BevNET’s Taste Radio is the podcast for food and beverage professionals, where we talk trends, interview the leaders and rising stars in the industry and discuss knowledge and topics that we hope entrepreneurs and pros everywhere find useful.
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Carl Goyette, CEO of pioneering organic energy drink brand GURU, spoke about how a disciplined business strategy has paved the way for sustainable growth, why the company “says no to a lot” of opportunities, and why he believes that having both experience in a corporate environment and a thirst for entrepreneurship have been key to his ability to manage and build the brand.
This week, we’re joined by the team behind upstart brand Rowdy Energy, NASCAR champion Kyle Busch and Suja co-founder Jeff Church. The duo spoke about their decision to enter the competitive energy category, leveraging Busch’s fame and fan base in an authentic way and how Church is incorporating lessons from the Suja playbook into Rowdy’s business strategy.
We’re joined this week by Pat LaFrieda, CEO of renowned meat brand Pat LaFrieda’s, who discussed his definition for quality and how it fits into the company’s evolution, why “relationships are everything” in business, his vision for the future of the restaurant industry and his surprising opinion about plant-based meat products.
Annie Chun and Steve Broad, founders of Annie Chun’s and gimMe Snacks, spoke about their entrepreneurial journey from selling at farmer’s markets to building category leading brands, why operational efficiency is critical to achieve sustainable margins and the importance of “discovering new experiences for the consumer.”
Trey Zoeller, founder of pioneering whiskey brand Jefferson’s Bourbon, spoke about overcoming initial criticism of his experimental methods for aging bourbon, why he doesn’t consider himself a distiller, balancing consumer demand for diversity, consistency and predictability and why he’ll “never create a brand or an expression out of a boardroom.”
Bantam Bagels co-founders Nick & Elyse Oleksek spoke about their transition from Wall Street analysts to bagel entrepreneurs, why they’ve said “yes” to everything and why effective cold-emailing works. They also explained why investing in PR has been crucial to the brand’s success and how they assessed opportunities to scale the brand.
David Lester and Ben Goodwin, co-founders of Olipop, explained why they believe creating a better-for-you soda brand was the “most impactful thing” they could do, how package design fuels trial, why educating consumers about the products’ health benefits is not a priority and lessons from their first experience as beverage entrepreneurs.
If you’ve ever seen an episode of ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” chances are that John Brenkus is a familiar face. The Emmy Award-winning creator/host of “Sport Science,” and Chief Brand Officer of natural energy drink brand Kill Cliff, Brenkus joined us to discuss the origins of his work, his process for evaluating functional ingredients, including CBD and navigating pitfalls in consumer education.
Kimbal Musk, co-founder & chairman of The Kitchen Restaurant Group, Big Green and Square Roots, spoke how his urban farming venture, a food literacy project for children and a restaurant chain focused on accessible, healthy meals are contributing to his mission of ‘real food for everyone’ and the advancement of the food system.
We spoke with Vincent Kitirattragarn, co-founder/CEO of Dang Foods, about why he thinks the company is well-positioned to tap into one of the most overlooked and influential minority groups in the U.S. He also explained how Dang communicates its brand story across product lines, why he keeps a tight grip on innovation strategy and his relationship with investment firm Sonoma Brands.