Episodes

This week’s episode features interviews with the leaders of four entrepreneurial companies -- PathWater co-founder and CEO Shadi Bakour, Lumi Juice founder/CEO Hillary Murray, Aloha CEO Brad Charron and Origin Almond founder/CEO Jake Deleon -- reflecting on advice that, in hindsight, they should have avoided.

T.K. Pillan, the co-founder of vegan restaurant chain Veggie Grill, discussed his transition from tech to food and the “light bulbs” that led to the creation of the company. He also discussed why it’s critical for co-founders to be aligned on vision and values, what it means to be “a good investor” and the evolution of plant-based food brands.

James McMaster, the CEO of Huel, a fast-growing brand of nutritionally complete meal replacement powders and RTD beverages, spoke about how the company manages sales and distribution in 80 countries, the challenges that come with rapid expansion and why formal referral programs are central to its consumer acquisition strategy.

David Nussbaum, the chairman and CEO of America’s Test Kitchen, spoke about how the venerable cooking brand has maintained a remarkably loyal following amid a changing landscape for food and media, how it evaluates its role as a thought leader, and how trends, competition and technology factor into its future. This episode is presented by Flavorman, the beverage architects.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kelly Heekin and Ben Schmidt, the co-founders of Hoist, a brand of hydration beverages developed to be a more palatable version of Pedialyte. They discussed their strategy for mainstreaming a niche concept, why “staying power and the ability to adapt” have been critical to Hoist’s development and how they communicated their vision to stakeholders.

Rachel Drori, the founder/CEO of popular direct-to-consumer food brand Daily Harvest, explained why customer service “is not just about meeting needs, but anticipating them,” why social media is “not just a one-way relationship” and how “data is just part of the story” in understanding consumer needs.

In this episode, we sat down with Shilen Patel, the co-founder of Distill Ventures (DV), a U.K.-based venture capital firm and accelerator that invests in disruptive distilled spirit companies and non-alcoholic drink brands. Patel explained why he’s bullish about the future of low- and no-alcohol adult beverages, and why quality is of paramount importance to DV’s investment philosophy.