Food & Beverage Talk by Morgan & Westfield

Food waste and hunger relief are not about food scarcity – it's about logistics. Blake Engelhard of Goodr.co discusses using technology to address hunger and waste issues. From the logistics of a 2-hour turnaround time identifying surplus food to distribution to working with clients making donations that enable families to get groceries in a dignified manner and the staggering tax benefits to the...

Hot cocoa tends to be considered a seasonal treat. Dean Packingham of Mike & Jen's Hot Cocoa proves that a small cottage industry can grow into a regional business success year-round. He discusses the power of starting with your passion when developing a new product, the advantages of being in an F&B category with less competition, the value of simplicity as a business model, tips on finding the r...

Scaling from start-up to multi-million dollar business takes time, ingenuity, and perseverance. Yanni Hufnagel, founder of Lemon Perfect, discusses the 6-year growth of his company into a major player in the enhanced water sector. Discussion includes going from sourcing regional ingredients to international sources, delivering consistent quality, getting consumers to try a new product, the importa...

This episode of  Food & Beverage Talk  will give you insight into everything you could possibly want to know about beef and the beef industry. Renan de Lima leads with a definition of high-quality meat and why this is an important distinction. He discusses the influence of genetics, grass-fed versus grain-fed beef, the impact of a free-range lifestyle, international organic standards, regulatory d...

Getting a new product to market takes passion, vision, funding, and answers to lots of questions. Elena Rosenblum shares lessons learned from her work at Union Kitchen, a food business accelerator company that helps set up new companies for long-term success. Topics include using the lean approach in the F&B industry, trends, logistics, creating a scalable product, incremental innovation, and over...

The cannabis industry is a multi-billion-dollar business in California. Nick Brandis reviews everything you want to know about this growing industry. He discusses cannabis forms and related products, types of CBDs and THC, and the many challenges that exist in the industry, from cultivating to marketing, licensing, scalability, payment processing, and the strong illicit market. Industry challenges...

Bringing a niche food product to the marketplace presents unique challenges. Aaron Gailmor goes behind the scenes to talk about making products from sacha inchi seeds that don't trigger allergies in people allergic to nuts. He discusses the differences between seeds and nuts, how this impacts allergen issues, consumer education, marketing strategies of a niche food product, distribution avenues fo...

Cale Rice returns to  F&B Talk  and gives a lender's perspective on financing challenges in the food and agribusiness industry. He discusses the impacts of weather on the supply chain and the prices of sugar and other commodities, the volatility of the marketplace, hedging strategies to cope with market volatility, the impact on pricing in a truly global marketplace, calculating working capital, a...

Beer is one of the oldest food products in the world. Lawyer and craft brewer Kevin McGee of Anderson Valley Brewing Company explores the excitement of the craft beer industry and gives a brief history from Prohibition to today. He discusses the definition and concept of craft beer, what draws consumers to craft beer, the influence of private equity investments and how this changed the industry, p...

Plant-based foods are gaining popularity as consumers recognize the relationship between eating well and feeling well. Connie Marples, founder of Boosh Plant-Based Foods, shares her experiences operating a start-up through going public and recently acquiring Beanfields. She discusses consumer preferences and interest in plant-based foods, financial audits, integrating an established new acquisitio...

Branding sells products and companies. Adam Michaels, CEO of MamaMancini's, discusses brand loyalty, the multi-sensory eating experience, the influence of different cultures on the F&B industry, how the five senses can be harnessed when marketing a product, the impact of Covid-19 on the industry, and changes in consumer preferences and shopping experiences. Adam also goes beyond MamaMancini's to d...

What is a food trader? Keith Schare joins  F&B Talk  to explain where this niche business fits in the F&B industry chain. He explains how they work with growers, manufacturers, and importers to buy and sell bulk ingredients and specialize in helping companies liquidate products they can no longer use. Keith discusses the impact they have on reducing food waste, supply chain issues, finding warehou...

Building a specialty snack bar company presents challenges and opportunities. Katarzyna Bosne talks about the lessons she has learned in starting and scaling a business producing all-natural nutrition bars made with vegan, no-preservative ingredients. She discusses manufacturing handmade products in-house, the costs and challenges of shipping products that are refrigerated directly to consumers, t...

Kevin McGee returns to F&B Talk to talk about the craft beer industry and distribution challenges to consumers both domestically and internationally. Kevin talks about distribution channel options, how distributors influence the reach of products and where they get shelf space, the logistics and challenges of selling internationally and differences in international markets, the consolidation of di...

Get a behind-the-scenes look at building and scaling a food and beverage business that is capitalizing on upcycled produce. Ryan Armistead talks about how he started Happy Moose Juice company and their commitment to family farms, organic foods, and sustainable practices. He discusses the benefits of heirloom farming and the impact this has on fruit quality, the manufacturing process, scaling the c...

Ashley Nickelsen is on a mission to reimagine snacks in vending machines. This is a nutrition-packed conversation about what goes into starting a new functional snack company on a mission to disrupt the snack food industry. Ashley shares her story and the inspiration behind starting BTR NATION, the challenges in being a sole founder, finding a co-manufacturer to work with a new company, scaling up...

When selling your company, knowing what a buyer looks for is invaluable. Malcolm Peace owns an investment firm focused on buying and growing middle-market businesses. He talks about his experience in the F&B industry and his focus on blue-collar businesses in Texas. Malcolm discusses what a buyer looks for when evaluating a company, how technology can be used to help some owners step away from the...

Managing the supply chain is a complex task in the F&B industry. Eran Mizrahi is a problem solver in the ingredient space. He shares his expertise in this in-depth conversation about the intricacies of the supply chain. He discusses due diligence for food safety and compliance, the different stages of the supply chain for any ingredient, choosing and working with suppliers, the sourcing process, t...

When it comes time to sell your business, it helps to know what an acquiring company is interested in. Ben Cosgrove shares his experiences as a serial acquirer with insights that apply to any F&B company. This deep discussion goes into the criteria that his company considers when looking at making an acquisition, the importance of the product and other factors, stories on why they have made certai...

When you think about it, there are obvious parallels between making pet food and the production of any food products. Stuart Harness discusses how his military background applied to operations management in pet food manufacturing. He talks about the intricacies of operations, the challenges of owning the manufacturing process versus working with a co-manufacturer, the biggest threats to quality, t...

Forget the stigma that still exists around cannabis. Paulo Sobral produces a low-level cannabis beverage without alcohol, and he shares insights into the nuances of the cannabis industry and the complex laws that impact cannabis beverage production. He discusses the differences between THC and CBD, touches on issues around the legalization of cannabis and its impact on the industry, comments on th...

The beverage industry is moving to keep up with consumer desires for healthier options. Mary Pellettieri discusses her move from craft beer to start a beverage company offering healthier options in tonics and soft drinks. From the dangers of high fructose corn syrup to the benefits of natural sugar, from a definition of functional beverages to a discussion of nutrition and details on how to move a...

The power of successful marketing comes down to data. Michael Wangbickler is CEO of Balzac Communications & Marketing, a bespoke marketing agency for the F&B industry. He discusses changes in the industry that are impacting marketing campaigns, shares insights into the power of data, making customers feel special, building trust with consumers, and stories of marketing success and failures. Michae...

The business of pet food is big business and is taking note of how consumers today treat their pets as members of the family. Eric Lewandowski returns to Food & Beverage Talk to discuss the humanization of pets and how this resonates throughout the pet food industry. From premiumization of food to brand loyalty and consumer buying habits, to the influence of social media, entertainment options for...

Finding the right co-packer can make or break a CPG brand. Vince Tseng of PartnerSlate offers insights into the complex world of co-manufacturing from both the CPG and co-packers' perspectives. He discusses what co-packers and CPG brands are looking for in a partnership, shares tips on how to appeal to the right partner, talks about the impact of technology on innovations in the F&B industry, and...