ContenderCast with Justin Honaman

Packed Party is a lifestyle gifting brand that encourages customers to make everyday a party with its unique party packages and creative products both at a wholesale and direct to consumer level. Founder and CEO Jordan Jones joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing "party" brand!

As a 26-year-old entrepreneur, Ophir Rahimi owns and operates several e-commerce businesses. Ophir is the founder of Rip Technologies, a 40+ person e-commerce company based in Miami, Florida. They build and scale direct-to-consumer brands including Haus and Hues, The Carefree Bee, Artelo, and Daylight with an average of ~50% YoY growth last six years across marketplaces including Amazon, Etsy, Sho...

From the people, to the art and science of the craft itself, to unique approaches and industry innovations, to that delicious liquid in the bottle — if it's related to craft alcohol and there's an interesting story behind it, The Crafty Cask celebrates it. People don't connect with products, they connect with people and stories. The Crafty Cask is here to tell the stories, introduce you to the peo...

If you have an active lifestyle then you know there is no complete solution for solving all the gross things that come along with it (sweat, stank, funk, grime, dirt, bacteria, etc). At Nonaste (pronounced No Nasty), Nonaste handles all the dirty work with their best in class, high performance odor removing laundry detergents, Odor Eliminating Spray, hand sanitizer, Sanitizing Spray - Just spray a...

KickIt Pajamas is an idea born from co-founder Cindy Trice while she was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cervical cancer. A dear friend gave her a cute pair of pajamas to wear while hospitalized. From the minute she put these pajamas on, Cindy felt put together and dressed as she pushed her IV pole in laps around the nurses' station and welcomed visitors. In essence, she felt dignified and...

Kathryn Bricken, Mum and now entrepreneur, has a passion for baking. From an early age she understood how food is more than fuel; it is a way of bringing people together and making magical memories. After moving to London, Kathryn became famous amongst her friends for baking the best American-style cookies using the finest natural ingredients. She was often asked to make extra dough so that her fr...

Tallywell is an AI-modeled health management app that empowers you to care for yourself and your loved ones with confidence. In the complex and expensive world of health care, we're your first step toward clarity, understanding, and preparation. Every day, your Apple Watch collects data on the way you live and move. Tallywell puts that data to use, learning your habits and providing actionable ins...

Tom Cingari Jr. is Vice President, Produce, Floral, and E-Commerce across all Cingari Family ShopRite locations. For the last 15 years, Tom has always focused on innovation. From making sure his departments feature the latest and freshest products, to bringing the stores into the digital age in his e-commerce role. Tom joins Justin to share the Cingari story – four generations in the business – an...

It all began three generations ago in a small village, where Antonio Carlo is from, in Genoa, Italy. This is where his Nona perfected her idea of a homemade, all purpose "MARI-NAADA" sauce. Keeping with tradition, he's been making this sauce for over 50 years and let me tell you something, this ain't no ragoooo. It's the real deal. You're gonna love it. Buon appetito! Antonio joins Justin to discu...

Max Tucci is the Third Generation Partner and Global Brand Officer of Delmonico's New York. Max is a 2023 IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Trailblazer Award Recipient, a Telly Award, Communicator Award, w3 Award, MUSE Award, and Davey Award winner. Coined a "Lifestyle Expert" from his appearances on America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks. Max is the Bestselling Author o...

Bubble Goods is on a mission to redefine our food system. And at the same time, provide the most transparent health food marketplace. Today's food system is loaded with refined sugars, dyes, gums, and preservatives-- a function of mass distribution that has resulted in products that are cheaply made. Bubble Goods believes that the future of food is built from a community of independent makers who...

Nikki Baird is the vice president of strategy at Aptos, a retail enterprise solution provider. She looks after the future of retail and retail technology and identifies their impacts on both retail and Aptos' strategy and solutions.   She has been a top global retail industry influencer for 20+ years, with a background in retail and technology, and a career spanning PwC, Forrester, independent ret...

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Allison and based in Austin, TX, poppi combines fresh fruit juice, apple cider vinegar, and inulin prebiotics for a deliciously refreshing, full-of-flavor soda with benefits. With the help of an investment on Shark Tank, poppi has gone from farmer's-market-favorite to sitting pretty on the shelves of thousands of retailers across the nation. Along the wa...

Nicole (Nikki) Dawes is the CEO and Founder of Nixie Sparking Water and also the Founder of Late July Organic Snacks. Founded in 2018, Nixie Sparkling Water is a brand that delivers exceptional taste without synthetic solvents, carriers or artificial preservatives. Founded in 2003, Late July Snacks offers tortilla chips and crackers made of organic, non-GMO ingredients that the whole family can en...

Like many kids, mainstream snacks and cereals were a memorable part of Krishna Kaliannan's childhood. There's nothing he loved more than chocolate puffs for breakfast or a delicious sandwich cookie dunked in a glass of cold milk. Unfortunately, when he turned 17, he was diagnosed with T1 diabetes and had to give up many of his favorite snacks since they are typically loaded with sugar and empty ca...

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Endangered Species Chocolate has been crafting premium chocolate for three decades. ESC is passionate about redeeming typical business practices into "doing good better" that leaves a positive and lasting ripple in their wake. They love the truly delicious product they create, and are on a mission to seed joy through abundant giving. By donating 10% of net p...

Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning. Generative AI. Deep Learning. What does it all mean?! And why should you as a founder or entrepreneur care? Michael Connor joins Justin to unpack all of this and more as related to the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods start-up space.

Mari Fassett started mixing flavors when she was 12 and whipped up a bowl of peanut butter, syrup and melted butter to dip pretzels in while she watched cartoons. Today, she is proud to celebrate over 25 years making better-for-you, plant-based, gluten-free snack mixes. She believes today's consumer craves snacks that innovate with bold, adventurous flavor while still paying tribute to comfort-foo...

The LittleOak Company is on a mission to create products that care equally for our little ones and the world they will grow into. They believe that nothing can prepare our children for the world more than the world itself. Nature, after all, is our greatest provider. This is why they fell in love with the natural benefits of fresh goat milk and use it in our range of toddler drinks. Founder Elke P...

Mara Smith, a former attorney in Chicago, started drinking tequila when she was looking for a clean, gluten-free spirit that fit into her active lifestyle. She and her friends enjoyed the versatile, carb-free and zero sugar spirit but they were not drawn to the traditional offerings. For years, Mara searched for a tequila brand that was additive-free with a look, taste and aroma that appealed to h...

Remedy Organics was founded by Cindy Kasindorf, a holistic nutritionist who set out to create plant-based beverages that are deliciously protein-packed, superfood-charged, colored by food, and nutrient-dense. Her inspiration to create Remedy Organics began with her lifelong passion for health and wellness. Remedy Organics products aim to help you unleash your body's natural healing power and live...

Eastern Standard Provisions delivers expertly crafted, one-of-a-kind artisanal soft pretzels and artfully blended flavored salts & sugars because life is just too short not to love every bite. Their Boston-based team, with deep roots throughout New England, is fiercely passionate in their pursuit of making the best soft pretzels on the planet. This stemmed from their mutual love for pretzels, and...

Katie Hotze is the CEO and Founder of Grocery Shopii. With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, data analytics, and business strategy, Katie was able to turn her frustration with grocery shopping into a nationally-recognized retail tech disrupter that's rapidly expanding in North America. Prior, Katie worked in management and technology consulting, leading global marketing teams at Me...

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Allison and based in Austin, TX, poppi combines fresh fruit juice, apple cider vinegar, and inulin prebiotics for a deliciously refreshing, full-of-flavor soda with benefits. With the help of an investment on Shark Tank, poppi has gone from farmer's-market-favorite to sitting pretty on the shelves of thousands of retailers across the nation. Along the wa...

Griffin Owens is the co-founder of YUZUCO (www.theyuzu.co), a Los Angeles-based emerging brand that sources and creates premium, accessible yuzu products for award-winning chefs and bartenders. His experience with Yuzu began casually over a sour citrus and candy obsession as a young child. It developed more formally in 2020, with the launch of his brand's yuzu-inspired candled, featured in in medi...