Episodes

Consumer expectations are changing fast, and brands of every size are being forced to adapt. 

How do you build a $150M CPG brand when your first retail opportunity falls apart?For Little Spoon, the answer was to stop waiting for the shelf and start building a relationship with the customer.

In this Taste Radio interview, Ray sits down with Andrew Criezis, CEO of VIP, and Lucinda Ochwat, VIP's Head of Sales, to discuss how the 50-year-old beverage technology company is investing in AI to serve its network of more than 2,800 distributors and 1,400 suppliers. Andrew, a 12-year Nielsen IQ veteran, explains what drew him to VIP and why he sees this moment as pivotal for AI adoption across the three-tier system. Lucinda, a 20-year industry veteran who has worked all three tiers, shares her perspective on VIP's outsized role in the space.The conversation digs into how suppliers, distributors, and retailers can measure real ROI from AI rather than chasing hype, from faster sales-data insights to error-proofing orders and predictive ordering tools. Andrew details VIP's significant investment in a new agentic-first architecture designed to have AI agents actively do work, make decisions within guardrails, and communicate with trading partners, not just layer a chatbot on old systems. Listeners can learn more or request a demo at VIPinsights.com.

Can a brand built on purpose survive when its mission is put at risk? The hosts dive into the escalating conflict between Ben & Jerry's and its parent company over funding cuts to the ice cream maker's philanthropic foundation, debating whether a brand so closely tied to a social mission can preserve its identity after acquisition and how the dispute could influence consumer loyalty in an increasingly competitive premium ice cream category. 

What happens when your biggest growth opportunity threatens the very thing that makes your product special?

CPG's next big ideas often emerge in unexpected places.In this episode, we explore what founders across food and beverage can learn from the rapid rise of hard sodas and hard sports drinks, as alcohol brands borrow from health, wellness and functionality to connect with younger consumers.

He built an eight-figure brand without raising a dollar of outside capital. In this episode, Curious Elixirs founder and CEO J.W. Wiseman explains exactly how he did it.