Taste Radio Insider

Nick Desai, founder & CEO of pea-based snack brand Peatos, spoke about why he’s taking direct aim at legacy junk food brands, how to achieve meaningful scale amid consumer skepticism about better-for-you snacking, why he believes that he’s doing the right thing regardless of the brand’s chances for success and his perspective that the American dream “is still very much alive.”

Carlton Fowler, managing partner of venture capital firm Goat Rodeo Capital, discussed his strategy for investing in brands with a unique consumer proposition or go-to-market strategy, explained why he’s bearish on alcohol-free beverage alternatives and how he evaluates the opportunity for cannabis-based drinks amid an uncertain regulatory environment.

Jeanne David, founder & CEO, Outer Aisle spoke about how being early on several current food trends helped the brand land its first major retailer, why the company aims to “revolutionize” a legacy food category, why she decided not to outsource manufacturing and why she urges entrepreneurs to use experienced advisors during a fundraising process.

Jason Barrett, founder & CEO of craft spirits producer Black Button Distilling, spoke about how a stint in small business consulting impacted his vision for the company, why he didn’t seek outside capital to launch Black Button and why he credits an effective systems management strategy as the key reason that spirits conglomerate Constellation Brands invested in the distillery.

Mark Samuel, founder & CEO of protein-centric snack company IWON Organics, spoke what he defines as the brand’s “why,” the most effective ways to engage with his audience of 20,000-plus followers on LinkedIn, how he incorporates both confidence and vulnerability in his content and why patience is a virtue, especially after hearing the word “no.”

Dave Colina, founder & CEO of natural sports recovery brand O2, spoke about how the company’s decisions over the past five years prepared it to meet the challenges and opportunities of the last five months, how the brand achieved record sales numbers while donating 50% of profits to independent gym owners affected by COVID-19 and why he believes that entrepreneurship is as much about personal growth as building a successful brand.

Breezy Griffith, co-founder and CEO of fast-growing coated nut brand SkinnyDipped, spoke about why persistence was critical in landing the brand’s first retail accounts, how guts and guile got the products into the office pantries of Google and Microsoft, how she orchestrated national distribution of the brand at Target and why she’s turned to an industry veteran to manage day-to-day operations.

Hannah Crum, co-founder and president of influential trade association Kombucha Brewers International, spoke about how she manages a membership group comprised of “frenemies,” the recent launch of a Code of Practice for brewing kombucha and why it’s important to support the category’s evolution despite the misgivings of some within the space.

Simon Sacal, founder and CEO of innovative food platform Solely, spoke about his background as a food entrepreneur beginning as a teenager and how his career culminated in the development of the brand. He also explained why the company’s strategy and focus is “exactly the opposite of the easy way,” and why Solely doesn't launch a product unless it identifies “a huge advantage” over a competitor.

Greg Fleishman, co-founder and CEO of clean label baking mix and snack company Foodstirs, discussed how the brand has adapted to a new consumer environment, explained how to manage and enhance relationships with retail buyers, why it’s critical to leverage every resource at your disposal during the pandemic and why consumer communication is the one thing that keeps him up at night.