Ray Latif is the lead host, producer, and content editor of Taste Radio, BevNET’s flagship podcast and the go-to show for food and beverage industry insights. With 14 years of experience in the industry, Ray is a seasoned journalist known for his sharp interviews and in-depth coverage of trends, innovation, and news. He began his career at BevNET as an assistant editor, later advancing to managing editor of both the website and magazine. Since 2016, he’s been the driving force behind Taste Radio, overseeing everything from content strategy to production. Ray’s conversational style and meticulous research have earned him widespread praise from both guests and listeners. He has had the privilege of interviewing a diverse range of high-profile figures, including Patrick Mahomes, Jennifer Garner, Dan Aykroyd, Kobe Bryant, Padma Lakshmi, and Brad Paisley. His ability to connect with entrepreneurs, celebrities, and industry leaders has made Taste Radio a must-listen for anyone interested in the evolving world of food and beverage.
In this episode of the BevNET Podcast, Sperry, along with Carol Ortenberg, the editor of BevNET sister site Project NOSH, discussed Whole Foods’ efforts to revitalize its brand and assuage key investors in light of its announcement of changes to its board of directors, category management, and the launch of a loyalty program.
Premium bottled water brand Icelandic Glacial yesterday announced a major distribution expansion at grocery, foodservice and convenience stores. The news comes after double-digit growth in sales of the brand over the past year.
In this edition, we sat down with Gigi Lee Chang, the managing director of cause-oriented food business accelerator FoodFutureCo. Chang, who also founded baby food brand Plum Organics, explained FoodFutureCo’s work in advising and supporting early- and mid-stage food and beverage companies that are providing unique products and solutions for the food system.
In this episode of the podcast, we discuss some of the big stories in the food and beverage business, including tough press for Juicero, operational issues for brands like Soylent and Reed’s, and the ways the largest, publicly-traded food and beverage companies are attempting to refresh their lineups through transactions -- and through change at the top.
Last week PepsiCo removed bottled Stubborn Soda and Caleb’s Kola products from the market after discovering recent batches were inadvertently made with beet sugar. The craft sodas are normally formulated with Fair Trade Certified cane sugar and the gaffe was the result of a supplier error, according to the company.
In a recent interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET podcast, Hippeas founder Livio Bisterzo credited the rapid success of the brand to marketing that’s less about the functional attributes of the snacks and more about reaching a broad base of consumers.
In this edition of Press Clips: Bulletproof is headed to the Big Apple; one year after Berkeley, Calif.’s tax on sugar-sweetened beverages took effect, citywide sales of sugar-sweetened drinks fell by nearly 10 percent; the first colorless coffee in the world hits the market.
Last week BevNET sat down with IRI CEO and president Andrew Appel who discussed the global market research firm efforts to detangle and optimize an ever-evolving and complex web of sales and consumer data, why he believes that “voice is the next platform” for data collection and how IRI is expanding its use of artificial intelligence to "automate away the simple."
Adam Melonas has a pretty simple mission: he wants you to eat tasty, healthy snacks. The Australian-born chef and entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of Chew LLC, a Boston-based food incubator, whose primary focus is to recreate legacy snack brands from “the ground up, inventing new processes to make them more nutritious and delicious every time.”
In Press Clips: PepsiCo has pulled the plug on a major marketing campaign featuring celebrity Kendall Jenner following a hailstorm of criticism about one of its ads. JAB Holding Co. will add another major feather to its cap with the acquisition of fast-casual restaurant Panera Bread.
Runa, a maker of guayusa-based teas and energy drinks, has tapped veteran beverage executive Alex Galindez as its new CEO. Galindez, who was most recently the general manager of organic cold-pressed juice brand BluePrint, takes the reins from Runa co-founder Tyler Gage, who has a new role as chairman of the company.
In this edition, Howard Telford, a senior beverages analyst with market research firm Euromonitor shared his thoughts on pertinent trends affecting new product development as viewed at Expo West and beyond. This podcast also includes a conversation with Michel Boissy, the CEO and co-founder of cold-pressed juice company FreshBev, the maker of the Ripe brand of juices and cocktail mixers.
Chris Hopkins wants to take you on a tropical vacation. His mode of transport? Coffee. A longtime beverage sales executive, Hopkins recently launched Blue Island Coffee, a brand designed to carry consumers “away from their daily routine through coffee innovation.”
In this video, BevNET’s John Craven and Ray Latif examine current trends in the dairy alternative category through the lens of the product developments on display at the recently-concluded Natural Products Expo West 2017.
