Emerging Brands Podcast

Born in Togo, Olowo-n'djo Tchala founded Alaffia in 2004 to bridge the gap between West African traditional knowledge and the global beauty market. Driven by his upbringing and a commitment to gender equality, Olowo-n'djo has spent over twenty years using ethical business as a tool to alleviate poverty and empower the communities he calls home. Alaffia is a clean, fair-trade beauty brand that part...

The energy for Expo West 2026 is already building, and in this solo episode, I'm giving you a sneak peek at where I'll be, what I'm hosting, and how we can connect on the ground in Anaheim. From the high-stakes Pitch Slam to the return of a community event, this year is all about high-level innovation and high-impact connection. I'm breaking down the details for the CPG Innovation Summit , where I...

After a decade as a General Partner at Revolution Ventures, Clara Sieg turned her analytical eye toward the most foundational thing we consume: water. Triggered by the toxins and microplastics she discovered during her pregnancy, Clara traded her venture capital seat for a mission to build a transparent, reliable solution for the modern family. Loonen is the first third-party-verified water that i...

Diana Nino believes that joy and discipline are partners, not opposites. A Miami-born builder of spaces and curator of community, Diana lives at the intersection of high energy and deep intention. Her brand, salsi, is a love letter to the creative and social fabric of her city—a vibrant tequila seltzer designed for a full life lived without the burnout. Salsi is mindful by design and Miami by hear...

Healthy living shouldn't mean sitting out on the social moments you love. Created by Parker Papaccio, SIPPL Mixology (Simple. Supplemental. Sipping.) was built on the belief that the best lives prioritize balance over restriction. By creating a functional margarita mix that lives in the "gray area" where wellness meets real life, SIPPL is proving you can care about how you feel without sacrificing...

Tatyana Jones is a true powerhouse in the CPG world. After managing a $500M snacking portfolio at Mars Wrigley and turning around massive innovation portfolios at GSK, she realized the $27B chocolate category was missing something vital: a high-protein option that didn't taste like a compromise. Leveraging years of big-brand firepower and an NYU Stern MBA, Tatyana founded DEFI Snacks to shatter th...

Michael Zabar's culinary roots run deep. As a fourth-generation member of the family behind the iconic NYC deli, Zabar's, Michael's first job was scooping coffee for customers. After a successful career in tech and e-commerce at Walmart, he felt a pull back to his roots. The spark came from his own kitchen, where he and his wife began crafting homemade syrups to fix a problem in the market: coffee...

In this solo episode, I'm breaking down the founder mindset I've seen make or break brands before they ever hit shelves. After 15+ years working alongside hundreds of founders — and currently supporting 20+ pre-launch brands coming to market this year — I've learned that success isn't about doing more. It's about getting clear first. Inside the Episode: Why strategy should come before packaging or...

After years as a Guinness World Records judge and advertising executive, Charlie Weisman realized that the household items we use every day are often dull and uninspired. While stuck in his NYC apartment during the pandemic, he founded Staff to bring joy to the mundane. By reimagining functional tools with bold colors, unique materials, and helpful characters, Charlie is turning overlooked essenti...

Before you lock in a co-manufacturer, print packaging, or order your first production run… pause. In this solo episode, I'm walking through the biggest (and most expensive) mistakes I see first-time CPG food & beverage founders make — and how brand strategy should guide every decision before you spend a dollar on inventory. Because your logo, packaging, flavors, and even your brand name shouldn't...

Nicole Schlesinger traded her corporate NYC desk for butchery classes at the Institute of Culinary Education after realizing the jerky market was dominated by sugary, "candy-like" options. Obsessed with quality, she squeezed two oversized dehydrators into her tiny apartment to perfect small-batch, chef-driven recipes that prioritized premium meat and clean ingredients over the industry standard. T...

Danielle Calabrese is a CPG powerhouse with over 16 years of experience scaling brands from zero to $40M and guiding more than 100 founders to collective sales of over $100M. Known for her "build smarter, not harder" philosophy, Danielle has secured dozens of SKUs with top-tier retailers and distributors, making her one of the industry's most sought-after advisors for navigating the complex journe...

Kimmy Pace, a former technology consultant, turned her lifelong struggle with chronic dehydration and gut sensitivity into a mission after discovering Korean roasted barley tea in a novel. Realizing that most "better-for-you" drinks were too sugary or carbonated for her system, she began brewing her own at home. This gentle, grounding ritual became the foundation for a beverage brand designed for...

Alex Adam, Founder and Creative Director of Boredom Kills Creative, spent a decade in the music industry witnessing how powerful branding can build and unite communities across the world. This unique background gave him a deep understanding of market impact and emotional resonance, leading him to transition his expertise from the stage to the shelf. Alex now applies those lessons in cultural conne...

Anabel González, an ex-Parsons creative and founder of Good Bacteria, transformed her personal postpartum healing journey into a mission to fix a major flaw in the wellness industry: the lack of microbial diversity in traditional probiotics. Recognizing that static supplements often fall short, Anabel collaborated with a scientific advisory board from institutions like Johns Hopkins, Oxford, and S...

Daniel Schwarz, Founder and CEO of CHUZA, is a leader who finds inspiration in the concept of poise under pressure. In Mexico, the word "CHUZA" carries a powerful double meaning: it signifies a strike for success, that precise moment when perfection is reached and the momentum continues. This philosophy was personified during the early days of the pandemic by a daily visitor to Daniel's window, an...

After 15 years in the industry and currently guiding over 15 pre-launch founders, I've realized that while many people have a great product idea, few have the "order of operations" down. Launching a brand that actually stays on the shelf requires more than just a good recipe; it requires a strategic foundation built before you ever pick a name or design a logo. In this solo episode, I am walking y...

Shibani Baluja launched Lil' Gourmets with a mission to move baby food out of the dusty, shelf-stable aisle and into the refrigerated section where freshness and nutrients truly live. Based on the latest infant nutrition research, Lil' Gourmets offers fresh, organic, globally inspired meals that provide 100% of a baby's daily vegetable requirements with zero added salt or sugar. With a professiona...

In this solo episode, I'm sharing eight emerging brands that are redefining their categories. We are seeing a massive shift toward "functional nostalgia" taking the comfort foods we grew up with and upgrading them with high protein, fiber, and clean labels. From whipped cottage cheese dips to flash-frozen aromatics, these founders are solving real-world problems with flavor and radical transparenc...

Nicole Krasnow Smith has spent her career discovering and scaling the next big things in CPG. With a background that spans sales, marketing, and retail scouting, she now works directly with founders to prepare them for the high-stakes world of retail launch. Through her consultancy, Many Thanks, Nicole leverages her deep experience as a former buyer to help brands move past the "new brand" stage a...

Alak Nanda is an immigrant, first-gen, and queer founder on a mission to bring the authentic taste of South Indian home cooking to American kitchens. Through Podi Life, Alak offers thoughtfully crafted pantry staples that act as easy-to-adapt flavor solutions for the modern home cook. Every product is designed to bridge the gap between traditional heritage and contemporary convenience, ensuring th...

Bernadette Gerrity is the granddaughter of Café Aroma's founder, Rogelio "Roy" Montes De Oca, and is currently steering the brand into its most vibrant chapter yet. With a professional background spanning marketing, fashion, and psychology, plus a Level 2 Sommelier certification, Bernadette brings a unique, lifestyle-driven lens to the coffee industry. While staying deeply rooted in the humble, en...

Lex Evan is the creative force behind Lexington Bakes, an eco-conscious luxury bakeshop that is redefining what it means to indulge. With a 20-year career leading brand strategy and design for global giants like Johnson & Johnson, Aveeno, and Clean & Clear, Lex has applied his sharp eye for detail and 15 years of self-taught pastry expertise to build a brand rooted in Radical Ingredient Transparen...

Djenaba Johnson-Jones launched Hudson Kitchen to bridge a critical gap she discovered after her own corporate layoff: the need for professional kitchen space paired with real business mentorship. What began as a community-driven platform in 2015 has evolved into an 8,000-square-foot flagship incubator in North Jersey. Hudson Kitchen provides serious founders with 24/7 production access and a colla...

Hannah Habes founded Matchaful after discovering the transformative power of matcha during a personal health journey. Frustrated by a lack of transparency in the industry—where leaves were often blended from unknown sources—Hannah set out to do things differently. After tasting over 100 varietals, she established a direct partnership with a fourth-generation tea farm in Shizuoka, Japan. This farm...