Emerging Brands Podcast

While at a grocery store looking for the perfect bottle of wine to bring to a first date, Jess was staring at a sea of bottles ​. She  ​ f ​ound herself lost, confused, and intimidated by the world of wine. Jess Druey decided to launch her own line of wine that speaks to Gen-Z wine drinkers. Whiny Baby ​set out to  spark moments and conversations that cultivate connection. Jess shares how she part...

Phoebe Dodds, Founder Buro155 ​ is a  Startup growth strategist ​,  Co-founder of Food for Thought dinner club ​,  Writer and contributor to Harvard Business Review ​, and mentor.  ​ H ​er  company works with startups across Europe & the US, consulting on all things (organic) growth. ​ On this episode, Phoebe shares her strategy for launching brands internationally, bringing community together, an...

After winning Netflix's newest cooking competition  Snack vs Chef , Lauryn Bodden launch her very own snack brand: S'NOODS. Lauryn is a freelance recipe developer, private chef, culinary producer, food editor, and now food founder. S'NOODS pays homage to the wide world of noodles many grew up on. On this episode, Lauryn takes us behind-the-scenes sharing S'NOODS brand story, what they're doing dif...

Ali Reboul is a textile print artist living in Brooklyn, NY with work has been featured in House Beautiful, The New York Post, The Daily News, Target working with renowned fashion design houses such as Diane von Furstenberg, Jill Stuart, Alice + Olivia, Coach, Giggle, and Oscar de la Renta. She has built a brand as an artist that creates for her target audience's lifestyle. From custom home murals...

Talea Beer is a female-founded brewery making easy-to-love beers (and a personal favorite of mine). Founded by two friends LeAnn and Tara, they found the need for craft beer to meet the needs and wants of women. As they explain 'From confusing packaging and bearded bros with attitudes to dark, industrial taprooms, the male-dominated industry was lacking an approachable, inclusive perspective and v...

Famm is on a mission to showcase LGBTQ+ owned brands, products and services all in one place. Cat Perez and Marianna Di Regolo, a queer married couple from Northern California, founded Famm because they have struggled to find products and services designed with their unique experiences, identities, and needs in mind. Famm officially launched in 2023 and off to an amazing start. Cat and Marianna sh...

As a brand strategist, the kid's snack market has been interesting to watch. One of the brands leading the way is Happy Wolf. Co-founder, Jana Goodbaum in sharing behind-the-scenes of how they're bringing a fridge-fresh kid snack bar to market. With a career background in marketing and advertising (within plot twist - fast food!) Jana leveraged her experience and spoke with over 700 parents lookin...

Sneha Saigal, Co-founder and CEO Geeks and Experts brings us behind-the-scenes of launching a new approach to PR. Her brand Geeks and Experts matches PR teams as you need basis to scale your business effectively. As a founder, you can have skilled talent is vetted, matched to specific brand needs, and onboarded swiftly. Learn how Sneha found her PR niche, brand strategy, and vision for Geeks and E...

Rich Tu is a first generation Filipino-American and award-winning designer and artist residing in Brooklyn, NY. He is a Partner and Executive Creative Director at Sunday Afternoon. And hosts the Webby Honoree podcast First Generation Burden. Clients and collaborators include: The New York Times, The New Yorker, MINI, NIKE, A24, Budweiser, Paramount, Adidas, Converse, G-Shock, American Express, NPR...

Kelley Arena, Founder Golden Hour Ventures gives us a behind-the-scenes look of building and funding brands. Why? Because women founders are still struggling for equity in accessing capital. In 2021, a record breaking year for venture capital, women-founded companies received just 2.3% of venture funds (Black women founders received 0.6% of the funding raised since 2009, and Latinx founders receiv...

Pianta began in 2018 in Francesca's kitchen with her husband, Joanas Riccardi in their Brooklyn, NY home. They wanted to create nutritious, beautiful and vibrant food. What's cool about their plant-based cheese is that it's made with fermented & activated cashews, packed with enzymes, vitamins, adaptogenic herbs and live cultures. Francesca shares their brand story, how they leveraged their career...

Combining Mike's background of working for leading publications to growing early-stage startups and Nick's background in BioChemical and Environmental Engineering to sustainability in real estate private equity, the two friends launched Blobs. Blobs is a candy company that evokes the best of childhood, while just happening to be better for you. We talk about their strategy of early retail testing,...

Come behind the scenes of Dripspoon - a mini loaf with drip. Founded by Crystal Hale who found her signature recipe seeking a creative outlet in her LA kitchen and came up with mini loaf that wasn't loaded with sugary frosting. Crystal uses fresh flavors in her drips like salted tahini caramel, ube, lemon ricotta and thyme, to chocolate olive oil. Crystal launched her brand at Creative Communal cu...

Hannah Bae, founder of Halmi is bringing real, good-for-you ingredients rooted in history and culture to market. Inspired by her Korean grandmother's recipe, Hannah created a brand of light sparkling beverages inspired by traditional Korean flavors. Beverages that aid digestion and delicious. Hannah shares how she launched her brand in New York City, brought her drink to market, landed inside some...

Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart and Krupa Consulting, takes us behind the scenes of building both a powerhouse PR agency and a better-for-you convenience store in New York City. Recently featured on the TODAY Show talking about smart snacks, Rachel has curated an impressive roster of clients and a shop filled with emerging food and wellness brands—all with the shared goal of improving the...

What started as hosting pizza parties for friends, mother daughter team, Bianca Kenworthy & Martina Kenworthy, co-foundered La Rossi Pizza. We talk about the importance of local sourcing ingredients, product testing, social listening, and recipes rooted in heritage. With a background in hospitality pr and marketing, Bianca shares how they are differentiating themselves in the market, omnichannel m...

Curious how to fundraise capital for your brand? Meet Annie Evans. She is the founder of Dream Ventures, a female-focused fund and incubator. Their mission is to connect female-owned businesses to awesome investors and land that dream deal you've always dreamed about. Annie and her team has worked with female founders for the past 2 years helping them raise $5 million+ and land deals with Amex, P&...

Aaron Luo, Co-Founder & CEO Mercado Famous is bringing Spanish charcuterie to the states. Mercado Famous encourages you to sit with friends over plates of jamon and glasses of vermouth and just talking, laughing, and slowing down (perfect holiday vibes). Aaron brings us behind the brand on how his Chinese heritage and upbringing in Spain brought him and his co-founder to launch Mercado Famous. We...

Mayssa Chehata, Founder & CEO BEHAVE Candy has a sweet tooth. Growing up with a diabetic father, she grew up with no sweets and would binge sugar as an adult. Through her journey of wanting to find a low-sugar candy that would satisfy her sweet tooth and safe for her dad to enjoy, she create BEHAVE. Mayssa brings us behind the brand and shares how she partnered with world-renowned chefs and food s...

Lana Van Brunt, Co-Founder Sackville & Co who create smoking accessories that look as good as they make you feel. Lana and her team disrupted the cannabis space with her design and lifestyle company, especially was female founders. She brings us behind the brand and how she cultivates community off social media and leverages partnerships to scale the business. Such an insightful episode!

Crystal Vilkaitis, Founder Crystal Media and Host of Rooted in Retail Podcast, helping independent retailers grow through social media. Her team combines strategy, creativity, data and marketing to help clients sell more and drive more traffic to their websites and physical locations, generating millions of dollars. Crystal brings us behind the brand and how she's built Crystal Media since 2012. S...

With close to a decade of experience in PR, Tori brough her passion for women's health to craft a career building wellness brands. Tori shares her personal story of finding her balance of wellness, mental health, and how that shifted her career. Today she's the VP Beauty & Wellness KCSA Strategic Communications, taking on brands that she's passionate about. In this episode, Tori shares about what...

After searching for more higher-protein plant-based options, Isabelle Steichen co-founded Lupii. Going back to her roots, Isabelle re-discovered the Lupini bean, is a little legume that has 2x more protein than chickpeas, 3x more protein than eggs, 3x more dietary fiber than rolled oats, jam-packed with vitamins and all 9 essential amino acids. Isabelle started creating products and launched Lupii...

Cory Sargent is a mult-hyphanent creative. With a background in PR, Cory launched Lady Sargeant as a creative marketplace with playful products for conscious consumers. Cory brings us behind the scenes of her lastest product, SAY IT DO IT which was developed during the pandemic and stems from the desire to connect more deeply with friends and families after a year of social isolation. We talk abou...

Frankly Good Coffee was co-founded by husband and wife team Glenn and Stefanie Frank, out of their search for fresh coffee in 2010. They were the first coffee roaster in Las Vegas to roast and sell at farmers markets in 2011 known for their air roasted, small batch flagship blends. Over the past decade, they've organically grown working with local restaurants, bakeries, and cafes and online. Stefa...