The Food Institute Podcast

With rising consumer demand for healthy products in mind, the Food Institute Podcast invited Fran Guzman, lead of strategy and insights at the Kraft Heinz Co., to discuss recent developments in the healthy food space. The conversation focuses on emerging healthy beverage brands, a turn towards real foods among consumers while snacking, and the use of food as medicine. Additionally, Guzman talks ab...

Five months after his first appearance on the Food Institute Podcast, John Dunham of John Dunham & Associates takes the economic pulse of the nation yet again. Dunham explores the current economic situation in the U.S. in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and argues that Bureau of Labor Statistics modeling doesn’t fully encapsulate the true unemployment situation in the country. The conversat...

What’s the latest regarding mergers, acquisitions, and coronavirus? Mesirow Financial managing director Paul Mariani joined the Food Institute Podcast to discuss recent trends in the M&A market in midst of the coronavirus public health emergency. Mariani covers market trends regarding agribusinesses, grocery retailers, and foodservice outlets, and highlights private equity and family office engage...

The Food Institute Podcast hosted a fireside chat with Howard Dorman, National Sector Leader for the Mazars USA Food & Beverage Group. In the episode, Dorman discusses how companies operating in the food and beverage industries can stay alive during the pandemic. Topics covered in the episode, hosted by Brian Choi, include alternative protein companies, lending trends with banks, cash-flow analysi...

Robyn Carter, founder and CEO of Jump Rope Innovation (JPI), discusses how retail and CPG companies can start preparing for a pandemic fall. Carter shares her insight into trends retailers and CPG companies could leverage to better reach a set of consumers looking for nostalgia in challenging times. She addresses the upcoming holiday season and the increased focus on health and wellness among cons...

The Food Institute’s Managing Partner and CEO Brian Choi speak with Dayton Miller, a Managing Partner at Boulder Food Group (BFG), a venture capital firm focused on early-stage consumer products companies. Previously, he co-founded Function, a venture-backed health beverage company, which he built from idea-conception to $20 million in retail sales until its acquisition by Sunsweet Growers Inc. Mi...

National Food Allergy Awareness Week 2020 by The Food Institute Podcast

Julie Companey, director of client strategy for grocery, drug, and mass retail channels at Valassis, discusses the retail industry’s continued adaptation in the wake of the pandemic, and efforts companies can take to be better positioned for the back-to-school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the winter holiday seasons. Companey touches upon the use of digital and physical coupons during the COVID-19...

Olipop co-founder, CEO, and formulator Ben Goodwin joined the Food Institute Podcast to discuss the product he’s made, the shift from probiotic to microbiome-focused beverages among consumers, and the health implications from drinking functional beverages. Additionally,  the conversation with host Chris Campbell ranges to cover topics including aluminum can shortages, marketing challenges, and pro...

Dr. James F. Richardson joined the Food Institute Podcast, hosted by managing partner and CEO Brian Choi to discuss his new book, Ramping Your Brand. The two discuss lapses in market research for emerging brands, focusing on the data rather than individual success stories, and what types of products could be in demand in the future. Additionally, the conversations cover topics including leadership...

Rick Camac, Dean of Restaurant & Hospitality Management at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, joined the Food Institute’s Brian Choi and Chris Campbell to discuss how restaurateurs have been forced to pivot in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and how his school is training the next generation of restaurateurs in preparation. Additionally, the discussion covers ghost kitchens, t...

The Gellert Brothers, Andy and Tom, of the Gellert Group of Companies discuss their companies’ reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, what pivots were necessary, and market fluctuations they are currently experiencing. Additionally, the pair provide insight into their role of leadership during the current economic crisis, and how they seek to bring their employees into the family dynamic of their org...

Angela Fernandez, VP of Community Engagement at GS1 US, spoke with the Food Institute Podcast after FDA unveiled the Blueprint for a New Era of Smarter Food Safety. Leveraging her experience with GS1 US, best known for the UPC barcode, Angela discusses why traceability matters for food companies and what they can do to adapt to the new standards. Additionally, she speaks about consumers perception...

Thomas Gremillion, director of food policy with the Consumer Federation of America, speaks with the Food Institute’s Chris Campbell on the state of U.S. food safety in the wake of the pandemic. Topics covered include worker and product safety at meatpacking and poultry plants; temporary reductions in regulatory oversight and declining foodborne illness outbreak reports; and the safety of CBD and G...

Rick Abraham, a partner with Pentallect, spoke with the Food Institute Podcast regarding what food and beverage leadership looks like during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what is necessary to help food and beverage companies survive in the current business climate. In the episode hosted by Chris Campbell, Abraham provides insights gleaned from a career's worth of experience in the food and beverage i...

Mark Moore, president of CMC Design-Build, spoke with the Food Institute Podcast regarding what’s changed and what’s stayed the same when it comes to food facility build and design choices after the start of COVID-19 pandemic. Topics covered in the episode, hosted by Chris Campbell, include differences in food facility build and design choices for retail- and foodservice-oriented establishments; f...

Join Carol Plisga in exploring the juice market on this episode of of the Food Institute's Market Update. Plisga, an independent consultant and veteran of the global juice market with history at Nestle, detailed the intricacies of the U.S. and global fruit and vegetable juice markets in the wake of the pandemic. Topics covered while exploring the juice market include pricing fluctuations due to sh...

Jean-Pierre (JP) Comte, president of Barilla North America, speaks with the Food Institute’s Brian Choi on how Barilla is leading change in the current environment. Topics covered by JP Comte include innovation in the food industry; managing through crises (e.g., pandemics, social justice); lessons learned on COVID-19; and the leadership qualities needed today to excel in the food industry.

Frozen blueberry industry veteran John Shelford shares his view of the frozen blueberry market in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic with the Food Institute’s Chris Campbell. Topics covered include cold storage holdings, pricing variations, fluctuating demand, and what the market could look like over the course of the next year.

Who are the pre- and post-pandemic pacesetters? Joan Driggs, vice president of content and thought leadership at IRI, joined the Food Institute’s Chris Campbell and Brian Choi to discuss IRI’s 2019 Pacesetter report, including the rise of big blockbuster brands featuring more than $100 million in sales, IRI’s consumer segmentation process, the rise of “better-for-you” products, and an overall focu...

The Food Institute’s Chris Campbell speaks with Farzad Mukhi, director of investment banking at Duff & Phelps Securities, regarding the current market for mergers and acquisitions in the wake of the pandemic. Mukhi explains new challenges and risks for those looking to buy, how valuations may change, and what companies can do to best hold on to value. Hosted By: Chris Campbell Edited By: Anthony D...

What makes consumers so sweet on stevia? The Food Institute spoke with the International Stevia Council’s executive director Maria Teresa Scardigli and president Andy Ohmes regarding the rise of stevia, the natural, no-calorie sweetener. In "Sweet on Stevia," Scardigli touches upon the growth in popularity of the product, health outcomes linked to it, and demographics attracted to it, while Ohmes...

What's the key to marketing in a pandemic? The Food Institute’s Chris Campbell speaks with Shelley Forrester, founder of the Forrester Network, on marketing and advertising strategies that can be employed during the time of coronavirus and beyond. Topics covered include what makes a good leader during crisis situations, innovative strategies for marketing in a pandemic, what companies can do to en...