Episodes

Caulipower’s sale to Urban Farmer in November 2025 marked the latest chapter in one of the most remarkable founder stories in modern CPG. Before the acquisition, the company was generating more than $120 million in annual sales and had established a dominant position in better-for-you frozen food. But for founder Gail Becker, building a successful company was never just about creating enterprise value — and that makes this conversation worth revisiting.

As inflation, margin pressure and shifting consumer behavior reshape the CPG landscape, private label is having a major moment — and brands need to decide how they’ll respond.The hosts unpack why more retailers are embracing private label, how brands can leverage it to strengthen cash flow without undermining their own business, and why saying no to an opportunity could simply hand it to a competitor.

The fastest way to find out if your strategy holds water? Put it in the market. For more than a decade, Cheeky Cocktails has built a following with premium syrups and juices designed to elevate at-home cocktails. 

In this Taste Radio interview, Ray sits down with Luke Colson and Jonathan Segal, co-founders of Vibes Candy, a better-for-you gummy brand born out of a chance encounter at a Venice Beach Whole Foods. The founders share how they set out to build a candy that didn't taste "healthy," instead combining bold, aspirational branding with reduced sugar, added fiber, and small functional touches like chamomile and elderberry across their four core flavors.The conversation digs into how Vibes built retail momentum the hard way, hand-selling in stores across all 50 states before landing distribution with Sprouts, expanding into national e-commerce with Walmart, Amazon, and a new TikTok Shop, and building a loyal following through surf and skate culture and a giving-back partnership with the Hawaii Wildlife Fund. Luke and Jonathan also detail their approach to flavor and texture innovation, including an upcoming spicy-sour launch, and why taste always comes before health claims. Listeners can learn more about the brand and its full flavor lineup at vibescandy.com.

What does it take for an emerging CPG brand to go from promising to investable?Brian Folmer, founder of FirstLook and FirstLook Ventures, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how he evaluates the next generation of consumer brands. FirstLook is a “Shark Tank in a box” platform that vets hundreds of brands before putting a select group of products in the hands of nearly 100 investors, while FirstLook Ventures takes that deal flow a step further by funding emerging companies alongside its investor community.

Chicago’s CPG scene is thriving, and we got a taste of it firsthand.Fresh off our latest Taste Radio meetup, we spotlight the city’s vibrant brand community and sample a fascinating lineup of products discovered at the highly touted, unceremoniously shuttered and ultimately resurrected Foxtrot Market.

Functionality is everywhere – but are consumers buying the benefit or seeing right through it? This week, we dig into the rise of protein- and fiber-enhanced snacks from Khloud, Doritos and Smartfood, the growing buzz around colostrum, and a troubling new study on avocado oil authenticity.