The Food Means Business Podcast

Think quality bread is off the menu? Think again! Now, you can get gluten-free sourdough products delivered right to your doorstep. In this episode, I’m joined by Sadie Scheffer, the founder of Bread SRSLY — a business born of a college crush and shared gluten intolerance. Hear the story of how Sadie leveraged the growing nationwide demand for healthier and more accessible food options to grow her...

Does starting your food business feel like a daunting task? If you’re like most people, it’s easy to get so overwhelmed by the road ahead that you never take that first step! That’s why I want to encourage you to take action today with some insight from the expert herself. In this episode, I’m joined by Leslie Danford, the founder of Vitaminis and a true action-taker who got her beverage product l...

Every business owner wants to showcase their products in the best possible light, and never is that more true than when it comes to food! One photograph can mean the difference between a potential customer clicking over to your website or continuing on their endless doom scroll. So how do you capture food photographs that actually grab attention? Enter Four Course Media…  In this episode, I’m join...

How do you sell consumers on an entirely new ingredient? That was the question Isabelle Steichen had to answer when she launched her business, Lupii. Lupii products, which currently consist of both a protein bar and a pasta, are based on the lupini bean — a superior source of plant protein that had yet to be popularized in the United States. In this episode, Isabelle shares her journey from workin...

Have you ever dreamed of bringing your very own food product to market? The path to doing so isn’t always clear, and many would-be entrepreneurs might wonder how to take the first step. From research and development, to marketing and distribution, there are no shortage of factors to consider! In this episode, Crystal Ung, founder of Bowlcut, shares her transition from the corporate world to entrep...

Communication is really important when it comes to your food business. Getting your brand out there, promoting your products, interacting with your employees and your consumers - all of it needs to meet people where they are. Too much jargon or using the wrong tone can really throw off your message. Being able to communicate clearly and effectively with your audience, and receive feedback from the...

Food brands don’t exist in a vacuum, right? It’s not enough to create a great product, but you’ve got to refine it, pitch it, market it, sell it. And you can’t do all of that alone. Building a community of people who care about you and your product is vital in order to survive in this industry. Let people support you and shout your praises from the rooftops. Collaboration over competition is the n...

COVID was a hard time for everyone, food business owners included. There was so much uncertainty and hardship during that time. But it also afforded some people the space and the timing to innovate new ideas and products. Business pivots can be a beautiful thing to come out of that dark time. Don’t be afraid to make changes to your business model and adapt if that’s what you’re called to do. In th...

Let’s set the scene. You’ve created a food product, perfected the recipe, put it on the market, and now you’ve reached your limits on the time and capacity you have for production. So, what’s next? The answer is: find a co-packer to hand off your production. It might sound easy, but there’s some preparation you’ll need to do first. In this episode, Ashley Sutterfield, creator of Co-Packing with As...

Food waste is a big problem in the United States, but I didn’t realize how big until recording this episode. So many people have food insecurity, and with steadily rising food prices at the grocery store, this likely won’t change any time soon. So, what can we do to alleviate this problem?  In this episode, Louise Fritjofsson, co-founder of Martie online discount grocery store, shares how she is r...

This month, we’re highlighting members of Hudson Kitchen on the podcast and today, I’m chatting with Ron Holloway, co-founder of Woofbowl, a food truck for dogs with quality ingredients. Ron’s life experience and the challenges he’s faced have helped bring him to where he is today and it’s an incredible story.    In this episode, Ron how his previous life experience from the military and the finan...

This month, we’re highlighting members of Hudson Kitchen on the podcast and today, I’m chatting with Marlin Chan and Rachel Cheng of Yay’s Snacks beef crisps. The story of how Yay’s came to be (there was mistaken identity involved!) is fascinating, but even more impressive is the success they’ve found in their business with content creation, especially on TikTok. In this episode, Marlin and Rachel...

This month, we’re highlighting members of Hudson Kitchen on the podcast and today, I’m chatting with Jesse McBride, founder of Mademeals, an organic meal delivery service focused on high-quality ingredients. Jesse has faced some challenges along the way in launching his business, but his tenacity in establishing processes for success in his business is admirable.   In this episode, Jesse shares ho...

This month, we’re highlighting members of Hudson Kitchen on the podcast starting with Irene Liu & Jennifer Jolorte Doro, co-founders of Chiyo, a women’s nutritional therapy company. Despite being in the middle of the pandemic, Jennifer and Irene were so passionate about the impact of food on the fertility journey of women, they knew they had to get their business launched ASAP.  In this episod...

Unfortunately, starting a business isn’t free. It costs money to develop your products, market them, hire a team, and everything else that goes along with it. But what happens if you don’t have the funds for your CPG business when you’re first starting out? You find investors and raise capital!  In this episode, I’m interviewing Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, CEO and founder of Damn Right Cocktails, which...

One of the main topics of this show is leaving behind the corporate world to pursue a passion in the food industry. So often, corporate jobs eat up so much of our time that we become burnt out and start looking elsewhere for professional fulfillment. It’s normal to want to leave behind the rat race and do something meaningful instead. In this episode, I’m interviewing Kailey Donewald, founder of S...

Let’s be honest: marketing your consumer packaged goods can get a little boring, right? There’s a certain flow we all follow to get the word out about our products and it can feel like there’s nothing new under the sun. But that’s not necessarily true. Videos, podcasts, and influencers have opened up new marketing avenues that are fresh and exciting. In this episode, I’m interviewing Parker Olson,...

Even the best product ideas need to be tested with research. The consumer feedback received from that research is invaluable. Does your product function the way it’s supposed to? Are your customers loving the flavors, the ingredients, the messaging, the packaging, etc.? Don’t skip out on this important part of the process. In this episode, I’m interviewing Megan Klein, CEO and founder of Little Sa...

Many food business owners have made the jump from the corporate world into entrepreneurship. Some of the skills we’ve learned and contacts we’ve gained in our previous careers can be really helpful when starting a business, and we can pick out the best parts and use them to inform how we run our businesses.  In this episode, I’m interviewing Christina Dorr Drake, CEO and founder of Willa’s Oat Mil...

Partnerships are the key to success in business, especially in the CPG industry. We can’t do it all ourselves. Whether it’s hiring a team or finding investors or working with brands and retailers, partnerships truly help us to grow our businesses.  In this episode, I’m interviewing Ibraheem Basir, CEO and founder of A Dozen Cousins, a natural food brand inspired by the flavors of his youth. Ibrahe...

When it comes to naming your consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brand, you probably already have one in mind. But your customers might not love it as much as you do. It’s important to select a name that makes sense and is easy to remember – and is easy for consumers to find! In this episode, I’m interviewing Alexandra Watkins, renowned authority on brand names and founder of Eat My Words. Alexandra sha...

If you have a CPG (consumer-packaged goods) brand, it can be hard to get the word out on your own, and often new businesses tend to think about public relations last when getting started. With some PR help, you can share compelling stories about your brand and increase consumer interest. In this episode, I’m interviewing Sarah Maguire, a publicist with over a decade of public relations experience....

There are so many things to keep in mind when building a brand, but here’s one you might not have considered: community. What would it feel like to crowdsource everything and end up with a fabulous product that everyone loves?   In this episode, I’m interviewing Michelle Cordeiro-Grant, founder of LIVELY, and founder and CEO of Gorgie. Michelle shares how she built her brand with community, how sh...

Summer Johnson is the co-owner of Zach and Zoë Sweet Bee Farm and started the business in 2015 with her husband, Kam.  Together, they began keeping bees in their backyard to use the hyper-local honey to alleviate their son's allergies. Today, their honey is retailed all over the world, and in dozens of specialty, mass, and boutique stores across the nation. They have expanded the brand's assortmen...

Dominique and Wendy (W.E.) Da’Cruz are a dynamic entrepreneurial couple. Together, they co-founded The Mushroom Angel Company, a plant-based CPG food business aimed at promoting healthier eating habits and environmental sustainability. Their first product, the Cruz Burger, is a mushroom burger patty that cuts and bites like meat but tastes like veggies. During this episode of The Food Means Busine...