Emerging Brands Podcast

While navigating the demands of motherhood and a busy career, Maggie Slavonic, a mom of two and former Emmy-winning creative director, recognized a significant gap: healthy, convenient, and truly nourishing snacks built specifically for the unique nutritional needs of mothers. This personal realization, combined with her expertise as a functional nutritional therapist, sparked the idea for a brand...

In the competitive world of retail, emerging brands with mission-driven, clean-label products often struggle to compete with the massive marketing budgets of legacy players. Eleanor Hayden, Founder and CEO of Veriti, experienced this challenge firsthand as an in-house marketer for successful emerging CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) brands. Since 2021, Veriti has operated as the essential shopper mar...

While building a dynamic career in food and beverage marketing for industry giants like Uber, Walmart, and Gopuff, sauce lover Nicole Glabman was simultaneously navigating intense personal hormonal and gut health challenges. This journey, combined with her love for flavor and over seven years of industry experience, sparked an idea: to reimagine the everyday condiments that are the backbone of our...

For 15 years, Roopa Annadatha mastered the art of bringing products to market at a massive scale, leading operations for global innovators like Apple, Microsoft, and Peloton. Yet, her most challenging and inspiring role was becoming a mother of two. The turning point came during a long travel day, observing her 18-month-old survive on pretzels and Goldfish. That moment crystallized a profound real...

Chef Jane Coxwell has cooked all over the world—from the South of France and the villages of Southeast Asia to a 305-foot superyacht—serving some of the biggest names in fashion and media, including over a decade as Diane von Furstenberg's private chef. Known for her elegant yet approachable style, Jane built her career on the belief that good food should be simple and full of life. Her latest pro...

For years, guests have traveled to the Catskills to get a taste of Phoenicia Diner's legendary fluffy pancakes. The diner became a modern classic, famous for its comfort food and classic Americana style. But when guests kept asking for the secret to that signature fluffiness, owner Michael Cioffi realized he had an opportunity to bring a piece of the diner experience right into their homes. Now, b...

After earning a business degree and moving to Italy to pursue a master's in World Food Cultures, Carli gained a profound understanding of the cultural, political, and social forces that shape our global food systems. Upon returning to New York City, she honed her skills in brand, operations, and training at industry leaders like Eataly and Hot Bread Kitchen. Seeing a need for a dedicated space for...

Charlotte Langley's journey as a celebrated Chef, Canner, and Ocean Steward is rooted in a desire to transform the often-staid world of preserved food. Driven by a culinary expertise and a bold, confident spirit, she created Nice Cans—a brand that proves canned goods can be gourmet, vibrant, and utterly delicious. Nice Cans is a Boldly Delicious Canned Food Brand that celebrates and empowers its c...

After a 15-year career shaping luxury hospitality experiences for brands like Mandarin Oriental and Ian Schrager, Kristin Charbo found herself ready for a new challenge—one that was delicious, nostalgic, and deeply personal. Along with her partner, Grover Light, her "healthy, yummy donut things" accidentally went viral, sparking the birth of glonuts. Glonuts is a better-for-you donut brand that re...

While building her career at the intersection of fashion, hospitality, and brand development, Wesley Davis, CEO and Co-Founder of Society De La Rassi, saw a shift happening. People were seeking out connection and clarity at their social events, but the celebratory options felt limited. This sparked the idea for a sophisticated, premium dealcoholized sparkling wine crafted for discerning palates an...

Patrick Coyne loved the bustling energy and incredible flavor of the roadside dumpling shops he visited in China. That experience, and the incredible food, was something he missed back home—and something he realized was missing from the American frozen food aisle. Seeing an opportunity to merge authentic flavors with modern convenience, Patrick founded Laoban, a brand dedicated to delivering the d...

Andrew Bly is a strategic brand and advertising designer focused on delivering unique, ownable creative for brands looking to reach the next level of growth. He is also the founder of Snacks & Design, a neighborly shop to discover up-and-coming brands focused on indie goodies made with good stuff by even better people. Andrew brings his expertise and unique perspective on both branding and retail...

Launching a successful CPG food & beverage brand starts long before you ever hit production — it starts with a rock-solid brand concept. In this solo episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of Week 1 of my proprietary four-week strategy, revealing the exact methodology I use to help my clients nail the foundational elements of their business. This process involves deep market research and intens...

Lindsay Holden, Co-founder of Odele, left her stable corporate role to make prestige beauty accessible to all. Alongside her fellow working mother co-founders, she launched a line of clean, inclusive, affordable, and shareable hair care, guided by the philosophy: "Crazy good doesn't have to be crazy expensive." You can now find their products, developed by hair type and texture, at major retailers...

After a decade at Google and YouTube — most recently leading business development for YouTube Health — Ariel Altman knew she wanted to build something that drove impact at the intersection of health and innovation. That passion, combined with her Brazilian roots by marriage, led her to co-found Figa Foods. Figa is a company reimagining the chocolate aisle with bars made from the upcycled seeds of...

As a bartender in Toronto, Amanda Chen lost all her work during the pandemic. What seemed like a setback turned into a blessing: a one-way ticket to Mexico that changed her life. Now four years sober, she is dedicated to trailblazing the next wave of non-alcoholic beverages. This journey led her to create Tomonotomo, an award-winning non-alcoholic distilled agave spirit handcrafted in Oaxaca, Mexi...

Halli Sigel began her career in the thick of some of New York's fastest-growing startups. Excelling at the junction of customer experience and operations, she quickly realized her ideal venture would merge her passion for scaling businesses with her love for bringing people together. Halli and her friend, Shelby Sims, founded Quincy on the belief that great cocktails need a fantastic mixer and gar...

Stephanie Berwick is an innovative entrepreneur who transformed her 20-year career in fintech and diverse background into founding Pastazerts. Her journey is a testament to the power of trusting your instincts and embracing a new path, a bold move that led to the creation of the world's first chocolate ravioli dessert. Pastazerts is the culmination of Stephanie's unconventional vision, uniting two...

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and a tastemaker at heart, Ana Lander traded a decade long career in social and data for broth packets after a health journey inspired by her roots. Now, she's building Pikora, a brand dedicated to bringing the bold flavors she grew up with to your kitchen. Pikora is a women-founded, culture-forward brand on a mission to deliver better nutrition through its i...

With a successful background in marketing, including launching one of the first nationally distributed canned wine brands, Alexis Beechen joined forces with founders Miles Beckett and Steve Seigel to launch Ola Sol. As CEO, Alexis brought her full-stack marketing leadership to handle distribution and implement tech-first sales strategies, helping to bring this unique agave wine to market. Ola Sol...

Samantha Sherman's career started in the fast-paced world of fine dining. From working at an esteemed restaurant in Boston to managing a team for celebrity chef Mario Batali, she quickly found success. But after a decade in the industry, the pandemic prompted her to take a new, more personal path. Samantha leaned into a passion for healthy living and wellness, enrolling in the Institute for Integr...

Sri Kalapala is a snack lover turned founder with a background in healthcare technology, business strategy, and operations. Sri took his background and his passion for snacking to create Kailo, a brand proving that snacks should be both delicious and truly good for you. Kailo is a protein bar crafted for those who value real ingredients — no fillers and no artificial additives. Inside the Episode:...

Date Smarter's founder, Grace Finerman, knows what it's like to be busy. As a former TV news anchor and reporter, she was constantly on the go and realized the need for food that was both healthy and delicious.  Grace took this realization and created Date Smarter, a brand that's breaking up with unhealthy snacks by proving that healthy eating doesn't have to mean giving up on flavor. Inside the E...

Claire Matern grew up immersed in New York City's vibrant food scene. Her family ran a specialty food and cheese store for two decades, instilling in her a lifelong mission: to demystify cooking, take the intimidation out of ingredients, and inspire people to get creative in the kitchen. That passion led her to create JONI, a brand that celebrates the unique and versatile ingredient, verjus (prono...

Quani Burnett brings over 7 years of beauty experience across marketing, community, and influencer partnerships for brands such as Youth to the People, Briogeo, Rhode, Paula's Choice, and more. After witnessing firsthand how textured hair was underserved in prestige beauty, Quani set out to create a brand that would change that. She founded Soft Rows, a premium textured hair brand created in partn...