John Fieldly, CEO of fitness-centric energy brand Celsius, discussed the company’s turnaround from turmoil to over $100 million in sales in 2020, including the importance of setting expectations with staff and investors, how to optimize placement at key retailers and why he has an open door policy.
Drew and Mac Anderson, co-founders of the fast-growing fermented food platform Cleveland Kitchen, spoke about how the brand drew its inspiration from their mother and from the city of Cleveland, their experience leaning into new use occasions for sauerkraut and why it was key to growth, the impact of data on its merchandising and sales and how the brothers balance family and business.
NFL legend Jerry Rice and Jaqui Rice, the co-founders of G.O.A.T. Fuel, spoke about the inspiration behind, planning and launch of the better-for-you energy drink brand and how they’re leveraging Jerry’s fame in a way that’s authentic to its positioning. They also discussed the products’ unique formulation, how they evaluate partnerships and the reason that Jerry’s name is not on the label.
This special edition of Taste Radio Insider highlights actionable insights and advice from interviews with four founders, creators and investors who joined us on the show during the second half of 2020. Our guests include Greg Fleishman, Co-Founder/CEO, Foodstirs; Jing Gao, Founder & CEO, Fly By Jing; Carlton Fowler, Managing Partner, Goat Rodeo Capital; and Breezy Griffith, Co-Founder & CEO, SkinnyDipped.
Fitness icon, actor and entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld opened up about his background as an innovator, how he identifies synergies and alignment with consumer brands and the keys to cultivating a winning personality. He also shared the most important lessons he’s learned about business and how he developed his meal-replacement drink brand Don’t Quit from concept into a market-ready line.
In this episode, we’re joined by Francesco Amodeo, the president and co-founder of Don Ciccio & Figli, an acclaimed distiller of handcrafted Italian herbal liqueurs and ready-to-drink cocktails based in Washington, D.C. Within our expansive interview, Amodeo explained why obsession has been key to the company’s success and how brands can adopt a modern approach to a legacy category.
Once Upon a Farm co-founders Jennifer Garner and John Foraker spoke about the evolution of the company’s strategy for winning over retail buyers, merchandising and communicating brand attributes over recent years and why they believe that “everything starts with the consumer.” They also discussed the company’s relationship with Save The Children and its response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The co-founders of next-generation beverage company Future/Proof, spoke about why naiveté, scrappiness and business school connections were critical to the early development of their flagship brand, BeatBox Beverages. They also explained why over-preparation is key to fundraising and how the convergence of lifestyle and liquid play into the company’s trade and consumer marketing strategies.
Laura Catena, managing director of lauded Argentine winery Bodega Catena Zapata and a San Francisco-based emergency room physician, explained how her professions intersect in ways that make her better in both roles, why she feels a heavy responsibility of carrying the whole country of Argentina on her shoulders and discussed her passion for achieving sustainability through innovation.
Stu Aaron and Martin Janousek, co-founders of Bespoken Spirits, a modern distilling company which claims that it can precisely tailor spirits to a desired aroma, color and taste, spoke about they are attempting to win over stakeholders and gatekeepers, how they validated their process and products and why they described Bespoken as an enabler of change, rather than a change itself.
