The Missing Ingredient

Dan Kurzrock is the Co-founder and CEO of Upcycled Foods, a food innovation company transforming overlooked byproducts into nutritious ingredients and new products. He also co-founded ReGrained, inspired by leftover grains from homebrewing at UCLA, and helped establish the Upcycled Food Association. With more than 15 years of experience in food systems innovation, Dan works with manufacturers, ret...

Hugh Rosen is the Grocery Director at Gus's Community Market, a San Francisco-based independent grocer offering fresh foods and specialty products. With over 35 years of experience in retail, distribution, and grocery development, Hugh focuses on emerging brand partnerships, product selection, and improving the overall customer experience. Luciana Villanueva is the Director of Cheese and Community...

Ali Cox is the Founder and CEO of Noble West, an independent, women-owned creative agency specializing in agriculture and food marketing. She leads strategies that help food brands differentiate products, tell authentic stories, and drive growth. A fifth-generation California farmer, Olympic silver medalist, and world champion rower, Ali brings a unique perspective to her work. Under her leadershi...

Aaron Anker is the Owner and Chief Granola Officer of Grandy Organics, a Maine-based food company crafting small-batch organic granola, trail mix, nuts, muesli, and cereals. Since joining the business in 2000, Aaron has helped grow it from a regional brand into a nationally distributed company while maintaining a focus on profitable, sustainable growth. He leads sales, marketing, and product innov...

Jessyca Dewey is the Founder of The Y Collective, a social-first marketing agency specializing in purpose-driven, better-for-you CPG brands. With over 16 years in digital marketing, she helps brands connect content, paid and organic social, and influencer strategy to measurable growth and retail results. Jessyca's background includes VaynerMedia and Califia Farms, along with Webby and Shorty Award...

Luke Tierney is the Founder and CEO of Waypoint, a growth partner helping better-for-you consumer brands scale through data-driven e-commerce and Amazon strategies. He works with food, beverage, supplements, and CPG brands to improve profitability through stronger unit economics, marketplace positioning, advertising, and operations. Luke's e-commerce expertise grew from founding an immersion schoo...

Nicole Malcolm-Manyara is the Founder and Principal at AG Brands, a boutique consultancy that helps growth-stage companies transform brand strategy into measurable business growth. With a career spanning senior marketing roles at Procter & Gamble, organicgirl, and Newman's Own, where she served as CMO, Nicole has modernized legacy brands, led rebrands, and driven innovation across the food, bevera...

Casey Harshman is the Founder and CEO of Frooishen Strategy & Design Collective, a branding and package design collective that helps CPG brands build clear, distinctive identities and bring them to life across the marketplace. With 22 years in branding and package design, Casey leads strategy and creative work for emerging and established brands, shaping brand platforms, packaging, storytelling, a...

Caroline Dai is the Founder and CEO of TofuGo Snacks, a company creating savory, high-protein, shelf-stable tofu snacks for modern, on-the-go lifestyles. In her role, she leads the brand's product innovation, growth strategy, and community building. Since launching in March 2026, TofuGo has gone viral, generated $20,000 in revenue in its first month, and is on track for $1 million in revenue in 20...

Matt Williams is the Founder, CEO, and a Partner for The CPG Collective, a food and beverage brokerage helping emerging CPG brands win in California and prepare for national scale. Matt leads the firm's retail growth strategy and hands-on sales execution across more than 4,000 California retail doors. With three decades of CPG experience, including senior roles at Dean Foods, PepsiCo, Odwalla, and...

Mitchel Dumlao is the Founder and Executive Producer at Creative Haven, a video production and creative agency that helps brands grow through strategic, story-driven content. With more than 20 years of experience in film, content creation, and marketing, Mitchel has worked with brands including HBO, Sony, Spotify, and Colgate. Earlier in his career, he represented 40 clients across TV, film, anima...

Nicole Rogers is the Founder of GriffJack, a marketing consultancy for food, beverage, agriculture, and retail brands, and CMO of True Origin Foods, a pantry-staples brand focused on flavor and quality. With 25-plus years in marketing across food, beverage, lifestyle, and the arts industries, Nicole brings big-picture strategy, creative direction, and trusted specialist teams together to build cle...

Jill McLewis is the Executive Director of Naturally NorCal, a nonprofit that connects and supports Northern California's emerging and established natural-products brands through education, events, peer forums, and partnerships. She leads strategy, operations, community growth, and programs that link founders with experienced industry leaders. Jill also helped guide the merger of Naturally North Ba...

Seth Bahler is the CEO of Oakridge Dairy and the Founder of Moozy and the U.S. Modern Milkman, businesses modernizing how farm-fresh dairy is produced, branded, and delivered. A fifth-generation dairy farmer, Seth guides growth, innovation, brand development, and strategic partnerships while advancing technology and sustainability across the operation. He specializes in transforming a legacy commo...

Gagan Levy is the Founder and CEO of GURU, an award-winning, Certified B Corp creative agency that helps conscious brands and purpose-driven movements grow through strategy, storytelling, digital marketing, and culture-centered design. A spiritual strategist with two decades of movement-building experience, Gagan guides founders and senior leaders through brand positioning, creative direction, org...

Edward (Ed) Hoffman is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the American Egg Board, the producer-funded national organization that increases demand for US eggs through research, education, and promotion. In this role, Ed directs integrated marketing across consumer, retail, foodservice, manufacturing, and export audiences while supporting industry reputation and growth. Drawing on...

Jordan Pilosof is the Co-founder of SaltWater Co., a functional hydration brand creating clean, mineral-rich water infused with Himalayan salt and free from sugar, calories, and unnecessary additives. Drawing on his background as a high-level athlete and his experience in health and wellness, Jordan helps lead product positioning, retail growth, sampling strategy, and founder-led education around...

Sara Couch is the General Manager of Splendor Water USA, a premium bottled water brand known for its unique mineral content sourced from volcanic springs in Ecuador. She leads US growth strategy, retail expansion, and brand development, overseeing partnerships across major retailers while shaping marketing and distribution. Sara blends her background in education policy, nonprofit leadership, and...

Laurie Buckle is the Founder and CEO of CookIt Media, an influencer marketing and talent management agency with expertise in the food and lifestyle space. With more than three decades of experience in food publishing and media, she has helped dozens of food bloggers and creators develop their brand stories, content strategies, and business growth plans. An alum of renowned publications including ...

Fred Hart is a Brand and Design Consultant at Hart Brands, a creative consultancy helping CPG brands unlock growth through strategy, design, and packaging. Over the past decade, he built a 30-person branding agency, transformed more than 137 CPG brands, and partnered with founders, growth-stage companies, and Fortune 500 teams. Fred brings a research-informed, principle-led approach to crafting br...

Jake Ahles is the Founder and Creative Director at Morel Creative, a creative agency that helps purpose‑driven food, beverage, and CPG brands grow through strategic storytelling and visual content strategy. He also co-founded The FareTrade, a CPG curation subscription box that highlighted conscious brands. Jake brings firsthand experience in brand growth and creative execution, having helped brand...

CJ Bruce is the Founder and CEO of The Missing Ingredient, a marketing agency dedicated to helping food and beverage brands grow through performance marketing, brand building, influencer partnerships, and AI-driven strategies. Under his leadership, The Missing Ingredient has helped brands 5x their sales over five years, and CJ himself is recognized for building marketing systems that drive measura...

WavenDean Fernandes is the Brand Activation Director at TIG Brands, a business advisory platform that helps entrepreneurs build nimble, capital-efficient, and resilient consumer brands. With over 40 years of experience in branding, design, and marketing, WavenDean has worked across global companies and leading agencies, including Apple and Landor. Today, he supports founders in scaling with purpos...

Sonya Patel is the Founder of PUR Spices, a Cleveland-based food brand creating boldly flavored, top allergen-free sauces, spice blends, and freeze-dried snacks inspired by her family's experience with food allergies. Since launching in 2019, Sonya has grown PUR Spices from a grassroots startup into a multi-channel business, with nationwide reach through Amazon and select regional retail partners....

Nikki Peyraud and Alexander Deleuse are the Co-founders of BOTH/AND, a systems change company that helps organizations radically transform by embracing the creative tension between divergent perspectives. Under their leadership, BOTH/AND has worked with top brands across industries, demonstrating impressive results in brand growth and organizational alignment. Nikki brings over 20 years of experie...