CPG Vibes

We have some surprising and sad news: Alex Bayer, our esteemed co-host and co-founder of CPG Vibes, is stepping down to focus on some personal items in his life. With someone stepping down, this means someone else needs to step up. In walks Gavin Konkel. He is the Director of Retail Sales for Be Amazing Beverage and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience both from the buying side (Fresh Thyme...

We are back with our second edition of our Spotlight Series with the Founder and Visionary of one of the fastest growing natural meat stick snacks in the country. Jason created his brand at the kitchen counter and has now grown his distribution to over 10,000 doors. Hear the story on how he started and how he got to where he is today. Our premiere sponsor is Creative Kaiju. **Get 10 % off by click...

This week Wade returns from a week off and we will be doing what we do best: No Script, Just Chat! This is our next edition of the random babble series. We cover anything and everything CPG related and items that are even outside of CPG. Just Alex and Wade talking shop! We will shout out comments and questions from the viewers as always. Enjoy!

This week we are bringing back our coveted Master Series and are bringing on seasoned investors and growth experts in the CPG space. Our guests are investors, advisors, and partners in CPG brands and they are highly skilled at supporting brands for scale with proper strategy and capital. We are bringing on: Jeff Lichtenstein - CEO - Next In Natural Michael Bush - Managing Partner - GrowthWay Partn...

Welcome to the first edition of our newest segment: The Spotlight Series. We highlight a commendable brand, investor, individual, or in this case: Distributor. Hi Touch Libations has been distributing emerging, natural brands for over 10 years in Southern CA. They have brought brands to market such as Suja, Poppi, Vive Organic, Koia, and many more. And with their partnership with LA Libations, the...

We are PUMPED for this episode, featuring 4 founders with emerging brands breaking into the CPG scene in natural stores, independents, and eventually conventional grocery stores. These founders will discuss the story of how they got the idea and kickstarted their business, and all the challenges that happened along the way and that are still happening on a daily basis. We are featuring: Dan Choi F...

After a highly watched and successful Buyer Series last week, we are back to our classic format of Alex and Wade chatting it out about CPG. A big part of our show is sharing perspectives both from the brand side, the buying side, and also the broker side. Alex ran a CPG brand for over 10 years and on this episode, he will share about what to consider when you are launching a CPG Brand. Wade brings...

We are back for our second edition of the buyer series and this week we are excited to bring on very knowledgeable and community driven buyers from all different areas of the country. In no particular order: Robert Johnson - New Seasons Market Jason Hostettler - Buehler's Market Kenny Hausmann - Fresh Thyme Market As always, it's "No Script, Just Chat." We will cover a range of t...

This week is back to our normal format of Alex and Wade rapping back and forth about all things CPG. We will be focusing on the major security breach and national system outage with UNFI and how this has affected brands and retailers. With Wade's experience in attending trade-shows and some upcoming shows (Summer Fancy Food Show, Newtopia Now) he will be reviewing his tips and strategies on ho...

It's time for another episode of our coveted Master Series. These don't come around often, and this is sure to be a good one. We are featuring the movers and shakers in the CPG industry with people, companies and brands that have changed the landscape forever for CPG. We are bringing on: Chris Hunter - Co-Founder of KOIA - Delicious Plant-Based Protein Mike Fata - CPG Investor and Advisor...

This week, we are going to focus on the short and long-term benefits of helping others and expecting nothing in return. We are finding the most successful people simply give with no strings attached and attract an energy that propels them personally and professionally. Wade and Alex will share how they have helped others and gained a great return for themselves. Our second topic is an important on...

How about an episode with no planned topics at all and Wade and Alex discuss whatever they want for an hour? We of course will cover topics in CPG but it could go off the rails and we can be talking about anything whether it's Wade hiking in the middle of nowhere, Alex golfing, tariffs, and so much more! This is our second installment of the Random Babble Series. Sit back, grab a beer (or your...

This week we are featuring two great founders who have built out great beverage companies. They will share their stories and how they got to where they are today and any gems they can share with the CPG community. We are bringing on: Yanni Hufnagel - Founder of Lemon Perfect Company Matt Mclean - Founder of Uncle Matt's Organic Join us for this great episode. No Script, Just Chat!

This week we will be covering two important topics: Common founder missteps and mistakes made by brands, especially emerging and natural brands just hitting the scene and scaling. Wade and Alex will also discuss CPG brands they love that they feel are rising stars in the industry and next to hit the big time. This week's episode is sponsored by Nelly's Organic.

The Master Series is back! This week we are welcoming on 3 distinct and awesome entrepreneurs who are running their own CPG brands or have run brands in the past. This includes: Will Nitze Founder - IQ Bar Jeff Church DreamMakers and Previous Suja Co-Founder Steve O'Dell Founder - Tenzo Tea This episode is sponsored by Power Full Energy Distribution and Robert Cogan

This week we are doing an 'Ask Us Anything' where no topic is off-limits. Any questions you have, list them LIVE in the chat and we will answer them on the spot. If you're lucky, we may actually even bring you on to share your story and brand! Also, Alex Bayer is an expert and has an agency specializing in crowdfunding consulting, so if you're thinking of raising capital online via Wefunder or Sta...

This week we are focusing on hot trends out the gate for 2025, everything from data gathering, AI, innovations, supply chain, and more. We will also cover the daily changes and updates on tariffs and how they will continue to impact CPG Brands. This episode is sponsored by Kif & Co and Caroline Brain and they are currently raising a capital round at www.wefunder.com/kifandco

Join us for our special edition show bringing on guests from reputable organizations and companies based in Canada. As many know, CPG is alive and well in Canada with many brands that are growing in their home country and many entrepreneurs choose to expand to the United States and abroad. We will be bringing on (in no particular order) Sonia Parmar - VP of Reg Affairs & Gov Relations for CHFA...

The newly announced Trump Tariffs will have a major impact on many manufacturers and consumers. On top of this, CPG brands will be facing higher costs for their raw materials and finished goods if sourced internationally, which will result in higher retail prices. We wanted to talk about it, review what's going to happen, get community input and comments, and give our opinion on the short and...

We are going to discuss something very real this week. What is it like to be a founder and HAVE TO shut down their own brand. It is painful and traumatizing. We are bringing on a founder who has been through this (Erica Rankin - Former Founder of Bro Dough) and also a CPG editor and journalist who covers these types of stories. (Andrea Popova Owner of CPGD) This is an episode you don't want to mis...

Here's the latest CPG news happening right now on April 3rd, 2025 including Trump Tariffs Goes Into Effect, Huge Series A with Lucky Energy, Acquisitions Galore with Lesser Evil and Mela, and More Investment Action On April 2nd, (yesterday) Trump has announced reciprocal tariffs on essentially all goods, unless otherwise noted. Some details will emerge on what is exempt. For food and beverage...

This week we are featuring emerging and fast growing brands on our show in all different categories including hummus, chocolate bars, and energy drinks. We are bringing on: Nick Wiseman - Founder and CEO of Little Sesame Carla Spiruoulo - CEO of Nelly's Organic Hamid Saify - CMO of Lucky Beverage Co. We are excited to talk with these brands, hear their stories, and they will share insights and...

We are doing something new and taking 'No Script, Just Chat!' to the next level. Alex and Wade have no subject matter, no topic. They are going to show up and talk about anything and everything including CPG.Can we fill an hour with random babble? What will we talk about? Come and find out and join us for the very first volume of the Random Babble Series. This episode is sponsored by Rober...

Here's the latest CPG news happening right now on March 19th, 2025 including Poppi Acquisition By Pepsi, Poppi Lawsuit Settlement, Trump Tariff Update, New Brand Mark's Snacks Launching PepsiCo just announced it is acquiring prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion, a major accomplishment for a brand founded less than ten years ago. This transaction echoes the year-on-year growth of th...

Another Expo West is in the books. It was a 4 day bonanza of talking, sampling, meeting, and walking to see everything we wanted to get to. Wade and Alex will recap what we saw at the show, brands to look out for, events, happy hours worth mentioning, and more. We will also discuss the state of CPG. As it gets harder and harder to operate a CPG brand in this environment, what do we think the futur...