Episodes

This special episode of Taste Radio features highlights from interviews with six entrepreneurs who joined us on Taste Radio during the first half of 2020. Our guests include Siete Family Foods co-founder and CEO Miguel Garza; Nick & Elyse Oleksak, the co-founders of Bantam Bagels; Miyoko’s founder and CEO Miyoko Schinner; Ben Van Leeuwen, the co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen’s Ice Cream; Orgain founder and CEO Andrew Abraham; and Gail Becker, the founder and CEO of Caulipower.

Jim, Jake and Jordan DeCicco, co-founders of surging “Super Coffee” brand Kitu Life, explained why success is as much about avoiding the wrong moves as it is about making the right decisions. They also discussed the role of mentors in steering strategy, adjusting their management style to meet the needs of an evolving workforce and their perspective on raising capital and aligning with strategic investors.

Henry Chen, founder/CEO of SPI West Port, the owner of ALO Drink, ALO Snacks, Jen Collagen and Woodridge Snacks, spoke about the importance of staying true to the company’s core focus, who he views as the ultimate industry gatekeeper, how the company strategizes around retail placement and the key element entrepreneurs can’t overlook when scaling.

NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis and Megan Bushell, co-founders of CBD-infused beverage brand DEFY, discussed how the company is navigating a murky regulatory environment for CBD, the positioning of the beverages as “performance drinks” and how Davis is advising current NFL players about incorporating hemp- and cannabis-based products into their lifestyles.

In this episode, we’re joined by Jon Taffer, host of popular reality TV show “Bar Rescue” and the creator of Taffer’s Mixologist, a brand of handcrafted cocktail mixes and hard seltzers. Known for his opinionated and often bombastic on-screen personality, Taffer was instead reserved and thoughtful in discussing several timely topics, including how bar owners [...]

Justin Baldwin, founder of the acclaimed Justin Winery, chronicled the development of his highly awarded brand and spoke about the importance of leveraging one’s skill sets and admitting their weaknesses, mitigating risk through financial discipline and how entrepreneurs can best position their companies for success in good times and bad.

Brendan Brazier, co-founder of pioneering plant-based protein brand Vega and “hard” cold-pressed juice brand Pulp Culture, spoke about how his passion for plant-based nutrition culminated in Vega, why the company embraced the saying “ignorance is our only competition,” how he assessed the opportunity for a better-for-you alcoholic beverages and his perspective on the evolution of plant-based foods.

Miguel Garza, co-founder & CEO of Mexican-American food brand Siete Family Foods, spoke about the principles upon which the company was founded, the roles of family and love play in the company’s operations, the hallmarks of its product development and innovation strategies and why revenue isn’t the defining metric for Siete to become an iconic brand.

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.