In this episode, Chris Hollod, a venture capitalist focused on early-stage consumer brands, discussed his investment philosophy and why digital strategy is at the top of his list when evaluating brands. He also explained why he believes that his job requires him to not only to follow and facilitate innovation, but to predict it.
Granny Squibb’s latest flavor is Charlie’s Cranberry, which comes in both sweetened and unsweetened varieties. These two flavors joint the other four SKUs that are part of the Granny Squibb’s lineup.
Aloha is a company that has, until now, built its brand selling plant-based protein bars and powders. At Expo West 2019 they officially made the jump into the ready-to-drink game with this product, Aloha Organic Protein Drink.
Andrew Aussie is the president of Up to Good, a beverage company that is upcycling coffee waste to offer a unique energy drink. The beverage is brewed with cascara, the coffee cherry, which is normally disposed of in coffee processing. The brand believes its sustainable focus, direct trade practices and mission to give back to coffee farmers will resonate with millennials.
Vital Proteins has been marketing collagen enhanced products in various forms since the company launched several years ago. However, ready-to-drink has not been one of those formats -- until now.
Four Sigmatic, which produces a variety of mushroom and adaptogenic drink mixes, is making its way into the ready-to-drink space with the launch of Mushroom Focus Shot. Packaged in the same 2.5 oz bottle that has been the staple of the energy shot category, Four Sigmatic Mushroom Focus Shot contains a host of functional ingredients, including Lion’s mane mushrooms, rhodiola, guayusa (a natural source of caffeine), and rose hips.
A serial entrepreneur who started working for himself at age 12, Mark Sisson finally hit the jackpot. Sisson is the founder of Primal Kitchen, a Paleo-centric brand of condiments that Kraft Heinz acquired in 2018 for $200 million. Although Primal Kitchen was on the market for just three years when it was acquired, the brand, which was born out of Sisson’s popular blog, was decades in the making.
Kokomio is a new line of high pressure processed (HPP) whole coconut beverages that are produced in Mexico. The brand’s initial lineup features three flavors, including Whole Coconut + Cold Brew Coffee, Whole Coconut + Hemp, and Whole Coconut + Probiotics.
In this episode, we examine brand-building and retail strategies for center store grocery in interviews with the founders of two category-leading brands: Katlin Smith, the founder and CEO of fast-growing baking mix and snack brand Simple Mills, and David Eben, the founder of Carrington Farms, a brand of organic seeds, grains and oils.
Lauren Mones is the founder and CEO of Fermenting Fairy, a company that develops a line of probiotic and fermented foods focused on healing the gut. The brand’s clean ingredient beverages include fermented ginger-based lemonades and vegan coconut milk kefir.
Säpp is back with a major update to both its packaging and formulation. Now in a 12 oz. PET bottle that features the tagline “Hydration from the Forest,” the next iteration of Säpp has a much more inviting and polished look than the original, and an appealing new flavor lineup to match.
Dr. Bronner’s CEO David Bronner joined us for a wide-ranging interview in which he spoke about his roots with the natural soap company and how his advocacy for hemp contributed to the evolution of the brand. He also explained why he supports the use of psychedelics within the context of the company’s philanthropic strategy, discussed what makes Dr. Bronner’s concept of corporate responsibility different from its peers and how it is preserving its legacy.
Natural energy and recovery drink brand EBOOST has been featured in a variety of different formats in its decade long history, including a liquid shot, but a full size ready-to-drink (RTD) has never been one of them. This year, the company is making the leap with the launch of “Super Fuel.”
How did a small, fast-growing city in Central Oregon become a haven for food and beverage entrepreneurship? We recently met with entrepreneurs and business leaders in the city of Bend to discuss its emergence as a West Coast business capital.
