[00:00:10] Ray Latif: Hey folks, thanks for tuning into another episode of Taste Radio, the number one podcast for the food New Beverage industry. I'm Ray Latif, the editor and producer of Taste Radio. And I'm here with my BevNET and Nosh colleagues, Jacqui Brugliera and Mike Schneider. As always, if you like what you hear on Taste Radio, please share the podcast with friends and colleagues. And of course, we would love it if you could review us on the Apple Podcasts app or your listening platform of choice. Yes.
[00:00:38] Jacqui Brugliera: Memorize.
[00:00:39] Ray Latif: Mike's got it down. I can take my job. No way. Not a chance. We are here at BevNET Live Summer 2022 in New York City.
[00:00:50] Jacqui Brugliera: We made it.
[00:00:52] Ray Latif: Good times. Oh, my gosh. There's nothing like being in Manhattan, here in Chelsea, the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, at the Metropolitan Pavilion. We're on stage. We're on The Best live stage here right now.
[00:01:03] Mike Schneider: I think we're on the cusp. Chelsea, Flatiron, whatever you like.
[00:01:06] Ray Latif: Whatever you prefer.
[00:01:07] Mike Schneider: They're both great neighborhoods.
[00:01:10] Ray Latif: Chelsea Iron, I think we can do that. Chelsea Iron? Yes. All right, we'll take it. We're on the stage. It's better than saying Chelsea. Geez. Jackie and I were just on the stage a couple hours ago. I, as the host of the New Beverage Showdown, Jackie, as one of the judges of the semi-final round of the New Beverage Showdown, your first time.
[00:01:30] Jacqui Brugliera: How'd you like sitting in my chair? I was warming it up for you for tomorrow.
[00:01:35] Ray Latif: Indeed, indeed. And you were fantastic on stage. Thank you so much for doing it, Jackie. I really, you know, I don't even want to qualify it as saying for your first time because you were just fantastic regardless.
[00:01:45] Jacqui Brugliera: It was a lot of fun.
[00:01:46] Ray Latif: Yeah, you were supposed to be a judge for our Nosh Pitch Slam in the semifinal round of that competition. We had to move some things around because unfortunately, our fearless leader John Craven, a co-host of this podcast, unfortunately came down with COVID just before our event started. So he was unable to join us. here in New York, but he's with us on Slack all the time.
[00:02:07] Mike Schneider: He is so bummed right now. And he is definitely watching every minute. He's catching all the shout outs and things like that. And I feel like, oh my gosh, he loves this event more than anyone and just misses the entire community so much. And I feel for him.
[00:02:24] Ray Latif: Well, we miss him, you know, and I think, you know, it's not necessarily the same conference without him. But, you know, the show must go on. And I think our team has done a pretty darn good job of getting these events organized, being professional, staying together and working hard to make sure that we continue to provide and produce The Best events in the food New Beverage industry. And I think we're I think we're on our way.
[00:02:46] Mike Schneider: At a venue that we haven't been at for a very long time. For old school attendees of DevNet Live and I think it was called Project Nosh back in the day, right? We have been at the Metropolitan Pavilion before and it was a totally different event back then because we had multiple floors and we tried to do multiple events at once. And I mean, there's been so much energy at BevNET Live, and people have been commenting how it's so great to get back together. In fact, Luke Montgomery Smith, formerly of Wildfist Kombucha, and now with Plink, said to me, like, you know, we're all connected. The young brands like Perfee and Ourobor, we're all connected on Twitter and in the echo chamber. And but there's nothing like being able to just walk up to each other and give each other a hug. And I was like, yeah, this is why we do what we do.
[00:03:36] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah. And even seeing, you know, a lot of people posting after Nosh Live, they were saying it was so nice to meet people in real life. They were connecting on LinkedIn before, but they were actually able to make a connection here.
[00:03:47] Mike Schneider: And he added also that there's just an A-list of people here and that they all want to talk to you so you could just walk right up to them and say hello and just have the conversations that you've been dreaming about having.
[00:03:58] Ray Latif: That was the crazy thing, right? So like for folks who attended Nosh Live, I think the accessibility of speakers, of top executives from Whole Foods, from Kroger, from some top brands, Saffron Road, you know, I mean, it was just, it's really amazing. Mid-Day Squares mean, everyone wanted to meet the folks Mid-Day Squares. And as soon as they stepped off stage, they were available. And I know I'm talking about a little bit of, you know, FOMO for folks who didn't attend, but it's true. It's real. I mean, like, you're standing next to the person you wanted to talk to. So in case you're thinking about coming to Santa Monica, I think it might be a good idea. All that being said, I mean, when I was at Nosh yesterday and on Monday, I mean, people couldn't stop talking about the content, the content, the content, the Content Is was fantastic. As again, you know, from the folks from Whole Foods, the folks from Kroger, Sweet Loren's, Saffron Road. I mean, like we heard these stories. about how to build a brand intelligently, thoughtfully, and in a way that's going to allow you really to live the life of your dreams. I mean, I know that sounds like hyperbolic. It really does. But you see how happy these folks are and you see like what it took to get there. And I mean, it's truly impressive. I'm Still King of like in shock of like how good the content really was. I shouldn't have been, but I guess I am. Yeah.
[00:05:21] Jacqui Brugliera: No, it was wonderful. I mean, our editorial team does an amazing job. I mean, Nosh led by Carol Ortenberg and all day one was on stage asking the hard questions and people were able to connect. I think there was a lot of geeking out. Everyone's in the industry. They love talking about product, product innovation, branding, marketing, all of that. And like you said, everyone was here. Whole Foods was here. The buyers were here. Kroger was here and they were able to approach them directly and not have to chase them down in a trade show.
[00:05:50] Ray Latif: Yeah. Jenny's Ice Cream, the CEO of Jenny's Ice Cream, who is now stepping down from Jenny's Ice Cream. Yeah. He was here. I mean, like, again, these are people that you want to connect with, that you want to talk to. And on stage here at BevNET Live, you know, from Andrew Abraham from Orgain, Tom Furst from CulturePop, one of the co-founders of Nantucket Nectars, Allison Ellsworth from Poppy. I mean, like, these are people who have been grinding for a long time and, like, the proof is in the pudding. how you put together your business strategy, how you think about go-to-market, retail, marketing, branding. It was all on stage today, and it was all really, really valuable information. And then again, not to belabor a point here, but as soon as they came off stage, they were accessible. Alison Ellsworth, who was a judge with you, Jackie, on the semifinal round, was fantastic as well. And I told people like, you know, go and speak to her. You know, she's built a brand. She has advice for you. You know, she's not just judging because like, you know, she's just a consumer. She's judging from the standpoint of an entrepreneur who's been there and done that.
[00:06:51] Jacqui Brugliera: And it's also been amazing to see the next generation of brands. The sample fridges are stacked full of innovation and new brands. Beverage School was standing room only. You know, there's a lot of founders here that are super excited to be in the industry. And I think that just fed the energy of the entire event.
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[00:07:56] Mike Schneider: Can we just talk for a second about Somi's pitch, the matcha New Beverage and how... That's part of the New Beverage Showdown, yeah. Part of the New Beverage Showdown, how someone who's barely five foot tall almost slayed the entire audience with girl boss power on stage. She was amazing, yeah. Oh my God.
[00:08:11] Jacqui Brugliera: She commanded attention.
[00:08:12] Ray Latif: She commanded attention. As someone who's hosted these competitions for a long time, I think this was, in no offense, to previous editions of the showdown, this might've been The Best group of 12 brands that we've ever had.
[00:08:28] Mike Schneider: It was tough. For a change, glad to not be in round one judging because I don't know what I would've picked. I mean, I think the six that made it to the next round were definitely worthy, but so were the other six.
[00:08:43] Ray Latif: The other six, you know, in other years might've moved on. Might've moved on, might've been the top six brands to move on to the finals, but because it was so, competitive.
[00:08:51] Jacqui Brugliera: There are a lot of polished brands. Yeah, you know, packaging that was already ready to go ready to be in store. Whereas in the past, maybe like it was just a sticker that was slapped on a bottle. I think a lot of brands are learning and evolving and learning from each other. And, you know, Instagram and social media and LinkedIn helps with that to seeing what other people are doing.
[00:09:10] Mike Schneider: There were also some earlier stage brands who might not have competed in the past, who I give like a lot of credit to just jumping in, like the Neopops of the world, for instance, super early stage brand, looking super polished, tasting really good. We talked to him before the competition. He's like, I just don't know if I'm ready yet. And it's like, you are, you know, get out there, put yourself out there. And now he's getting all this, you know, this great feedback that he needed and, you know, jumpstarting his network in the networking sessions. I mean, that's just what this is all about.
[00:09:42] Ray Latif: But two things there in both competitions, the Pitch Slam and the Showdown. Taste, taste, taste. And story, but taste. You know, I think there were some things, as you mentioned, Jackie, market-ready packaging, beautiful packaging. Taste wasn't there. So how can you get to that next stage if your taste isn't right? So for folks listening, you know, for all the functional benefits you might have, for as beautiful as your packaging might be, for as great as your mission might be, don't forget about taste. It always starts and in many ways ends right there.
[00:10:15] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah. And I feel like a really great example in the Nosh Pitch Slam is there was a product that had an amazing Taste Radio was Still King a little bit on tweaking the packaging. Everything Cheeze, you know, it like amazing product. Everyone loved the product.
[00:10:30] Mike Schneider: No one could believe that that was a powder.
[00:10:32] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah.
[00:10:33] Mike Schneider: Cashew based, plant-based cheese. that you could sprinkle on as a powder, like a Parmesan. It was into like a queso and super great product, but Farmer's Market Plus on packaging and made it to the finals on that. I mean, we haven't seen that before.
[00:10:54] Ray Latif: But the brand that eventually won was a brand called Rewani, which is an adaptogenic brownie. The judges, like, I don't know if they literally, but it was almost like fall on the floor tasting good. They were like blown away.
[00:11:07] Mike Schneider: So good. And I mean, like, that was my favorite. The way that we found Ruwani was we have a new person called Kendra who's, you know, like looking for brands to bring into the fold. And she slid into the DMs and said, hey, you should apply for this and has nothing to do with the competition, found this brand. He was like on the fence about competing. And then next thing you know, he's in the competition and winning.
[00:11:34] Ray Latif: Again, you know, going back to this question of, you know, how important is taste? Well, taste in so many ways helps Rwanda win this competition. The functional benefits were for sure important. You know, the packaging was for sure important. But at the end of the day, and I was in the deliberation room, I shouldn't reveal too much here, but don't, yeah, but like, The difference between 1, 2, and 4, 1, 2, 3, and 4, you know, Rewani was killing it on taste.
[00:12:04] Mike Schneider: Yeah, Anirudh, a pastry chef, the founder, who he wanted, you know, he's like, I just, I know I can make a better for you brownie. I know I can do it. And he just, he's done it. And, and he's got like on his pack, he's got, you know, it's got adaptogens and some big words on it that he doesn't even need to put on front of the pack. He's got to make some tweaks for sure. So delicious. Just saying it's a better for you brownie. If someone tries it, they're willing to try it. They're going to switch. They're going to switch from whatever. Might do honey mamas. Yeah. Let's not get carried away here, right? Let's not get carried away here. Have you tried that carrot cake?
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[00:13:33] Ray Latif: But I do also want to call out stories, you know, like, and how to effectively tell your story. We heard some beautiful stories on stage for both competitions, you know, Anirudh with Ruwani talking about, you know, the genesis of the brand as, you know, as a pastry chef, the name of the brand, you know, it was all just a beautiful story. And then even today, you know, with Perfie, in the New Beverage Showdown, Vasa Martinez, like really being vulnerable, opening up about the reason he created the brand. Like the first minute of his two minute pitch was like, you immediately connected with him and connected with the brand in a really impactful way.
[00:14:11] Mike Schneider: Yeah. He basically spent the beginning of the pitch, and I think you just have to go and check the replay, but he talked about just some big hardships with families and friends. And then he kind of severe weight gain and some things that he's working on reversing now, but invented perfy for that purpose. And then he talked about like the feel good moment of the pitch that I think when the audience was just about to cry, he's like, and, uh, I named this brand, uh, after my mom. See, when I was two years old, I looked at her and said, you're perfy. He was just about to have everyone in tears.
[00:14:47] Ray Latif: And then he said that and everyone was like, Oh my God, The Best part about the pitch is that we didn't even get to the fact that you had, well, that he had a slide up there. with one of his cans, and one of his cans had Mike's face on it. Our own Devonette Mike. I think that was on the slide itself. I mean, imagine, see, that would have been awkward if you were a judge.
[00:15:08] Mike Schneider: That's a weird, ugly head tomorrow, and I'm judging.
[00:15:12] Ray Latif: Well, I'm excited for tomorrow.
[00:15:13] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah, me too.
[00:15:14] Ray Latif: And I've been so excited for these events, and I guess they're really surpassing my expectations. Like, I think really being back in New York, I was thinking this was going to be fun, but like, typically on a Wednesday like this, or the, you know, the first day of Favorite Live, I'm like, I'm going to bed. I don't want to see anyone. I don't want to do anything. Leave me alone. But I'm ready to go. I'm pumped. So you know what we should do?
[00:15:40] Mike Schneider: What? Go hang out with people. Let's do this. Yeah.
[00:15:43] Ray Latif: Well, before I do that, I'm definitely going to have a glass of Straightaway Cocktails, Oregon, old fashioned. These guys make The Best bottled cocktails in the business. I am sorry to anyone else.
[00:15:55] Mike Schneider: You know, everyone, I've tasted a lot of ready to drink cocktails.
[00:15:59] Ray Latif: I've tasted a lot of really great ready to drink cocktail brands. And you know, a lot of them A's. Straightaway Cocktails an A plus.
[00:16:06] Mike Schneider: Well, you know why? It's the product and the branding is phenomenal, but Cy Cain is one of The Best people. What a guy. Great guy. So, so nice. And he just, he just understands, he understands what people want when it comes to, you know, a ready to drink or a, or a bottled, a bottled cocktail. And I mean, I tried the Paloma and I, you know, I was doing accidental dry June and not anymore. Cause I, cause like I had to have a drink with Sy.
[00:16:34] Ray Latif: Had to. Good man. Great brand. And I feel like, you know, as one of the pioneers of the RTD category, the bottles, you know, cocktail category, I'm interested to see like what the brand's positioning is going to be, what the brand strategy is when you do have another 800 entrants coming into the space. Here we go. When you do have the strategics and conglomerates coming into the space. Yeah. I'm excited to hear from Sy on Taste Radio at BevNET Live. He'll be speaking with us tomorrow. I know this is going to be published on Friday, so it's kind of a moot point.
[00:17:06] Mike Schneider: But you can go back and watch.
[00:17:07] Ray Latif: You can go back and watch. You can replay it.
[00:17:10] Mike Schneider: We're good that way.
[00:17:11] Ray Latif: And you can certainly go and try some of these products because I highly encourage you to do so.
[00:17:17] Jacqui Brugliera: ready for some ASMR to round this out. I just cracked open the straightaway Paloma, which I will be drinking right after we're done recording.
[00:17:27] Ray Latif: A sparkling tequila cocktail. You know what? I just noticed this. So this is made with reposado cocktail, real grapefruit juice, pink peppercorn, and tamarind. And then just underneath the ingredient list, is their tagline, lively, liquid masterpieces. I couldn't have said it better myself, so I didn't. It was that they said it. They did it for you. They said it better than me. But you said it for them. All right, folks, thank you so much for tuning in. We are psyched to be here. We hope to see you in Santa Monica. We'll be back recording next week at BevNET headquarters in San Diego headquarters, Jackie. So stay tuned for so much more content. Hopefully John will be back with us. on the next edition of the podcast. But until then, signing off for our amazing team at BevNET, Nosh, and Taste Radio. I'm Ray Latif, and we'll talk to you next time.
