Hearts & Carts

Co-Founder of brüst, Josh Barr joins the show to discuss the transition from marketing at Nestle to managing sales in the USA to ultimately launching a functional beverage.  Josh dives deep into how to build a strong team, the process of raising capital, and his approach to marketing.   Josh's LinkedIn brüst brüst front-funder

The guys sit down with friend and former colleague David Côté to chat about his career spanning big CPG, consulting, franchise operations and the cannabis space.  As the Founder & CEO of Northern Helm, David dives into the changing regulations and challenges of operating in a new industry.   David's LinkedIn Northern Helm

Former RN turned CPG founder, Corey Wood of Elixir Kombucha joins the show to talk about the importance of gut health, his inspiration behind the brand, and what it’s like raising funds in today’s market.   Corey's LinkedIn Elixir Kombucha Elixir Kombucha on WeFunder

The guys had the chance to chat with Sean Lee – the CEO & Co-Founder of Cincy Brands about his unique career journey that has taken him from banking, to CPG giant P&G, to the creation of his own CPG holding company and brand accelerator. Sean shares his POV on how to build a great and interesting career, and dives into some memorable marketing campaigns on brands like Old Spice. Sean's...

The guys chat with Lauren Bensadoun – the co-founder of BUZZD Nutrition. Lauren shares the story of how BUZZD’s functional coffee creamer came to be, the value of building in public, and how to get the basics right as establish a brand and expand distribution. Lauren's LinkedIn BUZZD Nutrition

The genius behind Evive Nutrition, Dominic Dube walks us through how he created the Nespresso of Smoothies.  He jumps into retail expansion, the importance of DTC, super foods ingredients, and what life is like running a truly family company. Dominic's LinkedIn Evive

Vancouver plant based legend Karen McAthy joins the guys to discuss the art of plant-based cheesemaking and her company Lumi Foods.  Karen gets into the science behind cheese, DTC vs. retail sales, navigating the climate during the pandemic, and gives some shout outs to local brands and entrepreneurs.  Karen's LinkedIn Lumi Foods

The guys enjoy a great conversation with Alicia Lahey - co-founder & CEO of Humble Snacks.  Alicia shares her career journey on the way to founding Humble Snacks, then goes deep on her experiences building a purpose driven brand aimed at disrupting the snacks category with a mission leave this planet better for future generations.

Karen joins the guys to share the story of Blume and their superfood lattes. Along the way she shares how Blume approaches product development, what it's like to bootstrap a startup to over 1500 doors, and how purpose and community create a foundation for a strong brand. Karen's LinkedIn Blume

Justin’s old Vega colleague, Julie Daoust joins the show to discuss the kingdom of mushrooms.  Julie provides a new perspective of the natural CPG world from the scientific / R&D side and dives into some of the most cutting edge nutritional science of today.  Alex and Justin are about 10x smarter after this conversation. Julie's LinkedIn M2 Ingredients Om Mushrooms

2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 and Dream Pops founder David Greenfeld swings by to chat about building a delicious plant-based ice cream company in public.  He dives into his investment banking past, how he creatively built a brand following before selling direct, and the importance of connections with other founders. David's LinkedIn Dream Pops

Nishal Kumar of No Days Wasted joins the show to discuss building a North America brand, DTC vs. retail, the Dragon’s Den experience, and working with TV personalities like Biz Nasty.  He gets granular on steps to build a business from scratch, creating fans of your product, drops some legendary quotes and the importance of maximizing every single day. Nishal's LinkedIn No Days Wasted

Phil’s co-founder behind This Commerce Life, Kenny Vannucci joins the show that chat about how the industry has evolved over the past few decades and some of the challenges the industry is facing.  Kenny talks about growing up in retail, his long career at London Drugs, and the move to the consulting world with fun projects on Commercial Drive Coffee Company, Old Growth Beverages, & Norma...

Canadian podcast legend, Phil Chang, joins the show to discuss the state of the industry and his career path through it.  Phil covers his time at some of the big guys: Unilever, Revlon, Kimberly-Clark, Danone, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson; his transition to the retailer side with the rise and fall of Target Canada and the transition into consulting and podcasting. Phil's LinkedIn This Com...

Former Company Group Chairman at Johnson & Johnson, Jeff B Smith joins the show to chat about the transition from CPG leadership roles to helping brands disrupt the start-up status quo with Ignite Venture Studio.  Jeff dives into some of his exciting projects including the creation of Rise Market and Honed while discussing the future of the CPG world. Jeff's LinkedIn Ignite Venture Studios Homepag...

Will Nitze joins the show to discuss building the amazing IQBAR from the ground up.  Will goes into detail on crowdfunding, the importance of go-to-market strategy, unit economics, creative marketing, and the importance of being obsessed with your product. Will's LinkedIn IQBAR Homepage

Mike Catalano had a big impact on each of the guys early in their careers: as the person who recruited Alex and gave him his first shot in CPG, and as a mentor who took Justin on one of his first buyer engagements to a planogram lab during an internship.   Mike joins the show and discusses his career path, the move into the food space, importance of quality and the power of vertical inte...

CPG veteran and Justin’s work BFF, Vanessa Ordway joins the show to talk about her career with companies like Rubbermaid, PepsiCo, Danone, and Vega.  Vanessa goes deep on the importance of candor, differentiated experiences, and how to build a successful career in CPG. Vanessa's LinkedIn Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream

Founder of Bro Dough & social media expert, Erica Rankin joins the guys to chat about building a brand from scratch, the importance of finding strong mentors, spending time in stores, and the power of thinking bigger. Erica's LinkedIn Bro Dough Homepage

In 2012, Dean Packingham set out to make the world’s best hot cocoa and is now in over 1,000 stores across the USA including Costco, Coburn’s, Meijer, and Hy-Vee.  With the cold weather outside and warm cups of cocoa inside, Dean joins the guys to chat about how he started the brand, the importance of getting the formula right, and building a community of supporters. Dean's LinkedIn Mike &amp...

Prior to becoming Chief of Sales for Jelmar, Sarah Chadwick has enjoyed a successful career in both marketing & sales.   A former manager and mentor to both of the guys, she joined the show to share her experiences, provide insights on cross-functional growth and leadership, and to shed light on Alex's extravagant Costco food court ordering preferences. Sarah's LinkedIn Jelmar Homepa...

CPG veteran and new Vancouverite; Kim Purslow joins the show to chat about her CPG journey, her transition into the alcohol space, what beverage best represents each of the guys, and finding her voice as a leader. Kim's LinkedIn Labatt Homepage

Jamie Griffiths of Matt & Steve’s joins the guys to talk about his career CPG journey from retail to large CPG to start-up, the importance of believing in yourself, and how he’s going to finally get the US on board with the famous Canadian Caesar! Jamie's LinkedIn Matt & Steve's Homepage

Canada's unstoppable entrepreneur, Mike Fata, talks about the journey to make Manitoba Harvest the global leader in hemp based foods and their $419M exit in 2019.   Mike shares tangible advice on starting a business, skills and tactics he himself benefited from, and what new brand investments he’s excited about. LinkedIn Manitoba Harvest Mike Fata Homepage Fata & Fleishman Mentorship

2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Winner, Co-Founder and Rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares – Jake Karls joins the guys to chat about using storytelling to build fans not customers, how to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and being unapologetically yourself. LinkedIn Mid-Day Squares Hearts & Carts