This episode features an interview with Marshall Rabil, the co-owner of specialty peanut brand Hubs, who spoke about the brand’s efforts to reach younger consumers and the duality of his role as a steward and modernizer of his family’s business. Also, the hosts discussed the news that Bang Energy has filed for bankruptcy and why innovative entrepreneurs are often hamstrung by their own achievements.

Super Coffee co-founders Jim, Jake and Jordan DeCicco spoke about how shifting headwinds have influenced recent business decisions, the impact of Covid on innovation and what they learned from being on the front lines of distribution and merchandising since the outset of the pandemic. They also explained the value of being “the world’s foremost experts on Super Coffee” and how they communicate exit planning to their team.

Anna-Lena Kamenetzky, the founder and CEO of growth-stage venture capital firm Touch Capital, explained how global trends help inform the firm’s investments, which include Super Coffee, Lesser Evil and Haven’s Kitchen. She also discussed why investor feedback only works “if it's a pull and not a push,” how she evaluates the scaling potential of innovative brands, and offered her perspective on several trendy concepts, ingredients and CPG categories.

Max Pouvreau, the founder of premium pudding brand Petit Pot, explained why he has always emphasized frugality and cautious spending, how the hire of an experienced operations executive and planning strategy helped the company scale production and achieve profitability and how being ahead of the curve on permissible indulgence has benefited the brand’s development.