Taste Radio

In this episode, Taste Radio's hosts reflected on recent networking and live podcast events at BevNET's San Diego office and Super Coffee headquarters in Austin. They also addressed an often asked question from early-stage entrepreneurs and highlighted a few unusual products before Jacqui Brugliera took on one of the hottest of challenges. Show notes: 0:39: So Great To See You, Even For 10 Seconds...

When Junea Rocha launched Brazi Bites in 2010, she thought its success would hinge on being a first-to-market brand of frozen traditional Brazilian cheese bread. Fortunately, she was wrong. Despite launching just a few weeks after another similarly positioned product, Brazi Bites has since developed into a household name. A major inflection point came in 2015 when the brand gained national recogni...

Chitra Agrawal had no experience in CPG prior to launching Brooklyn Delhi in 2014. Nevertheless, she has built the brand of Indian-inspired pantry staples into an admired and profitable company that generates millions of dollars in annual revenue. As remarkable as those accomplishments might seem, they weren't goals when she started out. The daughter of immigrants, Agrawal envisioned Brooklyn Delh...

On the cusp of BevNET and Taste Radio networking meetups in San Diego and Austin, the hosts highlighted the value of industry connections and linking up with experienced professionals, and why showing up is half the battle. They also spoke about a new fund focused on women-led brands, a retailer focused on non-alcoholic cocktails and spirits and new products that caught the hosts' attention. Show...

Practically as soon as it got off the ground, Dream Pops was already under pressure. Founder and CEO David Greenfeld admits that launching the platform brand of plant-based, indulgent desserts and candy via a direct-to-consumer model – a strategy that almost bankrupted the company – was a mistake. However, lessons learned – and shared – have given Dream Pops a foundation to disrupt multi-billion d...

Emma Chamberlain is the face of Generation Z. Can the 21-year-old YouTube sensation be its Juan Valdez, too? In this episode of Taste Radio, the hosts discussed Chamberlain's foray into the coffee business as the founder of Chamberlain Coffee, a platform brand of coffee and tea products that recently completed a $7 million funding round.  They also spoke about the surprising news that Haus, a prom...

When Jen Liao and Caleb Wang saw their dream business in peril, they froze. The reaction, it turns out, was brilliant. Liao and Wang are the founders of XCJ, a surging brand of frozen foods inspired by Chinese street cuisine. The couple, former corporate executives, launched XCJ as a Seattle-area restaurant in 2018 and it quickly became a popular destination among local residents thanks to its aut...

Their primary competitors are multinational corporations with massive marketing budgets, highly experienced sales teams and distribution reach that stretches from coast to coast. So, how is it that Crafthouse Cocktails is beating the giants at every turn? Co-founder Charles Joly, a celebrated bartender and an influential figure in the emerging international cocktail movement, developed Crafthouse...

Mustard-based donuts, beer-infused sneakers, cheese cocktails… No, this episode isn't about trying to gross you out.  Rather, the hosts discuss recent marketing campaigns, collaborations and limited-edition merchandise involving legacy and small brands and how each is attempting to strike a chord with target consumers. They also highlight BevNET articles about a major beverage deal and new funding...

The revolution may not be televised, but if it's up to Heather Terry, it will be farmed. A veteran entrepreneur and business advisor, Terry is the founder of GoodSam Foods, a food brand focused on combating climate change through regenerative agriculture. Launched in 2020, GoodSam's central thesis is that by empowering small farms to adopt systems that improve soil health, increase biodiversity an...

It's fair to say that brothers Charlie and Andy Nelson are ambitious entrepreneurs. "Take over the world" was an actual phrase in their first business plan. And since resurrecting Nelson's Green Brier Distillery, a company founded by their great-great-great grandfather in the 1800s, they've envisioned a future in which the brand's Tennessee whiskey, which was once one of the best known in America,...

In this episode, BevNET reporter Brad Avery joined Taste Radio's regular hosts and discussed his recent article about an innovative "scent-flavored hydration system" that is making inroads in the U.S.  They also spoke about 7-Eleven's embrace of upstart brands and shared personal takes on several new products, including grain-free donuts and spicy (if not NOSH-y) potato chips. Also in this podcast...

There were a few chuckles when Morgan McLachlan launched her first spirit brand, a vodka crafted from California clementines. Yet, while its novelty may have amused some in the beverage alcohol industry, the product represented a foundation for her now acclaimed distilling philosophy, which is focused on botanical-based spirits.  The co-founder, chief product officer and master distiller of Los An...

When prominent beverage investor and entrepreneur Clayton Christopher calls your brand "a winner," you're probably doing a few things right. And in the case of Onda, a premium tequila seltzer brand, the description seems spot on. Christopher's praise came after he joined as a board member and equity shareholder in 2021 as part of  a $5 million Series A funding round. At the time, he noted "the pot...

Taste Radio's hosts discussed several recently announced collaborations, including those of high-profile drink brands that have aligned to create new RTD cocktails, a well-known entertainer and an upstart energy drink company and a humanitarian initiative that connects with better-for-you brands. They also chatted about notable new products, including a line of shelf-stable tamales, NA wine and be...

Ten years ago, Alison Cayne opened a cooking school in New York City called Haven's Kitchen. The goal was simple: help local residents learn how to make better food at home and enjoy doing it. Although the pandemic forced the school to shut its doors in 2020, the mission of Haven's Kitchen lives on in the form of an eponymous consumer brand of refrigerated sauces. Available in eight globally-inspi...

This special edition of Taste Radio highlights actionable insights and advice from interviews with six founders, creators and leaders who joined us on the show during the first half of 2022. Our guests include Todd Carmichael, Co-Founder, La Colombe & Loftiwater; Zoe Feldman, GM of Consumer, Momofuku; Adam Bremen, Founder, Keto Krisp; Annie Ryu, Founder/CEO, Jack & Annie's; Sandro Roco, Founder &...

Taste Radio's hosts riffed on Bang founder/CEO Jack Owoc's unforgettable stage appearance at BevNET Live Summer 2022, M&A headlines in the business of beer and food, why it's important to stay connected to our newsrooms and notable new products, including pickle-infused hummus and a fizzy drink inspired by the flavors of Korean cuisine. We also feature our latest edition of The Maxi Minutes for a...

When Ibraheem Basir launched A Dozen Cousins in 2018, retail buyers questioned the marketability of the brand's first products, a line of premium-positioned cooked beans. Four years later, those buyers are asking a different question: "How do we keep up with consumer demand?" A former marketing executive with General Mills, Basir founded A Dozen Cousins to increase accessibility of better-for-you...

It's rare for an entrepreneurial food or beverage brand to generate a billion dollars in annual revenue. Yet that hasn't kept ambitious founders from envisioning a 10-figure future for their companies. Yanni Hufnagel, the founder and CEO of Lemon Perfect, is one of those aspiring leaders, and based on the trajectory for his brand this far, he has a realistic shot. Launched in 2018, Lemon Perfect m...

Taste Radio's hosts reflected on the return of BevNET and NOSH's summer events to New York City, the accessibility of admired brand leaders and top retail executives at NOSH Live, the camaraderie among entrepreneurs meeting each other for the first time in person at BevNET Live and why taste and story inspired the strongest reactions for judges in the events' brand competitions. Show notes: 0:40:...

What do adaptogens, nootropics and botanicals have to do with the future of social drinking? If you ask Kin Euphorics co-founder and CEO Jen Batchelor, the answer is "quite a bit." And, based on Kin's trajectory, it's hard to argue with her. Founded in 2017, Kin Euphorics is based on the idea that there needed to be a better-for-you alternative to alcohol when decompressing after work or enjoying...

Before country music star Brad Paisley embarked on his 2022 global tour, he had to pack a few things. Namely, 90 or so barrels of bourbon. A Grammy award-winning singer  regarded as one of genre's most talented solo artists, Paisley is also the founder of American Highway Reserve, a limited-edition whiskey brand he developed in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Company.  The brand gets its name...

Taste Radio's hosts discussed Coca-Cola's decision to discontinue Honest Tea, the brand's legacy and impact on better-for-you beverage and food companies, and what the move might mean for new and emerging upstarts. They also highlighted recently announced speakers, including Bang Energy founder/CEO Jack Owoc and top executives from Whole Foods and Kroger, that will be joining the stages at BevNET...