Katie Hotze is the CEO and Founder of Grocery Shopii. With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, data analytics, and business strategy, Katie was able to turn her frustration with grocery shopping into a nationally-recognized retail tech disrupter that’s rapidly expanding in North America. Prior, Katie worked in management and technology consulting, leading global marketing teams at Mercer and BearingPoint. She broke away from her corporate career in 2019 to start Grocery Shopii. Today, Katie is recognized as one of grocery tech’s leading innovators, including recognition as one of Retail Info Systems’ Top 10 Women in Grocery Tech. Katie joins Justin to talk tech + grocery!
Founded by husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Allison and based in Austin, TX, poppi combines fresh fruit juice, apple cider vinegar, and inulin prebiotics for a deliciously refreshing, full-of-flavor soda with benefits. With the help of an investment on Shark Tank, poppi has gone from farmer's-market-favorite to sitting pretty on the shelves of thousands of retailers across the nation. Along the way, they’ve become beloved by many including Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Billie Eilish, Russell Westbrook, JLo, Olivia Munn, and more. Allison joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing beverage brand!
Griffin Owens is the co-founder of YUZUCO (www.theyuzu.co), a Los Angeles-based emerging brand that sources and creates premium, accessible yuzu products for award-winning chefs and bartenders. His experience with Yuzu began casually over a sour citrus and candy obsession as a young child. It developed more formally in 2020, with the launch of his brand's yuzu-inspired candled, featured in in media on publications such as Snaxshot and Vogue and locally in LA boutiques, such as Lady White Co. Griffin joins Justin to discuss this new fast-growing brand.
Straight forward, independent, no-nonsense advice is not easy to find. This is a must-read book for every budding and existing coffee shop entrepreneur. Andrew & Claire Bowen opened their first franchised coffee shop in 2007, after leaving senior roles in retail and healthcare. Within eighteen months they had opened three outlets and had over £1m turnover. In 2011 they developed their own independent format, which they continue to run. They support coffee shop owners worldwide as founders of Café Success Hub. They join Justin to discuss coffee shops and more!
For most of her life, Wendy Liebmann has been passionate about the convergence of consumers, shopping and retail. It's why she founded WSL, to help companies build their retail strategies by understanding and staying intimately in touch with shoppers, how they live their lives and how they spend. The goal, then and now, is to get retailers out of their ivory towers to meet shoppers on the selling floor, whether that floor is physical or digital. It's all about staying close to shoppers everyday to understand and satisfy their changing needs and wants. Wendy joins Justin to discuss the retail industry!
Solobo Toys is a Montessori-inspired educational children's toy company owned and operated by neurodivergent parents. Their products are designed to emphasize simplicity while encouraging exceptional learning. The owners of Solobo are Daniel & Courtney, a husband and wife team. They are also parents to two amazing children. Daniel is an ADHDer & Courtney is Autistic, ADHD, and OCD. They utilize sensory play, AAC, Montessori, and gentle parenting in their own family. They both feel it's important to encourage a child's individuality and meet them where they are. Courtney Peebles joins Justin to discuss this inspiring and growing toy brand!
Nana's is a family-oriented, Louisiana/Maryland style diner. Their goal is to provide fresh, hot, and comforting food that will make you feel at home while giving you a little peek inside the cuisine of Louisiana and Maryland. Owner Kelli Ferrell joins Justin to discuss this hot restaurant concept!
The Western Michigan University food marketing program will prepare you for many roles within the industry and provide the necessary tools for a successful career. Food marketing graduates are heavily recruited by leading firms in both retail and consumer goods. The program includes professional development, leadership, community service, networking and job search preparation. Russell Zwanka, director of the program, joins Justin to discuss this leading industry university program.
Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning. Generative AI. Deep Learning. What does it all mean?! And why should you as a founder or entrepreneur care? Michael Connor joins Justin to unpack all of this and more as related to the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods start-up space.
Elevate your meal with six sauces that combine fresh ingredients and convenience. Haven’s Kitchen fresh sauces save you time shopping, chopping, & cleaning so you can focus on eating. Flavor-Forward Sauces. Vegan & Gluten-Free. Cooking? Haven’s Kitchens knows you’ve got it in you. Fluffy rice, crispy fish, perfectly roasted, caramelized vegetables…you just need a few tricks, a couple of tips and some simple recipes. Founder Alison Cayne joins Justin to discuss this growing food brand!
Family-owned Langer Juice Company, Inc., has emerged as a major force and a top ranked brand in the very competitive juice industry. Since the formation of the company in 1960, the Langer family has remained actively involved in every aspect of making juice, from production and marketing to quality assurance. Producing beverages in many of the high-volume categories that include apple, cranberry, orange, grape, grapefruit, and pomegranate, as well as innovative tropical blends such as mango, guava and passionfruit, the Langers brand can be found in major retailers and Club stores across the country. Additional brands include Langer Farms 100% juices and No Worries brand cocktail mixers. Recent additions include Langers apple cider vinegar stick packs, Langers organic flavored sparkling waters, Langer Farms Beyond Butter apple butter, Beyond Honey plant-based vegan honey, LyteAde Sports hydration beverage with caffeine, and Gen Z flavorless transparent liquid in aluminum bottles. Langer Juice Company is located in City of Industry, CA. Bruce Langer joins Justin to discuss this leading juice brand!
NestFresh started as a family company in Colorado in 1991. Their founders wanted to create an egg company focused on animal welfare and environmental sustainability. They believed that by treating animals right, both hens and humans benefit, and they are proud to maintain those founding values. In the early years, NestFresh Eggs were produced and sold exclusively in Colorado, and soon became Colorado’s favorite egg brand. Today they use regional, family-owned farms to produce and supply farm fresh NestFresh Eggs in a local, sustainable system. Jason Urena joins Justin to discuss the egg industry and this growing egg brand!
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Open Water is ultra-purified, electrolyte-packed canned water in BPA-free aluminum packaging. Recyclable? Check. Climate Neutral? You bet. P.S. Fill up at the tap whenever possible. No, really! Co-founders Jess Page and Nicole Doucet join Justin to discuss this innovative and fast-growing water brand!
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Moving the Middle is a must-read for any leader, manager or coach looking for a way to tap into the unrealized potential of their middle performers. Why the Middle? Your customers – Your culture – The economics – The physics – Your potential. This book was written to change the way you think about solving your greatest opportunity and challenge – your middle performers. As Retail and CPG brands return to office, this topic takes on added importance. Author Jack Spartz joins Justin to discuss this moving concept.
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Do Good Foods is offering great-tasting products consumers know and love, that also have a tangible positive impact on the world. How? Today, 40% of the food we grow currently goes to waste. Can you imagine going to the store, filling five bags of groceries but then throwing two of them away? It’s a waste of resources, time and money. And Do Good Foods is putting a stop to it. Rather than throw food away, Do Good Foods is upcycling it. Surplus grocery food is first shared with local food pantries — what’s left over is then sent to their facility to be repurposed into feed for animals. Co-founder and co-CEO Justin Kamine joins Justin Honaman to discuss this transformational food brand!
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At Mother Raw, their love of plants runs deep. They like to say they're plant-powered and inspired by all the possibilities that can grow from a single seed. Their life's work is to make plants crave-able because everyone benefits from digging into their awesomeness! That's why they select the best of Mother Earth's incredible bounty including organic, non-GMO plant-based ingredients, and create ridiculously delicious and versatile products and recipes. All of the flavor and goodness, with none of the crap. Put Good on Good™. CEO Kristi Knowles joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing food brand!
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As COO of Nuts.com, Eran Mizrahi watched as vendors changed up pricing, quality, and lead times on a whim. With so much at stake, he knew there had to be a better way. He partnered with fellow Nuts.com alumni Aalap Patel to start Ingredient Brothers, a company that is data-informed but relationship-driven and sources ingredients for consumer products from around the world. Eran joins Justin to discuss this growing brand.
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Founded in 2015 by Marian Leitner-Waldman and her husband, David, Archer Roose is dedicated to producing affordable luxury wines with minimal intervention. How? Marian and David created the concept of a traveling vineyard. Instead of building a winery and committing to a specific geography and varietal, they wanted to offer wines from the most-renowned regions around the world. So, they fostered personal relationships with small, adventurous winemakers who preserve terroir, and approach viticulture with craftsmanship and deep respect for the environment. Through these close partnerships, they are able to produce unique, natural wines within 20 miles of their harvest location and bring them to you. Marian joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing wine brand!
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The Carbonauts host live, virtual workshops that help people optimize their lifestyles so that we can build a greener future. A natural sequel to TreeHugger.com, The Carbonauts inspires and guides people towards compelling, low-footprint ways of living and working by offering them live, time-efficient zoom courses that make it easy for them to slash their footprints at home and work while saving money and influencing others. Founder and CEO Graham Hill joins Justin to discuss this climate-friendly sustainability brand!
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First things first: the bagels. Shug’s “Store 1,” just steps from SMU, smells exactly like a bagel store should smell, which is not a surprise as every day they make all of their dough from scratch, in-house, then make their bagels the artisanal, old-fashioned way – including a necessary fermentation period, kettle-boiling them, then baking them in a massive, revolving tray oven. Founder Justin Shugrue works at Shug’s every day, in his apron and baseball cap and joins Justin to discuss this growing bagel brand!
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Clutch Coffee was born in the Carolinas in 2018. With 20+ years of drive-thru coffee experience, combined with a burning desire to revitalize the lost art of customer service, they set out on a quest to build the best drive-thru beverage experience on the planet. They are passionate about people, providing opportunities, and creating a culture that is second to none. They are equally inspired to provide the best coffees, energy drinks and other specialty beverages that you’ve ever tasted. Co-founder and CEO Darren Spicer joins Justin to discuss this growing coffee bar brand!
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Holistic Roasters is certified by Demeter USA. They source coffee directly from family-run, Regenerative Organic / Biodynamic farms and cooperatives. Holistic Roasters is certified by Demeter USA. They source coffee directly from family-run, Regenerative Organic / Biodynamic farms and cooperatives. Co-founder Gregory Kalinin joins Justin to discuss this growing coffee brand.
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The story of T-swirl Crepe starts thousands of miles away on the shores of Japan. The Japanese Crepe borrows from a western concept and modernized it into new level of versatility that you can gobble on the go. Building on this new concept, T-swirl started to research and have perfected the 100% gluten free rice flour batter, to craft a crispy thin chewy layer that embraces all the decadent condiments. T-swirl is synonymous with using the finest ingredients to construct a trendy/artistic crepe that arrives to your hand with incredible speed. We have standardized the process to give you a consistently clean and delicious crepe. T-swirl is the only destination to satisfy your crepe cravings. As you crack open the door, the initial whiff is enchanting. The air perfumes with aroma of fresh fruits and savory bacon as you walk closer to the counter. Once there, you are greeted with an inviting smile; letting you know that you are about to embark on a mouth-watering adventure. We have sweet and savory crepes that can satisfy your taste buds. Co-founder Jerry Lin joins Justin to discuss this delicious brand!
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Nicole (Nikki) Dawes is the CEO and Founder of Nixie Sparking Water and also the Founder of Late July Organic Snacks. Founded in 2018, Nixie Sparkling Water is a brand that delivers exceptional taste without synthetic solvents, carriers or artificial preservatives. Founded in 2003, Late July Snacks offers tortilla chips and crackers made of organic, non-GMO ingredients that the whole family can enjoy. Nikki joins Justin to discuss launching and growing two successful CPG brands.
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At Good Food for Good, their products are certified organic and free of refined sugar, soy, corn syrup, gluten, dairy, or preservatives. Basically, if you wouldn’t add it when cooking from scratch, you won’t find it in their products. Unlike most store-bought sauces you can find, they don’t believe in relying on sugar and artificial additives for flavor. All of their organic sauces are Keto, Paleo, Vegan, and Whole30 Approved, because putting your health first should not have to mean sticking to bland, sauce-less meals. Founder and President Richa Gupta joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing food brand.