Episodes

The real ROI of Expo West starts long before the show floor opens.In this episode, the team breaks down best practices for exhibitors looking to maximize your time and resources at one of the most competitive trade shows in the world. From building buzz before the event to making your product instantly understandable on the show floor, they outline practical tactics that separate the booths people remember from the ones they walk past.

In this Taste Radio interview, Ray Latif sits down with Jessica Wellnitz, Director of Business Development at Bay State Milling, to discuss how ingredient partners can play a critical role in helping emerging food brands scale with confidence.

Behind nearly every breakout CPG brand is an early believer willing to write the first check.In this episode, Adam Spriggs — a founding member of the early-stage investor community The Angel Group and a general partner at its funding arm, Supernatural Ventures — shares how a casual investing experiment evolved into a 275-member syndicate backing the next generation of emerging brands. Along the way, The Angel Group has invested in standout companies including Painterland Sisters, Poppi, Siete, Goodles, Bachan’s, and Jesse & Ben’s — a track record that underscores its eye for breakout potential.

Once Upon a Farm’s $198 million IPO could signal a new path forward for better-for-you CPG brands — but is going public better than selling to a strategic? We also break down the clash between Kroger’s FoodHealth scoring system and the stricter Non-UPF Verified certification, and what it all means for how “healthy” gets defined at retail.

Magic Spoon is proof that breaking the rules can be the smartest move in CPG.In this episode, co-founder Gabi Lewis breaks down how the premium cereal and snack brand launched – and scaled – in a category most people had already written off. He shares why Magic Spoon anchored on protein and nostalgia from day one, how it made the jump from DTC to national retail without losing profitability, and what actually mattered along the way.Gabi gets candid about product-market fit, pricing, branding, word-of-mouth growth, retail velocity, and the tradeoffs that come with innovation – offering a clear, hard-earned playbook for founders building modern food and beverage brands.

A $400 million exit and a reputational reckoning in wellness put this episode of Taste Radio on edge, as the team dissects Bachan’s blockbuster acquisition and the fallout facing brands tied to wellness guru Peter Attia. The conversation also spotlights Solely’s growth strategy in an interview with Manish Amin, VP of marketing for the fast-growing organic fruit snack brand.

They started with a cult following. Now they’re taking over the country.In this episode, Ari Raz, CEO of The Coconut Cult, joins us to discuss the brand’s long-awaited launch at Target and how community-driven creativity continues to fuel its rapid rise.We’re also joined by Starr Edwards, co-founder of Bitchin’ Sauce, who shares how a farmers’ market almond dip grew into a national phenomenon. She also explains why the brand is expanding into new categories and advises entrepreneurs to push past fear and stay bold.