In the Sauce

Madeline Haydon is the founder of Nutpods, the dairy-free coffee creamer brand she developed in her own kitchen and sold in 2024. On this episode of In the Sauce, Madeline talks about her founding story, the decision to sell and step down as CEO, what life looked like after the exit, and her current work on board service and capital access for female and minority founders. See Privacy Policy at ht...

Patrick Coyne is co-founder and CEO of Laoban Foods, the modern frozen Asian brand known for its dumplings and scallion pancakes. He previously worked at the World Bank Group and the Clinton Foundation, as well as in strategy consulting and venture capital. On this episode of In the Sauce, Patrick talks about how a teaching stint in China and a love of neighborhood dumpling shops set the stage for...

Morgan Zanotti is the founder and co-CEO of Waay, the sparkling protein beverage with 10 grams of protein, zero sugar, and 45 calories a can. On this episode of In the Sauce , Morgan talks about her return to building after co-founding Primal Kitchen and its $200 million exit to Kraft Heinz, the time she spent inside Kraft and learnings few founders get to see, the whey protein isolate that sparke...

Alison Cayne is founder and CEO of Choulie - Choulie, a fragrance-infused body oil brand for women in midlife and beyond. She is also the founder of Haven’s Kitchen the cooking school and CPG sauce line. On this episode of In the Sauce , Alison Alison talks about the Haven’s Kitchen journey and hard decisions and what she's carrying into Choulie as she launches her new brand in an entirely differe...

Matt Kramer is the co-founder and CEO of Sunny Fine Foods, the refrigerated condiment company he started with his wife, Nora. On this episode of ITS , Matt talks about starting with fresh tahini and expanding into dressings and drizzles, finding product-market fit, the complexities of scaling a refrigerated brand, and what retail velocity and consumer data can tell you about where to go next. See...

 Sahra Nguyen is the founder and CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, the specialty Vietnamese coffee company she started in 2018. On this episode of ITS , Sahra talks about building a market for Vietnamese coffee and robusta in the U.S., working directly with farmers in Vietnam, shifting from DTC beans to retail cans, and how introducing a new product to consumers requires time and intention. See Pr...

Ben Lewis is the co-founder and CEO of Little Spoon, the baby and kids' food company he started with his wife, Angela in 2017. On this episode of In the Sauce , Ben talks about building Little Spoon DTC before moving into retail, the partnership with Target, building across different stages of childhood and the store, and what Ben has learned as both a founder and an investor in emerging consumer...

Kendall Kransdorf is the founder of Cotto, a line of whipped cottage cheese dips bringing real protein and big flavor to the refrigerated dip aisle. On this episode of In the Sauce , Ali and Kendall discuss turning a personal food habit into a product, the test and learn approach, and the particular challenges of building a refrigerated dairy brand. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Elisabeth and Gina Galvin are the mother-daughter founders of Stellar Snacks. On this episode of ITS , Elisabeth, Gina, and Ali discuss how lessons from Elisabeth’s first food business shaped Stellar, what it takes to own and operate your own manufacturing, and how they’ve built a distinctive snack brand while navigating growth, retail, and working together as a family. See Privacy Policy at https...

Caitlin Skae is Director of Consumer Marketing at Carbone Fine Food . On this episode of ITS , Caitlin and Ali discuss how Carbone is building a grocery brand that stands on its own while drawing strength from its restaurant roots, why cultural relevance can't rely on celebrity alone, and how events, creators, and retail have become one connected marketing engine. See Privacy Policy at https://art...

Esther Levy is a food scientist, consultant, and founder of Evolve Food Consultants . On this episode of ITS, Esther and Ali discuss why food science is at the center of every successful food business, how founders can better navigate product development, manufacturing, and supply chains, and why today's conversations around GLP-1, clean labels, MAHA, and ingredient transparency are changing the w...

Jennifer Barney is the founder of Barney Butter, author of the newsletter The Business of Food, and an advisor on food manufacturing and agricultural innovation. On this episode of ITS, Jennifer and Ali talk about the CPG system. what she's optimistic about, and how founders need to understand the economics of what they're building.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...

Rachel Moore is a partner at Goldilocks, and has advised brands from Brami and Laoban to Perfect Bar and Back to Nature. More recently, she and the Goldilocks team launched Plainspeak, a wellness brand designed specifically for women navigating midlife. On this episode of ITS, Rachel and Ali discuss the real meaning of brand positioning and why, done well. it's the filter for every other decision...

Fred Hart is a branding consultant, creative director, and founder of Hart Brands who has helped build more than 130 consumer brands. On this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Fred talk brand, packaging, the state of CPG, and of course, Fred's takeaways from the Fancy Food Show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my...

On this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Jess Haghani , CEO of Lucille Health, talk about building for an aging population, earning the trust of older consumers, and what it takes to reinvent a category that has barely changed in decades. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Amy Guittard is the CMO of Guittard Chocolate Company, the oldest continuously family-owned chocolate company in the United States. On this episode of ITS, Ali and Amy talk about keeping a heritage brand nimble, and how chocolate represents the intersection of agriculture, manufacturing, and consumer products. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht...

In this episode, we chat with Ben McKean , founder and CEO of Hungryroot, about pivoting from a CPG brand into a massive, AI-driven grocery platform. We explore how reducing consumer decision fatigue and managing owned inventory fueled their success, while Ben shares insider data on real-time household consumption patterns and what it takes for emerging brands to thrive on the platform. See Privac...

Adam Siskin is the Founder of The Platform CPG, a firm helping emerging consumer brands navigate finance, operations, retail growth, and scale. On this episode of ITS, Adam and Ali discuss margin, trade spend, brokers, distributors, manufacturers and investors. Adam shares learnings from supporting more than 50 CPG companies. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy N...

Thi Lam is founder and CCO at Garnish studios, a branding and production agency behind a number of emerging CPG brands across food, beverage, and wellness. On this episode of ITS, Thi and Ali talk content in the age of AI, and what emerging brands should focus on when it comes to creative assets, answering the bigger question: What actually creates brand value now? See Privacy Policy at https://ar...

Jesse Konig is the Co-Founder and CEO of Jesse & Ben's , restaurant-quality frozen fries known for their simple ingredients and made with beef tallow and avocado oil. On this episode of ITS, Jesse tells Ali his story, breaks down why he and his partner Ben went into CPG from brick and mortar, and details about self manufacturing, building on social media, and holding off on full-time hiring un...

Kiki Couchman is the co-founder of Sourmilk , the Greek yogurt designed for gut health with the probiotic levels of supplement. On this episode of ITS, Kiki and Ali talk through probiotics, dairy, building in public, finding your positioning, and how office delivery has become a killer channel for the emerging brand.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Noti...

Alec Jaffe is the Founder and CEO of Alec’s Ice Cream, the A2 dairy brand make ice cream truly better for you. On this episode of ITS, Ali and Alec break down the freezer aisle and talk A2, probiotics, vertical integration and why emerging brands need to pick a priority. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Rachel Mansfield and Kiva Dickinson are co-founders of cadootz! , the kids' snack brand on a mission to bring Organic, nutrient-dense ingredients to delightful kids' snacks. On this episode of ITS, Kiva and Rachel share what they've learned and how they're applying their investor experience to building a new company. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

Josh Serlin is Head of Strategy at The Campbell's Company, where he leads strategic planning across one of the most important portfolios in food. On this episode of ITS, Josh breaks down what actually makes a company interesting to the "Big Kids," along with the impact of GLP-1s, the broader secular shifts shaping food and wellness, and how to build a business that holds up regardless. See Privacy...

Hudson Davis-Ross is CEO and Co-Founder of Plant People, the doctor-formulated gummy supplement brand making functional wellness fun and accessible. On this episode of ITS, Hudson tells Ali the Plant People story, all about his18-month turn-around plan, and what 3-legged stools every successful emerging brand need to build. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...