From a small kitchen in Asheville, NC, two mothers with a purpose and passion for fermentation began making kombucha as a healthy alternative for their kids. From gifting jars to friends, families, neighbors and eventually selling through farmers markets—their shelves and countertops were quickly overflowing with kombucha. So they took a big leap—a leap that sparks fear, curiosity and can alter a person’s life forever. Buchi took their small-batch home production to a warehouse on a 180-acre farm in the mountains of Southern Appalachia. Unwaveringly dedicated to their mission, the whole team decided this wouldn’t just be their office, but their home. Brewing together, working together, living together, and taking on every hardship together. In 2016, Buchi opened the first commercial kombucha brewery in the Southeast. Buchi’s purpose is to craft delicious, high-quality, nutrient-dense living drinks; invest in the regeneration of our planet; and use business as a conduit for positive social impact. Zane Adams joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing brand.
Designer Dram began when one of the founders set about to create his own whiskey. He quickly discovered that the only way he could do this was by going through the process of creating an entire barrel of whiskey. As exciting as this was, this process takes a minimum of two years and costs upwards of $5,000 if aged well. Now each of us can create our own via Designer Dram. Co-founder Chintan Dhanji joins Justin to discuss this unique alcoholic-beverage experience brand!
First it was salsa! Now it is chicken! Dave Zilko has been a food entrepreneur for over 25 years, most prominently at Metro Detroit-based Garden Fresh Gourmet. He succeeded in taking the company from $4.6 million in annual revenue to just over $110 million prior to engineering a sale to the Campbell’s Soup Company for close to a quarter billion dollars. From his Garden Fresh experience, Dave wrote the book, “Irrational Persistence; Seven Secrets That Turned A Bankrupt Startup Into A $231,000,000 Business.” Now Dave has a new endeavor – The Skinny Butcher – that is growing rapidly with plant-powered protein! Dave joins Justin to discuss the keys to launching and growing a successful food brand.
Only 69% of Americans brush twice per day. A clear indicator that brushing is a chore, rather than a joy. And yet, a healthy mouth promotes a health life. At Chilly, they are on a mission to make brushing something we look forward to. They have re-imagined toothpaste – in fact, spicing it up! Founder and CEO Rainer Agles joins Justin to discuss this hot new brand!
Like many kids, mainstream snacks and cereals were a memorable part of Krishna Kaliannan’s childhood. There’s nothing he loved more than chocolate puffs for breakfast or a delicious sandwich cookie dunked in a glass of cold milk. Unfortunately, when he turned 17, he was diagnosed with T1 diabetes and had to give up many of his favorite snacks since they are typically loaded with sugar and empty carbs. He started eating low carb to help manage his blood sugar, but the few healthy options available tasted like cardboard. He got fed up! He wanted delicious snacks that would satisfy my cravings but weren’t loaded with all the sugar and empty carbs. And thus, Catalina Crunch was born. Krishna joins Justin to discuss this innovative and fast-growing food brand!
Deliciously different, with a refreshing approach to building a brand. Made the “Old fashioned way,” reaching consumers in an entirely new way. CAVU works with brands like Beyond Meat, Bai, Vital Proteins, Jennifer Garner's Once Upon a Farm, ONE bars, Oat-ly, Skinny Dipped, and Bulletproof. Chief Brand Architect Stevie Clements joins Justin to discuss how CAVU helps consumer brands accelerate growth.
Innoviom is a global innovative food and beverage platform that builds on new trends and takes them to scale. Innoviom uncovers new emerging trends for food and beverages bringing value-added healthy propositions to consumers. Imagine a world full of delicious healthy beverage and snacks that make us feel better. Ahmed ElAzizi, CEO, joins Justin to discuss this innovative new food and beverage platform.
flavrs provides foodies with the first shoppable-video platform that merges premium food content and commerce. The platform connects high-quality food videos to shopping, starting with groceries, through an industry-first Instacart integration. flavrs gives users access to premium recipe tutorials with a commerce-driven component allowing foodies to discover and replicate the meals they watch at home by purchasing ingredients through a custom integration with Instacart. flavrs is designed for passionate foodies who have been long deprived of one central digital ecosystem where they will discover the best food content, cook along with recipes, and shop. Co-founder Alejandro Oropeza joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing food commerce brand!
Elevated single serve wine! Each bottle contains 6.3 ounces of premium wine, packaged in an elegant and easy-to-open glass bottle. Perfect for every moment when you want to enjoy one great glass of wine. Founder and CEO Dana Spaulding joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing wine brand!
Uniquely tied to the exciting world of professional sports car racing and garnering wins from racing around a track at 180 miles per hour at the highest levels of professional competition takes extreme focus, attention, and a drive for perfection. To professional race car driver and team owner, Kevin Buckler so does winemaking. Following the legendary success of his professional race team The Racers Group (TRG), Kevin and his wife Debra opened Adobe Road Winery in the heart of Sonoma County in 2002. Their goal, to craft wines that exemplify the true essence of California’s most revered winegrowing regions. Kevin joins Justin to discuss racing and wine!
Meet Rana and Khalid. Their baba, Jamal, humbly brought an authentic flavor of his home Jerusalem to America in the late 1970’s. His creamy and bold hummus was created in the kitchen of his restaurant, The Mediterranean Cruise Café in Minnesota in 1979 when Middle Eastern food was practically non-existent. It quickly became their most requested dish and remains so four decades later! In 2018, they launched Baba’s! Today, Baba’s offers a variety of hummus flavors, g'noosh, tzatziki, falafel and pita bread. Baba's is not only a food brand, it's a taste of the Palestinian-American experience. Rana joins Justin to discuss this growing food brand!
Gobble prepares farm fresh 15-minute gourmet meal kits with 3-step instructions delivered to your door. The weekly dinner service offers busy professionals the convenience associated with takeout along with the health and satisfaction of a fresh homemade meal! Founder and CEO Ooshma Garg joins Justin to discuss launching, growing, selling and evolving this dynamic food brand!
Fast Penny Spirits is a distillery in Seattle, Washington focusing on creating high-quality amaro using organic and wild-crafted ingredients under the Amaricano brand. A mostly Seattle native, Jamie Hunt is known for launching innovative digital products and experiences for global companies as well as seeking out delicious food and cocktails at home and on the road. In creating Fast Penny Spirits, she digs deep into her Sicilian heritage and love of amaro for a new American take on the spirit. Jamie joins Justin to discuss this new alco-bev brand!
Coffee without the pretentiousness. Coffee without all the extra packaging. Coffee without the bland, the beige, the boring. Say hello to coffee without the crap. Say hello to Chamberlain Coffee. CEO Chris Gallant joins Justin to discuss this growing coffee brand!
Jack & Friends® believes in inclusivity—especially when it comes to food. That’s why they’re on a mission to make snacks you can feel good about eating, regardless of your lifestyle or diet. Their plant-based jerky is carefully crafted to ensure as many people as possible not only can consume their product, but also enjoy it. Who said you have to choose between function and flavor? Not them! Founder and CEO Jessica Kwong joins Justin to discuss launching and growing a jerky brand!
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Endangered Species Chocolate has been crafting premium chocolate for three decades. ESC is passionate about redeeming typical business practices into “doing good better” that leaves a positive and lasting ripple in their wake. They love the truly delicious product they create, and are on a mission to seed joy through abundant giving. By donating 10% of net profits to impactful organizations and initiatives, they can continue in their amazing work to improve our world every day. CEO Curt Vander Meer joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing and delicious brand!
Blue Circle Foods is an employee-owned sustainable seafood company founded in 2005 by organic industry pioneers. They produce feel good fish for every day eating – from fillets to fun things like salmon sausages and burgers always free from fillers and breadcrumbs. They are passionate about continuous improvement in both aquaculture (fish farming) and wild-caught fishing practices. As a protein producer, they have a responsibility to the environment. Their farmed salmon and shrimp are net producers of protein, meaning that unlike farmed beef, chicken, and pork, our salmon and shrimp generate more protein than they take out of the environment. Father and daughter, Steven Damato and Nina Damato join Justin to discuss this growing seafood brand!
Farmer Focus was founded and is led by Corwin Heatwole, a 6th generation farmer. Corwin was just three years old when his father built his first poultry house; he grew up farming and tending to the flocks. Corwin spent years raising flocks for other companies and saw the toll it took on both his family and the birds. He started Shenandoah Valley Organic (later Farmer Focus) with a question posed to farmers, “What can we do to improve generational family farming?” At Farmer Focus, they wake up every morning looking for new ways to answer that question. Corwin joins Justin to discuss all things chicken!
As immigrants from India, Ragoth Bala and his co-founder were frustrated that they couldn't find good sources of authentic and healthy Indian food to could consume on a regular basis. Thus, Cumin Club was born. Their expert chefs ensure they are staying true to the origins of each dish by using locally sourced ingredients and authentic cooking methods. They are rooted in representation, with a focus on showcasing the incredible and diverse dishes from across India that you can’t find on shelves. Fed up with expensive takeout and unhealthy microwaveable meals, they wanted to change the game and make it easier for busy people to enjoy the dishes they grew up with like Paneer Butter Masala and Dal. Ragoth joins Justin to discuss this high-flying Indian food brand!
Jill Koziol is the co-founder and CEO of Motherly, a wellbeing destination empowering mothers to thrive. An Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Company and a Parity.org Best Company for Women to Advance, Motherly is built for mothers, by mothers. Engaging an audience of 40 million+ readers and viewers a month, Motherly offers on-demand parent education classes, Webby-award winning videos, The Motherly Podcast, essays and articles, and a highly-engaged social media community. Co-author of “The Motherly Guide to Becoming Mama: Redefining the Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum Journey” and “This Is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections and Practices", Jill is passionate about serving and empowering women and mothers because when mamas are successful, everyone wins. She is an advocate for families, female founders, and how to thrive with multiple sclerosis. Jill lives in Park City, Utah with her husband and two daughters. Jill joins Justin to discuss launching and growing this mother-centric business.
The Vortic Watch Company is a high-end wristwatch engineering and manufacturing company based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Their inspiration lies in pairing classic watchmaking techniques and traditions with innovative, modern technology. After finding that their metal 3D printed prototypes for a university design project had a uniquely vintage look, they decided to combine the cutting-edge technology of metal 3D printing with gorgeous, antique, American-made pocket watch movements to create bespoke wristwatches. Co-founder RT Custer joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing watch brand!
Mari Fassett started mixing flavors when she was 12 and whipped up a bowl of peanut butter, syrup and melted butter to dip pretzels in while she watched cartoons. Today, she is proud to celebrate over 25 years making better-for-you, plant-based, gluten-free snack mixes. She believes today's consumer craves snacks that innovate with bold, adventurous flavor while still paying tribute to comfort-food traditions. Mari joins Justin to discuss this growing brand!
Thomas Ashbourne raises the bar in the world of ready-to-sip craft cocktails. Their rich flavors are curated by iconic partners who know their way around a top shelf cocktail. Every batch is sustainably handcrafted in the U.S. using all-natural, Kosher ingredients. Their work is driven by the love of a wildly good time, so cut ties with your bartender (or offer them a cocktail) and let’s cut loose together. CEO and co-founder Cara Kamenev joins Justin to discuss this rapidly growing alcoholic-beverage brand!
Bala Sarda comes with lineage of over 80 years in the tea industry and it is when he worked in his bulk export family business, he noticed the huge gaps in the $90 billion tea market. He started Vahdam Teas in early 2015 to address these problems and make available garden fresh teas to consumers across the world, direct from source, under a home-grown tea brand by leveraging technology. A tea enthusiast, he dreams of putting an Indian tea brand on the global stage. Prior to founding Vahdam Teas, he started Youth 360, a youth network & b10Media, a digital marketing company while still in college. Bala joins Justin to share insights on launching this fast-growing tea brand.
Every 100 seconds, a baby in America gets a food allergy. However, babies don’t have to get food allergies. Evidence-based research, USDA guidelines and leading allergists all agree – introducing small amounts of allergens early and often is the best way to help a child have a greater chance at a future of food freedom. Ready. Set. Food! is the only complete early allergen introduction system that takes the work, confusion and fear out of doing something really important for the health of your baby. Their mission is to help babies have healthier futures, free from the limits of food allergies. Co-founder and CEO Daniel Zakowski joins Justin to share the growth story behind Ready. Set. Food!