Episodes

What makes a brand worth betting on?Ken Sadowsky, affectionately known as “The Beverage Whisperer,” returns to Taste Radio with a sharp look at where the biggest opportunities — and potential pitfalls — are emerging across the beverage category. 

In this Taste Radio interview, Ray sits down with Colleen Zammer of Bay State Milling to talk about how nutrition trends are reshaping the food and beverage industry. Zammer brings deep expertise in ingredient innovation, particularly around Bay State Milling's HealthSense® High-Fiber Wheat Flour, a solution built to help brands meet growing consumer demand for functional, nutrient-dense foods without compromising taste.The conversation covers why fiber is emerging as a critical complement to protein, driven by rising interest in gut health and "nutrition efficiency," and how the protein-plus-fiber combination is becoming a defining trend for the year ahead. Zammer also unpacks the growing influence of GLP-1 medication users on food formulation, the opportunity ultra-processed food scrutiny creates for clean-label brands, and how Bay State Milling partners with founders from formulation through manufacturing and packaging claims. Listeners looking to explore how HealthSense Flour could fit their own products can reach Bay State Milling through baystatemilling.com or contact Colleen Zammer directly.

Even in a tough fundraising market, investors are still writing checks. The question is: to whom?This week, we break down the latest CPG investment data and examine why protein-packed, dye-free, and ingredient-conscious startups continue to stand out with investors.

The best founders know that great products don't win on their own. Investor, entrepreneur, and longtime business journalist Darren Rovell joins Taste Radio to share the lessons he's learned backing breakout brands like Athletic Brewing, PopUp Bagels and Biena Snacks, building his own company, Kickstand Cocktails, and evaluating hundreds of startups every year. 

Consumer expectations are changing fast, and brands of every size are being forced to adapt. 

How do you build a $150M CPG brand when your first retail opportunity falls apart?For Little Spoon, the answer was to stop waiting for the shelf and start building a relationship with the customer.

In this Taste Radio interview, Ray sits down with Andrew Criezis, CEO of VIP, and Lucinda Ochwat, VIP's Head of Sales, to discuss how the 50-year-old beverage technology company is investing in AI to serve its network of more than 2,800 distributors and 1,400 suppliers. Andrew, a 12-year Nielsen IQ veteran, explains what drew him to VIP and why he sees this moment as pivotal for AI adoption across the three-tier system. Lucinda, a 20-year industry veteran who has worked all three tiers, shares her perspective on VIP's outsized role in the space.The conversation digs into how suppliers, distributors, and retailers can measure real ROI from AI rather than chasing hype, from faster sales-data insights to error-proofing orders and predictive ordering tools. Andrew details VIP's significant investment in a new agentic-first architecture designed to have AI agents actively do work, make decisions within guardrails, and communicate with trading partners, not just layer a chatbot on old systems. Listeners can learn more or request a demo at VIPinsights.com.