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the Joshua Schall Audio Experience2024 Sports & Active Nutrition "State of the Union" | SPINS x J. Schall ConsultingI want to welcome you back to another episode of what I’ve branded Pivotal since these interview-style segments tackle impactful CPG industry topics and lessons from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! At the end of 2022, when I pitched the idea to host these collaborative holistic categorical deep dive sessions with the wellness-focused data company SPINS, Scott Dicker (Market Insights Director - SPINS) and I knew we wanted to start close to our passions with a sort of sports/active nutrition industry “State of the Union.” Well…believe it or not, we are already on the fifth qu...2024-01-1148 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTrends Trifecta: Gut Health, Functional Mushrooms, & Cognitive Health | SPINS x J. Schall ConsultingPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! As another quarter recently ended within the functional CPG space, it’s seemed only right that I ask my good friend and Market Insights Director at SPINS, Scott Dicker, to join me again for another one of our legendary holistic categorical deep dive sessions. Since this is our fourth quarterly installment of the Josh & Scott show, we decided to kick it up a notch with a triple-feature of key trending categories. In...2023-10-2539 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceBEAST Intellectual Property (IP) Sale Explained | MrBeast, Monster Energy, & Beast Mode Interested?It's crazy to think that I started working in the supplement industry 17 years ago! While most believe that MusclePharm was where everything started for me, I actually got my first supplement industry job when I was in college getting my undergraduate degree. As a contributor on the Bodybuilding.com Forums in 2006, I caught the attention of BEAST and was asked to join their sports nutrition brand as internet company rep...which today would be akin to a combination of digital jobs like community management, social media strategist, and customer service rep. That led to BEAST founders Tony and Maria...2023-07-1513 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWeight Management Categorical Evolution | SPINS x J. Schall Consulting | CPG Industry TrendsPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! As another quarter ends within the functional CPG space, it’s only right that I ask my good friend and Market Insights Director at SPINS, Scott Dicker, to join me again for another one of our famous holistic categorical deep dive sessions. This time we decided to tackle the evolving weight management category. In our conversation, we cover everything from the current level of consumer interest in the weight loss dietary ou...2023-07-1338 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceEnergy Drinks & Sports Drinks Are On 🔥 | SPINS x J. Schall Consulting | CPG Industry TrendsPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! As we close out another exciting quarter within the functional CPG space, it only seemed right that I ask my good friend and Market Insights Director at SPINS, Scott Dicker, to join me again. Instead of doing another broad-stroke Active Nutrition “State of the Union” type content piece, we decided to dive deep into one…or I guess two categories that have been on fire lately and are also personal favorites. If you...2023-03-3149 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTop Sports Nutrition Market Trends in 2022 | SPINS x J. Schall Consulting Predictions for 2023I want to welcome you back to another episode of what I’ve branded Pivotal since these interview-style segments tackle impactful CPG industry topics and lessons from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! As we close out another year, it only seems right that I would focus this latest episode on both recapping some sports and active nutrition trends/themes from the last year and look forward to predicting what trends/themes are getting hotter and others that might be cooling off. Instead of just sharing my collection of categorical insights, I brought on my good friend an...2022-12-2053 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceEarly MusclePharm Stories & Lessons Learned | Cory Gregory InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! Many of you might know that I worked at MusclePharm in the early 2010s. This was during a time when that sports nutrition brand had literally caught lightning in a bottle. Either you had that big obnoxiously bright lime green MP in your kitchen cabinet, or you weren’t cool…it was as simple as that. More than a decade later, I look back at my last official employer before betting on m...2022-10-1753 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceCollege Retail Partnership Thoughts | The Vitamin Shoppe 2022 Q2 Performance UpdateThe Vitamin Shoppe is on pace to have it's highest topline revenue in the company's history. Yet, I would guess that most still haven’t fully grasped the results of massive multi-year turnaround plan at The Vitamin Shoppe. I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but it’s time to wake up people. Since The Vitamin Shoppe is shielded in the public markets by the Franchise Group ownership, the supplement retailer’s turnaround hasn’t been front and center, but overlooking it would be a mistake. Fact is, 2022 continues to set up very nicely for The V...2022-08-0512 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperiencePepsiCo & Celsius Holdings Deal | Energy Drinks Market Potential ImpactsIt was just announced that PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) entered into a long-term agreement to be the preferred global distribution partner for Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ: CELH). PepsiCo will also make a net cash investment of $550 million in exchange for 8.5% ownership of Celsius Holdings. With the Bang Energy deal coming to an abrupt end in June 2022, PepsiCo couldn’t risk falling behind in one of the fastest growing mature beverage categories. So, what does the PepsiCo and Celsius Holdings deal mean to the broader energy drinks market? This was the deal to make for PepsiCo, as Celsius Holdings is about two to...2022-08-0211 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceBeverage Industry Lessons From Four Loko to Koia | Chris Hunter InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! My guest on this episode is a fellow Austintown Fitch High School alumnus that just happens to also be a beverage industry superstar. Chris Hunter shares how that Youngstown, OH upbringing shaped his brand building process that’s spanned categorical opposites from Four Loko alcoholic beverages to now Koia plant-based healthy beverages. We also talk about our personal and professional evolutions that went from reckless to precautionary in a few short ye...2022-08-0141 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceSports Nutrition Brands Must Stop Ignoring the Growth in Endurance ActivitiesThe fitness world has always been fast-changing, but did the life-altering last two plus years create additional opportunities for supplement (sports nutrition) brands to focus on endurance activity participants? Maybe we all want to wipe this from our memories, but it wasn’t too long ago that gyms across the country were closed, bikes (both traditional and stationary exercise ones) were sold out everywhere and going for a run was one of the few legally approved ways to leave your home. While these disrupted fitness routines didn’t last forever, they did create a sticky enough imprint that has star...2022-07-2815 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceAmazon Reduces Private Label | What Does it Mean for the Supplement Industry?Amazon’s private-label business started in 2005 with bedding offerings under the Pinzon brand name. It then expanded into consumer electronics products and eventually other categories under Amazon Basics. It now encompasses everything from vitamins and coffee to clothing and furniture under the veil of more than 1000 brands at this point that could be over half a million SKUs. At just face value, that’s a shit load of private label brands and products. In comparison, Target has about 50 private label brands...with Good & Gather being it’s largest SKU count at more than 2000. Similarly, Walmart has about 320 private label brands...2022-07-2509 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceAmazon & Grubhub Strategic Partnership Could Be Bigger Than Jeff Bezos BicepsGrubhub and Amazon recently announced they had entered into a strategic partnership. As a part of the deal, Amazon Prime members in the United States have the ability to get Grubhub Plus for an entire year free. That means somewhere around 150 million American households that reportedly have an Amazon Prime membership can use Grubhub without delivery fees in more than 4,000 U.S. cities. That’s fairly massive news if you ask me. Why? I'll explain why why each party entered into this strategic partnership. Furthermore, I'll assume this strategic partnership goes well between Amazon and Grubhub to the point th...2022-07-2109 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceOvercoming Hurdles in Nascent Brain Nutrition Category | Will Nitze (IQBAR) InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! My guest on this episode has quickly become one of my favorite new connections on LinkedIn. But when Will Nitze isn’t pumping out consistent thought provoking content that spans all over the CPG entrepreneurship spectrum, he is running the popular brain nutrition brand IQBAR. Coming from zero previous CPG experience, Will shares some of the “looks easy but it isn’t” industry lessons that any aspiring entrepreneur should take to heart. W...2022-07-1852 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceGHOST Esports Strategy & FaZe Clan Partnership | Dan Lourenco Interview | Natural Products InsiderThis is a special edition esports strategy conversation that I had with my good buddy Dan Lourenco (Co-Founder and CEO of GHOST Lifestyle) on behalf of Natural Products Insider. Dan and I talked through some trending topics within esports, the broader gaming ecosystem, and how the supplement industry should be responding to it. We also discussed the launch of GHOST Gamer, how officially licensed flavors are resonating with gamers, and what the FaZe Clan partnership could mean to GHOST. Fact is, GHOST has quickly supplanted itself as a major player in what has become a cultural phenomenon, so this...2022-07-1414 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceFuture of the Weight Management (Weight Loss) CategoryIs the weight management category of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry dying or is it lowkey evolving into something more interesting now? Americans are still extremely interested in weight management. Yes, it has seen several cycles of ups and downs during the pandemic era, but I’d argue the extra unwanted pounds gained by the average American during these last two or so years has only elevated the long-term outlook for the weight management category. There are the obvious health-related motivating factors, but there’s something deeper at play to why weight management has been on the top of m...2022-07-1112 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceDid Tai Lopez Acquire Bodybuilding.com? | Retail Ecommerce VenturesDid you know that the self-help guru Tai Lopez (aka “here in my garage” guy) is the son of a professional bodybuilder? Why exactly could that useless piece of trivia knowledge be important now? Let’s connect the dots between what Tai Lopez has been focusing on professionally for the last three years and bodybuilding. In 2019, Tai Lopez and his business partner Alex Mehr founded the private equity firm Retail Ecommerce Ventures. The goal is to transform well-known undervalued retail brands into ecommerce success stories. Which retail brand in the bodybuilding world fits that description? In a recent press releas...2022-07-0708 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceDTC Isn't Dead...Platform Arbitrage & Mediocrity Is | Ryan Rouse (HighKey) InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! My guest on this episode is an absolute Rockstar. Before becoming the Chief Digital Officer at one of my favorite digital-first CPG brands HighKey, he was the Co-Founder of the meal delivery company Factor_ that sold to Hello Fresh for almost $300 million. We cover a crucial story at the end of our conversation about how that exit event brought him zero monetary value. Ryan also shares his thought about the changing...2022-07-0642 min
the Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceCan Quest Nutrition Grow During a Recession? | The Simply Good Foods Company 22Q3 EarningsWill the protein bar competitive landscape continue to be envious of market leader Quest Nutrition as the economy falls into a recession? In this latest episode, I'll utilize the 2022 Q3 Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ: SMPL) earnings report, earnings call, and supplemental presentations that were filed on 6/30/2022 as the backdrop to provide broad health and fitness snacking market insights. In Q3 of fiscal 2022, both brands had strong retail takeaway growth, with Quest Nutrition specifically having more than 30% growth. I hate using the “R-word” before its official, but with the yield curve inverting recently you have a high probability of a re...2022-07-0110 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceReadying Your CPG Brand For An Exit | Nomit Shah InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! My guest on today’s episode is an absolute gem of a person. We always have a blast when we talk shop, so I was excited when I finally persuaded him to join me on camera. Most recently, Nomit Shah was the CFO that quarterbacked Onnit’s exit to Unilever, but you’ll also hear him speak from the perspective of being a highly successful startup investor and advisor. Nomit shared his th...2022-07-0143 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceEnergy Drink DSD Shake-Up of 2022 | Here We Go Again!It’s been about two years since a pair of PepsiCo major events caused the great energy drink DSD shake-up, so why is the beverage giant again at the heart of another shock to the growing beverage category? According to a Bang Energy press release on June 22, 2022, effective immediately, both parties will enthusiastically and strategically cooperate in a nationwide joint effort to transition from PepsiCo distribution to Bang Energy’s new DSD partners. This officially puts an early end to one of the most toxic relationships in recent beverage industry history. One that underperformed from the very beginning and sapp...2022-06-2915 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceMaking Gut Health Approachable Within CPG Products is Key | Kara Landau (Uplift Food) InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! My guest on this episode is the "prebiotic dietician" and Founder/CEO of Uplift Food, Kara Landau. She was the absolute perfect guest to help me dive into the uber important functional CPG trend of gut health. Kara and I talked about how her company is making gut health approachable, how our health starts at the gut, and why taking an early investment from Mondelez International has helped her make an...2022-06-2645 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceEsports is the Most Misunderstood Opportunity for Supplement BrandsGaming and esports can be described in many ways. It’s a vibrant and fast-growing sector of the economy. It’s a legitimate means of monetization in today’s attention economy. It’s an entertainment medium for billions of enthusiasts around the globe. With an increasing number of people playing, broadcasting, and watching esports, the already booming, multi-billion-dollar gaming ecosystem is without a doubt cementing itself as a straight up cultural phenomenon. So, why might gaming and esports also be one of the most misunderstood opportunities for supplement brands in the supplement industry right now? In this video, I will exp...2022-06-1550 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceSecrets Behind How 1st Phorm Achieved $1 Billion in Lifetime Sales | Sal Frisella InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! My guest on this episode is Sal Frisella, President of 1st Phorm, which is one of the largest sports nutrition brands in the industry. This is not a conversation you are going to want to skip through…it was extremely fascinating from start to finish. Sal and I talk extensively through some of the special sauce aspects of 1st Phorm, including their best-in-class brand ambassador program, being 100% customer-centric, use of fitness ch...2022-06-1343 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceHow Many Are Too Many Licensed Flavor Collabs? | What's Next?How many different licensed SKUs have been commercialized within the active nutrition CPG categories since late-2016? If you said more than 200 and counting, then you’d be correct. Did that number surprise you? Well…it surprised the heck out of me and that’s coming from a deep practitioner inside the industry. That being said, how many are too many licensed SKUs in the active nutrition CPG categories? I don’t think we are anywhere near a dense saturation level when you look across the entire sales channel landscape. You might have an argument that specialty retail is getting heavier...2022-06-0612 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceHow OBVI Has Grown By Focusing on its Community | Ronak Shah InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! My guest on this episode is a really great friend of mine Ronak Shah, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of the fast-growing nutricosmetics brands OBVI. Ronak and I talk a lot about the OBVI online community. How it was built. What they’ve done to keep it thriving past 50K members and why it’s the most important brand asset they own. We also breakdown of the mechanics of how OBVI...2022-05-3137 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceLenny & Larry's Complete Entrepreneurship Stories | Barry Turner InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! It’s not often you get to talk to one of your childhood TV idols. Yet, I’ve been having a lot of those pinch me is this my real-life type moments lately. For any boy growing up in the early 90s, you were absolutely watching American Gladiators. My guest on this episode is Cyclone from that hit show, but its what Barry Turner did after he was injured on American Glad...2022-05-2343 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceShifting Relationship Between Men & Personal Care CPG Category | Matt Mullenax InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! In this episode, I talk with a fellow Ohio native CPG professional, Matt Mullenax, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of the high-performance men’s personal care brand Huron. Matt also shares how his experience throughout the years with the personal care and men’s grooming CPG category impacted and formed the inspiration to start Huron. We also discuss the shifting relationship between men and the personal care category. Start to fini...2022-05-1746 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceThis Doesn't Feel "Special" | The Vitamin Shoppe 2022 Q1 Performance UpdateThe Vitamin Shoppe is on pace to have it's highest topline revenue in the company's history. Yet, I would guess that most still haven’t fully grasped the results of massive multi-year turnaround plan at The Vitamin Shoppe. I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but it’s time to wake up people. Since The Vitamin Shoppe is shielded in the public markets by the Franchise Group ownership, the supplement retailer’s turnaround hasn’t been front and center, but overlooking it would be a mistake. Fact is, 2022 is setting up very nicely for The Vitam...2022-05-1310 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceThis Feels Like the 2019 Bang Energy Era | Celsius Holdings 2022 Q1 Performance UpdateSo, normally I wouldn’t applaud a fourth-place ranking, but I think we should make an exception in the energy drinks category. In terms of market share during the last four weeks ending April 17, 2022, Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ: CELH) impressive performance has pushed the brand past Rockstar Energy for the number four position in the energy category. This really draws some comparisons to what happened a few years ago when Bang Energy surged past Rockstar Energy with astronomic growth rates. That led to about a year of “business as normal” for Bang Energy before they decided to sign an exclusive distri...2022-05-1310 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceGoodwipes is Whooping Toilet Paper Legacy Brand Ass | Sam Nebel InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! In this episode, I talk with my amazing friend…aka the greatest nickname giver on Planet Earth…aka The King of all Wipes…aka the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of the fast growing personal hygiene brand goodwipes Sam Nebel. He shares how his prior experience on the franchising operations side of the specialty supplement retailer Complete Nutrition helped inspire business strategies at goodwipes. Sam and I dive into the wellness halo e...2022-05-1144 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceDymatize Growth | Premier Protein Supply Constraints | BellRing Brands 2022 Q2 Performance UpdateDymatize continues to carry the bigger heavier Premier Protein on its back, but are things set to change in the back-half of BellRing Brands’ fiscal year? As I normally do with my performance update content of publicly-traded functional CPG brands, I will use the recently filled earnings report, earnings conference call, and any relevant publicly disclosed news, in this case it’s Bellring Brands (NYSE: BRBR) 2022 Q2 earnings release, to obviously update you on the performance of brands in that portfolio, but also use it as the backdrop to discuss market insights within the active nutrition formats of the liqu...2022-05-0910 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceShould Glanbia Spin-Off Glanbia Performance Nutrition? | Glanbia 2022 Q1 Performance UpdateGlanbia had one of the best quarters of growth in recent history, so why isn’t everyone celebrating it? Glanbia Performance Nutrition had 2022 Q1 revenue growth of 15.7% YoY on a constant currency basis from strong pricing and volume increases. They also benefitted 1% from the mid-2021 acquisition of LevlUp, a gamer (esports) nutrition brand. Glanbia Performance Nutrition is one of two wholly-owned segments of Glanbia plc (LON:GLB), a multi-billion dollar global nutrition company. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, think!, Isopure, Amazing Grass, and Slim Fast. I'll use the recent earnings report, earnings ca...2022-05-0811 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceHow Vital Proteins Became a Billion-Dollar Brand | Tracey Warner Halama InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! In this episode, I talk with an amazing friend that just happens to also be the CEO of Vital Proteins Tracey Warner Halama. She shares early stories about what went into the shifted consumer focus towards women that led to Vital Proteins becoming a $1B+ brand. Also, how the company has continued to double sales and stay the market leader even after the rush of competitors have come to chase the “Vi...2022-05-0543 minthe Joshua Schall Audio Experience10 CPG Packaging Trends You Need to KnowGo to any grocery store, convenience store, or specialty supplement retailer and you’ll see shelves stacked with similar products from different brands. While presented a tad differently on the digital shelf, the same can essentially be said when searching for CPG products on an ecommerce marketplace like Amazon. Your CPG brand has on average a few seconds to make a good impression before the customer moves on to the next option. Effective and appealing packaging design not only makes it more likely for one product to be chosen over alternatives, but it also reflects on the values of th...2022-05-0313 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceNike is Providing a Sales Channel Strategy MasterclassIt probably doesn’t need repeated, but Nike is the heavyweight champion of consumer brands. There are only a few brands that ever achieve ubiquity in popular culture like Nike. No matter where we turn, it feels like there’s a swoosh just around the corner. That being said, there's several current “lesser known” Nike business strategies that are key to overcoming the increasingly crowded and changing marketplace. These are the business strategies that I believe will make Nike an even more impressive company and extend their market leadership over the next decade. Nike has acknowledged that today’s purchase j...2022-04-2612 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceFit Butters Story | From Kitchen Blender to Million Dollar Brand | Ryan Bucki InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! This episode, we talk with my good friend and co-founder of Fit Butters Ryan Bucki (aka Fitness Informant) about how they went from idea to launch in only a two weeks later. Plus, he shares some of his really creative business model strategies that sets the FIt Butters functional food product apart from the competition and made it a million dollar bootstrapped CPG brand.
FOLLOW ME ON MY SOCIAL...2022-04-1936 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceThe Vitamin Shoppe Impact | Franchise Group Acquiring Kohl'sWith a robust loyalty program, attractive off-mall real estate strategy, and successful retail partnerships like Sephora under its belt, Kohl's once seemed immune to many of the troubles of department stores. For months now, however, the retailer has been on the defensive from activist investors, and could be on the brink of being sold. Franchise Group, Inc., the owner of The Vitamin Shoppe (and other retail chains) has offered $9 billion, or $69 a share, to acquire Kohl’s. With Franchise Group making a run at acquiring Kohl’s...what could that potentially mean for The Vitamin Shoppe? I'll breakdown several idea...2022-04-1513 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceIs MusclePharm Embracing Its Current Reality?Is MusclePharm finally embracing the fact that they are a protein company now? MusclePharm (OTCMKTS: MSLP) just disclosed that the company is expanding into the ready-to-drink (RTD) protein category with the launch of its new whey protein drink line in the summer of 2022. This is a bit of a “what took you so long” kind of moment for me. I’ve been advocating for MusclePharm to ditch the pursuit of the energy drinks market and focus on protein beverages. I will expand on those comments from previous podcast episodes and run down what we know and what I can deduce...2022-04-1209 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceQuest Nutrition is Dominating the Category | Is Simply Good Foods Company Recession Proof?With Quest Nutrition making the shift from being a protein bar company to a successful lifestyle brand, can The Simply Good Foods Company do the same thing with Atkins Nutritionals? Should The Simply Good Foods Company be worried about the possible upcoming recession after the yield curve inverted? In this latest episode, I'll utilize the 2022 Q2 Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ: SMPL) earnings report, earnings call, and supplemental presentations that were filed on 4/6/2022 as the backdrop to provide broad health and fitness snacking market insights. In Q2 of fiscal 2022, both brands had strong retail takeaway growth, with Quest Nutrition...2022-04-0710 minthe Joshua Schall Audio Experience"Liquid I.V. Effect" or More to This Company? | SOS Hydration IPO BreakdownWill slapping Paw Patrol characters on a powdered hydration supplement be enough to drive success for SOS Hydration in the public markets? SOS Hydration is more than just a company that utilizes entertainment IP from Paw Patrol. Founded in May 2013 by brothers and elite track athletes James and Tom Mayo and James' wife (licensed medical doctor), SOS Hydration has a strong founder-market fit that’s screams authenticity. It seems both SOS Hydration and Liquid I.V. both stumbled on the fact that “people are beginning to realize the importance of staying properly hydrated…” because they launched within months of one anot...2022-03-3010 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceThe Vitamin Shoppe Sports Nutrition Category Insights | Jack Gayton InterviewPivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! This episode, we talk with my good friend and Divisional Merchandise Manager at The Vitamin Shoppe Jack Gayton about sports nutrition categorical performance at the specialty retailer and what he’s seeing in terms of changing buyer behavior and product trends.
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INSTAGRAM - https://www.in...2022-03-2933 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceAre you Ready for Gen Z? | They Will Become Your Most Important CustomersGen Z is just a more extreme version of Millennials, right? No cap I used to think the same thing a few years ago, but they are completely different, and your functional CPG brand better be ready for it. To be honest, if you’re a functional CPG brand and you aren’t thinking about Gen Z already…you’re behind! In my opinion, functional CPG brands are the inspiration epicenter for the entire CPG industry. The best of these brands are the trendsetters. Because of that, they’re often one of the first groups to pivot their marketing strategies...2022-03-2210 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceSupplement Company IPO Train Keeps Chugging Along | Smart for Life BreakdownDepending on how deep you follow the supplement industry, you might be asking yourself who is Smart for Life? Well, Smart for Life is a vertically integrated brand portfolio that has major exposure to the weight loss and weight management category. The company went public on February 16, 2022, on the NASDAQ under the stock ticker SMFL. Smart for Life currently owns several interesting assets; Doctors Scientific Organica (aka Smart for Life), GSP Nutrition (aka licensee of The Sports Illustrated brand for sports nutrition), the network marketing platform Nexus Offers, Bonne Santé Natural Manufacturing (contract manufacturer), and newly acquired Ceautamed Worldwide (a...2022-03-1710 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceStudent-Athlete NIL Endorsement Opportunity in the Functional CPG IndustryThe NCAA ruled in July 2021 that college athletes can be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (known as NIL). While there was an initial summertime burst of attention-grabbing student-athlete NIL headlines in the functional CPG industry (e.g. PlantFuel & Six Star Pro Nutrition), most are still sitting on the sidelines. Leading up to the landmark change, I felt NIL could offer fertile ground for functional CPG brands. It provided access to influential members of a consumer cohort that tend to be one of the most valuable to functional CPG brands (especially if we are talking sports nutrition). Since...2022-03-1510 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceHow I Built This Podcast | My Top 5 Favorite CPG Brand EpisodesCan you guess my favorite podcast of all-time (besides my own of course)? Here’s a hint…it’s a show about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built. Each episode of the “How I Built This” podcast features a compelling story about someone who builds a successful company from the ground up, with each guest having a unique backstory. The host is Guy Raz, a longtime NPR correspondent and journalist, who is a true master at helping each founder weave their story together by fielding questions that add color and dimension to their experiences. Not counti...2022-03-1011 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperiencePepsi Owned Soviet Attack Submarines | Why PepsiCo Won't Boycott RussiaMan those “Cola Wars” with Coca-Cola in the late-1970s into the early-1980s must have really made Pepsi angry because did you know they went out and made a deal with the former Soviet Union to acquire a whole bunch of naval ships including attack submarines? The story starts with the Soviet Union getting a taste of Pepsi during the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow. More than a decade later, now President Nixon sent a Department of Commerce commission to the Soviet Union to encourage trade between the two Cold War rivals. On the trip was Pepsi CEO Dona...2022-03-0808 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceOptimum Nutrition Growth is Insane! | Glanbia Full-Year Performance UpdateCan we officially say now that Glanbia Performance Nutrition is back on track after a few hiccup years? Glanbia Performance Nutrition had 2021 full-year revenue of $1.44 billion, which increased 17.1% YoY on a constant currency basis from both strong pricing and volume increases. They also benefitted 1.2% from the mid-year acquisition of LevlUp, a gamer (esports) nutrition brand. Glanbia Performance Nutrition is one of two wholly-owned segments of Glanbia plc (LON:GLB), a multi-billion dollar global nutrition company. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, Think!, Isopure, Amazing Grass, and Slim Fast. I'll use the recent earnings...2022-03-0410 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceCelsius Holdings Almost Triples Revenue | Full-Year Performance UpdateCelsius Holdings (NASDAQ: CELH) set more company records as the business almost triples in revenue, but will that continue in 2022? The current set-up looks great, but it won’t be without marketplace challenges and competition breathing down on Celsius Holdings from all directions. This includes the important female energy drink buyer for Celsius, as upstart brand Alani Nu is growing at 600%+ YoY with annualized run rate revenue that close to $200 million. Celsius Holdings will need to continue focusing on expanding performance in several key sales channels that includes ecommerce (Amazon), fitness, and the granddaddy of them all...convenience stores. In...2022-03-0211 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceRussia Ukraine Conflict | Functional CPG Supply Chain ImpactWith Russia invading Ukraine this past week, what effects could it have on the functional CPG industry? I think the easiest way to understand this topic would be for me to provide a zoomed out CPG industry view, before zooming back into the functional food, functional beverage, and nutritional supplement CPG categories. Many might not be aware that Ukraine is nicknamed the breadbasket of Europe. The Ukraine and Russia conflict is further exacerbating a run-up in prices for food commodities, which have been affected by extreme weather, labor shortages and a host of supply chain issues over the past...2022-03-0107 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceIt's Time to Stop Doubting The Vitamin Shoppe | Full-Year Performance UpdateThe Vitamin Shoppe grew topline revenue to its almost matching the company's history peak in 2014-2015. This is along with achieving operating profit growth of over 1800% YoY. Yet, I would guess that most still haven’t fully grasped the results of massive multi-year turnaround plan at The Vitamin Shoppe. I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but it’s time to wake up people. Since The Vitamin Shoppe is shielded in the public markets by the Franchise Group ownership, the supplement retailer’s turnaround hasn’t been front and center, but overlooking it would be a mis...2022-02-2411 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceFailed $70B M&A Deal = Likely More Unilever Functional Nutrition Bolt-On DealsUnilever might have been lacking direction over the last few years, but a recent strategic transformation decision now has the European CPG conglomerate positioned squarely inside my wheelhouse. According to comments made during the latest Unilever earnings call, CEO Alan Jope stated, “after months of careful review, we have concluded that accelerating the shift of Unilever's portfolio into consumer health and well-being would position the company for faster growth in the coming decades.” I agree with that assessment, but why publicly show your hand to the competition? The problem was Unilever reportedly made an offer to buy the consumer heal...2022-02-2209 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperiencePublic Health Tax Policy that Would Impact the Supplement IndustryAre several converging consumer trends finally putting enough pressure towards getting a public health tax policy approved that’s more than a decade in the making? Public health? Taxes? I know what you’re thinking, but I assure you that how these topics relate to the supplement industry is quite important. It revolves around reclassifying certain meal replacement products and dietary supplements, that do have FDA approved health claims, to be permissible medical care expenditures for reimbursement within tax-favored Health Savings Accounts (known as HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (known as FSAs). This is the heart of an argument that...2022-02-1817 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTrade Show Experiential Marketing Hacks that Save You Major MoneyAs in-person trade shows come roaring back in 2022, it’s the perfect time to talk about how you can make impact at these events without spending tons of money being an exhibitor. For a lot of you that work at or own functional CPG brands, being involved at trade shows (B2B or B2C) or heck even just having the opportunity to live sample at events/retailers is very important. B2B events like Natural Products Expo West or Fancy Foods Show are the perfect place to meet with dozens or hundreds of potential wholesale accounts. B2C ev...2022-02-1713 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceCan Bazooka Candy Brands Flourish After Being Left Out From the $500 Million Fanatics & Topps Deal?Have you heard the joke about the time a baseball card, pack of chewing gum, and a piece of sports apparel walked into a retail store? No? It’s OK…there probably isn’t a joke in the entire historical catalog of jokes that combine those things. That being said, all those consumer products categories do have a commonality and that’s because it was announced in early January that Fanatics would acquire The Topps Company for $500 million. You might be thinking…that’s great, but what the heck does that have to do with the CPG industry focused content you...2022-02-1111 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWhat Can Wordle Teach CPG Brands?If you’ve been online for even a short period of time during the past few weeks, you’ve probably encountered social media posts made up of green and yellow blocks. My thesis when I started to research Wordle was that it’s just another pandemic-era viral phenomenon. Things go viral on the internet for no good reason all the time, but that fact seems to have become more random during the last two years. After digging into Wordle a bit more, I found it was quite a intriguing case of virality that was worth spending some time thinking more d...2022-02-0910 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceDymatize Nutrition Turnaround Has Been RemarkableHave you noticed the rocket ship that is the Dymatize Nutrition brand? If you are a hardcore sports nutrition consumer, I would guess you haven't and that's by design with the strategic shift that made a few years ago. In this latest episode, I'll utilize the recent BellRing Brands (NYSE: BRBR) earnings report, earnings call, and publicly disclosed news as the backdrop to discuss what it could mean to the overall active nutrition market in the liquids, powders, and bars formats. BellRing Brands is a portfolio that owns a collection of convenient nutrition brands like Premier Protein, Dymatize Nutrition...2022-02-0513 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceA Great Product is Only the Entry Fee to Compete in Today's CPG MarketYou often hear me say “a great product is only the entry fee to compete in today’s CPG market”, but what’s at the heart of that statement? The hard truth is that there have never been as many CPG brands and products as there are today. If you didn't realize that, the easiest way to experience this reality is to do a non-branded search on Amazon within some sizable CPG category. I guarantee you will be overwhelmed at the endless shelf of interchangeable substitutes. Regardless of the current “COVID-19 Effect” aided higher than normal barriers of entry, it’s still r...2022-02-0308 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWhat Can CPG Entrepreneurs Learn From Hip Hop Artist Drake?I’ve always believed that Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are linked together. Firstly, Hip Hop is seen as counterculture to other music genres, which is similar to CPG entrepreneurship in today’s “technology” filled founder landscape. Additionally, Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are both centered around being salesmanship and the ability to hustle. Moreover, Hip Hop music is rooted in remixing (or sampling) previous music, and this iterative innovation process is also core to the CPG industry. Finally, Hip Hop is more than music, it's a cultural lifestyle...which anyone in the CPG industry knows it functions in the exac...2022-01-3111 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceMassive M&A Moves That Make Way Too Much Sense to Not Happen!Would you like to play a game [in my best John Kramer aka Jigsaw from the SAW movie franchise voice]? So, what’s this game exactly that I’m wanting to play? It’s inspired by a random Twitter post I made in November 2021. It’s really a fool’s game to be honest. One that I seem to enjoy playing a lot in my content creation. It’s where I try to put my oracle hat on and see if I can predict the future events of market convergence. Simply put, I'm going to explain ten massive M&A moves that...2022-01-2712 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceMy Reactions to the Undercover Boss The Vitamin Shoppe EpisodeHow did I think Sharon Leite, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe, did on her episode of Undercover Boss? I’ll be honest, I was super excited when The Vitamin Shoppe shared the news a month or two ago that they would be featured on the wildly successful CBS reality show. Firstly, because as many of my community knows I’m a big fan of Sharon Leite and the job she was doing at The Vitamin Shoppe. Secondly, because I’ve been a longtime fan of Undercover Boss. Finally, how cool is it that the functional CPG industry as a whole...2022-01-2512 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceMetaverse 101 for the CPG IndustryThe metaverse is coming, but is your CPG brand ready for it? Do you hear the words web3, crypto, blockchain, NFTs, and/or metaverse and instantly think how far behind you are? Don’t worry, I’m right with you at times. I hear people are getting married in the metaverse. I hear people are holding business meetings in the metaverse. I hear people are spending millions to acquire virtual real estate in the metaverse. I hear people are collecting digital art to I guess hang on the walls of their virtual real estate in the metaverse. Walmart is even...2022-01-2013 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTop 5 Sports Nutrition Industry Event Predictions in 2022Based on the popularity of this event prediction video from the last three years, I decided to again put my reputation on the line and try and predict the five Sports Nutrition Industry events that could happen in 2022. My one big rule for these annual trend prediction lists is that I don’t allow carryover from previous years. Additionally, since these are outlandish predictions, I try and take Happy Gilmore level swings. That makes it more entertaining for both myself to compile and you guys to consume. Plus, if I get any of these correct it makes for a gr...2022-01-1810 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWhy Did Monster Energy Acquire CANarchy Craft Brewing CollectiveMonster Beverage Corporation, maker of Monster Energy drinks, is purchasing CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, a portfolio of craft beer and hard seltzer brands, for $330 million in cash. What? Why? OK. This shouldn’t be that big of a surprise for those of you that consume my content regularly. The deal gives Monster Beverage Corporation a foothold in the alcohol market through a nationwide network of breweries and distribution connections. This has been a goal the energy drink company has telegraphed since 2019 when CEO Rodney Sacks stated on an earnings call that they had an appetite for the alcoholic beverage ma...2022-01-1609 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTop 5 Retail Industry Trends or Event Predictions in 2022Based on the popularity of this trend prediction video from the last three years, I decided to again put my reputation on the line and try and predict the Top 5 Retail Industry Trends or Event Predictions in 2022. My one big rule for these annual trend prediction lists is that I don’t allow carryover from previous years. This makes it more challenging, but also a little odd since trends are multiyear in nature with the strongest ones lasting a decade or more. That makes my previous predictions valuable to review as they likely still have huge commercialization value.
2019 = ht...2022-01-1411 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceStarbucks & Amazon Retail Partnership is VENTI!If you haven’t heard yet, Starbucks and Amazon recently entered into a retail partnership. This new store concept is called the Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go Experience. My gut reaction to hearing this news leak a few months ago was one of exuberance. Now that the first official location in midtown Manhattan NYC is open, it’s easy to see that these pickup-only Starbucks stores paired with Amazon Go are going to be a fucking work of business partnership art. While long-term plans for this partnership are still unknown, three Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go locations are planned for...2022-01-1209 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTop 5 Sports & Active Nutrition Industry Trend Predictions in 2022Based on the popularity of this trend prediction content from the last three years, I decided to again put my reputation on the line and try and predict the Top 5 Sports & Active Nutrition Industry Trends in 2022. My one big rule for these annual trend prediction lists is that I don’t allow carryover from previous years. This makes it more challenging, but also a little odd since trends are multiyear in nature with the strongest ones lasting a decade or more. That makes my previous predictions valuable to review as they likely still have huge commercialization value.
2019 = https://yo...2022-01-1111 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceQuest Nutrition Has Become a Rare Platform CPG Brand | The Simply Good Foods Company FY22Q1 Earnings BreakdownHave you noticed that Quest Nutrition is impressively executing on a very difficult CPG strategy, yet The Simply Good Foods Company isn’t getting enough credit for it? In this latest episode, I'll utilize the 2022 Q1 Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ: SMPL) earnings report, earnings call, and supplemental presentations that were filed on 1/5/2022 as the backdrop to provide broad health and fitness snacking market insights. In Q1 of fiscal 2022, both brands had strong retail takeaway growth, with Quest Nutrition specifically having more than 36% growth. Quest Nutrition also has seen massive success in its Quest Nutrition Protein Chips. It has be...2022-01-0609 minthe Joshua Schall Audio Experience2021 Year in Review | J. Schall Consulting EditionHow did J. Schall Consulting do in 2021? For those that only know me as a “content creator” shame on you, well I guess shame on me for not better explaining who I am and what I actually do for a living. I certainly don’t make money creating content, on the contrary, it costs me a shit ton of money in opportunity costs annually but don’t worry I’m not quitting anytime soon. The variety of business strategy content does serve as a great content marketing tool for my consulting company J. Schall Consulting. Believe it or not, 2022 will mark...2022-01-0511 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTop 5 Functional Food & Beverage Trends in 2022Based on the popularity of this trend prediction content from the previous three years, I decided to again put my reputation on the line and try and predict the Top 5 Functional Food and Beverage Product Trends in 2022. My one big rule for these annual trend prediction lists is that I don’t allow carryover from previous years. This makes it more challenging, but also a little odd since trends are multiyear in nature with the strongest ones lasting a decade or more. That makes my previous predictions valuable to review as they likely still have huge commercialization value.
2019 = ht...2022-01-0410 minthe Joshua Schall Audio Experience2021 J. Schall Consulting "CPG, Retail, and Grocery Industry Award Show"Welcome to the 2021 J. Schall Consulting Awards. This is the third annual year-end awards show that focuses on better for you CPG product categories, along with the grocery, brick and mortar, and internet retailers. This is the pinnacle of award shows that are light on tradition, peppered with randomness, and heavy handed with personal bias. While the awards categories were selected at random, the winners were thoughtfully considered and I provide my accompanying logic to make the content more insightful. A few of the awards categories include: ◼️ Best Better for You CPG Acquisition by CPG Competitor ◼️ Best Grocery Retailer ◼️ Best Retail CE...2021-12-3015 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceLow Barriers of Entry are Over in the Functional CPG IndustryRemember all those low barriers of entry that disrupted the functional CPG industry…well let’s just say things are becoming just a tad bit different now. The functional CPG space is incredibly competitive and very low switching costs at the consumer-level. That makes being a success story in the functional CPG market tough enough, but I do have some additional bad news. The way entrepreneurs historically did business pre-pandemic is over. Stop trying to hang on to the past, especially when you consider a scenario that few are talking about and that’s an elongated "COVID-19 Effect" situation. The qu...2021-12-2912 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceThe Most Creative Corporate Marketing Examples in HistoryMost times corporate marketing is extremely boring, but sometimes…it's different! Corporate marketing is a type of marketing that promotes the company as a whole, as opposed to individual products. Ultimately, the main goal of corporate marketing is to improve brand image, while strengthening relationships with your customers so they become brand advocates. When corporate marketing is working correctly, it should keep the flywheel spinning by attracting new customers, while engaging leads, and delighting current customers. For most companies, corporate marketing is performed through some boring tactic or strategy like writing a blog, press releases, posting dull things on so...2021-12-2814 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceFood & Beverage CPG Brands that Could Get Acquired in 2022Around 80% of executives at big CPG companies believe mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal-making activity will continue increasing after the lows during the pandemic year of 2020. This makes a lot of sense if you think about it in the simplest manner; (1) the CPG industry has had an amazing two-year run (2) CPG companies would have likely been more aggressive in 2020 if it weren't for the high levels of uncertainty across the economic landscape. With 2021 providing more clarity (M&A has seen an uptick), the year has seen big CPG divest unwanted pieces of their portfolios and look to add new...2021-12-2717 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceBRAND New Friends StrategyThere’s this classic rule in business that you shouldn’t talk about your competition, but is that still applicable today? The most typical way that business leaders think about competition can be summed up by business icon Jack Welch that once said, "Number one, cash is king; number two, communicate; number three, buy or bury the competition." For many, competition is a central driver in business that’s usually seen through the “winner takes all” or “zero sum” lens. Most businesses do not talk about their competition publicly, but on the rare occasion that brands do speak a competitor's n...2021-12-2007 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTop 5 Biggest Sports Nutrition Brand Winners of 2021We are coming to the end of 2021, so it’s that time of year again where I create numerous content pieces that either recap some aspect of the current year or put my reputation on the line as a forward-leaning strategist and make predictions about the upcoming year. In this first year-end list podcast episode of the season, I cover the top 5 biggest sports nutrition brand winners of 2021.
GHOST Lifestyle
Alani Nu
MyProtein
REDCON1
1st Phorm
Honorable Mentions - Gorilla Mind, RYSE, Glaxon, Bare Performance Nutrition, and C4 Energy
FOLLOW ME ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA AC...2021-12-1520 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceTreeHouse Foods Should Turn into "HollywoodHouse Foods"TreeHouse Foods, the nation’s leading manufacturer and distributor of private label packaged foods and beverages, is exploring strategic options for its business. Over the past several years, it has closed several plants, reduced SKUs, cut jobs and abandoned business units to become a more focused, nimble company. Despite those efforts, the changes have done little to excite investors with the stock price hovering around the same price as when the CEO change happened in early 2018. With activist investor Jana Partners recently taking a sizable stake, it forced a strategic review that determined TreeHouse Foods should exploring options that co...2021-12-0913 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceHerbalife Nutrition is Giving Off "New Company, Who Dis" VibesIf you haven’t looked deeply into Herbalife Nutrition recently, it might give you the “new company who dis” vibes. Almost all businesses were forced to transform themselves to some level after the “COVID-19 Effect” severely interrupted normal business operations. For Herbalife Nutrition (and other MLM companies), it's business model was severely impacted because the MLM operational structure relies a great deal on a distribution strategy that brings value through frequent personal interactions with customers that are hyper-localized and predicated on results-orientated relationships. The “COVID-19 Effect” limited face-to-face interactions, physical shopping and health and fitness goal-orientated behaviors globally and replaced them...2021-12-0715 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceFive Ways Supplement Brands Can Overcome the Supply Chain CrisisEveryone knows that the supplement industry supply chain is a total mess right now, but crawling into the fetal position and crying yourself to sleep nightly isn’t going to help your supplement brand. I guess I should take a step back and explain what I mean when I talk about supply chain challenges in the CPG industry, what are we trying to solve? At the core, it’s about keeping inventory on shelves (physical or digital). Yes, skyrocketing inflationary costs are also a major problem, but higher costs can be managed more effectively with various strategic levers. In the...2021-12-0618 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceIs the Monster Beverage & Constellation Brands Merger Going to Happen?Why do I feel like the Monster Beverage and Constellation Brands merger reports resembles a famous early 1800s French erotic painting? How’s that for an odd introduction? Stay with me though because it will make more sense by the end of this episode. Last week, reports surfaced from Bloomberg that Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST), the maker of Monster Energy drinks, is exploring a business merger with beer, wine, and spirits brand portfolio Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ). This is a pretty wild business combination when you consider that both beverage CPG brand portfolios each have current market capitalizations of...2021-12-0216 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWhich Exit Event is Better for the Plant-Based Meal Replacement Maker Huel?Huel is looking for a huge exit event soon, but should the plant-based meal replacement maker go the initial public offering route or opt to sell the business? Are you familiar with Huel (which stands for Human + Fuel)? You should be if you’re an avid follower of my content because I’ve mentioned the active nutrition brand on a handful of separate occasions over the past year. These Huel mentions spanned M&A target commentary in Glanbia and MyProtein content (which I’ll drive deeper into at the end of the content), but I’ve also highlighted the nutritio...2021-11-3013 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWill There Be a Weight Loss Supercycle Pull-Forward Effect?Should active nutrition brands get ready for a “New Year, New Me” pull-forward effect? In the active nutrition industry, the first quarter is generally its version of the Super Bowl. There’s a front-loaded seasonality to the active nutrition industry that usually sets the tone for how well the active nutrition brand’s year is going to shape up. This is because almost half of all adult Americans (~120 million) make some type of weight loss or dietary/exercise regimen New Years Resolution goal each year. It's no secret that Americans struggle with their weight with latest CDC numbers stating 42% of Ameri...2021-11-2916 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceCan MusclePharm Become a "Marketing Machine" Again?Will the launch of energy drinks help MusclePharm diversify away from the challenging protein markets that left the "Athletes Company" badly beaten up this quarter? In the third quarter of 2021, MusclePharm (OTCMKTS: MSLP) saw its net sales decline 25.6% YoY. While that declining sales trend is alarming, it's nothing compared to gross margins that declined 3090 basis points YoY to 0.2%. So, why did MusclePharm lose $3.5M operationally (mostly stemming from COGs) this quarter? About half of MusclePharm's quarterly revenue is tied to Costco (key customer risk) merchandising its whey protein SKUs globally. Despite the whey protein costs doubling in 2021, MusclePharm is...2021-11-2313 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperiencePost Holdings Comes to the Rescue of BellRing BrandsIs Post Holdings (NYSE: POST) bailing out its former wholly-owned Active Nutrition brand portfolio? BellRing Brands (NYSE: BRBR) is a portfolio that owns a collection of convenient nutrition brands like Premier Protein, Dymatize Nutrition, Powerbar, and Joint Juice. Consumers are looking to purchase better nutritious products and improve their overall health. The “COVID-19 Effect” created a huge sedentary period that consumers are now trying to fight back against. This has resulted in the increased household penetration of RTD protein shakes that promote active lifestyles. In this latest episode, I'll utilize the recent BellRing Brands earnings report, earnings call, and publ...2021-11-2314 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceBlack Rifle Coffee Company SPAC Merger (IPO) BreakdownAs the premium coffee market built by Starbucks matures, consumers are craving “a fresh set of brands.” To stand out, these coffee brands aren’t attempting to take on the coffee giant directly, instead they’re carving out unique niches to speak to certain demographics or geographies. With extremely strong founder market fit, Black Rifle Coffee Company looks to be in the early years of a long-term growth story. Black Rifle Coffee Company is veteran led and veteran controlled, with approximately 50% of its employees also being veterans or veteran’s spouses. The mission of Black Rifle Coffee Company is to have a...2021-11-1620 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceIs Glanbia Performance Nutrition Still the Gold Standard?Is the Glanbia Performance Nutrition brand portfolio still the gold standard in the sports, active, and lifestyle nutrition market? Glanbia Performance Nutrition 2021 Q3 growth was reported net revenues growth of 23.2% YoY on a constant currency basis from both strong pricing and volume increases (at 18% and 4.4% respectively). They also benefitted 0.8% from last quarter's acquisition of LevlUp, a gamer (esports) nutrition brand. Glanbia Performance Nutrition is one of two wholly-owned segments of Glanbia plc (LON:GLB), a multi-billion dollar global nutrition company. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, Think!, Isopure, Amazing Grass, and Slim Fast...2021-11-1512 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceHas Celsius Holdings Reached Critical Mass?Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ: CELH) has reached another inflection point in its business, one which positions the energy drink brand for exponential growth and market share gains. This is above and beyond the recent brand popularity spike that has seen year-over-year quarterly revenue growth expand aggressively. In the last two years, Celsius Holdings have grown from two-tenths of a percent to now amassing a two percent market share in the energy drink category. As the brand hits critical mass with a run rate close to $400 million in revenue, it has sidestepped the challenging current marketplace dynamics that are causing larger...2021-11-1317 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceIs the MyProtein "Gain Train" Slowing Down?Did the MyProtein "gain train" slow to a halt or was The Hut Group (THG) owned sports nutrition brand just slowing down briefly to pick up more supporters at the station? THG expects its THG Nutrition segment to sustain a 20% YoY growth rate in 2021, but the latest quarter only showed MyProtein up 13.4%. I believe this is just a short-term slowing, as the solid performance this quarter was against the highest growth quarter in 2020 for THG Nutrition. With over 80% of revenues coming from repeat customers, THG continues to have high category conviction. THG Nutrition is much better equipped than the...2021-11-0719 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWhat Recent Partnership Announcement Has Me Excited About the Future of The Vitamin Shoppe?I'll utilize the 2021 Q3 Franchise Group (NASDAQ: FRG) earnings report and conference call, along with any relevant publicly disclosed news to provide you with segment-level details on the recent business performance for The Vitamin Shoppe. That will include a range of insights and surrounding how The Vitamin Shoppe is navigating the current supply chain and economic challenges, update on franchising activity, merchandising updates, and possible M&A activity. I will also breakdown why a recent partnership announcement between The Vitamin Shoppe and Hims & Hers has me excited about a potential expansion of services in the future.
Supplement Industry...2021-11-0517 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceSupplement Industry Supply Chain is in Massive Trouble With No Light at the End of the TunnelI’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the supplement industry supply chain situation will get much worse, over at least the next 6 months, before it gets better. I know that’s a bit of an ominous introductory statement, but you don’t consume my content to be fed bullshit positive fake news. It’s been about four to five months since I gave a proper update on the supplement industry supply chain situation. I recently took part in a SupplySide 365 webinar panel discussion with Mark Glazier (CEO/Founder of NutraBio) that surrounded the supply chain situatio...2021-10-2538 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceThe Simply Good Foods Company Just Joined an Elite Club of Active Nutrition CPG Brand PortfoliosThe Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ: SMPL) just became an official member of an elite club of active nutrition CPG brand portfolios. So, which club is that exactly? With the company just finishing up its 2021 fiscal year, The Simply Good Foods Company reached $1 billion combined in total net sales between its Atkins Nutritionals and Quest Nutrition brands. In Q4 of fiscal 2021, both brands had strong retail takeaway growth, with Quest Nutrition specifically had more than 50% greater growth than the segment growth rate. Quest Nutrition also has seen massive success in its Quest Nutrition Protein Chips. It has been the...2021-10-2415 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperiencePost-Pandemic Snapshot: Active Nutrition Industry Marketplace VariablesAs the post-pandemic active nutrition industry starts to normalize, it’s time to discuss what benefitted, rebounded, paused, and was damaged by the “COVID-19 Effect." It's irrefutable that the “COVID-19 Effect” changed almost everything about the active nutrition industry and most professionals are naturally a bit lost. The market is evolving quickly, as consumer interest in the space has never been higher. The active nutrition industry has become a key gateway to the $1.5 trillion global wellness market. I always say where there’s increased growth, there’s increased commercialization activity. This heightened competition means that brands must stay ahead of the curve...2021-10-2028 minthe Joshua Schall Audio Experience"Coconut Water Wars" Winner is Set to Go Public Next WeekWill market leadership in the $2 billion global coconut and plant waters category be enough to push The Vita Coco Company towards stock market gains? At the end of September, The Vita Coco Company (aka the portfolio previously known as All Market, Inc.) filed its S-1 document with the SEC showing its intention of selling shares through an initial public offering and becoming a publicly-traded company. The IPO date is set for sometime during the week of October 18th and will be traded on the NASDAQ under the stock ticker COCO. While Vita Coco is winning the "Coconut Water Wars”, it...2021-10-1520 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWhat Can CPG Entrepreneurs Learn From Hip Hop Legend Jay Z?I’ve always believed that Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are linked together. Firstly, Hip Hop is seen as counterculture to other music genres, which is similar to CPG entrepreneurship in today’s “technology” filled founder landscape. Additionally, Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are both centered around salesmanship and the ability to hustle. Moreover, Hip Hop music is rooted in remixing (or sampling) previous music, and this iterative innovation process is also core to the CPG industry. Finally, Hip Hop is more than music, it's a cultural lifestyle...which anyone in the CPG industry knows it functions in the exact sa...2021-10-1416 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWe're Living in the "Choose Your Own Adventure" Shopping Experience EraWhat does a series of popular children’s books from the 1980s and 1990s have to do with today’s frictionless omnichannel retailing environment? If you’ve consumed enough of my content by now, you know I love to find historical linkages or possible root causes that can explain current trends in consumer behavior. One such major consumer behavior trend, that was strengthened by the “COVID-19 Effect”, is that consumers are increasingly expecting retailers to be omnipresent. Today's consumers have the desire to move seamlessly between different channels and still enjoy a unified shoppers experience. So, what does this have to do...2021-10-1211 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceKeurig Dr Pepper Has $20 Billion to Spend on M&A. So, Which Brands Do They Buy?Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ: KDP) expects to have $20 billion in M&A capacity over the next three years, so I thought it would be fun to put on my CEO hat and go shopping! In January 2018, KDP was created when Keurig Green Mountain (owned by JAB Holding Company) agreed to combine with Dr Pepper Snapple Group. At the time of the deal, it was said to “unlock the opportunity to combine hot and cold beverages and create a platform to increase exposure to high-growth formats.” Over the last several years, KDP has proved its merger thesis and is now prep...2021-10-1122 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceNew Grocery Retail Concepts Offer Huge "Ramp Up" Opportunity for CPG BrandsSomething interesting is happening in the grocery retail industry...there are actually new retailers emerging and it should galvanize every CPG brand. While new grocery retail concepts pop up all the time around the country, more times than not, those grocers stay local/regional and have a non-material impact over the entire CPG industry. The last "new" grocery retail chain created that made a material difference was Sprouts Farmers Market that was founded in 2002. Most market leading grocery banners have been around for 40, 80, even 100+ years. That being said, there’s something different happening right now because these new grocery re...2021-10-0613 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceMy REACTION to Newest TV Commercials of Active Nutrition CPG BrandsHave you noticed more functional food and beverage, and supplement brands are advertising on television lately? So, why have so many functional CPG brands jumped into the “grand daddy of them all” advertising format? Well, most of them technically haven’t if we are only categorizing the upper echelon of advertising formats as traditional linear TV only. Most of these supplement and active nutrition CPG companies are riding the connected TV (CTV) advertising wave. CTV advertising investments in the U.S. market grew by 41% YoY in 2020 and growth is expected to accelerate in 2021, as spending will reach ~$13.5 billion. What’s also h...2021-10-0621 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceiFIT Health & Fitness Went From Importing Wood Burning Stoves to Fitness Equipment Market LeaderDid you know that the “world's first internet-controlled fitness equipment" was launched more than two decades ago? iFIT Health & Fitness pioneered the technology that drives the trending connected fitness space today. When the pandemic closed gyms across the country last year, millions of Americans purchased billions of new connected fitness equipment pieces and drove headfirst into online home workouts. iFIT Health & Fitness is the market leader in the U.S. market of large fitness equipment, so it's no wonder the company more than doubled over the last year. On 8/31/21, iFIT Health & Fitness filed its S-1 document with the SEC, wh...2021-09-2816 minthe Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceWelcome to the Joshua Schall Audio Experience!I would like to welcome you to the Joshua Schall Audio Experience. The first official upload will focus around what this podcast is about, why I decided to launch it, and when will I launch new episodes of this podcast. Additionally, I will share a bit about myself at the end for those that aren't familiar with me or my story.
Truth is, this podcast has been hyped up since I started creating YouTube videos in July 2018, but now it feels amazing to finally move this project from "boy who cried wolf status" to now a new...2020-02-2512 min