit the Bio-Botanica website at bio-botanica.com.

Eight years after his first appearance on Taste Radio, Nick Green, co-founder and CEO of pioneering online grocer Thrive Market, returns with a clear message: the future of healthy living will be shaped less by trend-chasing and more by trust, technology and simplicity.

Expo West 2026 made one thing clear: food and beverage brands are racing to add function, but the ones that nail flavor have the best chance of winning. The hosts break down the show’s biggest trends, from protein-packed everything to standout brands in candy, beverages, frozen treats, and snacks, while sharing the products and ideas that reinforced a simple truth: in modern CPG, taste still comes first.

Nationwide Whole Foods distribution. A seven-figure DTC engine. A five-person team.In this episode, Ashley Nickelsen, the founder and CEO of nutrition bar and chocolate brand B.T.R. Nation, breaks down the systems behind her brand’s growth, from using DTC zip-code data to unlock retail expansion, to building a creative-first Meta ads strategy that drives real revenue (not just impressions). 

Is Big Food finally catching up to emerging brands on speed to market? As legacy CPG giants roll out protein- and fiber-forward innovations faster than ever, the team debates whether startups still hold the advantage. Plus, we give a heartfelt sendoff to Jacqui Brugliera as she departs BevNET after 12 years.

After decades in fine dining, renowned restaurateur Jamie Mammano turned his attention to a new challenge: reinventing the tortilla chip.In this episode, he shares how a small tortilla bakery experiment evolved into Mi Niña, one of the country’s fastest-growing premium tortilla chip brands, now sold in thousands of retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Target and Wegmans.

The real ROI of Expo West starts long before the show floor opens.In this episode, the team breaks down best practices for exhibitors looking to maximize your time and resources at one of the most competitive trade shows in the world. From building buzz before the event to making your product instantly understandable on the show floor, they outline practical tactics that separate the booths people remember from the ones they walk past.