Nationally recognized Chef and Restaurant owner K.C. (Kristopher) Gulbro’s passion for food came at an early age, working in the restaurant industry since he was sixteen and holding every position from dishwasher to line cook. After years of mastering his skills in the restaurant and hospitality industry, K.C. and his father Curt, opened the doors to FoxFire restaurant in 2003. Being in business for over 18 years, the FoxFire family prides itself on investing in their employees and community, while being able to adapt and persevere through difficult times. In April of 2021, despite the previous year’s closures and lockdowns, K.C. and his award winning team persisted and opened his second venture, Copper Fox, a pub and banquet hall. Gulbro continues to incorporate his own style, creating unique savory dishes, and offering an exceptional dine-in experience. K.C. joins Justin to discuss the restaurant business and building a brand!
Eating without restrictions should be the norm! Growing up with food allergies and limitations Patrick Manning knows how challenging this can be. As an active person, he was trying to find protein bars and snacks that worked with his allergies. He realized there was a lack of solid nutritional protein bars on the market that he could eat. After a full year and a half of making protein bars in his kitchen, altering, changing ingredients and formulation, he finally created a top 8 allergy friendly protein bar that can be enjoyed by anyone around the world. Patrick joins Justin to discuss this new bar brand!
Meet Siwen Deng (CTO) and Jessica Schwabach (CEO). Siwen grew up in a rural agricultural town, where she got her passion for food safety and the environment. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Plant Science and Pathology and recently completed her PhD in Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley. Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. She loves scientific exploration. For her, creating healthy, innovative meat alternatives and food systems that sustainably meet protein demands is a dream come true. And together, they launched Sundial Foods! Jessica joins Justin to discuss the plant-based meat industry and their innovative product!
Simply Delish’s mission is to create delicious, healthy, desserts that can be enjoyed every day, everywhere by everyone. Simply Delish is dedicated to creating a global brand that stands for healthy desserts, excellent customer service, and is distributed through retail, direct to consumer, foodservice, and other channels of distribution worldwide. They are committed to building a strong global community with their customers, their partners and their employees to bring the healthiest most delicious dessert to the world. CEO and founder Martin Pamensky joins Justin to discuss this “delicious” brand!
Real life isn’t a stock photo… so maybe we're not all enjoying Sip Herbals on a deck, looking over a lake, with a dog at our feet. In fact, maybe we’re grabbing a thermos to take to the office, or sneaking it in between feeding kids and cats. Maybe we’re enjoying a mid-afternoon break, getting up from our desk to enjoy the process of brewing a cup. Or maybe we’re guzzling it down in the car. Doesn’t matter. All the ways we loved our coffee, we now love our Sip Herbals. Co-founder Orleatha Smith joins Justin to discuss this coffee brand!
Petaluma offers dog food made from plants to provide complete nutrition with a smaller environmental footprint. Their food is veterinarian-designed and made with sustainable ingredients to provide the best care for both your dog and the planet. Co-founder Garrett Wymore joins Justin to discuss this growing pet food brand!
BeeFree evolved from Jennifer Wiese’s desire to bake tasty gluten and dairy free treats for her son. Treats that would help with his autism and would allow him the pleasure of being a kid. Navigating the world without gluten/dairy is no easy task. So, with the help of her mother (aka Queen Bee) she set to work converting their favorite recipes. Once a recipe passed the discriminating tastes of a house full of teenage boys, she knew they had a winner. Jennifer joins Justin to discuss her Warrior Mix!
Ronda Brittian was raised in a very entrepreneurial, food centered home. Her father, Ron, a true visionary who combined his love of cooking with an engaging spirit, and her mother, Carol, the loving backbone of the home along with Grandparents, who brought their rich traditions of Mexico from one side and true Southern Homestyle Cooking from the other, helped plant the seeds of culinary creativity in her younger years. Their products can be purchased on their website www.rondasfinefoods.com , on Amazon.com, or 500+ retails outlets in 43 states. Ronda joins Justin to discuss launching Ronda’s Fine Foods!
In 2002, David Parker founded Benchmark Wine Group after having a successful history of high-tech ventures. With a unique blend of talents, plus wine and high-tech industry contacts, he has succeeded in bridging the gap between high-quality wine producers and well-informed fine wine collectors and connoisseurs. An avid wine collector, David has been involved in the wine industry since 1987 owning commercial vineyards in Geyserville, California and in the Eola Hills of Oregon. David joins Justin to discuss this leading wine marketplace brand!
From growing up on an Iowa farm to spending decades in corporate America, Eileen Gannon has always had a passion for baking, winning over 600 culinary awards. Now, she’s putting all her best-kept secrets into Sunday Night Foods to share her delectable sauces and recipes. Eileen joins Justin to share the secrets behind her new delicious brand!
People have used seaweed for food and medicinal purposes for millennia. Many scientists even believe our evolution from primitive ancestor to modern homo sapien wouldn’t have been possible without seaweed’s micronutrients (iodine, zinc) and fatty acids which enabled human cognitive development. And a growing body of research shows that in regions with seaweed-heavy diets, people live longer, healthier lives. Founder and CEO Sachi Singh joins Justin to discuss this “growing” brand!
Buoy doesn’t use ingredients linked to inflammation and disease like sugar, stevia, dextrose, natural flavors and artificial dyes and oils – even if they're organic. They made Buoy purposefully unsweetened and unflavored with just the essential minerals and nutrients needed to replenish, restore and refresh. Co-founder and CMO Eddie Zelenak joins Justin to discuss this booming drops brand.
The Run-A-Ton Group, Inc. family of brands was founded by Doon Wintz’ father, Bob Wintz, in 1972 as a conventional baked goods company. In 1978 he pioneered the concept of bringing natural foods to Northeast supermarket consumers. By the early ‘90’s they were thinking about how to merge their passion for baked and natural foods to bring better-tasting options to the table. Believing that consumers shouldn’t have to sacrifice their taste standards for their ingredient standards, they launched Wholly Wholesome in 1996. Since then, the business has grown along with their lines of products. Doon joins Justin to discuss this leading food brand!
Made in small batches and handcrafted in copper kettles, Blissfully Better's Almond Toffee, Crunchy Quinoa Toffee, Caramel, Coconut, and Mint Thins are the perfect indulgence. Certified Organic and sweetened only with low glycemic coconut nectar, our confections are Blissfully Better for you and your taste buds! Shop today on the Blissfully Better site with this code to save 20%: PodcastJH20. Founder Bonnie Boroian joins Justin to discuss this growing food brand.
Adam Albrecht, Founder & CEO of The Weaponry, an advertising and ideas agency, offers a broad range of useful ways to become a better professional and human through bite-sized stories of his own learnings. By reading the 80 pieces of wisdom (plus a bonus!) in this delightful book, you’ll gain perspective-altering ideas, gather thought-provoking suggestions for life and work, acquire reliable techniques for personal growth, take steps toward self-improvement by asking questions like “why not me?”, remember why and how to engage in positive thinking, engage the power of useful habits like blocking your time and exercising regularly, set your alarm a little earlier in the morning and go to bed a little earlier at night, and have the confidence and resources to see your goals through to their best outcomes. Adam joins Justin to discuss a wide range of purpose-built topics!
Podcast special - 20% off with code Contender20 at checkout on freshvictor.com! Fresh Victor is a line of premium mixers for consistently delicious and efficient cocktails – and mocktails too! Fresh Victor is here to let you put down the citrus press and get back to the party. These mixers are elegantly balanced to perfectly incorporate everything from your favorite spirit, beer or wine to seltzer, tonic or tea for a kicking mocktail. Drink up! Founder and CEO Ken MacKenzie joins Justin to discuss this mixer brand!
Since 1987, Jennifer Maxwell has been powering the fitness world with energy bars. Maxwell, who founded PowerBar with her late husband, Brian Maxwell, sold the company in 2000 to Nestle. When her husband passed away suddenly in 2004, she took some time to heal and to raise her six children, but soon set about crafting an energy bar for a new generation. Headquartered in San Rafael not far from Maxwell’s home in Ross, JAMBAR, whose name is inspired by Maxwell’s passion for music, makes organic, naturally sweetened energy bars crafted with high-quality protein and fiber. Jennifer joins Justin to discuss this new bar brand!
Gena and Davis Knox were young, eager and in love when they started their entrepreneurial journey together from their garage nearly 20 years ago. From her love of cooking and reading culinary magazines, Gena discovered the age-old method of using planks to grill fish. Intrigued, they had to try it. ‘Cedar planking’ salmon just sounded like the perfect dinner date! Fast forward to now, they think back on how that simple culinary pleasure sparked a passion to help others discover that same joy. Over the last two decades, they have taken an innovative yet simplistic approach in creating products to help share the culinary joy fire brings to flavor. From the original cedar planks to their charcoal to their seasonings and portable HERO grill, all natural and well-sourced materials are at their core. Davis joins Justin to discuss this hot brand!
Robbie Shoults is the third-generation owner of the Shoults family business, Bear Creek Smokehouse in Marshall, Texas. His ingenious ideas keep the 79-year-old business evolving. Robbie’s leap of faith in 2018 to build the General Store, has put Bear Creek Smokehouse on the map. Robbie is known for his ever-emerging, compelling projects that hold the attention of both employees and customers. Robbie joins Justin to discuss this nationwide food brand!
The Spirit of Bermondsey’s mission is to improve the world’s wellbeing by serving up great tasting, lower-alcohol spirits that are better for your mind, body and soul. A new approach to enjoying the night, without sacrificing the morning. Brad Crompton joins Justin to discuss this new UK-based spirits brand.
Meet the home-adventure kit that’s taking every kid to the farthest reaches of their imaginations. Fort. Rocketship. Treehouse. Boat. Figgy is anything and everything. Figgy co-founder Rachel Neill joins Justin to discuss this fun and growing kids brand!
PillowScript founder, Dihandria Bright had recently taken a MasterClass of Sara Blakely, the founder and inventor of Spanx. In her MasterClass, she mentioned keeping a notebook near your bed to write down any big business ideas as they materialized. So one night in September of 2019, the vision of PillowScript came to her and thus, a company and product were born. Dihandria joins Justin to discuss her new and growing business.
Anouck Gotlib is the CEO of Belgian Boys, a woman-owned sweet treats and snack brand on a mission to turn up the happy one sweet moment at a time. Belgian Boys offers a delicious assortment of breakfasts, sweet treats, and desserts, including stroopwafels, crepes, pancakes, and cookies. Anouck joins Justin to discuss this yummy brand!
Joanna Serra and Barbara Kent are sister owners of Birdy Boutique. They immigrated to the United States from Poland as children in 1988. Watching their mother perform hard physical work to put food on the table, they learned that hard work and determination can equal success. Education was of utmost importance and both sisters pursued college degrees and began conventional jobs immediately after graduation. When the career paths changed for both sisters, sewing projects for their own children quickly turned into a small business. They pushed forward with their ideas and now have a variety of children’s' items in unique designs and patterns you won't find elsewhere! They are booming online and in stores and they join Justin to discuss their growth story!
Yvette McGaffin is the CEO and co-founder of Reform RX, the world’s first digitally connected, commercial grade Pilates reformer. A former professional dancer, Yvette has taught Pilates and reformer Pilates for over 15 years. In 2015, she and her husband, Neal, opened their first boutique reformer Pilates studio in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They have been running studios for over six years but having tested every kind of Pilates reformer, Yvette wanted to design a more sleek and aesthetically pleasing reformer. It was along this process that they identified an opportunity to design the world’s first connected, commercial grade Pilates reformer. The Reform RX, or ‘RX’ as it’s commonly known, officially launched this year and is available to order in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. Yvette joins Justin to discuss growing a leading Pilates brand!