[00:00:10] Ray Latif: Hello friends and thanks for tuning in to Taste Radio, the number one podcast for anyone building a business in food or beverage. I'm Ray Latif, the editor and producer of Taste Radio, and with my co-host for this episode, John Craven, Jacqui Brugliera, and Mike Schneider. What's up? Massive show a lot going on in this show. Let's talk about so we'll get right to it London calling you guys have been hearing us talk about our Upcoming travels to a London in the United Kingdom also known as Great Britain You want to give some quick history? Yeah, well the country of England Is the UK and great are those interchangeable?
[00:00:53] John Craven: No, it's not interchangeable explain it to you.
[00:00:55] Ray Latif: What an empty.
[00:00:56] Jacqui Brugliera: All right fine.
[00:00:57] SPEAKER_??: I
[00:00:58] Jacqui Brugliera: Anyway, let's get back to- You know you need British pounds over there, right?
[00:01:03] Ray Latif: Let's get back to my Intro Voice. Yes, we are going to be planning some meetups, or we are planning meetups in London.
[00:01:09] Mike Schneider: They're planning. They're planning.
[00:01:10] Ray Latif: They're planning, yes. They're happening. They're happening. Let's get back to my Intro Voice.
[00:01:15] SPEAKER_??: I love it.
[00:01:18] Ray Latif: Uh, all right. As you know, we've been talking about this. We're going to be attending a drinks event aptly titled cheers with an exclamation point, the drink summit by bread and jam. That's happening on Tuesday, October 15th. It's beginning at 9am. I have a feeling we're going to be there right at 9am. I can't wait. I can't wait outside until they let me. Yes, lots of sampling, lots of networking, lots of speakers, lots of competitions. Actually, it's only one competition, but we're going to be there. We're going to be there in full force, the four of us, that is. Excited for that. And then later that day, from 6 to 8 p.m., We will be hosting our own networking events at Lucky Saints, Lucky Saints pub that is, in the London. Very excited for that six to eight. And we're going to be hosting a couple of short interviews, but you know, it's going to be a very fun cultured affair with some beverages, non-alc, alch, maybe some snacks. It's going to be fun. This is a dream come true. I love Lucky Saints so much.
[00:02:19] Jacqui Brugliera: And tell them about the ticket prices, right?
[00:02:21] Ray Latif: The ticket prices.
[00:02:21] Mike Schneider: It's a great deal. Just hold.
[00:02:23] Ray Latif: This is amazing. We are charging folks nada, zip, zero to attend. Nil. So yes, nil. So if you're interested, and you should be, head to Taste Radio slash London to register. But that's not all, folks. Much more, much more to come the following day, October 16th, that's a Wednesday, from 5 to 7 p.m., we will be at the offices of Trip. Trip. the leading CBD beverage in the UK, also a maker of functional beverages. They've got some big news to announce, but we're just going to be there to talk to them and talk to a whole bunch of other folks who are going to be attending. Tripp's offices are in Notting Hill. Wasn't that a movie, Notting Hill?
[00:03:04] Jacqui Brugliera: Yes, it was a movie with Hugh Grant. That's where you got all your English history from.
[00:03:09] Ray Latif: It is, exactly. That's where I learned that Great Britain and the UK are the same thing.
[00:03:13] John Craven: It's a dream come true. I love Tripp so much. Hugh Grant's the prime minister in your mind. Well, what's really interesting about Tripp is- Might as well be the manager of Manchester United. I remember- Or a player, too, right?
[00:03:28] Ray Latif: Right. I remember when John and Mike visited London in 2019. Jackie and I weren't invited at the time. No.
[00:03:35] Jacqui Brugliera: But anyway- And I texted you all the awesome drinks and such that we had.
[00:03:40] Ray Latif: Yeah, yeah. One of them was Tripp. I remember that. Remember I was slacking you that day, Jack, and I was like, I'm out. I'm done. I'm quitting. Yes.
[00:03:48] Mike Schneider: It's like those memes, like slams laptop shut.
[00:03:50] Ray Latif: Exactly. Then I poured water all over it. Anyway. Again? Again. No, it's amazing because I remember when you guys met Tripp and they just launched at that time in 2019. This was five years ago. And now they are the fastest growing non-strategic aligned drink brand in the UK. An easier way to say it is that they're... only independent or the fast-growing independent soft drink brand in the UK. They're doing amazing things with CBD and with other functional ingredients. They're doing pretty well here in the States too. And we're gonna be talking to those folks about how they're building their brand. in England, in the Europe, as well as in the United States. So very exciting stuff. We're also going to be sitting down with one of the founders of a brand. Now this is actually happening at LuckySang. We're going to be sitting down with one of the founders from Dash. Dash Sparkling Water.
[00:04:47] John Craven: Even more details to be shared But if you want to know about how to register sign up meet us there, please Good To Taste Radio.com slash London I mean the trip thing just takes me back to that that trip in 2019 when I first saw Trip on the shelves and it just stood out for its simplicity They've always made really, really good choices about not only what goes in the can, but what they put on the outside of the can, and they continue to do so.
[00:05:18] Ray Latif: Totally. And a huge thanks to Daniel and Olivia Corey, the founders of Trip for hosting us at their office. Once again, that's on Wednesday, October 16th from 5 to 7 p.m. Our event at Lucky Saint will be on the prior day, Tuesday, October 15th from 6 to 8 p.m. All the details, once again, Taste Radio slash London. I think I said that three times. That's Taste Radio slash London. That's four times. Good To our webpage, please.
[00:05:44] Mike Schneider: We're going to need a geography lesson of London to know where we're going for all of these meetups.
[00:05:50] Ray Latif: Exactly.
[00:05:51] Mike Schneider: Central London, West London.
[00:05:53] Ray Latif: We got it covered. Well, we know that the trip offices are in Notting Hill. We know that for sure. Yes. Correct. Yes. Okay. As I mentioned, it's a massive episode because there's massive news in the food and beverage world. Siete, the Mexican-American brand of snacks and foods is being acquired by PepsiCo for 1.2, Mike is going to do it, billion dollars. That's huge. Amazing stuff. Congratulations to the Ciete family who have built an incredible brand that's really focused on authentic ingredients and really honing in on this idea of being a traditional yet modern Mexican-American food brand. It was founded in 2014. Here we are 10 years later, a billion dollar, over billion dollar acquisition. As you might know, Ciete produces Tortillas, salsas, seasonings, sauces, cookies, snacks. You can find their products pretty much everywhere in the United States. I'm going to read from the press release. Ramon Lagarta, the chairman and CEO of PepsiCo said that PepsiCo believes in the spirit and authenticity of the Siete brand. We're excited to carry on the legacy created by the Garza family. And yeah, once again, I I got to say, I think we had our hand in this, John Craven, because Do you remember, this was in March of this year, and I stood up my soapbox and I was yelling and screaming and kicking. Again, this was in an episode titled, Why Isn't Big CPG Acquiring More Better For You Brands? PepsiCo was listening and they did it, damn it. They did it. Here we go. Yes. But. I am sure there's going to be folks in this business, the food and beverage business, that is, who are going to look at this deal with a little bit of a side eye. I don't know if that's the right thing to say. They're like, you know, is PepsiCo going to change the formulation? Is it going to make it use cheaper ingredients? Are they going to take the beauty and the charm and all the great things that C&A was founded on and make it very corporate? I don't know.
[00:08:01] SPEAKER_??: Maybe.
[00:08:02] Mike Schneider: I feel like that's what always happens when a emerging Brandt Gehrs acquired. That's always the fear. That's always, you know, something that people are keeping an eye on as that happens, but it's, it is a natural evolution, I guess, of a brand. Once you get to that size, it's like, where do you go from here? And hopefully they still have some sort of hand and advisory role, or I don't know. We will see what kind of, how it plays out.
[00:08:29] Jacqui Brugliera: Well, look, I mean, any brand from when it starts to scaling to that size and beyond for sure probably has to make some evolution of the product, you know, really to make it be able to do that. You know, I mean, I think we a lot of times see entrepreneurs who are starting out and it's like, oh, I made this in my kitchen. And yeah, it's awesome because you made it in your kitchen and it's not scalable in any way. And I think with this, I don't know. I mean, I think there's a lot in the Siete brand that I feel like they've already gone through that. I mean, I think they're... You know, certainly like their chip products, like, I don't know, what are they going to do to that? I mean, it seems like pretty good, just give it more points of distribution, you know, put some money behind it. And there's probably economies of scale that PepsiCo is going after with that. But no matter what they do, I still, you know, going back to your point about the podcast back in March, I think it was. I mean, you know, there's been a lot of people who are like, big M&A and CPGs like over. And, you know, I think what we talked about back then is this stuff, it just is a cycle. And it'd be great if they're back in buy mode, because I think there are some brands out there that fill the need or void that exists within these big CPG companies' portfolios. And, you know, they don't want to miss out on that. So, I mean, it's, you know, congrats to Siete Foods what they built and for that awesome exit. And I think anyone out there who's got a CPG brand that's listening, you are going to benefit from this. Like, this has a renewed, like, wow, gee whiz, there is a big financial upside. for the top of CPG M&A. So I think this gives some confidence there and should be that, you know, grease on the investment wheels at all levels. Probably won't happen like, you know, totally overnight, but I suspect this is not the last big deal we're going to see in the coming months.
[00:10:30] John Craven: There might be some consolidation of the brand or as John, you know, as John was saying, uh, you know, increased distribution means maybe more focus on certain Siete product lines that are more profitable or better loved. I think, you know, hopefully this is more like a perfect snack style acquisition where the product stays largely what it was and they have, you know, new, interesting SKUs that, that they try or they, you know, they try a bit of innovation here and a bit of innovation there and they don't, you know, DFI you.
[00:10:59] Jacqui Brugliera: I mean, I think to be honest, the thing that they should do with it is take a good hard look at the stagnant brands that are in their existing portfolio and let Throne Sport of go off to the sunset and take Siete, which is modern It's a really well branded product. Like it's got momentum, just give it a push, you know, build off of that rather than I think, you know, to what Jackie was saying. I think a lot of times it's almost just maybe easier to keep sticking with the. legacy brands, you know, they already have like established teams and, you know, so on and so forth within these big companies. And this is, this is going to be different.
[00:11:42] John Craven: And they're widely distributed and pulling legacy brands off the shelf is pretty difficult.
[00:11:48] Jacqui Brugliera: And this feels like, I mean, the Siete brand, I mean, it looks timeless. It looks evergreen. Like there's nothing about it where you're like, I don't know, this is just, some hype that'll be gone, like it looks like a staple product, so.
[00:12:00] John Craven: And you get inside what you're looking at on the outside too, which is really important. Like the quality is unmistakable for Ciete.
[00:12:09] Mike Schneider: Yeah, they went into like the perfect categories with really delicious products with packaging that hit both like the heritage of Mexican American food while also, you know, being modern, so that they just like, did everything right. And that took time. But I think that it just provides for a Great Britain to just kind of keep pushing like Craven was saying.
[00:12:35] John Craven: But you're definitely not going to push Fritos off the shelf, you know, at least not, not immediately.
[00:12:42] Ray Latif: Yeah, and I think the one thing that hasn't been brought up is that Siete was founded on the roots of being a better for you brand as well. Their ingredients are high quality. They're made for people who in some cases can't eat certain ingredients. They have grain-free tortillas. They make some of their tortillas with avocado oil. Their salsas are clean label. So, I mean, all these things that we wouldn't necessarily think of when we think of PepsiCo. is now being adopted and incorporated into that brand. So all the things, it's interesting how Indra Nooyi from many years ago was really focused on bringing more better for you products to everyday Americans via the Pepsi portfolio. So she said. So she said in some ways, but I feel like this acquisition is doing that.
[00:13:30] Jacqui Brugliera: It's closer to putting your money where your mouth is. So I will definitely give them credit for that.
[00:13:37] Ray Latif: It will be interesting to see whether or not PepsiCo keeps a lot of the products that C&T offers, including things like tortillas, beans and seasonings and sauces, or whether or not they'll just discontinue those things and focus on the tortilla chips, the snacks, the cookies, things like that.
[00:13:56] Jacqui Brugliera: I mean, that would be my guess is that if there's any shorter term change, it just comes with, you know, rationalizing the SKUs and which businesses they're in, because I'm sure Pepsi Co. Probably has its eyes on some more than others certainly chips for sure, but yeah We'll see the sauces and whatnot feel a little more outside, but you know who knows yeah, maybe it's an opportunity for so most to Benefit from there you go, and they get there you get acquired for a billion dollars. Yeah, I mean They wouldn't turn that down one other winner in all this too. I just want to point out is Austin, Texas where Siete Foods is which is you know, has had a, well, I mean, obviously a lot of, I don't know, hype and whatnot there, but, you know, a nice little CPG scene there that for sure gets a really, I mean, not that they haven't had wins before with other brands, but I think it's a nice, you know, sort of stamp of approval and legitimacy of that CPG community.
[00:14:55] John Craven: Shout out to Super Coffee.
[00:14:56] Ray Latif: Yeah, well, I mean, there's Super Coffee and there's about, I don't know, a hundred other brands that are based in Austin, Texas, and all of them, I think, benefit from being a part of that community. They can talk to each other, talk to investors who are based in the area, who are investing in brands in that area. But overall, I would say that this is a big win. I did see some stuff on LinkedIn about, you know, just people, I don't know, I don't want to call them Haters Be just like people who are- Of course there's haters. Yeah, haters gonna hate. Yeah, who are nervous or like skeptical about PepsiCo getting involved. But again, I mean, this is something we talked about in March. Like, If everyday Americans are going to eat better, it's going to be incumbent upon the big food companies to give them better Good To give them more affordable and accessible food that is better for you. And I think PepsiCo's acquisition of Siete does that, which is great.
[00:15:49] Mike Schneider: Yeah, I think also just the hate shows how respected the Siete brand is within the industry. Like people are trying to protect it and they don't want to see it diluted. So I think it just speaks to that.
[00:16:03] John Craven: Haters always come out when you've arrived too. So, you know, this is a huge thing for them. It's a huge thing for the industry and people are going to, you know, spout their opinions and let's hear it all.
[00:16:14] Mike Schneider: In this day and age, you think?
[00:16:15] John Craven: Really? They're like sitting there waiting. They've been waiting for this to come.
[00:16:20] Mike Schneider: Online trolls.
[00:16:21] John Craven: So, I mean, we're at peak troll.
[00:16:24] Jacqui Brugliera: Hopefully it'll get better after November.
[00:16:27] Ray Latif: Well, I don't want to, I'm not saying this to toot our own horn, but you know, if you're thinking about selling your company, PepsiCo for a billion dollars and want to know the right strategy, the right foundation upon which to build. Is there a playbook that they could listen to? You know, they can Good To an episode where I sat down with Miguel Garza, Taste Radio episode, that is. Miguel Garza, the co-founder and CEO of Siete Foods, which we published in May of 2020. We'll include it in the show notes. It's titled How about this? The cornerstones of Siete's billion-dollar strategy. How about that?
[00:17:02] Mike Schneider: Wow. Give me the future.
[00:17:06] Ray Latif: I went all the way into the future.
[00:17:09] John Craven: The year 2000. Look at his head. You can just see it blowing up in front of us.
[00:17:14] Ray Latif: Yes, indeed, my head is blowing up.
[00:17:16] John Craven: I hope it doesn't explode. Mike, take over.
[00:17:18] Ray Latif: That's why he keeps the hat on at all times. He's definitely going to be asked for more.
[00:17:22] John Craven: Oh shoot, it's on the table. It's getting too heavy.
[00:17:24] Ray Latif: No, in all seriousness, it was a great conversation. Miguel is a brilliant guy, and I think there's a lot to learn from that episode. So seriously, take a listen.
[00:17:33] Jacqui Brugliera: It is, I think, always interesting to hear the founder talk. before the deal, because I'm sure there's going to be plenty of chances to hear the founder talk after the deal. And, you know, I think getting the more raw, you didn't know it was coming yet conversations always, always fun. Absolutely.
[00:17:57] Ray Latif: Now, another person who I had a conversation with on a previous episode of Taste Radio that I really enjoyed is Kat Cole. Kat Cole is the president and CEO of AG1. If you're familiar with AG1, or if you listen to podcasts, you're probably familiar with the brand. It's a maker of powdered greens, used to be known as Athletic Greens. I spoke to Kat when she was the president and COO of the company back in 2020. Since then, that is a brand that has been on fire and it's been recently revealed that AG1 is partnering with Starbucks on a new line, or a new couple products that is, of Green Juice inspired beverages. They are testing an iced AG1 coconut milk blend and iced AG1 watermelon blend in four cities where Starbucks operates. Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Chicago, and Seattle. Apparently consumers or customers can also order a scoop of AG1 in their beverages if they want it. This is an interesting development, especially because when I think of Green Juice at Starbucks, I think of Evolution Fresh, but people are like, oh, I can get Green Juice at Starbucks now. That's been available at Starbucks for 10 years.
[00:19:16] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah. Well, that's kind of not, I mean, I don't know. I consume AG1. I don't really consider that Green Juice. It's just sort of stuff you mix in with stuff.
[00:19:25] Ray Latif: I think it was positioned as Green Juice for a long time.
[00:19:28] Jacqui Brugliera: I think it's more positioned as a nutritional blend nowadays Yeah, which I think is much smarter positioning and seems to be working out pretty well for them But the Starbucks, I don't know. That's Good To brand awareness. Sure, you know, I'm gonna add it to my 16 pump venti mochi macchiato. I don't know. I don't even know the drink.
[00:19:49] Mike Schneider: Macchiato. That's the thing I feel like with Starbucks. The joke is that like people just customize the crap out of their drinks. So AG one is just like another thing that crap out of their drinks or Yeah, no crap in the drinks.
[00:20:03] John Craven: Okay. All right. Jake, Jake, here's your latte. Jake, Jake, Jake.
[00:20:07] Mike Schneider: Yeah. And now you just add AG1 as another line item, you know, on your, on your drink order. Now, I think it's just like smart for them to build on the AG1 brand awareness and offer it as another thing for their consumers. It is giving me Erewhon vibes though. You know, I like, what is the price point? I know AG1 is kind of expensive.
[00:20:27] Ray Latif: It's not Erewhon level. No. Okay. That's Good To for a grande of both the coconut milk one and the watermelon one, a grande is $6.25, according to this signage here. I don't know what a normal costs minus the AG one. I mean, it's still pretty expensive. Let's be real here. Like not the everyday consumer is not going to be able to afford this.
[00:20:45] Mike Schneider: Yeah. Also where they're testing is interesting because, you know, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, those are probably a lot of LA people. They're going to spend money on it. So I could see it doing well.
[00:20:59] Ray Latif: According to Snack Shot, which is run by our favorite friend, Andrea Hernandez, the options are very low in sugar content. It doesn't describe in her post here, it doesn't describe exactly how much sugar is in these beverages, but I also wonder
[00:21:18] Jacqui Brugliera: If the average Starbucks consumer like drinks Green Juice or drinks green beverages period I mean there's definitely consumers that go there and buy things that they perceive to be healthy a lot like they sell a lot of matcha lemonades and stuff you know so maybe it's like Green stuff is healthy This green stuff must be healthy. Yeah, maybe I should add it to my drink. I don't know
[00:21:41] Mike Schneider: I don't think they're all like purists like you, Ray, with your Green Juice every morning. And they're maybe looking at it just as purely like a functional add to their beverage.
[00:21:50] Ray Latif: I honestly wonder who's going to benefit more from this, AG1 or Starbucks. I got to think it's AG1, but I think Starbucks has really been lacking when it comes to innovation.
[00:22:00] Jacqui Brugliera: And they could use any sort of buzz they could get. So yeah, take it, do it. So you think Starbucks is going to get more out of this?
[00:22:07] Ray Latif: I don't know.
[00:22:07] Jacqui Brugliera: It can't be bad for them.
[00:22:09] Ray Latif: Just be a pundit for a second and let me know what you think. I don't know.
[00:22:15] Jacqui Brugliera: I do know you're gonna go in there and just be like just give me the line of Agee one Just put it on the counter.
[00:22:20] John Craven: Oh, yeah To be giant international coffee shop there of course Agee one's gonna be the one that benefits more than Starbucks I I
[00:22:31] Ray Latif: I will say this, and no offense to AG1, I have a ton of respect for Cat Cole. I will not be buying this product at Starbucks. If I want something that's better for you or healthy, I'm going to Good To the actual Green Juice.
[00:22:42] John Craven: When was the last time you went to Starbucks?
[00:22:44] Ray Latif: That's a good question. It's been a while.
[00:22:45] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah, I haven't been to Starbucks in a while. I mean, he's more of a Burger King guy.
[00:22:49] Ray Latif: Lately, it's been Arby's actually. They have one of those in Brooklyn? Extra meat. They have the meats. They have the meats. Anyway, we'll be following the development of that partnership. Whether it goes national or not remains to be seen, but hey, we're talking about it, so it means it's important, right? We don't talk about anything unless it's important. All right, let's try some products. All right, does Starbucks sell pretzel bites? I don't know, but people love pretzel bites, and I think they probably should. Why haven't we opened those yet? I feel like they should, but anyway.
[00:23:20] Jacqui Brugliera: They sell cake on a stick. My kids love that.
[00:23:22] Ray Latif: Yeah, they sell the cake pops. I asked because I'm holding in my hand right now a new product launched by King's Hawaiian. You might know King's Hawaiian for their delicious soft rolls that pretty much go with anything. You can eat those for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do you just keep them next to your bed? Under the bed actually.
[00:23:41] Mike Schneider: You can sleep on them. They're so soft.
[00:23:43] Ray Latif: I'm not a huge soft pretzel person, but I love this. So yeah, so they launched soft pretzel bites. Uh, these come in a little bin, I'll call it that. They are 170 calories per serving. A serving size is six pieces. Everyone's seen a pretzel bite. They're not too, too big. The flavor is described as original Hawaiian sweet. And, uh, yeah, I like this because kids love this kind of stuff. Can we open in these? Do you have any hand sanitizer? I don't. Do you? I might.
[00:24:13] Jacqui Brugliera: No, not with me. It looks like you should put a little teeny tiny baby smash burger on those. You know Perhaps like a teeny tiny fried chicken nugget sandwich.
[00:24:24] Ray Latif: I don't know I gotta tell you though. I'm sorry. I you're supposed to either microwave or put these in air I love nuke food.
[00:24:32] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah, I mean I guess I don't know they look like every single one they look like a pretzel Buckeye look at Okay, the ingredients on this are microscopic and cover about nine lines.
[00:24:48] Ray Latif: Yeah, there's a lot of ingredients in this. I won't necessarily say that this is a clean label product, but I'm sure it's delicious. So King's Wines, they did a big cart takeover. They did pretzel cart takeovers. All over New York City when they launched this so instead of people selling those big pretzels you get in New York City They were selling or giving away these Kings Hawaiian soft pretzel bites Which I like you know was giving them out to freaking Eli Manning was he? Yes, he was throwing people's heads and hoping they catch it David Terry
[00:25:21] Jacqui Brugliera: I mean these these would not work the way in New York pretzel does because you can't I mean you can't put mustard on these You don't have the like the chestnut smell like burning you just have the container Yeah, we're gonna we're gonna have some air toaster, okay, we're gonna be good that way yes move on to something with fewer ingredients
[00:25:45] Ray Latif: Yes, you have that. How about that?
[00:25:46] Jacqui Brugliera: Yeah, you got did they send that to you buy that? You know, I emailed that what's his name? What that guy Matt Weiss? No, I get it.
[00:25:52] Ray Latif: I did not email.
[00:25:53] Jacqui Brugliera: I just was like I'm gonna go by the okay It was well, I guess technically it's a garage the product so emailing Matt Weiss from Ryan would have been weird even though that I think this is a Says collaboration with Ryan. I think it's from their their granola granola facility that they've got now so Yeah. See You want a little.
[00:26:14] Ray Latif: Yes. This is a limited edition. Sorry. I just got to hit all the bullshit. I yelled it. I yelled at John. He got all flustered. This product is called Grazola. It's granola by Graza. It's made with extra virgin olive oil and it is powered by rind. As it notes here on the package, nothing but oats, E V O O, which stands for. Extra-virgin olive oil salt and maple syrup. It's sweet and salty If voo, this one has very few ingredients gluten-free rolled oats maple syrup Graza extra-virgin olive oil and salt.
[00:26:51] Jacqui Brugliera: It's it's definitely here. I'll take a little Different tasting granola, which I appreciate Definitely, and I will say for Matt Weiss it is DNS. He'll be wondering. Do we have a sticker? Yeah, we can put a sticker on there. But it's it's definitely got a different like sort of savory taste to it. I appreciate that. That's a really almost buttery backbone to it.
[00:27:18] Siete Foods: Mmm.
[00:27:19] Ray Latif: Yeah, it's interesting. You know Graza has done a few of these limited-edition collabs They did one obviously the non-alcoholic martini with Or a bar or Aura Bora, and I can see this being an everyday product or a part of their portfolio Going forward fun name Grazola. Yeah, I wonder if this is gonna be something that this ends up being part of their permanent portfolio or not Why don't you taste it? Because I don't have any hand sanitizer. There's a cup right there. I'm using that cup for something else. I'm using that cup for a product, a new product from the brand known as Casamara Club. Casamara Club is a maker of delicious non-alcoholic drinks, specifically aperitivos. We've talked about this brand a number of times in the podcast. I love Casamara Club. What a Great Britain. So this is a new product. Look at that. As I mentioned, Super Classico comes in these squat 8-ounce cans. It's made with sparkling water, red currant juice, dimara cane sugar, lemon juice, and has extracts of chinoto, I think I'm pronouncing that correctly. Pinotto, kola nut, orris root, bourbon, Madagascar vanilla, juniper, allspice, and clove.
[00:28:33] John Craven: I like all those words. I don't know what they all mean, but I like them all.
[00:28:35] Ray Latif: Can we get a can over here? We got a can. We're going to sample some. Sorry, Jackie. I know. It's okay. If I'd got some earlier, I would have brought it with me to- I got a good slide game today. To the San Diego.
[00:28:48] John Craven: Yeah, this stuff looks, it looks awesome.
[00:28:50] Jacqui Brugliera: Let's take, let's smell this. This kind of has like a, I don't mean this in a negative way, but like almost like a, like a household cleaner vibe to the can.
[00:29:00] Ray Latif: Like it's got, oh yeah, it looks like a, what's the name of the brand?
[00:29:03] Jacqui Brugliera: One of those like Ajax, you know?
[00:29:06] Siete Foods: Yeah.
[00:29:07] Jacqui Brugliera: But it's cool. I mean, it totally catches the eye.
[00:29:09] John Craven: You guys, it tastes like Casamara Club and it's a different, it's got like very, very nice bitter notes to it. Some really thoughtful sweetness.
[00:29:17] Ray Latif: This is great. So, John, just to extend our conversation here about the can, according to the company, the retro copper and navy striped can is a design that nods to some of the team's favorite Italian scenes from the 1960s. from Steve McQueen documentaries to iconic F1 races. I can see that. Yeah, I can see that.
[00:29:40] John Craven: It's got a really nice old school racing vibe to it now that they mentioned that. I mean, this stuff is really Good To's tasty. 48 calories for a can. It says, we hope this little drink helps you appreciate small moments and to find leisure whenever and wherever you are. I pronounce it leisure, not leisure.
[00:29:59] Ray Latif: Leisure.
[00:29:59] John Craven: Leisure. Yeah, this is really good. Well done.
[00:30:02] Ray Latif: Yet another great offering. Snag a can and put it in your breast pocket like that. Yes you did.
[00:30:07] John Craven: Oh look at that. Oh my goodness. I did. Can you believe it? Thief!
[00:30:11] Jacqui Brugliera: Thief! I dumped a little Grazola in mine, no kidding.
[00:30:18] Ray Latif: Someone here thinks that the granola is going to be pilfered as well.
[00:30:23] Jacqui Brugliera: Would you like me to pour you a little cup?
[00:30:25] John Craven: No, no, no. There's no hand sanitizer needed. Oh, wait, I've got something. Jackie, what you got over there?
[00:30:35] Mike Schneider: I have Throne Sport coffee. Yes. Open this up.
[00:30:41] Ray Latif: There you go.
[00:30:42] Mike Schneider: See the different options here. But this is Patrick Mahomes coffee.
[00:30:47] Ray Latif: Patrick Mahomes.
[00:30:48] Mike Schneider: What's his voice? I don't know. I felt like I was doing a reveal, so I was trying to put on a real voice or something. Was that your announcer voice? Patrick Mahomes introduces his sport coffee. What kind does he have? And he has different types. He has black French vanilla, Mocha Java, and salted caramel. The call-outs really are all about like performance. So it seems like it's like something you would drink before a workout. Like it has BCAAs, B vitamins, all natural flavors and sweeteners, electrolytes, and 150 milligrams of natural caffeine from Arabica coffee. I haven't tried it yet.
[00:31:29] Ray Latif: It's really delicious. Yeah. That, that French vanilla one is fantastic. Yes, also the salted caramel ones. Patrick and I really enjoyed that salted caramel, especially when I interviewed him and founder of Throne Sport Coffee, Michael Fideli. Patrick Mahomes is actually the lead investor in Throne Sport Coffee and Michael Fideli, the former vitamin water and body armor marketing executive. are getting into the coffee business. I think they're off to a great start.
[00:32:00] John Craven: That was an awesome flex there, Ray. Yeah, you get to talk to all the celebrities. You get to talk to Pat Mahomes. I talk to Pat. I hate the Kansas City Chiefs, but I think Pat Mahomes is awesome.
[00:32:08] Mike Schneider: Ooh, don't tell Monica.
[00:32:10] John Craven: Oh my gosh, that's right.
[00:32:12] Ray Latif: She hates the Patriots, I'm sure.
[00:32:13] Mike Schneider: Yeah, that's true.
[00:32:15] Ray Latif: Hatred is mutual. It's a really great looking brand, great tasting products. And I think, if I'm not mistaken, all of them have less than 10 grams of sugar per can. Is that right?
[00:32:25] Mike Schneider: Yes, you are correct. It has, this one has eight total sugars.
[00:32:30] Ray Latif: Yeah.
[00:32:30] Mike Schneider: So yeah, pretty clean.
[00:32:32] Ray Latif: And it's pretty sweet as it is. I mean, at least for me, who has a pretty discerning palate when it comes to sweetness.
[00:32:39] Mike Schneider: Yeah, it is pretty sweet.
[00:32:41] John Craven: Can we talk about another great looking brand? I've got this brown box here and it just has one little parrot sticker that says a new kind of South Asian pantry. You open it up and it's the long awaited People Peepal People People Brad Avery cool. Take a look at that.
[00:32:58] Ray Latif: Love the rebrand. Be clear, Peepal People is spelled P-E-E-P-A-L and people is how you Peepal People.
[00:33:04] John Craven: Peepal People. This is the one. I'm doing my mic impression over here.
[00:33:10] Jacqui Brugliera: John's got a bottle of hot sauce.
[00:33:13] John Craven: You gave me my favorite one too. Hot sauce with, oh yeah, the turmeric habanero. That one's amazing. I've got the garlic ghost. Ray, which one do you have? This is the mango jalapeno. Look at this Jackie. We got we got parrot earrings. Ah, so the parrot is the new mascot of Peepal People and it's it's on the bottles which as we talked about before are inspired by the trucks in Pakistan and This branding is beautiful. This is gonna pop right off the shelf. I love the call-out zero sugar lower sodium and And, you know, they change the names of the flavors so that you know what you're getting when you see it. Of course, we have, in case we want to set the room on fire, there's also a matchbook here.
[00:33:58] Jacqui Brugliera: Let's not do that.
[00:34:01] Ray Latif: It says, Not Your Auntie's Dizzy Pantry. Chill brand.
[00:34:07] John Craven: Is that a sticker for the wall? Not a sticker. This is a thank you note. Sure it's not a sticker too? Doesn't feel like a sticker. So sad. We need more stickers. I know, we need more stickers. I mean, I'm sure people will have stickers at some point. They have earrings. They have earrings. Stickers must be coming, but we need Peepal People paired stickers.
[00:34:26] Ray Latif: I gotta mention one more brand because I know John is suffering from scurvy. Hmm. I actually am feeling a little dehydrated I mean if it's the scurvy, you know, you spend a lot of time on boats I do lately. Yes, and as a potential pirate, you know, perhaps that's why you know, you're developing this you know, you're supposed to make the gold coins enough and And in the earrings, the parrot earrings, you can give those to... No, in like the hull of the ship, you know? You're supposed to drink quinine for scurvy, right? Right. Oh, yes. Yeah, okay. So I saw this upstairs. I have a nice G&T every time I'm alone. Oh, no, wait.
[00:34:58] John Craven: Isn't quinine for malaria? No, I think it's for scurvy. Don't you have it back?
[00:35:03] Ray Latif: I think it's for scurvy. It's vitamin C for scurvy. Well, whatever. Clearly, I need... Quinine. Yes. Yes. We'll look this up and if we're wrong, just send us a note to ask at Taste Radio. Yeah. No, I saw this stuff in the cooler. It's an eight ounce can with this really beautiful branding. It's called DAPL, D-A-P-P-L-E-D. They're a maker of tonic water, authentic craft tonic water at that. This is their floral variety, which is made with a rose, chamomile, and lavender. As it notes, it contains pure quinine. Yes in a rare Turn of event. I am right. Yes, you're both right. Okay. Okay. Good. Well done. Yes, okay good Yeah, so yeah 7.5 ounce can 19 grams of sugar I got to pop this open before we end the show here and try this that only I didn't waste your cup That was yours only wasn't all over your laptop That is really delicious that is fantastic well done dappled That is give me a scotch.
[00:36:01] John Craven: All right scotch a lot more flour forward than I expected. That's nice.
[00:36:04] Siete Foods: Yeah I just need to go find myself some gin.
[00:36:10] John Craven: I don't need the gin. I like it like that.
[00:36:13] Ray Latif: I would take the gin. I would take the gin.
[00:36:16] John Craven: But it it's definitely gonna be a great compliment for gin.
[00:36:20] Ray Latif: That brings us to the end of this episode of Taste Radio. Thank you so much for listening. Taste Radio is a production of BevNET.com Incorporated. Our audio engineer for Taste Radio is Joe Cracci. Our technical director is Joshua Pratt, and our video editor is Ryan Galang. Our social marketing manager is Amanda Smerlinski, and our designer is Amanda Huang. Just a reminder, 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. Check us out on Instagram. Our handle is BevNetTasteRadio. As always, for questions, comments, ideas for future podcasts, please send us an email to ask at Taste Radio. On behalf of the entire Taste Radio team, thank you for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
[00:37:10] Taste Radio: you
