Nombase Podcast

Kim Greenfeld, former private label buyer for Whole Foods Market and Trader Joes, joins us to give a behind the scenes look into how to win at the private label game. Find out what kind of innovation gets a buyer's attention, how to protect brand equity, and how to know whether and when the private label game is right for your brand. 

Costco is one of the ultimate club channels for natural CPG.  High volumes, targeted consumers, and clean business dealings make this a coveted channel for so many brands, but it's crucial to fully understand expectations and best practices before launching into this retailer. Jeremy Smith from LaunchPad Group breaks down how Costco does business, what they're looking for from brand partners, and...

Beverage sales are hugely dependent on DSD networks, but if you don't know how to implement and manage the relationship, your product may be an afterthought to the team. Join Trent Moffat of Gotham Brands and JW Fischer of Nirvana Water for a discussion on what DSDs need to be successful, what you should expect, and how to manage the relationship for maximum placements and velocity.

Soom Foods is well known for their tahini sourced from Ethiopian sesame seeds that produce a smooth and delicious tahini. Soom has a chocolate sku that's not turning as quickly as they think it should, and we're bringing in the experts to troubleshoot. Join Fred Hart of Interact Brands, Adam Levit of Velocity Sales, and Amy Zitelman, founder of Soom Foods, and listen as the team assesses the situa...

Gross margin and velocity are two of the top indicators for success as a CPG business, and nailing the right price is key in getting both of those dialed in. Ariana Farahani of Plant Press is working on just that and we've called in pricing expert Scott Sanders to dive into a pricing model that accounts for distributor costs and trade spend to protect gross margin in the long term.

Sara Stender Delaney of Sarilla is committed to using regeneratively grown ingredients in her canned teas, but wants to know how to market them in a way that drives trial and repeat purchases. Tina Owens, Managing Director of the Nutrient Density Alliance, has some brilliant, data backed ideas that directly appeal to human health and wellness. Fun fact: did you know you might be able to combat the...

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is increasingly important for CPG brands to weave into their business models.  Ben Mand and the Harmless Harvest team talk about how they deal with the supply chain issues that come with an agriculture centered product, how to set goals that support business holistically (and what to do when you miss those goals), and surprising insights on how they succ...

What if you build your Community before you even launch your brand? Madi Lieber and Michelle Cordeiro Grant did just that, taking  what they learned at Meta, Google, Lively, and Thrillist to the CPG world as they build their beverage brand, Gorgie. Find out how a community-first model can foolproof decision making, and the tactics and strategy they've found to be successful.

UNFI's UpNext program is designed to curate and incubate emerging brands. Aaron May, Senior Manager of the UpNext program, explains their criteria for brand selection, the most common mistakes brands make when starting out with UNFI, and how to directly access the UNFI team for advice and support.

Jason Bronstad of Malk, Ayeshah Abuelhiga of Mason Dixie, and Sean Connor of ForceBrands talk about the future of leadership, current hiring trends, and how to keep teams feeling inspired and connected in today's working environment. They also discuss which positions are in high demand right now, how to prioritize hires that align with business goals, and tactics to build an engaging team culture,...

Jing Gao popularized chili crisp with Fly By Jing in grocery retail and transformed Global aisles to include an entire set of the condiment. But, it wasn't easy. Jing talks about how building a DTC audience laid a foundation for retail, why the premium price tag was not only crucial to business health when investment was impossible to secure, but also an important step towards valuing Chinese cult...

Omsom's innovative, personalized, and identity forward approach to digital marketing paved the way for record growth on their foundational DTC platform. Founders Vanessa and Kim Pham discuss the issues they encountered while scaling the business from DTC to brick-and-mortar, and learn the solutions they used to scale distribution nationally with Whole Foods Market and Target.

The convenience store channel is just about the most competitive and expensive you'll find in CPG, but the promise of sky high velocities and an immediate way to reach new customers is undeniably attractive. Andy Steele of Ollipop and BODYARMOR, and Vanessa Walker of NEW YOU BRANDS and La Croix lay out the cost of doing business, when the right time to launch is, secrets for getting your products...

Social Media and influencer marketing is just the beginning of how the landscape of earned PR has changed, but Sara Brooks of Goldilocks PR comes to the rescue with years of experience and scrappy strategy that even the most emerging brands can make use of. Sara tells us how to pitch traditional outlets like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, exactly how to get started with TikTok and con...

You won't find a smarter, more experienced, or creative marketing duo than Mari Lee and Katie Geyer of Nutrabolt / C4. Find out how they choose events that support customer acquisition goals, activations that actually drive velocities in store, and a brilliant nugget of wisdom on how to find influencer partners that deeply resonate with your brand.

When Biena Snacks launched their Tasty Thins line in the salty snacking category, they employed a high ROI, multi-layered retail activation approach that helped them rise to the top - fast. Find out which retailers they worked with first and why, the retailer marketing programs that drove velocity through the roof, and how they track and use data to build a formula for success.

Looking for a "how to" on raising venture capital right now? Kiva Dickinson of Selva Ventures and Chuck Cotter of Holland & Hart discuss in detail the factors they use to determine value in potential partnerships, how founders and brands can become outliers that garner investor attention, and how to prevent agreements from being tripped up in the due diligence process.