Episodes

In this Taste Radio interview, Melissa Traverse sits down with Matt Lynn of BELAY Solutions at Expo West to unpack the operational growing pains that many CPG founders face as they scale. Drawing from his experience leading inventory accounting for an outsourced accounting firm, Matt explains how brands often begin with scrappy systems like spreadsheets before encountering increasing complexity across inventory, financial reporting, and cash flow visibility.The conversation dives into the warning signs that founders need help, like chaotic books, unclear margins, and difficulty tracking true product costs. Matt emphasizes the importance of understanding unit economics, maintaining clean financials for investors, and choosing partners with CPG-specific experience, all while freeing founders to focus on growth and sales. To learn more and get started, listeners can text “taste” to 55123 for a free inventory guide from BELAY Solutions.

The hosts break down the latest wave of CPG deals, including HOP WTR’s sale to Constellation Brands and So Good So You’s acquisition by a private investment group – just two of several recent moves. They explore what’s fueling continued buyer activity and why non-alcoholic, functional, and better-for-you beverage brands remain especially attractive targets.

How did two 20-something founders turn a $7,000 investment into one of the fastest-growing brands in CPG, now selling one unit every three seconds? It started with a deceptively simple idea, relentless sampling, meticulous planning and a confident bet that protein ice cream could outshine the biggest names in the game.

Billion-dollar deals, breakout brands, and “crazy ideas” that actually worked. The hosts dive into a wave of recent CPG acquisitions and what they signal for founders. Plus, a look at brands going global, a buzzworthy Negroni-inspired sparkling water, and a conversation with industry veteran Jeff Church and “Peaky Blinders” actor Matthew Postlethwaite on their upstart protein soda brand, Proda.

Evergreen founder and CEO Emily Groden arrived at Expo West 2026 leading one of the fastest-growing brands in frozen breakfast. But just a few years earlier, she was hand-making waffles in a shared kitchen and pitching corner stores with a toaster tucked into a duffel bag.

David Protein just got hit with a lawsuit claiming its macros don’t add up, raising familiar questions about labeling, ingredients, and what happens when a fast-growing brand lands in the legal spotlight. The team breaks down the claims, why brands become litigation magnets, and whether consumers will care. Plus:  a readout from Seafood Expo North America and Stiller Soda’s attention-grabbing social push.

Gary Vaynerchuk believes the future of CPG might look a lot more like Pokémon than packaged goods.We met up with Gary at Expo West 2026, where the entrepreneur and marketing powerhouse discussed Very Luckee, his new better-for-you gummy brand that pairs the promise of ultra-clean ingredients with collectible stickers from his VeeFriends character universe.