Episodes

What parallels exist between music, food and beverage and how can they inform entrepreneurs about innovation strategies? The hosts look to legendary music producer Rick Rubin for answers. We also discuss trends from behind the bar with the 2023 USBG World Class bartender of the year Renato Tonelli and Julie Reiner, the owner of world renowned NYC cocktail restaurants The Clover Club and Leyenda.

Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the co-founders of Poppi, spoke about the reasons behind better-for-you soda brand’s explosive growth and how the company is maintaining its torrid pace. They also discussed their transition into new roles, Poppi’s remarkable trial conversion and repeat purchase rates, Amazon as a key part of the company’s marketing strategy and why video is king on social media.

At what stage of development should brands consider aligning with a celebrity or athlete? How can companies assess the potential value and impact of those partnerships? The hosts shared their perspective on both topics, and also spoke about why niche brands might need to reconsider certain positioning and packaging callouts that have them collectively scratching their heads.

Mario Carbone and Eric Skae, the co-founder and CEO, respectively, of fast-growing consumer brand Carbone Fine Food, spoke about how they attempt to incorporate the flair, panache and quality of Carbone’s critically acclaimed restaurants into the brand, their thoughtful pricing and promotional strategy and why they are cautious about new product development.

It may seem counterintuitive, but successful founders are often stung by self-doubt, a topic the hosts discussed in this episode, along with Neil Patrick Harris’ foray into the RTD cocktail business and a divisive brand collaboration. We also sat down with operations expert Andrew Guard to speak about scaling strategies, generating mainstream demand through flavor and working with non-nutritive sweeteners.

James Morrissey, the founder of beverage alcohol platform Global Brand Equities, discussed his vision to meet modern consumers where they live and drink via a contemporary approach to brand and promotion, how he cultivates mutually beneficial celebrity partnerships and why moving at “the speed of culture” is key to the company’s marketing strategy.

The hosts discussed the news that Michelle Obama has joined kids’ food and beverage company PLEZi Nutrition as a co-founder and strategic partner and spoke about the potential impact of the former first lady’s influence and political connections on the brand’s development. They also highlighted the 10 brands named as part of Target’s third Takeoff Food and Beverage program.

Emily Schildt, the founder and CEO of Pop Up Grocer, a specialty retailer known for its short-term locations and carefully curated selection of new and better-for-you products, spoke about its role as an “influencer retailer” and advertiser-first business model, how the company evaluates brand performance and why you might be surprised by its curation strategy.

The hosts assessed the fallout from a highly publicized claim of “copycat” branding (and the accuser’s subsequent apology), recapped a raucous pitch slam and shared a firsthand account of Omson’s rhapsodic rave. They also spoke about a somewhat controversial food and sampled plenty of tasty, trendy products in the studio.

Eddie Simeon, the co-founder of fast-growing mixer, bitters and soda brand Hella Cocktail Co., spoke about how the company has consistently pursued a thoughtful, and occasionally unorthodox, growth strategy that prioritizes strong unit economics and profitability, the synergistic relationship with its primary investor and how Hella’s three-founder team has been the backbone of its success.