Rooted

In this episode of Rooted, I had on Kiki and Elan, best friends and co-founders of Sourmilk , a brand rethinking one of the most established categories in the grocery store: yogurt. From selling out of bright blue backpacks, hand delivering until being in retailers, to building in public, Sourmilk is taking a very different, community-first approach to creating a food brand. Today we get into: The...

In this episode of Rooted, I sat down with Steven Rofrano, Co-Founder of Ancient Crunch (parent company of MASA Chips and Vandy Crisp). Ancient Crunch focuses on bringing back traditional ingredients and methods to everyday snacks using real food and a more ancestral approach. Steven shares how what started as a bet in Miami led him to make a chip himself made from tallow and corn and how that qui...

In this episode of Rooted, I sat down with Colton and Zack Troyer, co-founders of Folkland Foods. Folkland is a farmer-founded food company built around regenerative agriculture, reconnecting people to where their food comes from, and doing things differently from the ground up. These two brothers grew up farming, traveling, and being shaped by a family that never followed the status quo. Colton a...

In this episode of Rooted, I sat down with Michael Tashman, founder of Churn. Churn is a butter company bringing excitement back to one of the most basic foods by focusing on quality, simplicity, and fun flavors, like Four Herb, Garlic & Shallot, Maple & Cinnamon, and more. Churn is built around 100% grass-fed butter made with no fillers, no shortcuts, and no BS. Michael shares his unconve...

In this episode of Rooted, I sat down with Lily Rivkin, founder of Rooted Restaurants. Yes, this is a Rooted x Rooted episode, because we share the same exact philosophy. Rooted is a fast-casual restaurant based in NYC built around transparency, simplicity, and trust in our food. Each meal uses seven ingredients or less, with every ingredient, down to the oils and spices, listed on their public-fa...

In this episode of Rooted, I spoke with Bill Creelman, the founder of Spindrift, the first sparkling water made with real squeezed fruit. Coming from a farming background, Bill has always had a respect for food, the land, and the people who grow it. That lens shaped everything about Spindrift. Long before “clean label” or “real ingredients” became industry buzzwords, he set out to create a beverag...

In this episode of Rooted, I interviewed Katlin Smith, the founder of Simple Mills, the natural food company that’s redefined clean-label snacking and baking with products made from simple, nutrient-dense ingredients. What started in Katlin’s kitchen with almond flour muffins has grown into a household staple nationwide, recently joining forces with Flowers Foods from an ~800M acquisition to expan...

Co-Founder of Spring & Mulberry, Kathryn Shah: Reimagining Sweetness, Storytelling Through Ingredients, and Returning to the Earth Through Food In this episode of Rooted, I had the chance to sit down with Kathryn Shah, the co-founder of Spring & Mulberry, a brand that’s redefining what indulgence means by creating chocolate sweetened only with dates and inspired by nature’s pantry. Kathryn...

In this episode of Rooted, I sat down with Pete Maldonado, the co-founder of Chomps. Chomps is the grass-fed meat stick brand that’s become a household name among health-conscious eaters, busy moms, athletes, and college students alike. Pete’s story is such a powerful reminder that there’s no one path to building a successful company. He didn’t come from a flashy corporate background or a fancy bu...

On this episode of Rooted, I interview the Co-Founders of Fronen, a non-dairy ice cream made with the simplest ingredients on the market. For example, the Vanilla flavor has just coconut cream, vanilla extract, water, and honey. The rest of the flavors follow a similar pattern, with just about 4 ingredients, never using any fillers, gums, or artificial ingredients. This is genuinely the best tasti...

In this episode of Rooted, I interviewed Robby Sansom, the Co-Founder and CEO of Force of Nature, a regeneratively sourced meat company based in Austin, TX. Previously, as CFO/COO at EPIC, Robby spent much of the last decade studying regenerative agriculture at ranches all over the world. Through this education, Force of Nature was co-founded with the intention to accelerate the creation of a glob...

In this episode of Rooted, I interviewed Jonathan Neman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Sweetgreen, a nationwide fast-casual restaurant chain that serves healthy, seasonal food, known for their commitment to sustainability, using local, unprocessed ingredients.  This conversation is exactly why I started the Rooted podcast—getting to sit down with founders who are not only passionate about what they do...

In this episode of Rooted, I speak with Scott Marcus, the Co-Founder and CEO of Blue Zones Kitchen, which are frozen ready meals inspired by the Blue Zones of the world (areas in the world with the longest living people). We discussed so many amazing topics like: Scott’s journey to Blue Zones Kitchen, starting with Mondelez and then Vital Farms  What the Blue Zones of the world are and what connec...

In this episode of Rooted, I sit down with Adam Brown, who is the Founder and CEO of Sircle Media, which is a social media agency that represents many of the major better-for-you CPG players. For example, Purely Elizabeth, Primal Kitchen, Amylu, and CHOMPS, just to name a few.  In this episode, you will hear about how this was Adam’s second go at a career, as he was doing something he didn’t enjoy...

In this episode of Rooted, I interviewed Jason Karp, the Co-Founder of Hu Chocolate and later HumanCo. For anyone that does not already know, Hu creates chocolate with simple, clean ingredients, with the mission of “getting back to human.”  This mission was born after Jason graduated from UPENN and faced multiple autoimmune diseases and was also told that he would go blind by age 30. Jason defied...

On this episode of Rooted, I interview the Co-Founder & CEO of Smash Foods , Anna Peck. Smash Foods (previously known as Chia Smash), is a better-for-you CPG brand that has fruit spreads made from only chia seeds, fruit, dates, and lemon juice. I’ve been a consumer of their first product, the fruit spreads for years. I love that it takes something that is part of the standard American diet (PB...

In this episode of Rooted, I speak with Kelly Love and Allison Evans, 2/3 of the Co-Founders of Branch Basics, a non-toxic cleaning company. Their mission is to help educate people on creating healthy homes and lives by ditching the harmful chemicals.  They want people to experience the “power of pure.”  We discussed so many amazing topics like: How each of the founders’ incredible and mind boggli...

In this episode of Rooted, I interviewed Anthony Vennare , the Co-Founder of Fitt Insider , the #1 newsletter for health and fitness operators. Anthony and his brother, Joe, also run Fitt Consulting (providing advice to founders and execs), Fitt Talent (a job board with all of the openings in the industry), Fitt Capital (their health and wellness company investments), and the Fitt Insider podcast....

In this episode of Rooted, I interviewed Christy Goldsby, the Founder of Honey Mamas, a refrigerated, honey-sweetened truffle bar using only whole food super ingredients. Ever since the first time I tried Honey Mamas, I have been a huge fan because of the absolutely amazing taste and unique flavors, and the idea that indulgences can be healthy, make us feel good, and offer a celebration of life. H...

In this episode of Rooted, I speak with Elizabeth Stein, the Founder and CEO of Purely Elizabeth, a better-for-you granola, cereal, and oatmeal company. It was so inspiring hearing from Elizabeth because from start to finish in this episode, it was so clear that she was meant to be doing this. She went after what she wanted (being in the health and wellness space), and then also had a great balanc...

In this episode of Rooted, I speak with Ashley Thompson, the Co-Founder and CEO of MUSH , a ready to eat overnight oats, made with only simple, healthy ingredients.  Ashley is an incredible human being and someone that I now consider a mentor. She is an extremely caring, thoughtful and deep person, which is what contributed to our great conversation. We discussed so many amazing topics like: Her u...

In this episode of Rooted, I speak with Morgan, Co-Founder of Primal Kitchen. Primal Kitchen makes condiments and sauces with simple, better-for-you ingredients, such as Avocado Oil. Morgan and Mark Sisson sold the company in just 3 years for 200M.  This was a very philosophical conversation and we discuss a wide range of topics from:  Morgan’s winding path in her 20s and how it eventually led her...

In this Episode of Rooted, I sit down with Bryan Myers , the current CEO of [solidcore], the rapidly growing pilates studio with about 100 studios across the US. L Catterton just acquired a majority stake in [solidcore], which now values the chain at $600M–$700M. Before ending up at [solidcore], Bryan graduated from the UVA McIntire School of Commerce, which made this conversation even more specia...

In this episode of Rooted, I sit down with Megan Reamer , who is the Co-Founder and past CEO of Jackson’s Chips . I’m sure anyone who likes making healthy swaps, has had or seen Jackson’s Chips before.  But, what not everyone knows is the story behind this amazing company. Jackson’s Chips is named after Megan’s son Jackson, who at a young age was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease.  After ma...