Episodes

It’s another drag for canna-brands. The hosts discuss an emergency regulation in California that would remove food and beverage brands containing hemp-derived THC from stores in the state. They also wonder about the runway for a trendy flavor and highlight several new and unusual products.

Tero Isokauppila, the founder and CEO of Four Sigmatic, a pioneering brand of mushroom-infused coffee, tea and supplements, talks about navigating an ahead-of-its-time trend, how he overcame “making every mistake a founder can make,” and how the company aligns category insights and innovation.

Was Newtopia Now worth a visit? Why are founders flocking to San Diego? Is “Side Hustlers” the new “Shark Tank”? What’s going on with instant noodles? And, is drinking pastrami a real thing? All good questions. The hosts have answers.

Influential advisor and investor Ken Sadowsky and Taste Radio editor Ray Latif sip their way through an assemblage of beverages, as the former shares his perspective on trendy concepts, categories on the rise, package design, his investment thesis and successful retail strategies.

A recent Linkedin post penned by an executive of online distribution platform Pod Foods ignited a passionate discussion about the limited routes to market for emerging brands and whether things might be changing for the better… or worse. Taste Radio’s hosts have their say on the matter.

Taylor Foxman, the founder and CEO of beverage advisory firm The Industry Collective, joins us for a conversation framed as a series of statements that she addresses as true or false, including those about the value of great taste, the impact of bad PR, the sober-curious movement, the future of cannabis beverages and Gen Z consumers’ relationship with alcoholic drinks.

The hosts welcome NOSH managing editor Monica Watrous to the show as they discuss Mars’ $36 billion acquisition of Kellanova, including key takeaways from the deal, its impact on the food industry and why it may spur a flow of M&A activity among entrepreneurial companies.