Food Founders® Podcast

In this episode I share the #1 myth most food founders believe. This one myth keeps great products from becoming the brands that can really become and keeps food founders struggling for far longer than they need to. If you’re ready to understand how the food industry REALLY works, this is for you. In this episode I also share the #1 thing you can do right now to break through this myth and mo...

Dressing up as a giant cactus wasn’t exactly what food founder Kun Yang thought he’d be doing on his off hours from his day job, but that’s exactly what Kun and his cofounders have been doing to introduce Pricklee Cactus Water to the market. And it’s been working. Pricklee has gained national coverage, has created the start of a cult following and is making strides to be the first major...

In 4 months 3 friends with unique skills and connections came together to bring Loki, an Enhanced Seltzer to the market. Seeing the rise of hard seltzers and the rise of mind enhancing products, the trio came together to bring the first of its kind to the market. Owning a creative agency by day, Food Founder Harji Singh knows the power of a great brand. And that’s exactly what Loki has focused on...

Food Founders Peter and Jason of Simply Buck know what it means to feel aligned. And misaligned. Everything they do inside Simply Buck, a buckwheat based non -dairy milk and gelato brand is guided by how they can feel aligned to their core mission and themselves as founders. By knowing what is and isn’t aligned and trusting the process, the windy entrepreneurship road has led them to many exciting...

In this episode, I share what it means to have a ‘vanilla’ brand. Not just in terms of what it looks like visually, but also what it means for your bottom line. I don’t want you to have a vanilla brand. I want you to be the boldest flavor of the bunch...in whatever way makes sense for you and your business. Tune in to learn how to not be a vanilla brand but instead have a brand that stands out and...

Like many food founders, Ben started Coastal Coffee to have the freedom of being his own boss and creating the life he wanted. Ben’s continued to have his work and life integrated together so he can spend time with his family, support his community and enjoy life while growing his business. In this episode hear how Coastal Coffee has balanced work and life over the years, how they’ve had to pivot...

When Food Founder Josh started out his business he was looking to make an impact with his business. He didn’t think profit could come along with purpose, but over the years, he’s been able to see how profit and purpose can work together. And when they do work together, the impact can be far greater than either or on their own. Hear how Agricycle is creating profit and purpose and transfo...

Food Founder Tom McGrath is one of the few American farmers serving up Organic, Grassfed A2 milk to his community. Being a farmer first and packaged food producer second, Tom shares what it’s like breaking into a new category of a very established part of the food industry and how to manage growth and the challenges that come with it.  Today’s episode is brought to you by Food Brands That Sel...

Food Founder Jared Olkin of Revolution Gelato is no stranger to the frozen dessert aisle. His mom owned a scoop shop when he was growing up and much of his youth was spent there. When Jared turned to a plant-based diet, ice cream was naturally one of the first things he wanted to make sure he could enjoy with his new lifestyle. Jared shares the entrepreneurial highs and lows every entrepreneur goe...

Like going to any destination, having a plan on how to get there and preparing for the journey makes things a whole lot easier. And more enjoyable too. The journey to having a food brand that sells is no different. There are tools that can make your journey easier and more successful. Without these tools, it’s like trying to search for a painting on the side of a building without having a fla...

Food Founder Ginger Murphy from Poppy’s Handcrafted Popcorn started her business so she could spend more time with her family. She didn’t know the food industry at the beginning and she hadn’t been perfecting her popcorn recipe for years at that point either. What she did know was that she wanted to own a business that would allow her to be there for her family. With that vision, Ginger landed on...

Food Founder Kailey Donewald from Sacred Serve Plant-Based Gelato shares how by first healing herself, she was inspired to help heal others. Sacred Serve intentionally uses the best ingredients to give gelato lovers healing and health benefits inside every scoop. Kailey shares what led to the inspiration behind Sacred Serve, how she had an intentional focus on sustainability and how they were able...

For Food Founder Seema Pabari of Tiffinday, success isn’t just about business growth. Success is about giving back to people, the planet and making a profit. Giving back is built right into Tiffinday and it’s making an impact in her local Toronto community. Seema shares how the business has evolved and changed over the last decade and how she now needs to make the critical decision of going b...

Food Founder Mike Mitchell of Acari Fish didn’t set out to start a packaged food company. He set out to create jobs, solve an invasive fish problem and educate people about the Devil Fish itself. An upcycled Devil Fish El Diablito Jerky was the result. Mike shares how Acari Fish has stayed laser focused on its ultimate goal of upcycling the invasive Devil Fish to enable farmers and communitie...

To celebrate episode 50 of the Food Founders Podcast I’m breaking down the 5 most talked about themes on the show so far. Every episode is loaded with tons of great insights and there’s been a few themes that have emerged that I want to make sure you haven’t overlooked.  Tune in to hear 5 key themes that have come up over the past 50 episodes.  Tune into these past episodes I reference o...

Food Founder Malak Ben Hmeda of Oh My GUm! never worked in the food industry before. But, she saw a gap in the market that needed to be filled. A better -for -you, plant based, plastic free gum with a chic brand and lasting taste was nowhere to be found when she wanted one, and so, like every great entrepreneur, she went out and created it herself. Malak shares her secret to quickly being able to...

Vahdam Tea’s values and brand come across in everything they do. Starting with the supply chain and making its way all the way through its social causes. Food Founder Bala Sarda’s commitment to quality, transparency and enriching the lives of those who enjoy and create Vahdam Teas is apparent across the entire company. Bala shares why having a brand purpose is crucial to success, how to know when...

For Food Founder Adi Chhabr, finding the right product to win in the market with was a mission he set himself on in 2020. Adi is no stranger to launching companies and brands but this time, he was determined to find the one that allowed his values to shine through and have those values easily connect with consumers across the globe. Adi shares the journey Badass Water Company is on and how they ar...

For Food Founder™ Kirsten Karchmer Forever Brazen isn’t just about having great products that provide real results for people. It’s about pioneering a new approach to women’s health all around personalization. Kirsten shares how she’s taken an integrative approach to health to provide products that deliver real (sometimes life changing) results for women in a personalized way. Kirsten shows food f...

Why are you hearing no from wholesale accounts? More importantly, how do you start to hear yes more often. In this solo episode I share some of the top reasons you aren’t getting listed in stores and how to change that around so you can get on more shelves, in more homes and make more money in your packaged food business. These reasons aren’t what you always think and if you aren’t heari...

Renewal Mill is making upcycling easier. For consumers, for suppliers and for the entire upcycle community. Food Founder Caroline Cotto shares how Renewal Mill has worked to not only sell a product to consumers, but also to other manufacturers who can use the product as an ingredient. As the company has grown its focus has shifted to new branding, raising capital and expanding the team’s overall m...

Ever wondered “how on earth do I get from being a small scale producer to being in 1,000+ stores all across the country?”. Hear Food Founder Jennifer Behar from Jennifer’s Homemade share how she went from taking a family favo(ur)rite recipe to the masses. Jennifer shares what success and struggle look like at different stages of the journey and how she’s been able to stay grounded throughout it al...

Food Founder™ Lars Oltmanns is no stranger to the food industry. But, the inspiration for Up to Good Energy came from someone with far less experience in the food world; Lars’ young son. After being reminded how important sustainability is for our planet and our future, Lars created Up to Good Energy, an upcycled better for you sustainable clean energy beverage. Lars opens up about the early setba...

If you want your band to stand out, it needs to do so boldly. And having an enemy is part of that. By having a clear enemy to your brand (and this does NOT mean calling other brands out) you can highlight to your consumers and retailers why you are the solution they’re looking for. Even the most gentle, loving and inclusive brand needs an enemy (and can easily call theirs out in a way that’s...

Pat’s Granola started like so many others. A mother saw the need to sustain her family as they were on the go needing something healthy, delicious and portable. Years later, that desire to nurture led to not only feeding Pat’s family, but today, it means Pat’s Granola can feed families across Ohio and the entire country. Pat has focused on getting her brand to connect locally and connect with the...