Food Business Marketing Podcast | Brand Strategy, Sales, & Growth for Food & Farm Brands

When sales, marketing, and operations don't seem to be on the same page, it's tempting to look for a tactical fix. But more often than not, the real opportunity isn't better tactics—it's better alignment. In this episode, Katie and Clint explore why your brand is the bridge that connects your entire business. A clear brand strategy doesn't just shape your marketing. It helps align leadership, sale...

People are inundated with complicated and sometimes conflicting nutrition messages. Food brands have an opportunity to replace confusion and food fear with a boost of clarity and confidence. When you think about advisors for your food brand, a dietitian might not be the first person who comes to mind....or is it? Beyond nutrition, dietitians can bring a unique perspective that helps you better und...

Some people are skeptical that regenerative agriculture can be scalable, but our guests are proving it can be done while they build a strong brand as well. For Jason and Christina Walker of StarWalker Organic Farms, success started with a series of everyday decisions—and a few pivotal fork-in-the-road moments that shaped everything. StarWalker Organic Farms introduced the first Regenerative Organi...

This week, my simple Instagram post about Swedish Fish unexpectedly reached more than 160,000 people...and counting! Now, that might be a normal day for some people on Instagram, but it certainly wasn't for me . While it was fun to watch the views climb, not all the comments were as fun to read. Not that I took it personally, but I don't understand the need to be so negative. With that in mind, wh...

As we approach episode 200, we're inviting you to help shape what's next for the Food Business Marketing Podcast. We've been working to make strategy more actionable, more valuable, and...more fun. As we think about what's next for the podcast, we'd love to hear directly from you. 👉 Take the short survey here We've got some exciting ideas in the works, but before we make plans for the next chapte...

Have you ever finished strategy work, felt excited… and then thought, "Okay, but now what?" Your brand strategy being done isn't the finish line. It's the  starting line. In this episode, Katie Mleziva ( Real Food Brands ) and Clint Matthews ( Start Right Foods ) talk about what happens after the strategy work is done and how to activate your brand so it becomes part of your everyday decisions—not...

What makes you trust a brand? It's usually not one big thing. It's the repeated experience of seeing a brand show up consistently over time — through the packaging, product, messaging, the customer experience, the team, and allll the little details in between. In this episode, Katie Mleziva ( RealFoodBrands.com ) and Clint Matthews ( StartRightFoods.com ) explore how trust is built through cohesiv...

If your brand is trying to communicate everything, people may remember nothing. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (realfoodbrands.com ) and Clint Matthews ( startrightfoods.com ) talk about the power of focus — and why strong brands know what they want to be known for instead of trying to say everything to everyone. Building on recent episodes about purpose, vision, values, and listening to your cons...

Too many choices (or unclear choices) can create friction for people to make a decision. So, the brands that win are often the ones that make decisions feel easier. Sometimes being clear and easy to choose means knowing what to say… and what NOT to say. In this episode, Katie Mleziva ( RealFoodBrands.com ) and Clint Matthews ( Start Right Foods ) unpack the concept of decision fatigue and how it i...

You might be a good listener, but are you a strategic listener? In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) explore how to use listening as a strategic tool—not to collect more ideas, but to gain clarity and guide your brand decisions as you optimize and grow. Building on recent episodes about defining your version of success and clarifying your purpose...

What does success actually look like for you—and are you building your food business around it? If you haven't clearly defined your own version of success, it's easy to end up chasing someone else's without even realizing it. For the first part of our lives, success is defined for us—the next milestone, the next step. Good grades, good performances. But as business owners, that structure disappear...

How preparedness, alignment, awareness, and resilience lead to luck. It's easy to look at other brands and assume they just got lucky. They met the right person. They were in the right place. They caught the right opportunity. But when you take a closer look, that's usually not the full story. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) talk through why...

Most food business owners think of their brand as a marketing tool, but what if it's actually one of your most valuable business assets? IT IS! In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) shares highlights from a recent training she gave for the Food Finance Institute's GROW series, where she explored how brand strategy impacts how effectively your business runs on a day-to-day basis. When y...

Flax 4 Life is a 25-year-old brand that has adapted to changing consumer needs and market realities, while staying grounded in the core of what the brand stands for...and I'm slightly obsessed with their blueberry flax muffins! ➡️➡️➡️ This episode is part of a 3-part series on examples of what it looks like to build a strong brand. Check out Ep 179 and 180 in the series after you listen to this. I...

Most strong brands don't start with random ideas—they start with understanding a real need. ➡️➡️➡️ This is episode 2 of 3 in our Expo West follow-up series. We're releasing a new episode each day—so check back tomorrow! Strong brands are built from insight—sometimes insight that comes from lived experience and a deep understanding of what's actually missing in the market. In this episode, Katie Ml...

What happens when you question why something can't be better? When the brand is built to serve that need, you have a true north. Then decisions -  from brand partnerships to line extensions - become clearer and more effective even as the market evolves. ➡️ ➡️ ➡️ This episode is the first in our next 3-part series following up on connections Katie made through Expo West. We'll be releasing a new ep...

You can have a brand that looks great and tastes great...and still feel like something isn't clicking. Whether in-store or online, people only give you a few seconds to win them over. That means people need to be able to know what it is, why it's different, who it's for, and decide "what's in it for me?" in just a few seconds.  In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) breaks down common s...

What does it look like to start and grow a CPG brand in real time? In this first episode in the "Expo West Conversation Compilation Series", Katie and Clint share three conversations with founders Katie connected with through the show—each at a slightly different stage with a different approach, but all working to build something that stands out. This interview series highlights Founders and CEOs...

This conversation isn't just about being "calm"—it's about training yourself to deliver when it matters most...a true business advantage!  In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) & Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) are joined by Chad McGehee, Director of Meditation Training for University of Wisconsin Athletics and co-founder of Inner Edge Meditation. Chad has worked with elite pro and...

Most people are talking about products...we're talking about building brands that stand out! Expo West is known for trend spotting—new ingredients, bold flavors, celebrity-backed brands, and the latest functional claims. But in this episode, Clint interviews Katie to get her hot take on the show. But instead of recapping what's "hot" with products, Katie shares what she observed walking the show f...

Whether you're walking the floor or standing behind a booth, the brands that get the most out of trade shows aren't always the ones having the most conversations — they're the ones making the  right conversations count. With Expo West underway, Katie and Clint share practical, strategic ways food business owners can show up prepared (not scripted), confident, and intentional in every interaction....

Unexpected change is actually expected at some point, right? And with a strong strategy in place, you can lean into your leadership role to stay on course - or get on an even better course if the right opportunity presents itself. A few real-life examples from the podcast community roundtable:  A cease and desist letter arrives out of the blue. An approved ingredient is suddenly out of stock. A bu...

Operations is a key part of building your brand. It's how you deliver consistently. And consistency builds trust — with consumers, retailers, distributors, and partners. In fact, Operations can become a true competitive advantage! In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) sit down with Kyle Rood, co-founder of Start Right Foods, to explore why operati...

As your business grows and evolves, success can quietly create blind spots. Processes that once worked just fine may no longer fit the size or complexity of the business. Places where processes are missing can become hidden constraints. Decisions live in people's heads, and teams keep doing things a certain way simply because that's how they've always been done. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Rea...

Real-world examples of testing, learning, and evolving your brand as you create smart growth plans. Moving to the next level, e.g. from farmers markets into retail or expanding into a new channel, can bring up a lot of questions. Does my brand stand out when I'm not there to explain in person? What change needs to happen first? Can I afford to grow? Can I afford not to grow? What questions do I no...