For new and emerging brands in the food & beverage CPG industry, finding success means setting yourself apart and filling a hole in the market. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Founder of Hillside Harvest, Kamaal Jarrett, about their line of Caribbean-inspired hot sauces. In this episode, we discussed why it is important for emerging food & beverage brands to find their niche within the industry. Kamaal gave us some background into why and how they selected the flavor ...

As the world's first eCommerce platform for health & sustainability-conscious shoppers, Thrive Market has helped make healthier and more sustainable food & beverage, and grocery items accessible across the country. This week on Beyond the Shelf we spoke with the Director of Merchandising of Thrive Market, James Ren. On this episode, James shared with us how he and his team curate the eCommerce platform's selection of over 5500 products to align with what their customers care abo...

Plant-based meat alternatives have been one of the fastest-growing trends in food & beverage for the past several years. However, with plenty of brands in the market, standing out takes careful planning and innovative products. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with Aakash Shah (CEO & Co-Founder) and Damian Felchlin (COO & Co-Founder) of High Time Foods, creators of innovative plant-based meat alternatives for foodservice. Aakash and Damian shared with us why it was importan...

This week on Beyond the Shelf we spoke with Isabelle Steichen (Co-Founder & CEO) and Allie Dempster (Co-Founder & CMO) of Lupii. In this episode, Isabelle & Allie shared some insights into how they are utilizing the mighty lupini bean to create a line of protein- and fiber-rich plant-based products. We discussed some of the barriers that come along when using an ingredient that is mostly unknown in American food products. Isabelle & Allie also discussed why introducing a line ...

Although coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, there's a lot that most consumers don't know about the powerful bean. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with Michael Sharon & Kal Freese, the Co-Founders of Taika - makers of a line of coffee and caffeinated beverages designed to address some of the common concerns about traditional coffee drinks. In this episode, Michael and Kal gave us some valuable insights into the coffee industry including why/how coffee can aff...

Once dominated by a handful of national brands, the beverage category has grown exponentially in the past few years. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Director, Flavor Architect and COO of Flavorman, Tom Gibson and Scott Weddle. Flavorman helps beverage brands formulate and develop products, ranging from energy drinks, seltzers, RTD cocktails and more. In this episode, Tom and Scott shared with us how recent innovations and advancements in technology have helped to create more ...

Functional ingredients are not new to the food & beverage world - but over the past few years, an influx of consumers are showing a growing interest in food & beverage products that don't just taste great but also serves a functional purpose. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Brainiac Foods, Jonathan Wolfson. Focused on promoting brain health, Brainiac Foods has a line of snack products for the whole family that is loaded with better-for-you i...

Better-for-you variations of traditionally indulgent food & beverage products have the unique challenge of overcoming shoppers' misconceptions about the quality n and taste of "healthy" products. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the founders of TiDBiTS Candy, Kristi and David Vartanian. On this episode, David and Kristi gave us some insights into what led them to create a line of better-for-you candy. We also discussed why candy was late to the better-for-you trend, and why it...

Most modern food & beverage brands utilize organic social marketing to some extent, but how many are actually getting the most out of their efforts? This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with Vasa Martinez of Perfy, growthbuster, and Outer Aisle. In this episode, Vasa gave us some background into his extensive history in the food & beverage industry, including what led him to create growthbuster and Perfy. We also discussed what modern brands often misunderstand about organic social...

Now seen as a very competitive market, the protein/nutritional bar category has gone through many ups and downs. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Founder and CEO of JAMBAR, Jennifer Maxwell. As an industry veteran, Jennifer walked us through how the protein/nutritional bar category has shifted since she first created the iconic PowerBar brand several decades ago. She also gave us some insights into her latest brand, JAMBAR, including why it was important for them to create a n...

In any new or up-and-coming categories within the food & beverage industry, a certain amount of brand education is necessary. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Director of Brand Education at Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Éva Pelczer. In this episode, Éva took the time to clarify what the difference is between mezcal and tequila, and to debunk common misconceptions about the popular spirit. Éva also gave us some much-needed background on how mezcal is made, and why it's ...

For many food & beverage brands, finding success on Amazon can be a hit or miss. This week on Beyond the Shelf we spoke with the Co-Founder and CEO of Bizzy Coffee, Alex French. Bizzy Coffee is a top-selling brand on Amazon, and they just recently launched their coffee products in brick-and-mortar grocery retailers. In this episode, Alex shared with us how their brand found success on Amazon and gave us an invaluable playbook on how to improve your SEO to become a top-selling brand on Ama...

The beverage industry is an incredibly crowded market. Standing out on shelves takes more than just having a great-tasting product. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Co-Founder and CEO of Aura Bora, Paul Voge. In this episode, Paul shared some of the common struggles that brands in the beverage industry face, and how their creative branding and flavor profiles are filling a void within the market. They also gave us some insights into their long-term goals which include getting ...

With the current state of the global supply chain, having accurate and real-time data is important for any food & beverage brand when managing their ag-operations. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Chief Operating Officer of AgriTask, Amit Noam. In this episode, we discussed how AgriTask's innovative data-driven solutions help food & beverage companies manage their supply chains across the world. Amit also shared with us how data can be used to increase precision and pr...

Sensory testing is a vital aspect of any food & beverage brand's research and development process - but how can brands utilize their employees, their most trusted asset, to help with sensory testing and product development? This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Business Development Manager at Silver Spring Foods, Shawn Kapanke. Founded in 1929, Silver Spring Foods is one of the largest producers of horseradish in the United States. In this episode, Shawn gave us some background...

Co-branded products can be a valuable tool for many food & beverage brands. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Founder & CEO of A-Sha Noodles, Young Chang. Young shared with us how his previous experience in the computer sciences and tech world allowed him to think outside the box in the food & beverage industry. We also discussed what the process was like in bringing an iconic Tawaineese brand to the United States, as well as what sets their products apart from othe...

This week, on a very special episode of Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with Chris Fardiniya, ChefsBest's Chief Business Development Officer. Last month, Chris had the pleasure of attending and representing ChefsBest at the 2022 Velocity Institute Innovation Expo + Conference, one of the largest gatherings for private brands, manufacturers, agencies, and other service providers. We sat down with him to discuss what leading experts in the private brand industry are discussing and what he learned fr...

This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Director of Syndicated Research at Murphy Research, Sarah Marion. Murphy Research's State of our Health (SOOH) series is the largest syndicated health and wellness data tracker. They have been collecting data on consumer behaviors and attitudes around health & wellness, fitness, and nutrition since 2018, and have helped some of the largest food & beverage CPG brands make informed and data-driven decisions. Sarah gave us some valuable in...

Gut health is a huge hot topic in the food & beverage industry. Kombucha and cultured products can be found in many different grocery aisles. However, a consistent hurdle for brands in this space is taste. This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Founder & CEO of wildwonder, Rosa Li. wildwonder has created a line of delicious, gut-healthy, immune-supporting prebiotic/probiotic beverages with complex and interesting flavor profiles. In this episode, Rosa shared her story of how...

Terms such as "organic", "grass-fed", and "natural" are used a lot in food & beverage marketing and branding - but what do these terms actually mean? This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with the Co-Founder and Head of Creative & Branding at Maple Hill Creamery, Julia Joseph. In this episode, Julia broke down the differences between "organic" and "grass-fed" meat and dairy, and explained why grass-fed dairy products are often considered higher quality. We also discussed some of the...