the Joshua Schall Audio Experience

From Canopy Growth acquiring a majority stake in BioSteel four years ago…to the rise and fall of the supplement turned sports drink brand, I’ve attempted to contextualize the marketplace data and provide insights into would be valuable to the functional CPG community. But with BioSteel officially emerging from bankruptcy recently with a new owner, I thought it would be important to reconcile some...

What’s up guys, it’s your boy Joshy Pooh! OK…OK…that poor attempt at copying Maxx Chewning was not authentic. So, I guess according to the famous Dan Lourenco saying "authenticity is undefeated," I'm taking a loss here. But let’s talk about the recent GHOST x Sour Strips collaboration a bit though. Tons of content out there already on the amazing taste of the products and overall coo...

There has been A LOT of change at the convenient nutrition brand HUEL. But on the other hand, A LOT has stayed the same…which is maybe at the heart as to why HUEL has been so successful. But you might remember that almost exactly two years ago, I made my last piece of dedicated content about HUEL (https://youtu.be/UOiTExb1fk0). In that previous content, I was primarily focused on breaking down the...

Is the sports and active nutrition space really the influential epicenter of the CPG world? I’ve made that confident declaration A LOT lately, but I have to be honest…behind closed doors I’m just waiting for someone to call me out one of its massive blind spots (like sustainability). But as Deion Sanders recently said, "you better come get us now because this is the worst we will ever be.&quo...

I’m not sure if the Canadian bankruptcy courts are just wildly more efficient than in the United States, but we already have a major announcement in the BioSteel court-supervised sale process. For those that haven’t been following my previous content on this business activity…and recognize BioSteel probably from all the prominent sports marketing deals (e.g. NHL sponsorship), you might be wonderin...

G Fuel decided to invite “the suits” into its cool kids’ club. Will this result in a similar FaZe Clan-like collapse or does this turn out differently for G Fuel? If you haven't seen the headlines yet from November 16th, G Fuel announced that it received a significant cash investment from private equity firms Kingswood Capital Management and First Bev. Precise terms of the 8-figure deal were n...

Gamers are no longer that stigmatized nerdy and overweight young white male cohort who live in their parents’ basements. With an increasing number of people playing, broadcasting, and watching esports, the multi-billion-dollar gaming ecosystem is without a doubt cementing itself as a straight up cultural phenomenon. So, maybe it’s time to retire the stereotype that gamers are only interested in un...

I think it’s finally time for THG to file the necessary SEC paperwork, so my September 2022 MyProtein prediction can become a reality. THG (aka the company formerly known as The Hut Group) recently updated the public markets by releasing its 2023 Q3 earnings report. I’ll be utilizing that financial information, along with notes I took listening to the earnings conference call, and any relevant pub...

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again…it’s crazy how the number one brand in the entire convenient nutrition category (e.g. Premier Protein) can still have so much untapped organic growth opportunity! BellRing Brands (NYSE: BRBR) is a portfolio that owns a collection of convenient nutrition brands like Premier Protein, Dymatize Nutrition, Powerbar, and Joint Juice, which was previously wholly-ow...

Remember those good ole days of Instagram when everyone shared an embarrassingly high number of food photos? Well…maybe it’s time to party like it’s the early 2010s again, but this time utilize those food photography skills in a useful manner. If Google Lens is best described as a search engine for the real world, then SnapCalorie would be that guy with a six pack your girlfriend has pictures of s...

After a month of owning MusclePharm…has FitLife Brands given us any hints of what’s to come next? For those unaware, the supplement brands that are within the FitLife Brands portfolio are categorized in three segments…NDS Products (which are a collection of brands mostly sold in the GNC franchise system), iSatori Products (which are a collection of brands sold through a diversified retail mix), an...

Some stressed out entrepreneurs drown themselves in alcohol, my stress relieving “vice” is that nighttime bowl of ice cream. I subscribe to the theory that there’s no problem too large that sugar can't solve. But what if the problem was that sugar-loving consumers want to maintain the same taste of their indulgences but curtail their sugar consumption? For many indulgence focused CPG brands th...

Is there still some Bang left in Jack Owoc’s fight for the company he founded? While the bulk of this content is going to be focused on reconciling what I previously predicted Monster Beverage would do with the Bang Energy asset to the actual turnaround strategy that Rodney Sacks (Monster Energy CEO) has been slowly providing details of within their quarterly earnings conference calls. And since M...

Remember that scene in Talladega Nights where the original driver leaves the track and Lucius asks the pit crew if anyone wants to jump in the car and go fast? Well…Celsius Holdings is the energy drinks version of Ricky Bobby! This is only the third quarter that Celsius energy drinks was fully integrated into the PepsiCo DSD distribution system after the August deal announcement. Celsius Holdings...

CELSIUS is climbing the energy drinks leaderboard, but to catch Monster Energy…maybe they need to think like Monster Beverage Corporation and The Coca-Cola Company. So, I’m scrolling through a slew of business news the other day and I see a Bloomberg article headline…seemingly taken from an interview with Celsius Holdings CEO John Fieldly that states “potential acquisition on the horizon.” While I...

Digital marketers at functional CPG brands better watch how they flex on Instagram. When Powerade reformulated its beverage to contain more electrolytes earlier this year, The Coca-Cola Company decided to take a few swipes at hated rival PepsiCo...owner of Gatorade. In one of these “Powerade vs. Gatorade” social media posts, it featured a side-by-side comparison of electrolytes and vitamins with t...

If there’s one thing consistent about Glanbia each year, it’s that the global nutrition group always makes at least one acquisition. Glanbia Performance Nutrition is one of two wholly-owned segments of Glanbia plc (LON:GLB), a multibillion-dollar global nutrition company. The brands in the Glanbia Performance Nutrition portfolio include; Optimum Nutrition, BSN, think!, Isopure, Amazing Grass, and...

Will upcoming changes to Atkins Nutritionals help them survive in the “Age of Ozempic”? In this latest episode, I'll utilize the 2023 Q4 Simply Good Foods Company (NASDAQ: SMPL) earnings report, earnings call, and supplemental presentations that were filed on 10/24/2023 as the backdrop to provide broad nutritional snacking market insights. In Q4 of fiscal 2023, both Atkins Nutritionals and Que...

There seems to be an “anything goes attitude” emerging within the beverage industry. Want to make an alcoholic Mountain Dew? Sure! Want to create a caffeine-free Monster Energy with alcohol? Sounds wonderful! And if you want to make fun of a product concept on April Fool’s Day one year…and reveal commercial plans for basically the same thing the next year, we’re here for it! Well…if you haven’t he...

Pivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! As another quarter recently ended within the functional CPG space, it’s seemed only right that I ask my good friend and Market Insights Director at SPINS, Scott Dicker, to join me again for another one of our legendary ho...

With the per capita sales volume of ketchup falling slightly over the last five years, the Heinz marketing team members knew they needed to collectively step-up big time. Knowing that remixing some played out CPG industry strategy wasn’t going to work...Heinz turned to the United States Mint for inspiration. Thankfully, we aren’t going to see more green ketchup again either! Instead, Heinz is remi...

Pivotal is an interview-style segment that tackles topics in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) from the business leaders that live it EVERY DAY! This is going to be a sort of special edition Pivotal episode because it was filmed onsite at this year’s NACS Show in Atanta. While my guest certainly doesn’t need an introduction at this point, I would be remiss not to...

Even if you don’t understand those trendy TikTok dances, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a mix of skill and hard work, along with timing and luck that goes into capitalizing on these new kingmakers of the world. If you can consistently “catch lightning in a bottle” by holding consumer attention with the help of these digital platform algorithms, congratulations…you’ve just become one of the most sough...

Is there a more riveting “what could be next” story playing out right now across any part of the CPG industry then with the brand portfolio Congo Brands? For those unfamiliar, here’s a quick recap on the Congo Brands portfolio and its "creator/celebrity" partnerships...PRIME is the current star performer, selling ~$550 million of hydration beverages across large tracked channels over the...

Remember in the movie "Hustle & Flow" when Terrence Howard's character said "it's hard out here for a pimp." Well...I have no idea about that, but I do know legacy CPG brands are having a hard time coming up with effective ways to stop consumers’ infinite scroll. Their latest effort revolves around using the power of going gross. By introducing weird flavor combinat...