Episodes

Mara Smith, a former attorney in Chicago, started drinking tequila when she was looking for a clean, gluten-free spirit that fit into her active lifestyle. She and her friends enjoyed the versatile, carb-free and zero sugar spirit but they were not drawn to the traditional offerings. For years, Mara searched for a tequila brand that was additive-free with a look, taste and aroma that appealed to her and that she could share with her friends and family and proudly display on her bar. That perfect...

Remedy Organics was founded by Cindy Kasindorf, a holistic nutritionist who set out to create plant-based beverages that are deliciously protein-packed, superfood-charged, colored by food, and nutrient-dense. Her inspiration to create Remedy Organics began with her lifelong passion for health and wellness. Remedy Organics products aim to help you unleash your body's natural healing power and live each day to the fullest. Cindy and her husband (and partner) Henry, join Justin to discuss this fast...

Eastern Standard Provisions delivers expertly crafted, one-of-a-kind artisanal soft pretzels and artfully blended flavored salts & sugars because life is just too short not to love every bite. Their Boston-based team, with deep roots throughout New England, is fiercely passionate in their pursuit of making the best soft pretzels on the planet. This stemmed from their mutual love for pretzels, and a realization that finding one on the market that lived up to expectations was nearly impossible. So...

Katie Hotze is the CEO and Founder of Grocery Shopii. With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, data analytics, and business strategy, Katie was able to turn her frustration with grocery shopping into a nationally-recognized retail tech disrupter that's rapidly expanding in North America. Prior, Katie worked in management and technology consulting, leading global marketing teams at Mercer and BearingPoint. She broke away from her corporate career in 2019 to start Grocery Shopii. Tod...

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Allison and based in Austin, TX, poppi combines fresh fruit juice, apple cider vinegar, and inulin prebiotics for a deliciously refreshing, full-of-flavor soda with benefits. With the help of an investment on Shark Tank, poppi has gone from farmer's-market-favorite to sitting pretty on the shelves of thousands of retailers across the nation. Along the way, they've become beloved by many including Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Billie Eilish, Russell West...

Griffin Owens is the co-founder of YUZUCO (www.theyuzu.co), a Los Angeles-based emerging brand that sources and creates premium, accessible yuzu products for award-winning chefs and bartenders. His experience with Yuzu began casually over a sour citrus and candy obsession as a young child. It developed more formally in 2020, with the launch of his brand's yuzu-inspired candled, featured in in media on publications such as Snaxshot and Vogue and locally in LA boutiques, such as Lady White Co. Gri...

Straight forward, independent, no-nonsense advice is not easy to find. This is a must-read book for every budding and existing coffee shop entrepreneur. Andrew & Claire Bowen opened their first franchised coffee shop in 2007, after leaving senior roles in retail and healthcare. Within eighteen months they had opened three outlets and had over £1m turnover. In 2011 they developed their own independent format, which they continue to run. They support coffee shop owners worldwide as founders of Caf...

For most of her life, Wendy Liebmann has been passionate about the convergence of consumers, shopping and retail. It's why she founded WSL, to help companies build their retail strategies by understanding and staying intimately in touch with shoppers, how they live their lives and how they spend. The goal, then and now, is to get retailers out of their ivory towers to meet shoppers on the selling floor, whether that floor is physical or digital. It's all about staying close to shoppers everyday ...

Solobo Toys is a Montessori-inspired educational children's toy company owned and operated by neurodivergent parents. Their products are designed to emphasize simplicity while encouraging exceptional learning. The owners of Solobo are Daniel & Courtney, a husband and wife team. They are also parents to two amazing children. Daniel is an ADHDer & Courtney is Autistic, ADHD, and OCD. They utilize sensory play, AAC, Montessori, and gentle parenting in their own family. They both feel it's important...

Nana's is a family-oriented, Louisiana/Maryland style diner. Their goal is to provide fresh, hot, and comforting food that will make you feel at home while giving you a little peek inside the cuisine of Louisiana and Maryland. Owner Kelli Ferrell joins Justin to discuss this hot restaurant concept!

The Western Michigan University food marketing program will prepare you for many roles within the industry and provide the necessary tools for a successful career. Food marketing graduates are heavily recruited by leading firms in both retail and consumer goods. The program includes professional development, leadership, community service, networking and job search preparation. Russell Zwanka, director of the program, joins Justin to discuss this leading industry university program.

Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning. Generative AI. Deep Learning. What does it all mean?! And why should you as a founder or entrepreneur care? Michael Connor joins Justin to unpack all of this and more as related to the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods start-up space.

Elevate your meal with six sauces that combine fresh ingredients and convenience. Haven's Kitchen fresh sauces save you time shopping, chopping, & cleaning so you can focus on eating. Flavor-Forward Sauces. Vegan & Gluten-Free. Cooking? Haven's Kitchens knows you've got it in you. Fluffy rice, crispy fish, perfectly roasted, caramelized vegetables…you just need a few tricks, a couple of tips and some simple recipes. Founder Alison Cayne joins Justin to discuss this growing food brand!

Family-owned Langer Juice Company, Inc., has emerged as a major force and a top ranked brand in the very competitive juice industry. Since the formation of the company in 1960, the Langer family has remained actively involved in every aspect of making juice, from production and marketing to quality assurance. Producing beverages in many of the high-volume categories that include apple, cranberry, orange, grape, grapefruit, and pomegranate, as well as innovative tropical blends such as mango, gua...

NestFresh started as a family company in Colorado in 1991. Their founders wanted to create an egg company focused on animal welfare and environmental sustainability. They believed that by treating animals right, both hens and humans benefit, and they are proud to maintain those founding values. In the early years, NestFresh Eggs were produced and sold exclusively in Colorado, and soon became Colorado's favorite egg brand. Today they use regional, family-owned farms to produce and supply farm fre...

Open Water is ultra-purified, electrolyte-packed canned water in BPA-free aluminum packaging. Recyclable? Check. Climate Neutral? You bet. P.S. Fill up at the tap whenever possible. No, really! Co-founders Jess Page and Nicole Doucet join Justin to discuss this innovative and fast-growing water brand!

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Moving the Middle is a must-read for any leader, manager or coach looking for a way to tap into the unrealized potential of their middle performers. Why the Middle? Your customers – Your culture – The economics – The physics – Your potential. This book was written to change the way you think about solving your greatest opportunity and challenge – your middle performers. As Retail and CPG brands return to office, this topic takes on added importance. Author Jack Spartz joins Justin to discuss thi...

Do Good Foods is offering great-tasting products consumers know and love, that also have a tangible positive impact on the world. How? Today, 40% of the food we grow currently goes to waste. Can you imagine going to the store, filling five bags of groceries but then throwing two of them away? It's a waste of resources, time and money. And Do Good Foods is putting a stop to it. Rather than throw food away, Do Good Foods is upcycling it. Surplus grocery food is first shared with local food pantrie...

At Mother Raw, their love of plants runs deep. They like to say they're plant-powered and inspired by all the possibilities that can grow from a single seed. Their life's work is to make plants crave-able because everyone benefits from digging into their awesomeness! That's why they select the best of Mother Earth's incredible bounty including organic, non-GMO plant-based ingredients, and create ridiculously delicious and versatile products and recipes. All of the flavor and goodness, with none ...

As COO of Nuts.com, Eran Mizrahi watched as vendors changed up pricing, quality, and lead times on a whim. With so much at stake, he knew there had to be a better way. He partnered with fellow Nuts.com alumni Aalap Patel to start Ingredient Brothers, a company that is data-informed but relationship-driven and sources ingredients for consumer products from around the world. Eran joins Justin to discuss this growing brand.

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Founded in 2015 by Marian Leitner-Waldman and her husband, David, Archer Roose is dedicated to producing affordable luxury wines with minimal intervention. How? Marian and David created the concept of a traveling vineyard. Instead of building a winery and committing to a specific geography and varietal, they wanted to offer wines from the most-renowned regions around the world. So, they fostered personal relationships with small, adventurous winemakers who preserve terroir, and approach viticult...

The Carbonauts host live, virtual workshops that help people optimize their lifestyles so that we can build a greener future. A natural sequel to TreeHugger.com, The Carbonauts inspires and guides people towards compelling, low-footprint ways of living and working by offering them live, time-efficient zoom courses that make it easy for them to slash their footprints at home and work while saving money and influencing others. Founder and CEO Graham Hill joins Justin to discuss this climate-friend...

First things first: the bagels. Shug's "Store 1," just steps from SMU, smells exactly like a bagel store should smell, which is not a surprise as every day they make all of their dough from scratch, in-house, then make their bagels the artisanal, old-fashioned way – including a necessary fermentation period, kettle-boiling them, then baking them in a massive, revolving tray oven. Founder Justin Shugrue works at Shug's every day, in his apron and baseball cap and joins Justin to discuss this grow...

Clutch Coffee was born in the Carolinas in 2018. With 20+ years of drive-thru coffee experience, combined with a burning desire to revitalize the lost art of customer service, they set out on a quest to build the best drive-thru beverage experience on the planet. They are passionate about people, providing opportunities, and creating a culture that is second to none. They are equally inspired to provide the best coffees, energy drinks and other specialty beverages that you've ever tasted. Co-fou...