[00:00:00] John Craven: BevNET Live New York City is June 10th and 11th, and if you haven't registered yet, now is the time. It's two days of conversations with the people moving this industry forward. Founders, buyers, investors, all talking about the challenges and opportunities shaping the beverage industry right now and in the future. Head to BevNET.com to grab your spot. And if you're already registered, post about it. Tell people what you're looking forward to, what you're bringing to the show, or what you're doing to get ready. Tag us on Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok. Add BevNET as a collaborator, and you might just end up on our feed before the show even starts.
[00:00:51] Ray Latif: Hello, friends, and thanks for tuning in to Taste Radio, the number one podcast for anyone building a business in food or beverage. I'm Ray Latif, the editor and producer of Taste Radio, and with my co-hosts, John Craven, Melissa Traverse, and Mike Schneider. In this episode, we sample the latest opus from Peter Rahal's David Protein brand, a new line of indulgent frozen desserts, aka ice cream. We also discussed Smash Foods27;s $5 million funding round and what the company's evolution from Chia Smash reveals about the power of simplifying a brand story to fuel growth. The team also examines AI's growing influence on product discovery and purchasing decisions, and what that shift could mean for emerging brands competing for consumer attention. Later, we revisit a series of insightful interviews recorded at Taste Radio's Austin Meetup, featuring Jason Cantelli of Nutribolt, Megan Kelleher of Corner Market Communications, Marc Seguin of Next Foods, and Erica Tam of Bloom. Well, you know, we are right on the cusp of BevNET Live when our colleagues are building podiums in the room next door to the studio. Our very own Captain Collin, well sample Captain Collin, sample Captain Collin is building a podium that you will see at BevNET Live next week, June 10th and 11th in New York City. Of course, you'll only see it in person, that is, if you were there. So, if you haven't already gotten your tickets for BevNET Live, now is your last chance to do so. BevNetLive.com. You will be able to meet retail buyers from Whole Foods, Walmart, Wegmans, Morrisons, and The Vitamin Shop. What? That's how I say...
[00:02:40] Melissa Traverse: Yeah, I had a voice and articulation class at Emerson College and that you're supposed to say what, that's how you're supposed to do it.
[00:02:48] Ray Latif: But not only if it's a WH, not Quagmans and Walmart. Quagmans. Of all the problems we have with this podcast. That's just another one, just add it to the list. As far as I know, there are no investors attending that whose names begin with a WH, but there are lots of investors coming to BevNET Live as well as distributors. Suppliers, founders, service providers, everyone that you would want to meet. BevNET team members, do you want to meet them? Of course, and that's why I'm saying that's included within the group, in the aggregate. Got it. Anyone that you would want to meet who is in the beverage industry will be at BevNET Live, and it is just an event that you cannot miss. If you're trying to scale your business, take your brand to the next level, you want to be in New York City with us next week. Yeah, bring your team, bring your agenda, bring your hardest questions. You need sales help, operational help, packaging, you name it. We've, we've got people in the room who can answer those questions and can become your partners, take you to the next level.
[00:03:46] Melissa Traverse: And you know, I got to say, whether you've been to BevNET a million times or you've never been before, this week's Nonbase podcast is with Jeffrey Klineman, who's put the show together with the rest of our team, of course. And he talks through everything that we're going to be doing, the agenda, tips for getting the most out of the show. So go to nonbase.com and check out this week's podcast.
[00:04:08] Ray Latif: Absolutely. And you'll get to meet Sample Captain Colin at the event. If you haven't followed him.
[00:04:14] Mike Schneider: Especially if you bring samples.
[00:04:15] Ray Latif: Yeah. If you haven't followed him on Instagram, you got to follow the Sample Captain. He is at Sample Captain on Instagram. Great content. Really good content. I'm waiting for him to do his own sample of what's in front of us right now, which is the brand spanking new David Protein ice cream you open these pints, and you find like that. They're half-eaten that was sample Captain Colin. Yeah He like when something arrives he immediately opens it and Like if it's a beverage he's interested. He's guzzled it if there's if there's an ice cream He's tasted it if there's a chip. He snacked on it. That's why he's the sample captain
[00:04:55] Melissa Traverse: You know, I see vanilla, chocolate, I was kind of hoping for a cod flavor. Cod ice cream, no.
[00:05:02] Ray Latif: That's a seasonal skew. Melissa's referring to the, I guess, parody of protein?
[00:05:08] Melissa Traverse: It's hard to say whether it's a parody or not, but sure.
[00:05:12] Ray Latif: No one knows. in the via those trucks that were going up and down the street in front of the convention center. And Peter emailed me earlier this week and said, Hey Ray, can we send you some pie? And I was like, absolutely. So shout out and kudos to Peter for sending us these. As Melissa mentioned, there's a vanilla, there's a chocolate, there's a triple peanut butter, and there's a cookie dough. Triple peanut butter. I brought bowls, I brought serving spoons, I brought spoons.
[00:05:58] Mike Schneider: Ray, I gotta say the toppings you brought were a nice touch, the little baseball helmets.
[00:06:04] Ray Latif: I didn't bring any of the Fenway Franks.
[00:06:06] Mike Schneider: All right.
[00:06:06] Ray Latif: Well, okay, John, you get, you, you got the serving spoons, you get these. While you're doing that, I'm going to read the macros on these products here.
[00:06:13] Melissa Traverse: And, you know, I'm curious Top Seedz the ingredients because the reason that they were driving around Expo and weren't in the building exhibiting is because of the ingredient panel, right? There is an ingredient in there that made it so that they weren't able to sample it.
[00:06:28] Ray Latif: Well, I'm going to call that maybe sucralose. Well, it does say it's artificially flavored. So at least the vanilla bean. So and also notably, it's not described as an ice cream. It's described as an indulgent frozen dessert. But clearly this is and looks like an ice cream.
[00:06:44] Mike Schneider: I love that trying to stay two steps ahead of the class action lawsuits.
[00:06:48] Ray Latif: I mean, look, if it doesn't have the ingredients that are associated with ice cream or, you know... I'm not knocking David to be clear, but, you know, savvy operator, I wouldn't be surprised if... Of course.
[00:07:00] Jason Cantelli: That's what they were doing. Okay.
[00:07:01] Ray Latif: Well, I think there's a standard for ice cream that you have to have a certain type of ingredients and maybe this doesn't have all of those ingredients. All right. The vanilla bean has 30 grams of protein, 210 calories per pint. That's impressive. And less than one gram of sugar. As I mentioned, naturally and artificially flavored. The ingredients are in order of what's listed here. Protein system, which is water, whey protein, isolate.
[00:07:31] Melissa Traverse: What just went by my shoulder? It's a bird. It's a plane.
[00:07:35] Ray Latif: It's a scoop of ice cream. A scoop of David indulgent frozen dessert. Ray, you brought this stuff as hard as a rock.
[00:07:44] Melissa Traverse: It is quite solid.
[00:07:46] Ray Latif: I just flung some across the room. The irony is that John was all worried that the ice cream was gonna melt, and it's still, you know, after 10 minutes on the table here, it's still pretty hard. So once again, the first ingredient listed is per their protein system, which is water, whey protein isolate. Second is their structure system, which is allulose, glycerin, locust bean gum, and guar gum. The next is their fat system, modified plant fat, which is EPG. And then their flavor system, which is natural and artificial flavor, salt, sucralose, and vanilla bean. So this is, someone described this as the new Halo Top. I think it was Andrea Hernandez from Snack Shot. And I don't know if I would say that because Halo Top was very light and literally, literally light in weight. This is dense. And I never really, to be honest, I never really loved Halo Top. I never loved the flavor of it. I know people said you could eat the entire pint in one sitting. I don't imagine you would eat Halo Top. I don't imagine you would be eating the entire pint of this. Melissa, what do you think?
[00:08:47] Melissa Traverse: I really wanted to not like this, but I have to say, I feel like the flavor is, I mean, not bad for the macros.
[00:08:56] Ray Latif: Come on, it's really tasty.
[00:08:57] Melissa Traverse: I know, I know, I know.
[00:08:59] Ray Latif: Don't be like, oh, I didn't want to like it.
[00:09:01] Melissa Traverse: Come on, it's really good. It's surprisingly good. good. Okay for me the ingredients like I don't know I like my ice cream to be like heavy cream and sugar and eggs so you know if I look at an ingredient panel and I see a bunch of systems it immediately turns me off but the consistency like Ray says is dense like an ice cream I am impressed.
[00:09:24] Ray Latif: I think in a blind taste test you'd have a hard time picking out like a the David ice cream from Some other actual ice cream in the disagree in the vein that you said this sweetener for me is the first Yeah, it's got it's got a little texture to it almost like a I don't want I don't know if grits the right word but like You know, I don't think there'd be any mistaking this for like, you know, full fat, just pure indulgent ice cream, but I think for what this is, I mean, it's really good. Like I would eat this. I mean, to be honest, I would prefer to eat this than some like mass produced mainstream, like wannabe indulgent ice cream that I won't name brands by name, but I feel like at this point, just cut a lot of corners and are kind of like that Halo Top, like, you know, it feels like you're just holding air, you know?
[00:10:19] Melissa Traverse: Yeah, if you eat the whole pint of Halo Top, I feel like you feel empty but full at the same time. You need another full pint of Halo Top. Yeah, whereas I can imagine having a normal serving of this and be satisfying your ice cream craving if you weren't looking to actually eat ice cream.
[00:10:34] Ray Latif: There is a little, like, sweetener that lingers, too.
[00:10:37] Melissa Traverse: Right.
[00:10:37] Ray Latif: But, I mean, again, I think this is really solid. Went straight for the triple chocolate, which like, I mean, it's, it is pretty darn indulgent. And the peanut butter tastes like quality peanut butter ice cream. And the fling ability, 10 out of 10. You saw, I mean, we were like, we were like maybe six inches away from a million hits on YouTube. If I hit John right in the eye. Just nob of ice cream. Whacked him right in the eyeball. That would have been pretty impressive. Great. Yeah. I just want to note that the calorie count, the sugar count, and some of the ingredients are different depending on the flavor. So the cookie dough, for example, also has monk fruit and stevia in it. The cookie dough has two grams of sugar and 260 calories per serving, as opposed to the Vanilla which only has 210 calories per serving and less than one gram of sugar. The vanilla once again does not have stevia or monk fruit. What's noted on these gold pints and the gold color is similar to or almost exactly like their bars is that This product has the most protein for the fewest calories, which has been... I like the call out of the calories from protein. Like I wish that were even bigger on that package. Yeah, it's not on the front. It's on the side panel here. Great looking package. I don't know the retail price. What would you assume the retail price for this is? If I had to guess, I would say it's probably $6.99.
[00:12:00] Melissa Traverse: Yeah, I was gonna say $7.99.
[00:12:01] Ray Latif: Yeah. Well, Peter, if we're wrong on that, please just email us at AskATasteRadio.com. I see why you have a different view on this, too, because the triple chocolate, the triple chocolate's good, but the peanut butter is like, it tastes like peanut butter ice cream. This triple chocolate, I can taste more of the sweetener. I think we're giving pretty much a thumbs up across the board for this. Yeah, impressive. Yeah, good stuff. David, well done. Peter and team. I don't want to like it. And here's the other thing.
[00:12:32] Melissa Traverse: So the original David Bars, I didn't like at all. So I was expecting that was sort of my reference. But this is good.
[00:12:42] Ray Latif: Well, they've made a lot of improvements to your point, Melissa, with the flavor of the original David Protein bar. I think originally it didn't have any artificial ingredients and have any artificial sweeteners. And then Peter and his team said, look, we got to make this great tasting. We've got to make it indulgent. We've got to make it something that people crave. And so they adjusted the ingredients in those protein bars. And I think they've applied what they've learned to these new frozen desserts.
[00:13:07] Melissa Traverse: And they came out with the indulgent bars as well. The ones that are almost like, is it built bars? The marshmallowy interior. Yeah.
[00:13:16] Ray Latif: Yeah. Yeah. And to your point, look, we've been saying this a thousand times in the podcast. Every founder I've ever known who has built a successful brand has said, look, taste, taste, taste, taste. You cannot have a great brand without great taste. Like Taste Radio. We have a great brand. How about that, you know?
[00:13:32] Melissa Traverse: And it tastes great.
[00:13:34] Ray Latif: And we have decent taste, I would say. Our taste is pretty good. Yeah. Would you pour any of that matcha liqueur, John, on any of this? I think that could be an interesting pairing with the vanilla. You want a shot, Ray? Perhaps, I might. So the brand is called Yoshi. y o s h i it is Yoshi Matcha liqueur and uh with an oat milk base you've had this before yes an oat milk base yeah i might have just drank this you know i don't know quarter of the bottle on the way down here to get ready for this nonsense but uh no it's um It's really good. Instead of your usual shots of bourbon, you're drinking Yoshi Matcha. Sometimes you just need to take the edge off. No, but this stuff's really, it's really good. I think, you know, starting with just the cleanliness of the brand with the kind of, you know, matcha green backdrop, you know, it's basically like a cream liqueur with matcha, you know, and I feel like that's sort of cool in that it's ticking. couple of different boxes and also bringing I think what's been a really popular Gen Z flavor in a Bevalk. Like I have not seen Yoshi Matcha like Bevalk product before so this stuff very cool I think it's just launching right now so.
[00:14:43] Melissa Traverse: The packaging is beautiful. I wonder if you can make like if you can make an espresso martini, can you make Yoshi Matcha? Yeah, I would. I would drink that in a minute. Matcha martini.
[00:14:55] Ray Latif: Nice. I like that. Yeah. Well, they'll be exhibiting at the upcoming Bar Convent Brooklyn event, which is happening next week before BevNET Live. So I'll be seeing the founders there. Next week? BevNET Live is happening next week. Get your ticket. What are you waiting for? June 10th and 11th. Everyone and anyone that you want to meet in the beverage industry at BevNET Live. In that room. Yeah. Well, I'm glad they didn't call Yoshi just matcha drink, or I don't know what a cool name for a liqueur would be, like matcha, matcha sauce or something like that. Because as we all know, you don't wanna put the ingredient name in your brand name. This is something that Mike Bergmeier, who's a well-known investment banker in our industry, once said at beverage school, and he stressed it over and over and over. He said, don't put your ingredient name in your brand name. And I think back to 2020 when I sat down with the founders of a brand called Chia Smash Foods an episode of Elevator Talk, the inaugural season of our current version, anyway, of Elevator Talk. And I don't know if I asked them that. I wonder if I asked them.
[00:16:02] John Craven: I'm sure you did.
[00:16:03] Ray Latif: Are you, you know, thinking about expanding? What are you thinking? Right. Because at the time, Chia Smash only marketed jams that were infused with chia. Today, the brand is known as Smash Foods and they have a portfolio of products that are infused with chia, including their original jams, but they also have peanut butter and jelly bites and toaster pastries as well. And Smash Foods just raised $5 million in equity investment. You can read about that story on Nosh.com penned by our very own Monica Watrous. I thought the transition from Chia Smash to Smash Foods, which I think happened a couple of years after we interviewed them, It was obviously a brilliant move and allowed them to expand their portfolio, really spread their wings beyond just Jams. Well, you don't have to explain what Smash is. I mean, it's just a very powerful word. And when you say Chia, most people know what Chia is, but what comes after Chia? Pet. Pet. I brought up this question actually with the founders of the, since we have ice cream on the table here, with the founders of a brand called Protein Pints, which is a brand of ice cream that's infused with extra protein. That's what I thought was a beer. That's what you thought was a beer. Well, if you actually saw the products, you'd realize and you'd know it was ice cream. No, I've seen it, had it, tastes good. And I asked them, you know, why did you include the ingredient name in your brand? They said, look, first and foremost, this is what we're selling. We're selling protein. We're selling protein ice cream. This is who we are. We're not trying to shy away from that. Even if we do expand the portfolio to something else, the reason that people are going to buy our products is because of the added protein and certainly the indulgence of the products. But the primary reason David Protein. So in that case, I think it does make sense. Maybe. Just put that sliver of doubt in my mind. I don't like that. Does it make sense for the long term or does it make sense for right now? Is that, are they always just going to be like banking on everybody? I mean, obviously Protein Pints really important for the human body, so.
[00:18:08] Melissa Traverse: But right now it's such a huge focus and it's nice that Chia Smash had the option to drop Chia and just stick with Smash. So it would be nice David Protein Pints also had that option.
[00:18:19] Ray Latif: They're not just going to be called pints in the future. That'd be weird. No, it would be weird. I wonder if we'll see any of these brands that we mentioned on next year's Cercana new product pace setters report. The 2025 edition was unveiled earlier this week, and I'm sure you'll know some of the brands that are part of this top 10 list, including Bloom, Red Bull, Oikos, Sparkling Ice, Topo Chico, and Kings Hawaiian. Yeah, there you go. Mike's got a can of bloom popper. I've got the rocket blast. Yeah, that bloom sent us and oh my gosh, this stuff's fantastic.
[00:18:55] Melissa Traverse: Yeah, I think they got number two, right?
[00:18:56] Ray Latif: The sparkling energy got number two. The pop, I imagine will be on that list next year. It's still kind of new. It's still kind of new, just gaining traction, starting Top Seedz it everywhere. Super tasty stuff. Yeah. Well done, bloom. Melissa, you sent me this report and noted that one of the most interesting parts of it was about the use of AI and how consumers are using AI to find new products, essentially.
[00:19:23] Melissa Traverse: The report shows how consumers are using AI not just for discovery but for purchase as well. They said that one in three consumers uses AI to explore CPG and it really is a big part of how consumers are and are going to be discovering new products. trying new things and, you know, figuring out what they want to eat next. So it presents a great opportunity for brands to be early adopters, jump into it and figure out how to use these tools to gain awareness.
[00:19:56] Ray Latif: That makes a lot of sense. I always use it to figure out what I'm going to look like in the next Arsenal kit. I don't think that's what AI was designed for. No, it throws up every time. Content violation. Mike, you should probably attend some of the workshops that we have at BevNET Live.
[00:20:17] Melissa Traverse: Yeah, we have some great AI workshops talking about how to drive efficiency, frontline growth. I'm actually co-hosting one with Leisure Hydration and CoAqua on how to use AI to help with your operations. And we also have some main stage content on AI and online retail, how to make your brand legible to AI agents. So a really great place to figure all of this out and figure out where your brand fits.
[00:20:43] Ray Latif: And you can check out some of the presenters in advance and find out what they do. It's KaizenTree, BevGenie, and Glimpse that are putting on these workshops. Thank you so much.
[00:20:54] Melissa Traverse: Yeah, thank you.
[00:20:54] Ray Latif: Thank you indeed. And thank you once again to everyone who's coming to BevNET Live. We're getting up there in terms of numbers of folks, and if you want to Be there, you gotta get your ticket, because we're gonna be sold out pretty soon. John Craven, do we have a, we're close to capacity.
[00:21:11] Jason Cantelli: We might run out of chairs, Ray.
[00:21:12] Ray Latif: You might run out of chairs. Since we've been talking about protein all episode, Mike, how about some more protein? You got some scoops? I got some scoops, Ray. Lots of whey protein out there, pea protein. Melissa mentioned cod protein earlier. This is peanut Protein Pints's called Scoops. And in front of me right now, I've got the original peanut with sea salt, 27 grams of Protein Pints protein per serving. Yeah. 75% fewer calories than peanut butter. On the back it says it's delicious with smoothies, overnight oats, sauces, baking, and oatmeal, which is what I've been using it for. I've been using actually the chocolate peanut variety, and it's fantastic. It just makes your oatmeal into a treat, and it's super satiating. And Melissa, five grams of fiber.
[00:21:58] Melissa Traverse: Per serving.
[00:21:59] Ray Latif: Yeah, you need it with your protein. So, I mean, it's a pretty fantastic product.
[00:22:04] Melissa Traverse: You know, I wonder if we're going Top Seedz a new wave of peanut consumers now that kids are being introduced to peanuts earlier on and that peanut allergies, you know, hopefully won't be as much of a thing with the kids who are growing up now and will be, you know, adults in basically no time.
[00:22:21] Ray Latif: a lot of the allergy too. We saw that with Jake Carls Mid-Day Squares, who was unable to eat his peanut variety, and then got tested and made a big thing out of it, and now he can. So that's pretty great. Hopeful for others in our office who have some nut allergies too. Peanut butter's good.
[00:22:39] Jason Cantelli: Yeah? Yeah, peanut butter rules.
[00:22:41] Ray Latif: I don't know what else to say. It's so good. It's interesting that we have the David product here and also this, and I think peanut butter goes really well with protein products.
[00:22:51] Melissa Traverse: It does.
[00:22:52] Ray Latif: So it sure does. I mean, I just feel like it's a nice. I don't know, I was going to say maybe it masks the protein flavor, but I don't know if that's the right way to say it, but it's why the peanut tasted so different. And, you know, just I felt like that was like ice cream and and it has its own, you know, sweetness to it, to the peanuts.
[00:23:09] Melissa Traverse: I use the powdered peanut butter in smoothies and making ninja creamies and that kind of thing. It's something you can extract the fat from, but you still get some good flavor and good consistency.
[00:23:19] Ray Latif: Noted. All we need in here is Superfoodio. Melissa's got some crackers by her side. What are these?
[00:23:26] Melissa Traverse: So I have Top Seedz here. I picked these up at Whole Foods. They were doing a passive demo in the cheese department, which just goes to show you again, there are so many options for sampling and for demos. I feel like nowadays you go into stores and you don't see nearly the number of demos that you used to pre-pandemic. So anytime you can take advantage of a sampling opportunity, do it because it sells product. But this product here is Top Seedz. It's a six seed cracker. And I just thought these were so tasty. They are sunflower, sesame, flax, pumpkin, chia and hemp seeds. And there's something about the way that they toasted the seeds in these that to me made them kind of, you know, far above the flavor that you might expect from like a Mary's Crackers.
[00:24:11] Ray Latif: You were sold though on the packaging because It's transparent. You saw those crackers and you're like, I gotta try that.
[00:24:17] Melissa Traverse: Yeah. Yeah. It's like, it's this black and white packaging. It really jumps out at you and it's just such a tasty product.
[00:24:23] Ray Latif: But it's not the packaging. It's the product jumps right out at you. It's in like this transparent plastic vessel. I mean, if you like seeded crackers, like, I mean, you can see in there that there's like actually real quality ingredients in it. Those are super tasty. Yeah. They got you. Those are super tasty. And the brand name is spelled T-O-P-S-E-E-D-Z. Top Seedz with a Z. It's all about the Z.
[00:24:47] Jason Cantelli: All about the Z.
[00:24:48] Ray Latif: Z is for zing. John Craven, is that underwear next to you? Yes, Ray. I actually brought your underwear back. End of show. For some reason, it ended up in my office, but now it's back. What we're talking about here is this Duluth Trading Buck Naked underwear with Old Milwaukee branding on it. Yes, it's a collab between the two companies. No idea, but we got a whole pile. I mean, you can explain why, but we got a whole pile of Old Milwaukee branded Duluth Trading merch this week, right? Yeah, so Old Milwaukee partnered with Duluth Trading Company on a whole bench of new, call it, clothing and merch. They sent us a cap, an apron, they sent us gear for the beach where you can keep your cans of beer cold, and they sent us some underwear as well.
[00:25:40] Melissa Traverse: You know that underwear, it's made out of, it looks like one of those highly absorbent dish towels. I wonder if that would also function as maybe like a diaper if you needed it.
[00:25:50] Ray Latif: Perhaps, but that's the secret with Duluth Creating Company. Ever seen those commercials where they talk about their underwear? And as they pointed out on the back of this package, no pinch, no stink, and No Sweat, which is exactly what you want when you're on the beach and drinking beer.
[00:26:04] Melissa Traverse: Pounding Old Milwaukee.
[00:26:05] Ray Latif: Pounding Old Milwaukee. No, I love this collab, honestly, because it definitely feels like both brands are kind of old school, definitely in line with consumer expectations for their personality and positioning. So, I mean, I love collabs like this that actually make sense. And now we know what underwear Ray will be wearing during the New Beverage Showdown. No, I might actually go buck naked instead of wearing the buck naked underwear. You mentioned earlier that I was representing the champions, Arsenal Football Club, and I wanna talk about some other champions. The New Beverage Showdown champions, Uso, who sent us their latest SKU, Chamomile, Peach, Mizzou. A brand of non-alcoholic sparkling tea, O-O-S-O. Their positioning is very much that of a refreshment beverage meets a non-alcoholic wine. And it is really delicious stuff. Born in Brooklyn, based in Brooklyn. They're a great company. And they have the interesting ingredient of the week, Melissa, which is?
[00:27:07] Melissa Traverse: Fermented chamomile. Man, this is so good. It's room temperature. It's so good room temperature. What a tasty product.
[00:27:15] Ray Latif: Their products are fantastic and this one is instantly became my favorite. And the more that I've had, they generously sent us a case of this stuff. So I've had a few at this point and it is fantastic.
[00:27:28] Melissa Traverse: I can't stop.
[00:27:29] Ray Latif: I love the little note of salt at the end.
[00:27:31] Melissa Traverse: Yeah. Yeah. And the yuzu juice is really nice. It's refreshing, bright.
[00:27:36] Ray Latif: Great stuff from the champions. Thank you so much.
[00:27:38] Melissa Traverse: Well done.
[00:27:39] Ray Latif: Yeah. Great stuff from our New Bivert Showdown champions of New York City 2025. And congratulations again to Arsenal, winners of the Premier League. Runners-up of the Champions League, but hey, you can't ever... I didn't think I could love Uso anymore, but this just made me.
[00:27:56] John Craven: ProJo, winner of the 2025 New Beverage Showdown, is launching their Power Coffee RTDs into every Target nationwide this August. Experience powerful energy and great taste with 25 grams of protein and 225 milligrams of caffeine. Visit idrinkprojo.com to learn more.
[00:28:19] Jason Cantelli: As business grows, financials get more complex. We put together a free guide in collaboration with Belay Solutions to help founders better understand margins, inventory, and cash flow. Download it now at Taste Radio.com slash belay. That's Taste Radio.com slash B-E-L-A-Y to help your business make smarter financial decisions.
[00:28:46] Ray Latif: Alright, it's time to get to our featured interviews for this episode. At Taste Radio's Austin Meetup in May, executives from NutriBolt, Bloom, GoodBelly, and Corner Market Communications shared practical insights on what drives growth in today's food and beverage industry. Neutropol's Jason Cantelli discussed scaling multiple brands while staying relentlessly focused on consumers, while Bloom's Erica Tam explained how community building, influencer marketing, and retail execution have fueled the brand's rapid rise. Corner Market Communications founder Megan Kelleher outlined how modern PR can drive tangible business results, and Nextfoods CEO Marc Seguin reflected on revitalizing GoodBelly, building a strong culture, and thinking like an owner at every stage of growth. Now to talk to you guys about NutriBolt and how they turned this scrappy startup into a billion-dollar beverage powerhouse is the incredible Jason Cantelli, who's the Chief Commercial Officer of NutriBolt. What NutriBolt has done here has just blown my mind. Between C4 and Bloom, both brands are growing at an incredible pace. But how do you prioritize investment across two distinct beverage brands and really do it without losing focus? Maybe I start at the end of that one. When you talk about focus and the two brands, I ladder back to when I came to Nutribulld and spending time with our founder, Doss Cunningham, and when he talked about aspiration for Nutribulld as an organization and what he aspired to accomplish
[00:30:27] Mike Schneider: in a P&G-like mentality within wellness. And the model of which we've been building, we hope that it isn't just two brands, right?
[00:30:39] Ray Latif: That it can be more in the future. And this is a model of which through ruthless understanding and prioritization of our consumer, we can continue to fuel. So within the two brands right now, it does begin with the consumer, right? It's where is that consumer? How do we reach them in their moment of need? And then through our investments, it's really carefully understanding how those will play in each individual brand, but also into the ladder of the umbrella of Nutribull that allows us to build upon what we are today. Let's talk about Bloom for a second because, as I mentioned to you, it seems like Bloom is a brand that belongs to a generation, in particular, Gen Alpha. I have gone to Target, I don't know how many times I see kids picking up a Bloom Pop, really embracing that brand as their own. And Bloom, you know, it really started out with a really powerful digital and influencer-driven strategy. C4 has deep roots in retail. So what have you learned about translating online buzz into sustained in-store velocity?
[00:31:42] Mike Schneider: I love at the heart of that question, too. It's the recognition for Nutribull Top Seedz a strength in another product, a brand, the people in that brand, and want to bring that into our world. So the amazing brand build and the online community that was Bloom, we recognized a special talent within not only the founders and Greg and Mari, but the entire team. And it was that opportunity then to bring that into NutriBolt and leverage our strengths to be where we are today. But really, we think we're just at the beginning of what that is, right? You know, last week in MULO Plus for the energy side of the portfolio, it had a 2.5 share in only 16 months. with pop and, you know, within less than a year to be able to achieve double digit share within the better for you soda space, we really feel like we're leveraging that retail expertise in partnership with the marketing components of which Bloom has built, that then how do we continue to bring that to life holistically across all Nutribull brands, what they are today in the future?
[00:32:49] Ray Latif: And we're going to be talking about the brand and marketing strategy of Bloom with Erika Tam momentarily. She's right over there taking some fantastic video. Just get my good side, please. Energy and wellness. Very competitive right now, intensely competitive, but where are you getting the most return on spend right now? And where are you becoming more disciplined between the two?
[00:33:09] Mike Schneider: I feel like if our CMO is somewhere, that's a question where they're like, don't answer, don't give the secrets out.
[00:33:13] Ray Latif: I see someone pointing at them right over there. There you go.
[00:33:16] Mike Schneider: Like, I think, yes, we look to our guts and our experiences, but we're very diligent with our marketing mix analysis and constantly through ruthless prioritization, looking at our investments by product or portfolio and understanding the TAM and the consumer opportunity within each. We have a lot of founders in the audience right now and I'm so happy Top Seedz all of you because you are changing.
[00:33:53] Ray Latif: There you go. You are changing the face of food and beverage as we speak. Resources are important for sure. I mean, Nutribullet has quite a bit of resources, but I'm assuming you do think like an entrepreneur. You have to think like an early stage founder and be nimble as often as some of these folks do as well. What's one piece of advice that you would have for them in terms of how to remain nimble with resources or without?
[00:34:14] Mike Schneider: I mean, it's interesting, as you say, we have a lot of resources. We do. But I would hope that our organization continually is to think lean and scrappy, right? That we're always saying, geez, I wish I just had a little bit more because then if we're doing that, we're challenging ourselves to invest in a very responsible fashion. So I would challenge all founders and small business owners. How can you just wear many hats, find another scrappy way to do it, not lean on the luxuries of investment and over-investing in certain resources?
[00:34:44] Ray Latif: At one time, C4 was not known for energy. At one point, Bloom was not really known for beverages. And look where the brands are right now. I think hard work, discipline, hustle, and a thoughtful strategy go a long way.
[00:34:57] Mike Schneider: Yeah, and all that ladders back to the consumer, right? Understanding your consumer and what they are going to be interested for your brand next, what need that might meet, and how you're positioning yourself to be able to deliver that product to them.
[00:35:08] Ray Latif: Jason, I really can't thank you enough for joining me today. Thank you so much. Thanks for sharing and opening up your home to us. Really appreciate the time. Thank you. Thanks, Ray. Thanks, team. All right. That was Jason Cantelli. I'll take your microphone. Oh, right on brand. Sip in the C4. Love it. Love Top Seedz it. All right. I want to bring up now one of the most special people in the food and beverage industry. She has been a friend for a long time, and she is someone you should definitely get to know and meet. Her name is Megan Kelleher. She's the founder and CEO of Corner Market Communications. How are you?
[00:35:39] Megan Kelleher: I'm so good.
[00:35:40] Ray Latif: What is Corner Market Communications?
[00:35:41] Megan Kelleher: Corner Market Communications is a marketing agency just exclusively for CPG food and beverage. We have grown up with the industry over the last nine years and we do everything related to storytelling. So traditional PR, influencer events, we even shot our own commercials last year for clients. So we've taken storytelling to a different level.
[00:36:00] Ray Latif: So I got to tell you, you know, PR is one of the most overlooked parts of this industry. And I feel like it's changed so dramatically over the years. Modern PR is not your dad's PR. And a lot of people still think that way, but you've got to keep up with changing times and changing trends. I wonder in your eyes, what does modern PR look like? And, you know, how should founders rethink the role of PR when they are growing their businesses?
[00:36:23] Megan Kelleher: Yeah, I think the interesting thing is, is that if you've been in the industry, it's always been ever-changing. When I started 20 years ago, mom blogs had just come out on the network, and everybody wanted to build their own networks of mom blogs. And now that's Influencer, and now that's Substacks. For modern PR, I think it's no longer the platinum chip publications. Like, yes, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, they really do matter, but it's really about telling... Yes. But what I was going to say is, is that being able to tell the story in the right channel to the right audience for the right goal, I think that's the pivotal moment for PR these days, is that sometimes telling it in a sub stack is the way to reach the right consumer. For us, I can say this because I've worked with you for years, is that putting our founders onto Taste Radio usually gives a byproduct of a retailer call or a partnership call. It actually has a really good byproduct result. And so it's not about the spray and pray that everybody talks about in PR. It's what channel is actually going to complete the goal you're looking for and being very, very specific in the goal that you're trying to accomplish. Because without that, you're just going to hit open funnels and not know exactly what you're looking for.
[00:37:29] Ray Latif: You know, there's communication within communication. And I think a lot of folks who are starting out say, well, I'm going to hire a PR company and it's just very much a transactional service. But how do you build an effective relationship with your PR team? How do you build a relationship that really yields the results that you want Top Seedz out of your strategy?
[00:37:47] Megan Kelleher: I think one of the best things that you can do is really form a partnership. At the end of the day, it's about being partners in the business. Invite them to the table, explain the goals, explain the challenges. Don't let the PR be in a funnel where you hand them something that you want them to do. Let them weigh in. They're strategists that know the world. They execute it in a daily basis. They're going to come with a perspective that you hired them for. So make sure that you're actually listening to it and you invite them to the table. One of the best examples I've had in my career, you just had him on this week, is Mike Messersmith, who came from Oatly and is now at Lasso. I was brought in as employee number seven as a consultant, and they treated me as a full-time teammate. And so I was well aware of Oatly's strategy when they were in coffee shops and where they were trying to go, saw them all the way through their IPO, but that's been our partnership at the end of the day. And it was because we knew we could give and take, and we both deeply cared about the business. I think a lot of the time it's treated as transactional, but I deeply care about the brands I work with. I want them to succeed and thrive, so invite me to the table, invite my team to the table. We'll bring you the best thinking we can, and then we can work against the goal you're actually looking to achieve.
[00:38:52] Ray Latif: You said a lot there, and I think I want to dive a little bit deeper if I can. If we talk about inviting people in, making people feel like they're part of the team, making people feel like they're part of the family, let's talk about some very practical things. What are, say, three practical things that a founder can do to enhance their relationship with their PR company such that they are telling a better story to the end consumer?
[00:39:12] Megan Kelleher: In the beginning days, we do a five-day runway. That's really a part of our model. Sit down and give the insight into the business. Tell us what's actually keeping you up at night. Have that one-to-one relationship with us where you can be honest and transparent about what you're trying to accomplish, what you're struggling with. A lot of the time, we just get handed brand awareness. You want Top Seedz brand awareness or we need retail, but it's what retail? Why do you need it? What are you looking for? And so it's not a vague question of what we think we want to hear. It's really getting down to your bottom line business goals and talk to us about those. And then let's do communication. Let's check in. Let's have regular comms. What I do see a lot in founder led businesses is that you have a million priorities. PR, if you're gonna invest in it, you have to be an equal partner. You have to be available. You have to be able to support it and treat it as the priority that we're treating it as. We'll always work within schedules, but at the end of the day, you wanna make sure that there is a level of transparency of, hey, we're all chasing this goal together. We're in it with you. And that makes you feel like an extension of the team. And the best PR agencies and best PR teams you'll ever see are the ones that feel like they're a part of the brand. And that is a mutual relationship. the founders and the teams, they have to lean in in the transparency and be in it with you. The PR teams need to come back at the same token and be honest about what's going on. Hey, this didn't work. Let's pivot. I have some amazing teammates in the back of the room. And one of our big things is that they're on every single call. They're not floating in the background. I'm still on those calls as well, but Annabelle leads all of our calls with all of our teams, and she keeps everybody on track. Grace is our creative gal, and she works her tail off to make sure that every trend that's right for them is put in front of them. We're extra eyes. But because we know what the goals of the brand are, we can bring those things to them. If they didn't tell me, we would be falling on deaf ears and bringing incorrect recommendations.
[00:41:06] Ray Latif: And the proof is in the pudding. If you're part of the team, you're part of the team that helped sell Lester Evil to Hershey for six, was it $650 million?
[00:41:14] Megan Kelleher: $750. $750.
[00:41:16] Ray Latif: What's $100 million? Whatever. So, no, but I mean, you're a big part of that. Thank you. For Lester Evil, and they have some samples on the table to go from where they were to where they are now. It's you guys. You guys are a big part of that. So congratulations on that. Like I said, if you haven't had a chance to talk to the Corner Market Communications folks, they've got an incredible table back there. Obviously, Megan was singing the praises of her. I almost called them co-founders. They feel like co-founders.
[00:41:40] Megan Kelleher: They feel like it to me, so it's okay. You can take that title today.
[00:41:43] Ray Latif: Have a conversation with them. They are incredible people. They're very well-spoken people, as you can see. So I would highly recommend you have that conversation. Megan, thank you so much again for everything you do. I really, really appreciate it.
[00:41:53] Megan Kelleher: Thank you. This is an honor, honestly.
[00:41:55] Ray Latif: The honor is mine. Really appreciate it. Thank you again. Up next, Marc Seguin. Where's Mark? There he is. Come on up. Marc Seguin is the CEO of Next Foods. How are you doing? Good. How are you? I'm doing fantastic. Good Top Seedz you. Mark is the CEO of Next Foods, which is a marketer of two incredible brands, GoodBelly and Sharer Bundy. And we're here today to talk a little bit about GoodBelly. What is GoodBelly?
[00:42:20] Mike Schneider: Good Belly is a probiotic beverage. It started almost 20 years ago and really was one of the innovators in probiotic beverage in the juice space. So they've been around for quite a while and we now sell in the dairy department, we sell performance shots as well. So we have three or four different ways that we bring basically probiotic beverage to consumers.
[00:42:38] Ray Latif: Gut health is pretty popular these days. You guys were one of the forerunners, good belly that is, of probiotic beverages. And it feels like if you're in that space today, you're probably doing something right. But how do you go from being a legacy pioneering brand in that space to maintaining the level of communication and expectations that people have for probiotic beverages?
[00:43:02] Mike Schneider: That's a great question. And I was hoping I might get the answer here talking to some people today. It's definitely hard to, uh, you know, keep a legacy brand relevant. I think the mistake that a lot of brands make is they confuse their brand with their product. So in the early days, we had a really interesting product that was actually pretty breakthrough and. our opportunity was to build a relationship between the brand and consumers. And what we didn't realize is the product became a little bit old. It wasn't how people were looking for probiotics. They could get it in a million different ways in a million different formats. And we sort of stayed the same. So it got stale, to be honest. And I think what we've realized It really in the last couple of years is that we could reinvent ourselves, lean on the heritage that we do have as a brand. People do know GoodBelly as a great brand that speaks really to the benefit very clearly in a, in a way that most brands don't have a luxury of doing. And so we reinvented the way we talk to consumers on the package, redid all of our packaging, really re-engaged with social media. and started to have conversations with consumers one-to-one in a way that was new for the brand. And then we looked for new formats. We launched shots, which sells in the functional beverage set. We also have launched David Protein product that brings a new angle, lets us really compete directly with kefir. So if you're looking for a non-dairy kefir alternative that gives you all of the protein, all the probiotics, and sort of that beverage breakfast consumption moment, It's right down the middle for that. So I think it's finding the right things, but understanding that one win as a product does not define a brand. You have to really cherish that consumer relationship and build it over time.
[00:44:36] Ray Latif: And you have to make sure the consumer knows what you're selling. I mean, that's one of the biggest parts, too. Everyone here knows that you should have good gut health, right? I mean, raise your hand if you think and try to incorporate good gut health into your life, right? But why? Do we know why? I think that's a big part of your new product line, the Wellness Shots. You're trying to really focus on the functional benefit and communicate very clearly what that benefit is. How do you do it effectively, again, and how do you do it with the consideration of where you were and where you are today?
[00:45:08] Mike Schneider: Yeah. So, I mean, I think the science on the gut brain connection is, is really new since we even started with probiotics. I think in its early inception, good belly was thinking about gut health in terms of really digestion. Right. But I think what's emerged over the last 20 years is there's this great connectivity to the way your brain processes. If your gut is healthy, it drives everything. So it's kind of a scientific conversation you have to have, which is hard to do in simple terms. But I think where we're finding success is looking for influencers who speak to a lot of folks that can speak with authority. We're investing a great deal in our science so that we can work with really thought leaders in this space. I'm going to a conference next week, which is the ASPDA, but it is the dieticians for professional sports teams. It's actually a small group of people, but they put the products in the hands of every major athlete in the country. We sell our products, Cherubundi and GoodBelly to pretty much every D1 school in the country now directly, because we focused on the dieticians and we built relationships with them so that they know that our products are effective. And we provide them with the science behind that that allows them to be certain that If they're going to get an athlete, top tier athlete to consume something, they want to make sure that it drives performance.
[00:46:23] Ray Latif: Now, GoodBelly is 20 years old, but as I asked Jason earlier, even if you're 20 years old, you want to think like an entrepreneur. You want to have an entrepreneurial mindset. You want to be efficient with your money. You want to focus on things that are going to get a return in the most efficient way. What are some ways that GoodBelly thinks like an early stage founder, thinks like an entrepreneur?
[00:46:46] Mike Schneider: Legacy companies can get into some bad habits, some bad routines. They think things are working that aren't working. And I had to really appeal that back for the team that I have. And I have a brilliant small team, but really get them to understand that they not just think like owners, but they had to understand what an owner would bring. And in my experience, every founder, every good owner very quickly has an owner math. If I sell one case of this, I can spend 10 cents on this, 30 cents on that, 40 cents on that. And that simple owner math, like if you sell a dollar, what's left, every single one of my team members can tell you what that is for every one of our products. And so when they're thinking about what they're investing in, they know that if it creates an extra dollar of revenue, there's going to be something left after that investment. And just really making sure that your team is so acutely focused on the basic financials of your business and trained up. Because if every one of them think like an owner, you're not going to make a lot of mistakes.
[00:47:40] Ray Latif: Yeah, I love that level of transparency. If everybody knows what it costs to get to a place where you're taking GoodBelly to the next level, if everyone knows, if we get to a place where we're spending less or where we're communicating more effectively, or we're selling in a new retailer, if we just take that added step as a team together, we win as a team together. But I want to talk about exactly how you do it, and if you talk about You know, everyone here has heard, oh, well, you've got to execute well. You've got to have the right product mix. You've got to innovate correctly. You've got to market correctly. But if there's one thing that really stands out, and you've been doing this for a long time, what is the most important thing that founders and anybody in this business needs to get right? Otherwise, they have no chance of success.
[00:48:25] Mike Schneider: Well, it took me a long time to figure out that you could have a great idea and I focused on those and you could have really good financials and you could focus on those, but you had to have, culture is everything. It unlocks innovation. It unlocks team efficiency. So I focus almost all of my time now on culture. And we're really trying to do something that is an entirely team-driven approach. What I found when I've been a part of a lot of founder organizations in the past, founders are extraordinarily good at seeing the future that doesn't exist today. And that creates innovation, as you said earlier. But very often they don't see who's going to be in the future with them. They see themselves in the future and there's a spot for them on the podium, but is there a spot for the people around them? And I think what they need to do is figure out how to bring those people and have them see that vision the way that they do. Cause if they can, it can really change the way your team taps into the motivation for the company because founders are perpetual engines. They bring so much interesting energy to companies, but most places I've been, people are waiting Top Seedz what the founder is going to say about everything. And so if you can get them to think like that and bring them along so that they see the vision that the founder sees, I think you have a real chance to win.
[00:49:41] Ray Latif: I wasn't expecting that answer, but that's a fantastic answer.
[00:49:44] Mike Schneider: Our motto for every new person coming in is that we want this to be the best job you've ever had and the job you measure everything else against. And that's not really lip service. We want to build what makes you special into the place. Your quirkiness, your funny jokes, your things. We want all that to come together in an interesting mosaic to build something really special. And I'm sure you have those people in your company too.
[00:50:07] Ray Latif: We have a few jokesters.
[00:50:09] Mike Schneider: So I think you want to bring that reality and that authenticity is something people say all the time. But I think if the team owns authenticity and they're like, what's important to the team is how they interact with each other. They know how they're supposed to operate. They got to think like owners and they got to be curious. Those things for sure. And we only sell products that we would use ourselves, but the team part in the middle is the part that usually gets lost. And that's where that culture lives. If you can get that right, I think it's an incredible unlock. And I'm really looking forward to what happens here at Next Foods, because I think it's going to be something really special.
[00:50:41] Ray Latif: I think you're already doing something really special. I'm so glad that you took the time to be with us today. Mark, thank you so much. Really appreciate the time. Finally, we have the incredible Erica Tam, who is the SVP of brand for Bloom. How's it going?
[00:50:56] Megan Kelleher: It's going. Thank you so much for having me.
[00:50:58] Ray Latif: Thanks so much for joining us on Brand with the t-shirt and the Bloom pop. Fantastic. Of course. Well, it's kind of your job, right? It absolutely is. Got to rep the brand. Exactly, exactly. Bloom is one of the most incredible brands that I can remember seeing in my 15 years at BevNET. Just the level of love that people have for Bloom, the use that they have for the brand in all aspects of their day. It's just really been incredible Top Seedz. And again, you're a big part of that as well. I mentioned to Jason that Bloom really started out as an influencer and digital-led brand, but how do you translate products that you see online into something that consumers stick with rather than just try once? And as we know, if you're on Instagram, you might see an ad for something and you'll be like, I'll give it a shot, but then you never really touch it again.
[00:51:47] Megan Kelleher: I think it's a couple of things. And first of all, thank you for all the kind words about Bloom. It's been an incredible brand to build. And I know you've seen a lot of great brands in your career too. So it means a lot. I would say the first thing is to make sure you have a really good product. So when I say a good product, that means having a product that whether it tastes really good or is really efficacious, something that people genuinely like, because if you don't have a good product, no matter how much marketing you do and how much you put into the world, people will try it and they won't come back to it. It doesn't matter how great your brand is. So number one, make sure to get that down. And there's a lot of steps to making a really good product. I would say that's the first thing. Number two is make sure you have a story around the brand because every hero needs to have a story around it. If you don't put a story around it, you have no hero. So that means create a great brand, create a design that resonates with your consumer. create something that people really gravitate towards and have a connection to. Otherwise, the next time a product comes in that looks like your product or tastes like your product, your product's gone and so is your brand. So I would say number two is make sure you have a very good story. And then finally, making sure you have a really great campaign. And by a campaign, you can have a lot of influencers talk about it. But I would say depending on what your product is, either maybe there's a lot of education that needs to be done for your product. So you really need to make sure to get that out in your messaging or It is about showing up in real life and having activations. I think the best way to really get people to convert and come back is to make sure you have the entire 360 working for you. You have a great brand, you have great messaging, you talk about it online, you're able to taste and be in IRL, and Halo Top build a community around it who will really rally behind your product and brand.
[00:53:24] Ray Latif: As I mentioned, you have a can of Bloompop in your hand. I feel like I've mentioned this before, Bloompop feels like that soda brand for the next generation. I see Gen Alpha kids drinking it all the time. You go into a Target, there's all these 10, 12, 13, 14 year olds that are all drinking Bloompop. And it's a relatively new product. When did Bloompop launch again?
[00:53:44] Megan Kelleher: About six to seven months ago.
[00:53:46] Ray Latif: Six to seven months ago. So when you think about a new product, from a marketing perspective, what signals that that product will matter to consumers? How do you pressure test those signals before and after launch?
[00:53:58] Megan Kelleher: There are a couple things. I would say, number one, do your homework about the product you're about to launch. And Jason Cantelli talked a little bit about this. Like, make sure you do your marketing analysis, you do your homework, you check the TAM. Like, is there a viable audience for this product? That would be number one. And then number two, when you're building it, if you decide, okay, let's go forward with this, as you're building it, is your internal team excited about what you're building? At Bloom, we're really fortunate to have a lot of our team. They're actually our consumers, too. They really emulate who our audience is. And as we're building it, you know whether or not they're excited about it. Are they excited about the design, the storytelling, the product, to get it out into the world and to really shout it from the rooftop? If they are, that's another checkpoint. And then number three, I would say pressure test it with your community. There's a lot of things you can do to really understand whether or not your community will like it. So whether that's serving your community, talking to them in real life. So if it's a new flavor, for example, you can ask them what flavors they're looking for. It's very easy. At Bloom, we've built a really big community. We have about 1.5 million followers across our social channels. We have a huge community in different markets who will show up and line up around the door in our activations. But there's an opportunity to have a two-way dialogue. You can ask them about flavors or if it's a new product. Do they want it? Okay, yes, they want it. What do you want in this product? Like, what do you not already have? And you build something that they really love. And then finally, we've also had the opportunity to create some really great activations where we can actually sample unreleased flavors and get their opinions. We did this last year at our, we had a treat shop activation in New York, and it was like a line around the door. There are thousands of consumers who really wanted to be there. And in our activation, there was a lot of things you could do there. It was about bringing wellness into these really delicious treats. But one of the activations we had within there was a flavor lab. And we had all of these amazing flavors that we created with Nutribullet's partnership and it was in the vault and we brought out six different flavors. We had all these consumers rank them. They were so excited to be in with the brand, to be with kind of like you're like in the kitchen and they're behind the scenes and weighing in and ranking them. We took the number one ranking flavor and we brought it to life. It was our Strawberry Rose Valentine's Day limited edition SKU that sold out within, I think, 72 hours. It was amazing, but It was the perfect timing where we're like, OK, let's do something for Valentine's Day. We know the girlies love it. Oh, perfect. We have a strawberry rose that ranked number one. And there it went into the world.
[00:56:21] Ray Latif: You mentioned check the TAM. You should trademark that. I feel like it'd be appropriate for you. Yes. Yes. Well done. You do have a really big digital presence. You have a lot of awareness, but what's currently effective for converting that real world, converting real world trials and repetition, especially at retail, where you build brands at retail. I mean, if that is, you know, I think a lot of people think modern commerce and modern business happens outside the store, but it really, brands are built on shelf at the retail level.
[00:56:52] Megan Kelleher: Yes, definitely. I would say it is the entire 360 and making sure that you've dialed all of that in front to end, but really making sure you, if you can, have a really good store presence. That kind of starts with the relationship with the buyer, what you pitch. If you're going to put out a product, make sure it's either seasonally relevant or it's something the retailer would really want to carry on shelf at that time. I think there's nothing more powerful than to have something that's really foot-stopping, and as you walk by, you see something. When we launched Bloom Pop, we were very fortunate to have secured a display nationwide at Walmart, and it was a massive palette, so when you're in a Walmart, you can't help but see it. It was also launched right next to our energy drink that already had an audience, so if you're going to find energy drink, you saw Bloom Pop. But I would say, make sure you have the retail presence, And also utilize your retail presence, whether you're on shelf or you're on an end cap, you're on a pallet, utilize your retail presence as your content studio. Send your team in there, create content, yell it through the rooftop, and then send creators in there too. We send our creators and our community into the store and it really helps get the word out. And we've pretty much created a content machine. I would say every time we launch a new product, we have a really massive community that will run into store and talk about like, oh my God, just launched a new Shirley Temple and didn't talk about it, we actually deliberately will not talk about a product three weeks into when it's already rolled out in stores, and we let our community find it. And they create all this buzz because who doesn't love a great treasure hunt? They'll find it, they'll create content, they'll talk about it, and then it just trickles all the way through.
[00:58:25] Ray Latif: I love that because my next question, my final question was going to be about cost-effective ways of marketing. And if you don't market, if you don't advertise, but you still generate buzz, that seems like a really useful way to not spend money. And I feel like, you know, if there are other cost-effective ways of marketing and in ways that founders can utilize their resources most effectively without spending a lot of money, without breaking the bank, what would you say those things are?
[00:58:48] Megan Kelleher: content would be number one, you know, as I think as especially as like a new founder, if you're creating a product, people love to be in with the brand and to follow your journey and to cheer you on. So if you're creating a product, whether you're at the manufacturer, if you're in the kitchen, if you're sampling, if you're designing, like, capture all that and put that out, because that's free. I mean, you do need to have someone to create that. But generally that doesn't cost that much money. So put that out there too. And you don't know who will share it. And the other is to really prioritize your community. Show up at some events. There's a lot of local events that are very kind to new founders and new brands. And it's not either it's no fee to play or it's a very small fee, but I would get it out there. It's not just about sampling, but it's really about getting people to talk about it and to share it. So I would start there for sure. And then I would also say influencer, of course, like, you know, there's obviously influencers that cost a lot of money, but there's also a lot of people who are smaller creators and just want to get free things and talk about things that they love and they're building their business too. And if you gift them, you would be surprised at how many people will really share the love on your products.
[00:59:50] Ray Latif: Can we get you to come to a BevNET live and speak for like another 30 minutes? Cause I feel like this is, we're at a time and we need a lot more time with you, Erica.
[00:59:57] Megan Kelleher: I would be honored.
[00:59:58] Ray Latif: I would be honored as well. Erica Tam, thank you so much for joining us today. Really, really appreciate it. That brings us to the end of this episode of Taste Radio. Thank you so much for listening. Taste Radio is a production of BevNET.com, Incorporated. Our audio engineer for Taste Radio is Joe Cracci. Our technical director is Joshua Pratt, and our video editor is Ryan Galang. Our social marketing manager is Amanda Smerlinski, and our designer is Amanda Huang. Just a reminder, if you like what you hear on Taste Radio, please share the podcast with friends and colleagues. And of course, we would love it if you could review us on the Apple Podcasts app or your listening platform of choice. Check us out on Instagram. Our handle is bevnettasteradio. As always, for questions, comments, ideas for future podcasts, please send us an email to ask at Taste Radio.com. On behalf of the entire Taste Radio team, thank you for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
[01:00:56] Jason Cantelli: you
