NOSH Live Summer 2022 Recap

During the opening day of NOSH Live Summer 2022, held June 14-15 in New York City, John Lowe, CEO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, announced he will step down from the role after 13 years. Lowe told the audience at the top of his presentation that he has instructed Jeni’s board of directors to begin searching for a replacement CEO and he will remain in the position until a replacement is found. Lowe will keep his board seat.

During a discussion with NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg, Lowe simply said that he is “anxious to scratch other itches” but did not elaborate on his future career plans. While he reiterated that the time is right for the company and himself to move on, he admitted it is a bittersweet decision, adding that he “got quite verklempt” while informing the Jeni’s team last week.

The announcement cast a nostalgic tone over the rest of Lowe’s presentation, in which he detailed Jeni’s rise from a small Ohio
scoop shop to a nationally distributed brand. He broke down his time with the company into five acts, including founder Jeni Britton Bauer’s opening the first store in 2002, his first several years as CEO and the challenges of generating profit, the decision to undergo a devastating recall of all products after a listeria outbreak, the company’s resurgence and rise to a national brand, and finally the current pandemic era, during which Jeni’s has opened 15 new brick-and-mortar stores while expanding direct-to-consumer and retail.

In particular, Lowe spoke to the importance of cultivating a passionate team by collaborating with employees and embracing creative decisions – even when they stood to be financial risks for the business.

Later in the day, news broke that better-for-you cereal maker Magic Spoon had raised an $85 million capital round and after three years as an ecommerce-focused business, the brand will launch in over 1,350 Target stores nationwide. Hours after the announcement, Magic Spoon co-founder and co-CEO Gabi Lewis took the stage to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, from the founding of cricket-based protein bar company Exo to the new opportunities in the market he saw by creating a disruptive, keto-friendly cereal brand.

The most significant differences between starting Exo and Magic Spoon were education and supply chain, Lewis said. He noted that Exo was an audacious project where success depended on his and his co-founder’s ability to convince consumers to eat food made from insects. By being a first mover in that category, Lewis also had to build out a supply chain from scratch. For his second venture, however, Lewis said he decided to focus on a large, established category in need of disruption.

During the second day of the conference, Sweet Loren’s CEO and founder Loren Castle announced the better-for-you cookie dough brand will be launching a range of reduced sugar products in Publix next month.

Castle began her presentation by taking audience members on a journey through the history of Sweet Loren’s, which has grown from a frozen cookie dough sold at New York City farmer’s markets in 2011 to a multi-SKU brand of refrigerated cookie dough products available at more than 15,000 stores nationwide.

In 2017, the brand replaced the original product with a gluten-free, dairy free, nut-free plant-based portfolio to create a universal product that could be enjoyed by everyone. The release of the lower sugar line comes at a time when consumer shopping
trends are seeking out products with low sugar content rather than alternative sweeteners. Sweet Loren’s Lower Sugar products will be available in Publix stores beginning in July and in Stop & Shop stores in August.

Later in the day, Dan Epley, VP of Whole Foods Market’s Dry Grocery Team, and David Lafferty, Executive Leader of the Grocery Team, continuously stressed the importance of staying true to their ethos while discussing what it takes for a brand to land its product in the natural retailer’s stores.

Amid the global supply chain crisis and price hikes, Epley and Lafferty said that food makers must remain committed to sourcing quality ingredients. If brands don’t stand for quality, they are letting consumers down, according to Epley. When considering brands for placements in its stores – whether they are in the early or late stage of development – Whole Foods Market examines sales, potential scalability and social media presence. Is the brand resonating with consumers? Is it creating authentic content? Can it grow regionally or nationally?

“Our quality standards team is looking at all of the different things that are coming out right now and looking very carefully into the science behind it,” said Lafferty. “A customer expects Whole Foods to really protect them and so we’re being very careful about anything we bring in.”

Additionally, throughout the two day conference, 11 food brands competed in NOSH’s Pitch Slam 12 with better for you brownie brand Ruani ultimately taking home the prize of bragging rights and a $10,000 industry awareness package.

Ruani emerged triumphant from a group of six finalists: allergy-friendly trail mix Absurd Snacks, cheese alternative Farmer Foodie Everything Cheeze, crunchy mushroom snacks Popadelics, protein-rich waffle sliders Start Right Foods and plant-based “dips for dinner” Niramaya Foods. Ruani’s brownies combine almond flour, avocado oil, organic pasture-raised eggs, and unrefined coconut sugar with the stress-relieving benefits of ashwagandha.