Shows
The Good Food CFO podcastOld School Meets New Tools: How to Use CPG Automation to Do More of What You Love with Jessi FreitagWhat advice would you get from a CPG Operations Expert that believes in building a business on your own terms (BABOYOT), and enhancing productivity to do more of what you love, rather than simply doing more? Sarah invited CPG Operational Expert, Jessi Freitag to the show to find out. Jessi is an operations and project management consultant helping CPG businesses get organized and scale. She’s also the former host of the Startup CPG podcast and has successfully led businesses from startup through growth while managing operations and teams. Jessi is shedding light on h...
2024-10-141h 17
The Startup CPG PodcastMeet Season 4's Host - Startup CPG's Founder Daniel ScharffWelcome to the Startup CPG Podcast! I’m Jessi Freitag and it’s been my pleasure to be your host for Season 3 of the show since August 2021. It’s now time for me to introduce you to your new host for Season 4 of the show, Daniel Scharff. Many of you already know Daniel as he’s the founder of Startup CPG and has been hosting webinars, in-person events, and back in the day, lots of Clubhouse sessions for the community. He's extremely active in the CPG community and has deep CPG experience, so I'm really excited for you to meet him...
2023-11-3030 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#115 Pure Gold Series: Lessons on Iterating from Seth Goldman + Updates on Eat the Change & Just Ice TeaThis episode was sponsored by RangeMe. Go to rangeme.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Floret. Go to tryfloret.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Cin7. Go to cin7.com/startupcpgWe have a really special episode today - Seth Goldman is back on the show! Over the past couple of years, Seth has come on the show a number of times for what we called the Pure Gold Series to talk field marketing, sustainability, trade shows, and even an “Ask Seth Anything.” I’ll link a playlist in the show notes with a...
2023-11-2141 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#113 Brewing Crooked Owl Hard Tepache with Founders Cam & Dave BaileyThis episode was sponsored by RangeMe. Go to rangeme.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Floret. Go to tryfloret.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Cin7. Go to cin7.com/startupcpgToday I’m excited to feature another of the backpack brand winners from Startup CPG’s Mic Drop party at Expo East: Crooked Owl! Crooked Owl is the first probiotic, shelf stable, 5% ABV tepache brand on the market. They are also a member of 1% for the Planet. Through this partnership, they contribute one percent of profits to support underserved communities and sust...
2023-11-0738 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#112 Naturally Nourishing Treats for Hormonal Balance with Gita Vellanki, Founder of NeeshiThis episode was sponsored by RangeMe. Go to rangeme.com/startupcpgToday I’m excited to feature one of the backpack brand winners from Startup CPG’s Mic Drop party at Expo East: Neeshi! Neeshi makes naturally nourishing and hormone balancing treats for menstruation through menopause. We’re joined today by founder Gita Vellanki. The Startup CPG team loves Neeshi’s products and so did Mic Drop attendees, so I can’t wait for you to learn more.Listen in as Gita shares about:How Neeshi got started from branding to packaging to recipes to...
2023-10-3137 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#111 Twrl Milk Tea: Boba is the New Sprinkle & Twrling into Sprouts, Costco, & Pop Up GrocerThis episode was sponsored by RangeMe. Go to rangeme.com/startupcpgI’m so excited today to learn from Twrl Milk Tea, a long time and very active member of the Startup CPG Community! We’re joined by co-founder Olivia Chen, and Twrl was recently a Shelfies finalist for their Ube milk tea. Twrl Milk Tea makes the world’s first canned milk tea made with pea milk and single-origin, non-GMO, organic tea, and they also make chewy cafe style boba toppings, which are the new sprinkles! Twrl is women & minority owned, and they were recently certif...
2023-10-2448 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#110 Recapping Expo East 2023: The End of An EraThis episode was sponsored by RangeMe. Go to rangeme.com/startupcpgThis episode was sponsored by Graphite Financial. Go to graphitefinancial.com/cpgIt’s Expo East recap time! New Hope Network announced on the opening day of this year’s Expo East that it would be last Expo East after nearly four decades. There will be a new format next August called Newtopia Now, which will discuss a little in the episode. Whether you weren’t able to attend Expo and are hoping to learn what is was like or if you attended but wa...
2023-10-1036 min
Brand Start Goes Healthy - Brand Development for Better-for-You Food and Beverage CPG PodcastHow to Improve your CPG Operations that Scale Overtime with Jessi Freitag of Start-up CPGOperating a CPG company has many components and you need to pull the right levers and set the right systems to anticipate and drive growth.
In this special episode, Jessi Freitag, CPG consultant and host of the Start-Up CPG Podcast joined Leonard to tackle all things CPG operations to help founders scale their brands.
Listen to this conversation to learn:
1) What are the operational changes that can bring huge impact to a CPG company?
2) What are the systems and tools that can help increase efficiencies?
3) How do you overcome common scaling challenges that CPG...
2023-09-1946 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#103 Reimagining Multivitamins: Tend's Real Food Supplements for Pregnancy and Beyond with Co-Founders Hannah & Behzad VaraminiToday’s guests are active members of the Startup CPG community and were a crowd favorite Backpack Brand at Startup CPG’s Expo West Alley Rally! Hannah and Behzad Varamini are the co-founders of Tend, the first snackable, real food prenatal. They are reinventing multivitamins, replacing synthetic, hard-to-stomach pills and gummies with superior real food supplements for every stage of life - beginning with pregnancy. I loved getting to hear more about their story and am so excited for you to hear about their journey so far.Listen in as Hannah and Behzad shares about:The proc...
2023-08-1544 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#96 How to Understand the Unit Economics of a CPG Company with Graphite FinancialIf you are in the Startup CPG Slack #finance channel, you’ll regularly see tons of questions about projections, cash flow, and unit economics, so I’m so excited today that we are joined by Paul Bianco, CEO and Founder of Graphite Financial. Born out of a VC fund, Graphite provides startup accounting, finance & tax services for high growth brands. For the past few months, Graphite has even been offering 1:1s with our community members for free to get specific advice for their business (keep an eye out in Slack for more opportunities). Today we’ll focus on the topic...
2023-06-2756 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#95 GT Dave - Founder & CEO of GT’s Living Foods: 25+ years of building the kombucha industry one batch at a timeI don’t usually like to play favorites, but this week’s episode is a really special interview, especially for me personally. I LOVE kombucha. I mean love kombucha. And as you’ll hear me mention during the interview, once I found Synergy Kombucha by GT’s Living Foods, I was hooked, and dug deep into the story of the brand, how it’s made, and started following founder GT Dave. I’ve listened to many interviews with GT over the years, so the chance to be the interviewer and spend some time with GT, is a personal dream come true. I...
2023-06-201h 23The Startup CPG Podcast#94 Buyer Series: Fostering good buyer vibes with Wade Yenny & Alex BayerIf you are in the CPG industry and active on LinkedIn, chances are you are familiar with the dynamic duo, Alex Bayer and Wade Yenny, co-hosts of the weekly podcast CPG Vibes. They have over 35 years of combined experience in the industry. Alex is the founder of Genius Juice and you also may know him from his other podcast, 15 Minutes of Genius. Wade is currently the VP of Center Store at The Fresh Market and has held buyer roles at a number of retailers including Jimbos, Rouses (rhymes with mouses), and Buehler Food Markets. For this second installment of...
2023-06-1355 minThe Startup CPG PodcastAn AWSM (Sauce) Bonus Episode with Carl StarkeyToday we have a bonus episode that actually pairs with this week’s earlier episode on packaging and design with Kirk and Andy. Kirk and Andy unboxed ASWM Sauce and gave their reviews, and so now, we get to hear from AWSM sauce co-founder and Lord of Sauces Carl Starkey himself. AWSM Sauce won a Shelfie Award last year and was a backpack brand at Expo East. Carl & I recorded this episode at the end of 2022 and have some great laughs - warning though, there are puns ahead.Listen in as Carl shares about how AWSM Sauce go...
2023-05-0421 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#89 Packaging Design and Printing 101 with Kirk & KurttsToday we’re joined by two of my favorite Startup CPG community experts: Kirk Visola and Andy Kurtts. The world of printed packaging is complex to navigate, and I wondered what was top of mind for Kirk and Andy as they help brands daily with designing and executing branding and packaging at Kirk’s agency Mind the Font and Andy’s agency Buttermilk Creative. Our goal was some 101 level content around designing and printing packaging for your brand.Listen in as Andy and Kirk share about:Common misconceptions when working on print projects and how the color...
2023-05-0256 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#87 How Natural Shoppers are Responding to Inflation with Social Nature's Jessica MalachAt the time of recording, the numbers for the latest food at home index had increased 10.2% over the past 12 months. So what does that mean? How can we plan and adjust for inflationary times as emerging CPG brands? Luckily we have access to awesome natural shopper data experts, and today we get to chat with Jessica Malach, VP of Marketing & Insights, at Social Nature, an all-in-one shopper marketing platform for natural CPG brands to successfully launch products at retail. With over one million users in their community, they have great data on how natural shoppers are currently responding to...
2023-04-1849 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#85 First Hire Series: Culture with Jennifer Yepez-Blundell (+ Tiny Sprouts)Today is our seventh episode in the "First Hire" series where we’ve so far covered making first hires in marketing, finance, operations, and retail & foodservice sales, and we’ve talked with one of our community brands, Sweet Nothings, about making their first few hires. Culture comes up some in those conversations, but I wanted to dedicate an entire episode to culture. We’re joined today by expert Jennifer Yepez-Blundell, owner of Merida Consulting, and our former Startup CPG Podcast host, to guide us in this conversation, and I’m so excited to share Jennifer’s wisdom with you and have h...
2023-04-0455 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#84 Legal Tips for Fundraising: Navigating SAFE Notes, Priced Rounds, Exits, & More (+ Balkan Bites)We’ve heard on the show before how big of an undertaking fundraising is from both founders and investors, but we haven’t had a chance yet to really dig into the legal side. When Paul from Aura Bora was on the show last year, he shouted out Giannuzzi Lewendon for helping their team during fundraising (episode #68 if you haven’t checked it out yet), so we reached out to Partner Ryan Lewendon, to see if he’d be willing to sit down with us and talk all things fundraising, mergers & acquisitions, and legal help unique to CPG companies.Lis...
2023-03-2856 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#83 Trade Spend & Retail Promotions 101 with Jake Huber (+ Niramaya)Trade spend and promotions. You want your product to have a shiny sale tag at the store and help people discover it, but how do we get there? It’s a topic that can get expensive and messy really quick, so I wanted to bring back one of our favorite podcast guests and community sales experts, Jake Huber, for a 101 level episode. Jake is the US Sales Director of St Pierre, Americas #1 brioche brand, and has previously been on the show to talk through brokers and first sales hires. Today we dig into how to set yourself up for su...
2023-03-211h 10The Startup CPG Podcast#80 From turning down Shark Tank offers to raising $2.7 million for Nopalera with Sandra VelasquezI love that I get to bring you more Shark Tank content so soon, and with one of my favorite people. Today’s guest is Sandra Velasquez, the CEO & Founder of Nopalera, and a very early member of the Startup CPG community. Nopalera creates Mexican botanicals for bath & body, and as you’ll hear, have become a staple in my life. Sandra appeared on Shark Tank last month during Season 14, Episode 12, and I’m so glad she agreed to come on the show and share the details with us. You don’t need to pre-watch the episode to enjoy the conv...
2023-02-211h 00The Startup CPG Podcast#79 First Hire Series: Behind the scenes on hiring with Sweet NothingsToday is our sixth episode in the "First Hire" series where we’ve so far covered making first hires in marketing, finance, operations, and retail & foodservice sales. Today I thought it would be helpful to talk more cross-functionally with one of our community member brands about their experience of making first hires, being a first hire, and what they’ve learned in the process, and I immediately thought of Sweet Nothings, who makes ready to eat superfood snacks (that I think are absolutely incredible as you’ll hear). We’ll talk with both Jake Kneller, the CEO and co-founder of Sweet...
2023-02-1451 minThe Startup CPG PodcastBonus: Raising the bar in the alcoholic beverage category with G’s Dry Hard Ginger BeerToday we have a bonus episode for you to celebrate the launch of the alcohol channel in the Startup CPG Slack! We realize that alcohol brands face many unique challenges and very different regulations, and now that we have over 10,000 community members, we wanted to dedicate a space just for emerging alcohol brands. In the Startup CPG Slack, you can now go to “All Channels” on the sidebar and then join the new channel #alcohol_brands. And what better way to celebrate this channel launch than with an interview with one of our earliest Startup CPG community members, Donna Katz...
2023-02-0725 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#78 Forij adventures: meeting customers on land, air, sea, and online with Parker OlsonIf you’ve been on LinkedIn in the last year, chances are you’ve seen pictures of a green van making it’s way around the country, spreading the good word about Forij. I was lucky enough to meet up with founder Parker Olson when he came through Portland in the Forij van, and I think it’s the only time I’ve been elated to received food from a stranger out of a van. Forij’s first product line is a functional granola that’s low sugar, crispy, delicious and also packed with the power of mushrooms. Parker’s energy and cre...
2023-01-3143 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#77 Making a deal on Shark Tank with wildwonder's Rosa LiIn case you missed it, long-time Startup CPG community member wildwonder just aired on Shark Tank, and today, Founder Rosa Li joins us to share all the details! You don’t need to pre-watch the episode to enjoy the conversation, but I definitely recommend giving Season 14, Episode 11 a watch to see Rosa make a $500,000 deal with Tony Xu, guest Shark and Founder of Door Dash.Listen in as Rosa shares about:The process of applying for Shark TankHow recording day worksThe timing from recording to airing and how she and her team preppedThe details of the de...
2023-01-2437 minThe Startup CPG PodcastShark Tank, Sea Moss, and an Ocean of Potential with Alexiou Gibson (2022)Happy New Year! We’re coming at you this week from the archives again - host Jessi got COVID and temporarily lost her voice! I’m sharing another of our greatest hits from last year, 2022, in case you missed it. It’s one of my personal favorites, and I hope you enjoy! We've got a really fun episode today that I think will bring you a lot of joy and inspiration. It's probably no surprise but your Startup CPG team members are big Shark Tank fans. Our Startup CPG founder Daniel was watching Shark Tank a few months...
2023-01-0354 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#74 First Hire Series: Foodservice Sales with Jenna Cameron (+ For Good Granola)Today is our fifth episode in the "First Hire" series where we’ve so far covered making first hires in marketing, finance, operations, and retail sales. Now we get to cover foodservice sales! Here to help us learn more about first hires in foodservice sales is Jenna Cameron. Jenna is currently the sales lead at SIMULATE and has years of experience in foodservice sales for growing brands.Listen in as Jenna answers:When to hire help in foodservice sales and how full-time employees, consultants, and brokers can all fit into the pictureHow foodservice sales differs from re...
2022-12-281h 07The Startup CPG PodcastHow to Mind your Packaging, Branding, (and the Font) with Designer and Agency Owner Kirk Visola (2021)We’re coming at you this week from the archives. Many of you found this pod just this year, so I’m sharing one of our greatest hits from last year, 2021, in case you missed it. It’s one of my personal favorites, and I hope you enjoy! Kirk Visola is an active member of our Startup CPG community with a heart for sharing his design expertise and helping people navigate the complex world of packaging and branding. He has a no-nonsense approach to life and client work. With over 20 years of design expertise working with some of the...
2022-12-2137 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#73 In-Store Demos 101: Building a Successful Demo Program (+ Funky Mello)Let’s talk demos! In-store demonstrations are an important tool in a CPG company toolbox, so we brought our favorite team of demo experts to help us navigate this topic: Bridget Aragon & David Heiser - Co-founders of Grassroots Demos. Grassroots Demos help brands boost sales and reach more customers by sampling their items in-stores. Shoppers get to taste items in a safe environment and give feedback, and brands get super valuable insights and support sell-through. Listen in as David and Bridget share about:- The critical components to a successful demo- How to hire and...
2022-12-131h 14The Startup CPG Podcast#72 How to Optimize the Deductions Management ProcessI once received a check from a distributor for $500, but it listed a ton of invoices. I dug in and that check was for $40,000 worth of product - it was a combination of unauthorized free fills that led to a broker conversation and double charges for a big distributor promotion plan that was expensive before doubling it. But the amount of time it took to track down all the info, dispute, follow up, and receive a check back was astronomical, and that was just one of the many instances to investigate. So how can you protect your margins from...
2022-12-0643 min
Brands for a Better World (formerly Evolve CPG)097 - A Passion for Productivity with Jessi Freitag of Startup CPG PodcastPeople connect with a story far more than a tool. Joining us in conversation today is Season 3 host of The Startup CPG Podcast, Jessi Freitag, who specializes in helping people to leverage the power of digital systems to promote productivity and success. A multi-passionate coach, podcaster, and CPG expert, Jessi is here to share her story of promoting efficacy in the world of CPG by sharing her first-hand experience. While many people have great ideas and go as far as to start their projects, far fewer follow through and bring them to completion. Jessi’s secret sauce involves asking qu...
2022-11-231h 05
Iroh's CornerOvation Coffee & Tea: Karter ElhabbassiJoin us for tea with Karter Elhabbassi, owner of Ovation Coffee & Tea, a chain of coffee shops in Portland, Oregon with a Moroccan twist to the menu. Karter shares about growing up in the US and Morocco, how his family started the restaurant Dar Essalam in Wilsonville, Oregon, and then started Ovation Coffee & Tea, how they infuse a culture of hospitality into everything they do, and and so much more.
We recorded this episode in April 2022, and since then, Yelp published a list of the top 100 coffee shops in the US and Canada, and I’m excited to s...
2022-09-2959 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#60 Venture Capital & Private Equity 101 with VMG Partners' Wayne WuVenture capital - a term we've all heard but maybe don't fully understand (this is a safe space to admit what we don't know and I'll be the first to say that fundraising and private equity are pretty confusing). What we do know is that many of the consumer brands we love that have had successful exits have received funding from VMG Partners - like Perfect Bar, KIND Bar, Pirates Booty, and Justin's to name a few. So we're lucky to have joining us today Wayne Wu, Managing Director at VMG Partners. If you aren't familiar with VMG, they...
2022-09-0647 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#59 Welcome to the Oat Haus! Celebrity Collaboration, Sprouts Launch, and Mental Health with Ali BonarToday's guest you may recognize for a number of reasons but specifically from the cover of the Startup CPG Spotlight magazine! Ali Bonar, Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Vibes Officer of Oat Haus and other members of the Oat Haus team were featured in last winter's magazine edition, so today we get to hear the latest news podcast style! Oat Haus makes the world's first oat-based spread: Granola Butter. Born out of Ali's eating disorder recovery, the mission behind the brand is to bring fun & play to food! Ali and her two other co-founders were on Shark Tank Season 13 in...
2022-08-301h 00Iroh's CornerSuzor Wines: Mélissa RondeauJoin us for tea with Mélissa Rondeau, co-owner of Suzor Wines, a small production winery crafting beautiful, sustainable wines from the Willamette Valley. Mélissa shares about growing up in Montréal and pivoting from business school to hospitality, working in vibrant hospitality establishments in Europe that shaped how she views hospitality today, moving to Oregon and meeting her husband and co-owner of Suzor Wines, Greg McClellan, all about how they make beautiful wines at Suzor through Methven Family Vineyards' custom crush program, and so much more.
This episode was sponsored by Prompt'd Mome...
2022-08-241h 14
The Startup CPG Podcast#58 Ingredient Sourcing 101Today we get to chat about one of my favorite topics - ingredients. While the consumer sees a nice tidy ingredient list on the back of the package, the other side of finding the right ingredients with the right taste at the right price from the right supplier at the right time is no easy task. And we've got just the right expert to talk us through it - Lillian Cartwright the co-founder and CEO of ShelfLife, a B2B marketplace for wholesale ingredients built with emerging brands in mind. Listen in as Lillian shares about how to make...
2022-08-2348 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#57 Shark Tank, Sea Moss, and an Ocean of Potential with Alexiou GibsonWe've got a really fun episode today that I think will bring you a lot of joy and inspiration. It's probably no surprise but your Startup CPG team members are big Shark Tank fans. Our Startup CPG founder Daniel was watching Shark Tank a few months ago and he just knew today's guest was someone we all needed to know. From the Season 13 finale, where he landed a $600,000 deal from Mark Cuban and Kevin Hart, today's guest is Alexiou Gibson. You don't need to have seen the Shark Tank episode to enjoy our conversation but I definitely recommend watching...
2022-08-1654 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#56 First Hire Series: Finance & Accounting with William FinkelsteinToday is our fourth episode in the "First Hire" series where we talk about making first hires in marketing, finance, sales, and operations. So far we've covered sales, marketing, and operations, so be sure to check out those episodes, and today's subject is hiring for finance. When is it time to hire a full time finance person? How early do you need a bookkeeper? What functions within finance do you need to think about hiring for? Here to help us answer these questions is William Finkelstein, the Senior Vice President of Finance at Yamamotoyama, a three centuries old tea...
2022-08-0942 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#55 Nationally Launching the Reimagination of Jam with Chia SmashDid you know that for the FDA to consider a product a jam, it needs to be 55% sugar content? When Anna Peck found this out, she thought it was wild and started experimenting in her kitchen. In 2019, Anna teamed up with co-founder Steve Ford to bring Chia Smash to market; a jam with 75% FRUIT content (and that's Upcycled Certified)! Full disclosure, Anna sent me some samples to try and my spouse is obsessed. And me? I've just been eating it the raspberry jam out of the jar with a spoon. Listen in as Anna shares the story behind Chia...
2022-08-0233 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#54 Stories from Inside Mondelēz International's CoLab Program with Pan's Mushroom Jerky & GoNanasWhat if you could leverage the resources and experience of one of the largest snack companies in the world to grow your brand? Today we get to hear from two brands who did just that as members the 2022 CoLab cohort by SnackFutures at Mondelēz International. In this episode you'll hear from Brigette Wolf and Jackie Haney from SnackFutures, who are returning guests, and from the co-founders of GoNanas (Annie Slabotsky & Morgan Lerner) & Pan's Mushroom Jerky (Michael Pan & Shannon Lehotsky). It's a lot of voices with a lot of great insights in an episode with the most guests we've e...
2022-07-2641 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#53 Tsubi Soup! Bringing Plant-Powered Gourmet Soup Cubes from Japan to the USHave you seen those "how it started; how it's going" posts? Today we basically get to do that as we catch up with one of the brands from Startup CPG's second pitch competition in November of 2020: Tsubi Soup, which since then, has really utilized the Slack community to make many helpful connections. Started by Tsubasa Nishitani, whose nickname is Tsubi, Tsubi Soups are gourmet plant-based instant soups made with premium vegetables and state of the art freeze drying technology. Today we're joined by Tsubi and husband Alex Novak to hear how they bring Japanese miso soups to the US...
2022-07-1944 min
The Physical Product Movement[Greatest Hits] Scaling Up Your Brand with Jessi Freitag, a CPG Operations Consultant, Podcast Host, and Producer at Startup CPG and Iroh's CornerNot long ago, Jessi Freitag, a CPG Operations Consultant, Podcast Host, and Producer at Startup CPG and Iroh's Corner, joined us on a great episode of The Physical Product Movement podcast. She talked about her CPG experience, the advantages and drawbacks of manufacturing in-house, and how the operations team works with marketing and sales to scale the brand. Jessi also shared the exciting efficiencies you can find when looking for small operations improvements daily and a lot more.Episode Notes:Jessi’s LinkedInJessi’s WebsiteStartup CPG LinkedInStartup CPG WebsiteIroh’s Corner LinkedInIroh’s Corner WebsiteAutomate your inventor...
2022-07-1451 min
The Startup CPG Podcast#52 First Hire Series: Marketing with Vanessa TingToday is our third episode in the "First Hire" series where we talk about making first hires in marketing, finance, sales, and operations. So far we've covered sales and operations, so be sure to check out those episodes, and today's subject is hiring for marketing. When is it time to hire a full-time marketing person? When and how do you hire a marketing agency? What functions should a first marketing hire cover? Here to help us answer these questions is Vanessa Ting, Owner of CPG Growth Partners, where she provides fractional CMO support and general management services. Listen is...
2022-07-1245 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#51 Pure Gold Series: Ask Seth Goldman Anything! Plus the Announcement of Just Ice TeaToday is Part 6 our podcast series with Seth Goldman, Startup CPG's Entrepreneur-in-Residence, who has been joining us once a month to talk hot topics in CPG. This episode's questions came from you because for the first time ever, we had listeners call and write in questions for Seth! Also, last time we talked to Seth, Coca-Cola had just announced their decision to discontinue Honest Tea, and since then, Seth and team at Eat the Change have decided to launch the Just Ice Tea line, so we get the early details straight from the source. In case this is your...
2022-07-0637 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#50 The Data Behind the Modern Wellness Consumer with Social Nature's Jessica MalachDo you really know your consumer? What if you had access to data about one million natural products consumers? Today we get a look at that data with Jessica Malach, VP of Marketing & Insights, at Social Nature, a product discovery and trial platform in the better-for-you space. With over one million users in their community, they've gleaned incredible insights about the "modern wellness consumer." Listen in to hear Jessica share all things about the modern wellness consumer including: how they define health, which certifications and labels resonate most, how they find new products, what drives repurchase, how not to...
2022-06-2841 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#49 Scaling Health-Ade Kombucha's Operations with Co-Founder Justin TroutI'm so excited to share a conversation with you about kombucha and operations - two of my favorite topics! I recently was the moderator for a session that was held at UCLA Anderson by The Food & Agriculture Business Association for a group of MBA candidates where I had a fireside chat with Justin Trout, co-founder and former COO of Health-Ade Kombucha. In this conversation, Justin dives into the nitty gritty, behind-the-scenes stories about growing a kombucha business from a single farmers market to almost 50,000 retail doors during his tenure as COO and you get some snippets from me about...
2022-06-2151 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#48 Just TOAST-IT! Data-first, customer-focused, and expanding into Publix with Mafe & CocoIf you saw Encanto (which even if you haven't, you've probably have heard the song "We don't talk about Bruno"), you may remember the arepitas that can cure anything. Lucky for us, TOAST-IT is bringing delicious arepas to a store near you, and after trying, I think they also might be magical. Behind the magic is the hard work, vision, and story of co-founders and sisters Mafe and Coco, who wanted to bring the arepas from their childhood to the US. Listen in as Coco & Mafe share about pivoting from big corporate careers to entrepreneurship, launching TOAST-IT online, building...
2022-06-1438 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#47 Authenticity 101: Developing a clear & authentic brand identity at SOMOS with Miguel LealToday I'm thrilled to share a conversation with Miguel Leal, Co-Founder and CEO of SOMOS, a new brand bringing food from the heart of Mexico to your home. Miguel co-founded SOMOS alongside two former co-workers and KIND Snacks executives, Daniel Lubetzky and Rodrigo Zuloaga. With decades of food industry experience, Miguel most recently spent two years as the Chief Marketing Officer at Cholula following his three years as the CMO at KIND. As you'll hear in the episode, I may have developed a slight obsession for SOMOS products after trying, and once you try the Unusually Think and Crunchy...
2022-06-0743 minThe Startup CPG Podcast#46 Pure Gold Series: Keep Going! Reflection on Coca-Cola's Discontinuation of Honest Tea with Seth GoldmanToday is Part 5 our podcast series with Seth Goldman, Startup CPG's Entrepreneur-in-Residence, who has been joining us once a month to talk hot topics in CPG. At the time of recording, Coca-Cola had just announced their decision to discontinue Honest Tea, so we pivoted this episode to cover Seth's thoughts on the news. As the co-founder of Honest Tea and author of Mission in a Bottle, Seth shares his reaction, stories that he's been thinking of, and what's on his mind during a time like this. Seth is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Eat the Change, Co-Founder of...
2022-06-0125 minIroh's CornerTattoo 34: Nisha Supahan and Toby LinwoodJoin us for tea with Nisha Supahan and Toby Linwood, owners of Tattoo 34, Portland’s only Indigenous & Black owned tattoo shop. Toby and Nisha share about their journey from meeting each other and multiple moves to landing in Portland, how Toby got into art and creating sculptures for the Olympics and ultimately tattooing, how they've intentionally built Tattoo 34, and so much more.
2022-05-311h 24
The Startup CPG PodcastFirst Hire Series: Sales with Jake HuberToday is our second episode in the "First Hire" series where we talk about making first hires in marketing, finance, sales, and operations A couple weeks ago we covered operations, so be sure to check out that episode, and today's subject is hiring for sales. When is it time to hire a full-time sales person? How do brokers fit into the picture? How do you recruit and hire the right sales person? Here to help us answer these questions is Jake Huber, US Sales Director of St Pierre, Americas #1 brioche brand. Fun fact: Jake was our very first guest...
2022-05-1740 min
The Startup CPG PodcastPure Gold Series: How to Build a Field Marketing Event & Demo Program with Seth GoldmanPart 4 our podcast series with Seth Goldman, Startup CPG's Entrepreneur-in-Residence, who has been joining us once a month to talk hot topics in CPG. Just in time for summer, this episode is all about field marketing - interns, in-store demos, events, guerrilla marketing, grassroots marketing, and more. You may know Seth as the co-founder of Honest Tea and author of Mission in a Bottle, and Seth is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Eat the Change, Co-Founder of PLNT Burger, and Chair of the Board for Beyond Meat. Listen in as Seth covers how you can build your own...
2022-05-1035 min
The Startup CPG PodcastFirst Hire Series: Operations with Jamie Valenti-JordanThis is the first episode in our new "First Hire" series where we'll talk about making first hires in marketing, finance, sales, and operations, and today's subject is hiring for operations. When is it time to make the leap to a full-time operations person? When should you use a consulting firm? How do you find the right fit for your company? Here to help us answer these questions is Jamie Valenti-Jordan, CEO of Catapult Commercialization Services. Catapult is a team of experienced food industry professionals focused on helping emerging and growing brands with their technical & operational development and scaling...
2022-05-0337 min
The Startup CPG PodcastMentorship & community with SKU: the nation's first CPG acceleratorMost of us know the term SKU for stock keeping unit, but I'm excited to introduce you to a SKU that's actually a program with opportunities for our Startup CPG community members! Today we get the chance to talk with Emily Kealey and Michelle Breyer from SKU, a world-class accelerator driven by a community of the nation’s top CPG leaders, successful founders, and industry experts. SKU's intensive programs offer best-in-class education, hand-picked teams of mentors, and access to retailers and investors, all dedicated to building brands that change lives. Both long-time CPG industry experts, Emily is the Managing Di...
2022-04-2640 min
The Startup CPG PodcastPure Gold Series: How to Fight Climate Change as an Emerging Brand with Seth GoldmanToday is Part 3 our podcast series with Seth Goldman, Startup CPG's Entrepreneur-in-Residence, who is joining us once a month to talk hot topics in CPG. This episode is all about sustainability, planet-based commitments, and Earth Month. You may know Seth as the co-founder of Honest Tea and author of Mission in a Bottle, and Seth is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Eat the Change, Co-Founder of PLNT Burger, and Chair of the Board for Beyond Meat. Listen in as Seth covers how to develop planet-based commitments as a brand, the challenges of recyclable and compostable packaging, how to...
2022-04-1940 minIroh's CornerFarmhouse Teas: CeAnne KoselJoin us for tea with CeAnne Kosel, owner of Farmhouse Teas, an online organic loose leaf tea company run from their farm in Oregon. CeAnne shares about how she fell in love with gardening, herbs, and blending teas, the journey from farmers markets to building a thriving ecommerce business, and her focus on education, customer experience, and her "secret sauce."
2022-04-1256 min
The Startup CPG PodcastLooking on the Starryside with co-founders Liz Seelye & Erin FasanoBased on latest Torrance test data, 85% of today's children are less creative than their 1980s counterparts. CPG industry veterans Erin Fasano and Liz Seelye realized that part of the problem is old thinking when it comes to what kids eat and drink. They started dreaming up drinks and snacks with their kids to bring imagination back to lunchboxes and beyond and together founded Starryside. Their first product is organic, immunity-boosting Star Water in an adventure-ready, kid-sized can. Their big launch is coming up this week during World Creativity & Innovation Week, which runs from April 15th to 21st. Listen in...
2022-04-1243 min
The Startup CPG PodcastIntroduction to California Prop 65Rohit Sabnis joins us to give an introduction to Prop 65 regulation, which applies to consumer products sold into California via retailer, Amazon, eCommerce, etc. Ro is a Partner at Keller & Heckman, an internationally renowned law firm with a broad practice in the areas of regulatory law, public policy, and litigation. Listen in as Ro covers the background of Prop 65, hot topic chemicals and how they may appear in your products even if they aren't on the ingredient list, how to assess your own product's risk, steps you can take now to avoid future issues and be prepared for larger...
2022-04-0558 min
The Startup CPG PodcastPure Gold Series: How to Approach Innovation and Research & Development with Seth GoldmanToday we continue our podcast series with Seth Goldman, Startup CPG's Entrepreneur-in-Residence, who is joining us once a month to talk hot topics in CPG. This episode is all about innovation. You may know Seth as the co-founder of Honest Tea and author of Mission in a Bottle, and Seth is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Eat the Change, Co-Founder of PLNT Burger, and Chair of the Board for Beyond Meat. Listen in as Seth covers two approaches to innovation in food, how to balance taste & consumer feedback when innovating, tips for research and development on a small...
2022-03-2932 min
The Startup CPG PodcastExpo West 2022 Recap - Spring break vibes, best bites, buyers aplenty, cheeky swag, and moreExpo West hadn’t been held since 2019, so there was a lot of anticipation leading up to the 2022 event. With 57,000 attendees, 2,700 exhibitors, and 800 people at the Startup CPG Alley Rally event, I thought we needed multiple perspectives and voices to try to sum up such a massive event. In this episode you’ll hear clips submitted by Startup CPG community member brands and then curated pieces from Food Entrepreneur's "Well-FEd" LinkedIn live Expo West recap session with Daniel Scharff, our Startup CPG Founder and the CEO of Machu Picchu Energy, Jenna Movsowitz, our Startup CPG Spotlight Magazine Editor (which if y...
2022-03-2235 min
The Startup CPG PodcastTaking Networking & Tortillas to the Next Level with Henri Revel, Founder of Eureka TortillaTortillas are often a mere vessel to transport their tasty contents. But what if they could be the star of the meal packed with fresh, bold flavors? Back in 2018, Henri Revel and his wife Belén had a “Eureka moment.” Inspired by Belén’s Latin roots, Henri's passion for better tortilla options, and both of their entrepreneurial spirits, they created Eureka Tortilla, a snackable craft tortilla company. Listen is as Henri shares about honing Eureka's recipes, finding the right co-packer, launching in Nugget and with Hungryroot, printing challenges, and Henri's strategic approach to networking to find great advisors and conn...
2022-02-2841 min
Iroh's CornerBringing inventory operations software for CPG brands into the modern age with Ken OjukaJoin us for tea with Ken Ojuka, founder and CEO of Fiddle, a modern inventory operations software for CPG brands and manufacturers. Ken shares his career path from being a CPG brand to creating a software for CPG brands, his focus on building inventory software with a modern, intuitive interface, and how he strives toward "work-life harmony."
2022-02-2257 min
The Startup CPG PodcastBonus: Finding the Right Freight Partners for your CPG BrandBonus Episode! At Startup CPG, we recently curated another new & free resource - the first list of freight carriers and brokers just for CPG companies. I (Host Jessi) had the pleasure of helping build this resource, and I thought it'd be fun to bring on one of the many brands who submitted their freight providers to be added to the list to chat about how some of the challenges and tips they've encountered related to freight. We'll start the episode with an interview with Alex Cree, co-founder of Baozza, followed by a few stories and insights from me. Listen...
2022-02-2124 min
The Startup CPG PodcastPure Gold Series: How to Prep for a Successful Expo West with Seth GoldmanThis is the first episode of a very special new podcast series from Startup CPG. Seth Goldman, Startup CPG's Entrepreneur-in-Residence, will be joining us once a month for the next few months to talk about hot topics in CPG. Today we kick off by talking all things Expo West. With twenty-one Expo West events under his belt, who better to answer our community's Expo West questions! You may know Seth as the co-founder of Honest Tea and author of Mission in a Bottle, and Seth is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Eat the Change, Co-Founder of PLNT Burger...
2022-02-1432 min
The Physical Product MovementScaling Up Your Brand with Jessi Freitag, a Business Operations Consultant, Podcast Host, & Producer at Startup CPG & Iroh's CornerLearn more about Jessi:Jessi’s LinkedInJessi’s WebsiteOther ResourcesStartup CPG LinkedInStartup CPG WebsiteIroh’s Corner LinkedInIroh’s Corner WebsiteLivBar’s LinkedInLivBar’s WebsiteAutomate your inventory operations with Fiddle: Learn more about FiddleGet a free 14-day trialSchedule a demoGet The Ultimate Inventory Management Guide For Growing CPG BrandsGet The Ultimate Supplier & Co-Packer ListIf you enjoyed this episode then please either:Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple PodcastsFollow on SpotifyPhysical Product Movement RSSThe Physical Product Movement is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
2022-02-1051 min
The Startup CPG PodcastLet's Demystify Insurance - How to navigate insurance in CPGLess than a year ago, I (Host Jessi) had an insurance emergency at LivBar. I searched "insurance" in the Startup CPG slack and found Danielle Holyoake's name. I sent her a quick email and we jumped on a call. In record time, she solved a problem that other brokers had told me wasn't possible (full story in the episode!). I was so excited when Amelia Risk became a proud partner of Startup CPG because it meant we could do a podcast episode packed with game-changing knowledge. Danielle, is the COO and co-founder of Amelia Risk, the better-for-you insurance broker...
2022-02-0755 min
The Startup CPG PodcastAccelerators & Incubators 101 - Find the right program for your brandToday we get to talk about one of the newest Startup CPG resources - a list of CPG accelerators and incubators with all the details to help you find the perfect program for your brand. Sarah Nathan, founder of Bloom CPG, a CPG consulting group, helped build this resource and joins us to talk all things accelerators and incubators. Listen is as Sarah shares how to find the right accelerator or incubator for your brand and best practices for completing your application, participating in a program, and building long-term relationships.
This resource is proudly sponsored by Buttermilk C...
2022-01-3146 min
The Startup CPG PodcastInventory Management 101 - Get your inventory operations fit as a Fiddle43 percent of small businesses in the United States don’t track inventory, or do so using a manual system. In CPG, our inventory has the added complexity of lot/batch tracking, expiration dates, recalls, compliance, and certifications. Brands who win have a handle on their inventory, margins, and operations. That's why we had Ken Ojuka join us to talk all things inventory and physical product movement. Ken is the CEO of Fiddle, modern inventory operations software for CPG brands and manufacturers. Listen in as Ken walks through how to think about inventory in CPG, how and when to choose an...
2022-01-2444 min
The Startup CPG PodcastCo-Man Contract PitfallsWhat are the major watch-outs for a co-man contract? What should be there, and what shouldn't? What's boilerplate, and what might hurt you and the relationship in the long-run? Lauren Handel joins us to cover both the legal and the common-sense side of these agreements. Lauren is the Principal Attorney of Handel Food Law, a law firm dedicated to food, beverage, and farming businesses. Listen in as Lauren walks through the process of forming a great contract with your co-manufacturer from key contract provisions, to common red flags, to planning for amicable endings, and more.
Handel Food...
2022-01-1748 min
Iroh's CornerInfusing joy, beauty, and abundance into artisanal, plant-based mylks with Amy ColvilleJoin us for tea with Amy Colville, founder, owner, and Chief Joy Seeker at aMYLK, a plant-based mylk company. Amy shares her serendipitous journey, including going from burn-out to creating a bliss-filled company, her own health needs leading her to making her own mylks, and how she intentionally grows and leads her team.
2021-12-3059 min
The Startup CPG PodcastGot herbs? Bringing sparking herbal teas to market with Hrbvor's founder, Zahira MarmarThe earliest records of herbal tea date back nearly 5,000 years, yet when Zahira Marmar moved her family to the US from St Martin, she could not find anything like the medicinal bush teas she grew up with to send with her kids to school. On the edge of tea brewing burnout from keeping her family and community stocked with herbal tea, Zahira founded Hrbvor (pronounced her-bi-vore), so that her sparkling herbals teas would be readily available in cans and to be able to more widely spread the message of the benefits of herbs. Listen in as Zahira shares the...
2021-12-0742 min
The Startup CPG PodcastDigital Sampling with Social Nature79% of consumers have bought a new product in the last month; how do you make sure your brand is one of the the new products in a consumer's cart? Today we welcome Annalea Krebs, founder and CEO of Social Nature, a product discovery and trial platform in the better-for-you space. Listen in as Annalea covers the landscape of product discovery and trial amidst the pandemic (including demos, subscription boxes, coupons), her recommendations for top consumer insights questions to ask, her tips for building communities (Social Nature's community has nearly 1 million people!), and actionable ideas for how to best create...
2021-11-1544 min
The Startup CPG PodcastBuilding Strategic Partnerships with Mondelēz International's SnackFuturesHave you heard of Oreos? Ritz? Cadbury? Then you know just a few brands in the portfolio of Mondelēz International, one of the largest snack companies in the world. Today we get the chance to talk with Brigette Wolf and Jackie Haney from SnackFutures, Mondelēz International's innovation and venture hub, about CoLab, SnackFutures’s start-up engagement program designed to support early-stage well-being brands. Brigette is the Global Head of SnackFutures, and Jackie is the Innovation and CoLab Program Manager. Listen in as Brigette & Jackie cover how to prep now for future potential acquisition, tips for forming lasting stra...
2021-11-1027 min
The Startup CPG PodcastAmazon Success Secrets - Actionable Expert Insights on Launching & Growing a CPG Brand on AmazonWith 200 million prime members worldwide and 60% of online purchases starting with an Amazon search, CPG brands can't ignore the opportunities available on Amazon. At Startup CPG, we're committed to helping small brands succeed on all channels, including Amazon and that's why we've partnered with Marketplace Ops. Today we welcome Fernando Campos, co-founder of Marketplace Ops, a leading online marketplaces brand management agency that helps CPG companies accelerate their growth on Amazon and Walmart. Listen in as Fernando covers pre-launch and launch tips, how to handle negative reviews, Amazon's VINE program, data-based strategies for optimizing your main image, a better...
2021-10-2541 min
Iroh's CornerBlending history, conscious sourcing, and surprising flavors into high quality cocoas with Yvonne FideJoin us for tea with Yvonne Fide, co-founder of Momo Cocoa, a high quality cocoa company that the Wall Street Journal called a "nostalgia-inducing, much better version of the just-add water hot chocolate we remember." Yvonne shares about her career journey from philosophy to law, going from vegan to vegetarian and realizing there were not great cocoa options, her knowledge on the history of cocoa and sourcing, and bringing her cocoa recipes to life online and in retail stores.
2021-10-201h 05
The Startup CPG PodcastMove over coconut water - Pricklee cactus water brings health, happiness, & hydrationHealth. Happiness. Hydration. Did you know the fruit of a cactus could help bring you all three? That’s why Kun Yang and four of his other pharmacist friends decided to found Pricklee, and create the quenchiest prickly pear cactus juice. Listen in to hear how coconut water is moving over for a new plant-based water with half the sugar and calories yet that’s filled with antioxidants. Kun is the CEO of Pricklee and an active member of our Startup CPG community, and he shares about Pricklee’s origin story, running around New York in a cactus suit, Prickl...
2021-10-1126 min
Iroh's CornerStarting Portland's tea festival and turning ideas into action as a serial entrepreneur with Jennifer BrennerJoin us for tea with Jennifer Brenner, founder and leader of Tea Fest PDX (Portland's annual tea festival) and founder and owner of Black Ink Books and Pine & Peat Candle Co. Jenn shares her journey from tea ceremonies in Niger to helping small businesses organize their books to turning years of ideas around a Portland tea festival into action and starting Tea Fest PDX.
2021-10-061h 00
Salman Farsi Experience#8 Operating Business for 10x growth With Jessi FreitagIn this episode we'll be talking about scanning ribbon 10x in the last three years how did she do that and scaling across all aspects of the business.Jessi Freitag is the Director of Marketing and Operations at LivBar, the fastest growing natural energy bar company in the US. Jessi Freitag is an operations, marketing, and events nerd based in Oregon, who lives on hot tea, kombucha, and gluten free treats. She hosts her own podcast, Iroh's Corner, where she interview entrepreneurs about the dirty details of starting a business. Jessi also recently launched her own operations consulting...
2021-09-2859 min
Iroh's CornerHarnessing nostalgia through sophisticated vegan ice cream for your inner child with Mary AllenJoin us for tea with Mary Allen, founder and owner of Ramblin' Rose, a plant-based ice cream food truck in Portland. Mary shares about the beautiful story behind her truck, her passion for using local ingredients and building local partnerships, and her mission to make vegan ice cream for adults who never grew up (even though their palate did).
2021-09-2150 min
Iroh's CornerCultivating healing with tea, herbal blends, and a passion for sharing knowledge with Briana ThorntonJoin us for tea with Briana Thornton, founder of Aesthete Tea and co-founder of Thornton's Supply. Briana shares about her early career in art curation and branding, starting an organic loose leaf tea and herbal blend brand, and her passion for plant medicine, folk healing, and herbalism.
2021-09-071h 01
The Startup CPG PodcastHow to Mind your Packaging, Branding, (and the Font) with Designer and Agency Owner Kirk VisolaKirk Visola is an active member of our Startup CPG community with a heart for sharing his design expertise and helping people navigate the complex world of packaging and branding. He has a no-nonsense approach to life and client work. With over 20 years of design expertise working with some of the largest brands in the world, he now operates his own agency, Mind the Font, making his caliber of work available to brands of all sizes. Listen in as Kirk shares about why he started his own agency, tips for approaching a packaging project, and how to build a...
2021-08-3036 min
Iroh's CornerPaving new paths as an adidas leader & local brewery, event center owner with Jamie GrossJoin us for tea with Jamie Gross, Senior Director at adidas of the US Kohl's wholesale business and co-owner of Silver Harbor Brewing Company in St. Joseph, Michigan. Jamie shares about her career journey in sales from Whirlpool to adidas, launching Silver Harbor Brewing Company with her husband and friends, and how she manages it all with two young children.
2021-08-2453 min
Iroh's CornerLaunching online - from macarons to innovating magnetic photography backdrops with Bolaji and Josalyn OsobaJoin us for tea with Josalyn & Bolaji Osoba, owners and founders of be. macarons and Kwerke. be. macarons is an online macaron shop and Kwerke sells easy magnetic photography backdrops and mini studios. Josalyn & Bolaji share about their career journeys, Josalyn perfecting macarons, Bolaji designing the Kwerke setup, and what it's like to launch multiple online businesses.
2021-08-101h 14
The Startup CPG PodcastMeet Season 3's New Host - Jessi FreitagIt’s been my pleasure to be the host of Season 2, and now it's time to pass the torch for Season 3! This episode is to introduce you to Startup CPG's new podcast host, Jessi Freitag. She’s no stranger to entrepreneurship and and knows what it takes to build a CPG Brand. She’s a curious mind and a podcaster who loves conversations - so - let’s meet Jessi!
@livbars
@irohs.corner
Jessi's LinkedIn profile
Say hi at jessi@startupcpg.com
2021-08-0909 min
Iroh's CornerFarming a legacy of specialty fruits & featuring local flavors in unique fruit spreads with Laura and Mike EllisJoin us for tea with Mike & Laura Ellis, owners and founders of Mt Hope Farms, an Oregon specialty fruit farm. Laura and Mike share about choosing their specialty crops (table grapes, aronia berries, and haskap berries), developing a line of artisan fruit spreads, and how they highlight the legacy of their farm and other local Oregon farms through their products.
2021-07-271h 00
Iroh's CornerMaximizing unexpected opportunities & business models to share mochi donuts with Emily Mikiko Strocher & Alex McGillivrayJoin us for tea with Emily Mikiko Strocher & Alex McGillivray, founders and creators of Mikiko Mochi Donuts. Alex and Emily share about starting a mochi donut company during a pandemic, experimenting with more than four business models, the influence of family and tradition on Mikiko, and a not-super-distant dream of a retail shop in Portland.
2021-07-2050 min
Iroh's CornerElevating childhood favorites - vegan yet fanciful pop tarts & treats with Courtney LesnikJoin us for tea with Courtney Lesnik, founder and creator of Toast'd PDX, an elevated vegan pop tart company. Courtney shares about her love of baking and creating art on her pop tarts for pop-ups each week, being a vegetarian and then vegan, and how she navigates the tough topics of burn-out, life as a mompreneur, and growth plans.
2021-06-2951 min
Iroh's CornerSpreading the Happy Campers lifestyle through GF baking & authentic living with Jan Taborsky & Lacy GillhamJoin us for tea with Jan Taborsky and Lacy Gillham, co-founders and co-creators of Happy Campers Gluten Free, a gluten free, vegan, and ancient grain bread company. Lacy & Jan share about starting Happy Campers as students in Oregon more than 10 years ago, the steps to going from a local bakery to making bread available across the nation, and how they keep all aspects of their life nourished.
2021-06-221h 11
Iroh's CornerSharing stories & bespoke teas from journeys on the road less traveled with Charity ChalmersJoin us for tea with Charity Chalmers, owner and founder of Chariteas, an online retailer of teas from the road less traveled. Charity originally started a corporate gifting company, then a tea cafe in Sandy, Oregon, and then converted the business all online to allow her to start a tea garden in the Philippines. Charity shares about her journey at Chariteas over the last ten years including how she initially got into tea, her travels to tea gardens in multiple companies to source her teas, and learning to blend teas.
2021-06-1541 min
Iroh's CornerPulling Back the Curtains on Angel Investing with Jessi FreitagAngel investing sounds esoteric and irrelevant to most of the population; however, it's more prevalent than you think and shapes the companies and brands we know and love. Join Jessi as she does an overview of angel investing - afterward, you can watch Shark Tank like a pro, spot angel investing in the wild, and understand which businesses are eligible for investment funds and why.
2021-06-0118 min
Iroh's CornerEstablishing a landmark for gourmet soft serve & snacks in the Columbia Gorge with Emily CafazzoJoin us for tea with Emily Cafazzo, co-owner and co-founder of Sugarpine Drive-in, a premier drive-in restaurant on the banks of the Sandy River in Troutdale, Oregon. Emily and her husband, Ryan Domingo, also have started Da Pine Grinds, a pop-up food truck, and are in the process of opening the Sugarpine Roadhouse. Emily shares about the source of her love for food, starting Sugarpine with Ryan, creating and maintaining a company culture, and adapting during a pandemic.
2021-05-2539 min
Iroh's CornerLearning the fickle and fun ropes of candymaking to create nutty, buttery, vegan candy with Anne SmithJoin us for tea with Anne Smith, founder and owner of Oregon Bark, a local candy line of nutty, all gluten free & vegan candies. Anne shares about her journey from animator, to cooking school owner, to confectioner, with lots of surprises along the way - especially about candy and its eccentricities. "Toe" candy versus "Finger" candy, dreaming up fancy ice cream sandwiches before the world was ready, and Anne's infectious laugh and affable nature are just a few pieces of this fun conversation.
2021-05-1848 min
Iroh's CornerTurning a personal frustration into the #1 camping app with Sarah SmithJoin us for tea with Sarah Smith, the co-founder & visionary of The Dyrt, the #1 camping app. Sarah shares about starting the The Dyrt to solve her own camping frustrations & the frustrations of millions of other campers. Other topics include fundraising, living abroad, emergency surgery & a lost passport in Nepal, and adapting team culture during the pandemic.
2021-05-1151 min
Iroh's CornerInvesting in startups to create the world you want to see & life as an angel investor with Marcia DawoodJoin us for tea with angel investor (what’s that? You’ll find out!), Marcia Dawood. Marcia shares the role of an angel investor and how it compares to what you see on shows like Shark Tank, her mission and work to make investment funding available to more women and BIPOC, and her efforts to help more people become angel investors and realize how they can impact the world around them through investing in startups.
2021-04-2736 min
Iroh's CornerMaking badass plant-based ice cream & the ebb and flow of entrepreneurship with Katelyn WilliamsJoin us for tea with the founder and creator of two plant-based ice cream companies, Katelyn Williams. Kate shares about her determination to make great plant-based ice cream, her learnings between her first and second ice cream shops, and her commitment to networking and uplifting other local makers. Kate’s Ice Cream is made using organic coconut and cashew milk and is 100% vegan and gluten-free.
2021-04-2038 min
Iroh's CornerCreating delicious teas & meaningful moments with Andy HayesJoin us for tea with Andy Hayes, the founder and creator of a unique tea(!) company, Plum Deluxe. Andy shares about learning to create delicious teas, his inspiration to savor and seek out meaningful moments, and how Plum Deluxe inspired such a one-of-a-kind community.
2021-04-1339 min
Iroh's CornerFashion merchandising at adidas, painting, & human connection with Steph DeckerJoin us for tea with senior director at adidas, art gallery founder, mom of three, boxer, singer, and inspiration, Steph Decker. Steph shares about how she got into fashion merchandising, her career at adidas, her opportunity to go pro in boxing, her passion for art, her impressive painting goals for 2021, and her tips on human connection, leadership, and humility.
2021-04-0639 min
Iroh's CornerStephanie Nash at Stephanie Nash MarketingJoin us for tea with Stephanie Nash - founder and owner of Stephanie Nash Marketing, which specializes in full service social media marketing for food, beverage and lifestyle brands. Stephanie shares about starting her own company, how she connects with influencers, and how she stays organized and inspired while growing her business.
2021-03-3032 min
Iroh's CornerIntroduction to Co-PackingWhy do so many energy bars taste the same? When a product is labeled "Great Value" at Walmart, who made it? A a food entrepreneur, how do you decide whether to co-pack or self manufacture? This episode is a quick intro to co-packing (aka contract manufacturing). Jessi also shares LivBar's experience of deciding whether to use a co-packing for their bars.
2021-03-2515 min
Iroh's CornerAffouet Price at HibisbloomJoin us for tea with Affouet Price - founder and creator of Hibisbloom. Hibisbloom is a premium hibiscus based beverage and cocktail mixer, produced and bottled in small batches in Portland, Oregon. Affouet shares about competing in the Oregon Entrepreneurship Network Angel Food event, developing sustainable packaging, deciding whether to use contract manufacturing (a co-packer), balancing motherhood and work, intentional growth speed management, and much more.
2021-03-221h 08
Iroh's CornerKayla Freitag at Kayla Joy CreativeJoin us for tea with Kayla Freitag - founder and owner of Kayla Joy Creative or KJC. Kayla and team develop recipes and content for food brands, and she shares about embracing unexpected opportunities, teaching herself photography and other skills, and growing KJC.
2021-03-1844 min
Iroh's CornerStart Here - Welcome to Iroh's CornerA quick mini episode to introduce the host of Iroh's Corner (Jessi Freitag) and let you know what to expect on this podcast. Spoiler Alert: expect tea with fascinating strangers such as entrepreneurs, industry experts, leaders, and other cool people.
2021-03-1605 min