Beverage has been described as a “brand forward” category.  This is especially true in the premium beverage space. Consumers align themselves with particular beverage brands to make a statement about who they are. A drink in hand becomes like a fashion accessory - an expression of values and identity - and it’s not uncommon for premium beverage companies to think of themselves more like lifestyle brands than CPGs. But sometimes the brand - or the can - hides a lackluster product.  Fortunately, that’s never going to be the case for Cloud Water.  Cloud Water is an all-natural sparkling beverage made with premium botanicals. Their two principle product lines are their original hemp-infused CBD sparkling waters and their new Immunity line, designed to boost your body’s ability to fight infection.  Cloud Water is a functional product that supports physical and mental wellness. But the real star of the show are their totally unique flavor profiles, like blood orange & coconut or Aztec chocolate and strawberry.  Now that’s not to say that Cloud Water doesn’t focus on its brand aesthetic - quite the opposite. The real genius of Cloud Water is that instead of thinking about brand and product separately, they focus on creating a holistic premium experience, marrying taste, function, and aesthetic. We spoke to Cloud Water Brands co-founder and CEO Marc Siden about what it takes to create a holistic experience like this and the many ways this approach has paid dividends.  Marc also opens up about his entrepreneurial journey, his leadership style, and how the constraints of the pandemic inspired their latest innovations. Links Cloud Water Brands Follow Cloud Water on Instagram and Twitter Connect with Marc on LinkedIn Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is produced by Caroo. 

Brand Builder

How Cloud Water Creates Premium Customer Experiences, with Cloud Water Brands CEO Marc Siden

Food is a ticking time bomb. CPG entrepreneurs often learn this the hard way. The minute your product comes off the line, you have 90 days to get it to a distributor. If not, you're looking at progressive discounts every month after that.   The reason? Most distributors insist on a 75% shelf life. If you can’t guarantee that timing at the outset, you’re taking on way too much risk. If you’re not careful, you can whittle away your margin completely.  That’s what makes demand planning and forecasting - the topic of this episode - so important. If you can nail the when, where, how often, and how much of your product, you’re well on your way to CPG success.  To help us understand all this we’re joined by CPG veteran and master-forecaster Alex Duong. Today Alex is the CEO and founder of Ancient Provisions, a wholesome and delicious cheese-flavored cracker. Alex has seen CPG from just about every side of the business. And with previous experience onboarding emerging brands at Whole Foods and Procurement at Thrive Market, he’s honed some serious forecasting chops.  Alex also has a history of being ahead of trends, and he isn’t afraid to pivot when faced with new information. This is a big reason why Ancient Provisions is thriving, despite launching in one of the most challenging environments imaginable.  Alex shares how to nail your 2021 forecast, the single most common planning mistake he sees companies make, and why every entrepreneur should ask themselves: are they a Russell Westbrook, a Lebron James, or a Kawhi Leonard?  Links Ancient Provisions Connect with Alex on LinkedIn Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is produced by Caroo. 

How to Master Demand Planning in 2021, with Ancient Provisions Founder Alex Duong

CPG veteran and insights guru Mark Mallardi is taking on a new challenge: build a brand from the ground up...and save the rainforest in the process. Mark has decades of experience helping emerging brands scale using data and insights. Today, he's channeling that knowledge into AMARUMAYU, a newly launched line of superfruit juices. The stars of the show are Camu Camu and Buriti, two immunity-boosting antioxidant-rich superfoods found deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon.  AMARUMAYU relies on a bio-economic model of preservation. By creating a viable commercial market for the sustainable harvest of Camu Camu and Buriti, the brand helps ensure the survival of the surrounding ecosystem.  For this to work, AMARUMAYU must adhere to a set of “wild-harvest” best practices that include never harvesting from felled trees and leaving a percentage of fruit on the vine for the area's wild fauna.  Another key to the success of this model is the close cooperation of local indigenous communities. Mark and his Peruvian counterparts have marshaled an impressive network that includes Peru’s Ministry of the Environment, local NGOs, and the Peruvian Indigenous People's Chamber of Commerce.  AMARUMAYU just launched exclusively on Amazon (where else?), and Mark walks us through they novel ways they're reaching customers at a time when sample and trial is so limited.  Mark also talked to us about how the survival of the Amazon rainforest is connected to the overall health of the planet, what it takes to harvest in a protected national park, and why this product was the right opportunity for him to become a true brand builder. Links AMARUMAYU AMARUMAYU launch press release Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is produced by Caroo. 

How AMARUMAYU Is Helping Indigenous Communities Save the Amazon, with AMARUMAYU GM Mark Mallardi

This week we’ve got a guest who approaches brand building unlike anyone we’ve talked to yet.  In fact, he’s less of a brand builder and more of a portfolio builder. Our featured guest is Harrison Fugman, the CEO & co-founder of The Naked Market. Our first question for Harrison was probably one you’re asking now: what exactly is The Naked Market? According to their site it’s “an omni-channel food and beverage platform,” but I’d argue that the portfolio analogy is the easiest way to understand what Harrison and the team are doing.  Rather than focus on one brand, they launch multiple brands with the goal of creating market leaders in a capital efficient manner. As you’ll hear, the approach borrows a bit from the worlds of tech and finance. Data is definitely king, and “fail-fast” is a foundational concept. Considering Harrison’s seven years with Credit Suisse, it all makes sense.  At the risk of oversimplifying, The Naked Market approaches brand building like this:  Step 1: Identify a category that’s ripe for disruption Step 2: Create products to attack that category Step 3: Monitor the data to see if the brand is tracking the way it needs to If yes, scale it If no, shut it down Harrison walks us through what that looks like in practice with TNM’s three flagship brands - Flock chicken chips, Avo Crazy, and Beach House bowls. Harrison talks about the role of trends in this process (and the difference between true trends and fads), the potential downsides of this model and how they work to avoid them, and why the pandemic is the perfect time to double down on their strategy.  Links The Naked Market Flock Chicken Chips Avo Crazy Beach House Bowls Press Release: The Naked Market Closes $6MM Seed Funding Round Connect with Harrison on LinkedIn Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is produced by Caroo.  

How The Naked Market Creates Category Kings by Thinking Like a Tech Startup, w/ CEO Harrison Fugman

It’s a law of entrepreneurship that never fails:  No matter how much you prepare, nothing ever goes precisely to plan. There’s always something that comes out of left field and forces you to adapt.  Sometimes, that thing is a typo on your packaging. Other times… it’s the onset of a global pandemic.  The latter was the case for Clara Paye, the founder and CEO of UNiTE Food. After spending years on R&D and planning their March 2020 launch to a tee, COVID-19 changed everything.  Of course, what matters is how you adapt, and so far Clara and her small-but-mighty team have done that expertly. They quickly pivoted their retail-forward strategy, and UNiTE is rapidly building a DTC customer base, thanks in equal measure to media attention and a great product.  UNiTE’s brand and mission has resonated with consumers by infusing the functional bar category with nostalgia and fun. Their bars are clean yet indulgent, with flavors inspired by cross-cultural comfort foods like Mexican Hot Chocolate, Churro, and PB&J. Clara - who describes herself as a “fearlessly positive immigrant founder” - created UNiTE’s signature product out of a desire to see more representation in the bar aisle.  With an MBA and years at the helm of the family’s plumbing supply business, Clara is a seasoned business professional but a first-time CPG entrepreneur. We talk about the lessons she learned running the family business, and what convinced her to take the leap and launch a food brand.  We also discuss why she’s crowdsourcing the next iteration of UNiTE Food, the neuroscience marketing principles behind their eye-catching packaging, as well as what it was like to share a magazine cover with Post Malone.   Links UNiTE Food SHELF Studio Connect with Clara on LinkedIn Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is produced by Caroo. 

How UNiTE Food Is Welcoming New People Into Wellness, with UNiTE CEO and Founder Clara Paye

If you want to understand what drives JanaBanana and its powerhouse founder Janaina Lopes, look no further than the JanaBanana soccer team.  Janaina (Jana for short) grew up in Vale do Ribeira, a small coastal community in the southern part of São Paulo Brazil, renowned for its lush Atlantic Forest and plentiful banana farms.  But amidst this idyllic scenery, certain troubling inequities persisted.  “In this village… the girls are being forgotten,” Jana said. “I know because I was one of them.” One glaring example: sports. While the local boys soccer team traveled to play area clubs, girls weren’t allowed to play the game at all.  To right this wrong, Jana launched the JanaBanana Girls Project, and the all-girls JanaBanana soccer team was born.  In this interview, we learn why making a positive impact is at the heart of everything JanaBanana does, both for its customers and for the communities it cares about.  Jana also shares why she left management consulting to launch her own company, the differences between Brazilian and American business culture, and why upcycling is such an important part of the JanaBanana brand.  Links JanaBanana JanaBanana Girls Project Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is produced by Caroo. 

How JanaBanana is Empowering Girls to Chase Their Dreams, with founder Janaina Lopes

When you think about it, Salmon are a magical fish.  They famously swim upstream to the freshwater tributaries of their birth to spawn. Along the way, they become a vital food source for dozens of land animals. After they reproduce and die, their bodies fertilize trees hundreds of miles from the open ocean habitat where they spend most of their lives.  Without salmon, entire ecosystems would collapse. Yet their fate hangs in the balance.  Social entrepreneurs Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud came up with a radical idea to save them.  What if the best way to preserve this keystone species… is to eat it?  That’s the idea behind GOODFISH, the first 100% traceable Wild Alaska Sockeye crispy salmon skins.  So how does this make any sense? GOODFISH sources their salmon skin from one of the most sustainable, well-regulated fisheries anywhere in the world in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The idea is to raise awareness and create a market that supports a sustainable supply chain.  And GOODFISH is poised to pull it off. They’ve created a modern, joyful brand around a great tasting innovative product. A serving of these crispy, snackable skins packs 7g of high quality protein, 2600mg marine collagen, and 800mg of omega 3 fatty acids.  GOODFISH is a brand new product, and the first of its kind. But it’s also the flipside to Justin and Doug’s other venture, Harmless Harvest, the beloved coconut water brand that saw major investment from Danone in 2018. The way Justin describes it, the two brands are part of one ongoing project inspired by deep ecology and constructive capitalism.   Links  GOODFISH Harmless Harvest Connect with Justin on LinkedIn Inc: How These 2 Guys Are Winning the Hyper-Competitive Coconut Water Wars Pattern Brands Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot 

How to Save a Keystone Species...By Eating It, with GOODFISH co-founder Justin Guilbert

How many grammy winners can you name as investors?  If it’s zero or one, Partake Foods has you beat. Because this great tasting, allergen-free cookie brand counts both Jay-Z and H.E.R. as marquee investors.  And it’s not just celebrity investors who are taking notice. Today Partake is available in more than 2,700 stores (including major retailers like Whole Foods and Target), and has been featured everywhere from Forbes to the Today Show. Not bad for a brand that launched out of an apartment barely three years ago.  So how did Partake do it? To find out, we sat down with Denise Woodard, the CEO and founder of Partake Foods.  One reason Partake has resonated so deeply is the idea of inclusion that’s core to the Partake story. Denise’s daughter suffers from a rare combination of food allergies, and her initial goal was simply to create a treat that her daughter, and kids like her, could actually enjoy.  Partake was also one of the inaugural brands in SnackNation’s Amplify box, a special curation highlighting and celebrating BIPOC- and women-founded snack brands. The idea of inclusion extends to Denise as a leader too. Like any founder, Denise feels the pressure to do right by her customers and investors. But she also describes a deeper responsibility she feels to pave the way for women founders and founders of color through Partake’s success.  You can tell from speaking to and learning about Denise that she is a skilled leader, and she tells us about the leadership style that she’s honed over the years, first as an executive at Coca-Cola, and now as the leader of a high-growth startup.  Denise also shares when it’s time for your business to take venture money (and when not to), Partake’s early re-brand, plus the mindset brand founders need to build their brand in a pandemic.  Links Partake Foods Connect with Denise on LinkedIn Forbes: The Odds Are Stacked Against Women Of Color Seeking Venture Funds. Here’s How One Cookie Startup Broke The Mold Essence: Black Owned Cookie Company Gets Co-Sign From H.E.R. Pharell and Jay-Z: “Entrepreneur,” featuring Denise Woodard   Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.  

Why Jay-Z Invested in This Fast-Growing Cookie Startup, with Partake Foods CEO Denise Woodard

Before he launched Magic Spoon, Gabi Lewis had wondered why no one had disrupted the cereal space.  When he asked around, the experts all told him the same thing:  “Cereal is a dying category.” The truth is, while cereal might technically be declining slightly, it’s still an $11 billion opportunity. And the conventional wisdom that led so many founders to avoid the space actually created major opportunity - opportunity that Gabi and his co-founder Greg Sewitz promptly seized by launching Magic Spoon in 2019. Magic Spoon is a concept that’s so brilliant, it seems almost obvious: cereal that looks and tastes like childhood favorites but is low carb, high protein, and zero sugar. Their goal from day one was to be the Halo Top or Oatly of the cereal aisle.  So far that strategy has paid off with booming sales and glowing praise from consumers and media alike. The brand has been featured in WIRED, CNN, and Fast Company, and called “The Cereal of the Future” by Forbes. Eye-popping packaging and whimsical branding that appeals to nostalgic, health-conscious Millennials doesn’t hurt either. In this episode, we learn how Magic Spoon nailed product-market fit, their unconventional approach to influencer marketing, and the lessons learned from Gabi and Greg Serwitz’s first venture, Exo, the cricket based protein bar that they sold to Aspire Food Group in 2018. Links Magic Spoon Forbes: Why Exo's Cofounders Have Become 'Cereal' Entrepreneurs Connect with Gabi on LinkedIn   Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands. 

How Magic Spoon Disrupted the $11B Cereal Category, with Magic Spoon co-founder Gabi Lewis

Recess is a CBD beverage brand that almost never talks about CBD. How is this possible? Because founder and CEO Benjamin Witte knows that the best beverage brands don’t focus on an ingredient… they convey a feeling.  Case in point: Redbull. You may have noticed that with all their talk of energy, action sports, and giving you “wings,” Redbull never talks about caffeine. Because feeling is more powerful than the ingredient. So why should the CBD category be any different?  Founded in 2017, Recess is a consumer wellness brand creating products and experiences designed to help people feel balanced, centered, and inspired so they can be their most productive and creative selves. They make sparkling water infused with calming hemp extract and adaptogens for balance and clarity. Benjamin and the Recess team have their sights set on becoming the next Redbull. To do that, they’re building their brand around the feeling of calm and tranquility - aka, “taking a recess.”  Recess also recently did something pretty unexpected - they launched an apparel collection called “Reality Wear.” In this episode, you’ll learn how this all ties back to Ben’s philosophy on brand marketing.  On top of that, you'll learn what every CPG brand should borrow from Silicon Valley, and why the era of building a brand by doing demos in Wegman’s is over (plus what to do instead).  Links takearecess.com Connect with Benjamin on LinkedIn Shoe Dog by Phil Knight 2PM newsletter by Web Smith  Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands. 

How Recess Is Building the Redbull of CBD, w/ Recess founder & CEO Benjamin Witte

Until COVID, you could argue that Dan Gluck had seen it all in the CPG world. Dan brings an impressive trifecta of related experience to the table. He’s been an institutional investor with 15 years in the hedge fund space, an owner-operator with the wildly successful Health Warrior brand, and now a partner at one of the most innovative VC firms in CPG.  But COVID is an unprecedented challenge, forcing some brands to pivot on a dime and throw out the old playbook. Success in a pandemic requires founders to adopt a specific mindset and set of skills. Fortunately, Dan's experience has given him a unique vantage point to guide emerging brands through this crisis. Even better, this week he shares that POV with Brand Builder. Dan Gluck is a Managing Partner at PowerPlant Ventures, a firm that invests in emerging consumer food & beverage, foodservice and food-tech companies. Their mission is to “re-architect” the global food system by investing in world changing companies that deliver better nutrition in more sustainable and ethical ways. Prior to PowerPlant, Dan founded Health Warrior, the plant-based superfood company that successfully exited to Pepsi in 2018. This is a great conversation on Dan’s experience with Health Warrior and PowerPlant - for starters, we learn the 5 powerful megatrends that drive PowerPlant’s investment strategy. But if that weren’t enough, what we really found valuable was Dan’s take on how COVID is affecting CPG. He talks in depth about how the best companies and leaders are reacting to the crisis, and what you should be doing right now to ensure your success during and after this challenging time. Links PowerPlant Ventures Connect with the PowerPlant team: info@powerplantvc.com Connect with Dan on LinkedIn BB Episode 10 - Mark Rampolla Born to Run by Christopher McDougall Principles by Ray Dalio Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands. 

What the Best Brands Are Doing to Thrive During the Pandemic, with PowerPlant Ventures' Dan Gluck

For the last few years, Jeff Martin has made the same New Year’s Resolution –   “Speak up more.” The financial-analyst-turned-CPG-entrepreneur isn’t talking about having a bigger hand in decision-making at Pipsnacks, the brand he co-founded with his sister Jen and wife Teresa. It goes deeper than that.  It means speak up and confront injustice, whenever he encounters it. Speak up as a founder of color in a space where that’s a rarity. Speak up so that others may follow the example he and his co-founders have set. We are in the midst of historic societal change. The tragic, senseless death of George Floyd has ignited protests across the U.S. and around the world, and heightened our collective awareness of systemic racism.  Many are learning what others have known for a long time – that racial injustice affects every aspect of society. The world of CPG is no exception.  This week we’re bringing you a very special interview with Pipsnacks’ Jeff Martin. While Pipsnacks is one of our absolute favorite brands, this episode is not really about their business. (Check out Episode 5 for that.) This is a conversation about race and identity, and how those forces shaped who Jeff is as an entrepreneur and as a human being.  We originally recorded this interview as part of SnackNation’s internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming during Black History Month. And while this conversation was pre-COVID and before the global Black Lives Matter protests, we ultimately felt that it spoke to the present moment. We are grateful that Jeff agreed, and gave us permission to share it with all of you.  Links Pipsnacks Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn Brand Builder Episode 5 – How Pipsnacks Got Oprah Winfrey and Mark Cuban Excited About Popcorn Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What’s your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands. 

A Black Founder’s Perspective on the State of CPG, with Pipsnacks co-founder Jeff Martin

For Brendan Brazier, Pulp Culture all started with a question:  Why are there so many health-obsessed people who are absolutely unwilling to compromise on what they eat, yet so ready to compromise when it comes to alcohol? Why don’t we hold alcohol to the same high standards as food?  The answer, he realized, was that Pulp Culture didn’t exist yet.  Brendan is a former pro triathlete and a two-time Canadian 50km ultra marathon champion. He’s also the founder of the hugely successful Vega Protein Powder line, which he successfully sold to Danone. And of course, he was one of those people who are so adamant about healthy eating, yet constantly forced to compromise when it came to having the occasional beer or cocktail with friends.  His latest venture, Pulp Culture, solves this dilemma by taking 100% raw, fresh juice and allowing it to naturally ferment over three months through a process called “wild fermentation.” That means that there are no starters like yeast or sugar. All the fermentation comes from naturally occurring ambient bacteria. The result is a zero-additive, zero-sugar alcoholic beverage with 66 billion naturally-occurring probiotics, and B vitamins. In other words, an adult beverage that’s actually good for you.  In this interview, Brendan breaks down how he built the Vega brand, the parallels between building a business and rising in the sport of triathlon, the philosophy behind his successful Thrive book series, and why he’s so excited about the opportunity that lies ahead for Pulp Culture.

How This Champion Endurance Athlete Created a Better-for-you Alcohol Brand, with Vega and Pulp Culture founder Brendan Brazier

What do you get when you throw a serial entrepreneur, a vegan chef, and Rob Dyrdek in the same room? Turns out, the perfect plant-based pork rind.  This week’s guest is Bill Glaser, the founder and CEO of Outstanding Foods.  Outstanding make snack foods that are full of flavor and free of guilt - both because they’re nutritious, and because they are made completely sans animal products.  Bill started the company with co-founder Chef Dave Anderson, who also happens to be the former lead product developer at Beyond Meat.  Outstanding’s first product is the PigOut Pigless Pork Rinds… which are 100% plant-based.  We talked to Bill about why loves high growth companies, why Outstanding is a decidedly judgment-free brand, and the surprising consumer forces driving the meat-alternative movement. And of course, we learn how Rob Dyrdek became a lead investor and ultimately helped him develop the brand.  Links Outstanding Foods Connect with Bill on LinkedIn Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands. 

The Surprising Forces Driving the Meat-Alternative Movement, with Outstanding Foods Co-Founder Bill Glaser

Not to alarm you, but… Expo West is less than two weeks away. Of course, if you’re listening to this podcast, you’re probably well aware of that fact.  Because if you’re in the natural foods and CPG space, it’s sort of taken as a given - the Natural Products Expo West is a big deal. A very big deal.  The numbers help tell that story. 2020 is on track to be the biggest Expo ever. We’re talking:  90,000 attendees 37,000 exhibitors 20,000 new products debuted But is Expo West right for your brand? And how do you make sure you make the most out of the show? What are the insider secrets to make Expo work for you?  To answer all these questions and more, we talk to Mark Mallardi, Executive Director Strategic Development, Natural Products at New Hope Network  (the organization that holds Expo West each year).  We’re calling this episode The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Expo West 2020. We go in depth from everything from how to successfully walk the floor, to the top trends Mark expects to see at this year’s show, to the big question - the value of a show like Expo for your brand.  Join our Exclusive Facebook Group! What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now! Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands. 

The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Expo West 2020

Brand Builder brings you the people, stories, and lessons learned from the most innovative brands in the world. Presented by SnackNation. Hosted by Sean Kelly, Jordan Cohen, and Jeff Murphy. Similar to How I Built This, The Dave Ramsey Show, and Seeking Wisdom by Drift.

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