My Food Job Rocks!

I met David Benzaquen, CEO and Co-founder of Ocean Hugger Foods, and his company at multiple different events and tried some of their sushi. As someone who’s in the space, I was super impressed. I’m always impressed with David’s network and because he’s so intertwined within the plant-based industry, I wanted to ask him why he decided to go into building businesses and how can we all can get started creating something impactful. Learn step by step how David built Ocean-Hugger Foods. From building his skillset at Plant-based Solutions to meeting the chef who had this crazy idea to turn tomatoes into tuna, to scaling big enough where they produce in the United States, Europe, and Asia. It’s an incredible story and I guarantee you’ll take something valuable out of it. About David David Benzaquen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ocean Hugger Foods, a company which manufactures plant-based seafood alternatives to address the overfishing crisis. The company has received innovation awards for its flagship Ahimi product

Payal Gupta’s journey to becoming a food stylist was a wild one. She quit her standard corporate job, in which both her ex-husband and her family disapproved of, but through years of persistence,e she now owns her own food styling studio and is flourishing Though you'll learn some fun tricks and tips to style food, and how to work with clients, this episode is more than a peek inside being a Food Stylist, it’s much more about the journey of finding your passion and working hard at it. It takes a long time and you run into a lot of obstacles! That’s the most inspiring thing about Payal’s journey. She worked hard, used her resources when she needed to, asked for help when she needed to, and did not give up even when people said it was not a good move. Now she is flourishing with her own practice. So it’s a great story about achieving your dream, the lesson of being patient but persistent to make it happen. About Payal Payal Gupta – With a foundation of Economics Honours from Kolkata University, I tuned into my

With the plant-based movement in full force, you have burgers and milk, but you also have something that already naturally feels like meat. Jackfruit, young jackfruit in particular, has been an up and coming food that when Annie Ryu first found it in India, saw the potential to save the world. Eight years ago, Annie was in pre-med student at Harvard and during a trip to India to implement a healthcare program, found Jackfruit and its potential as a food that could reduce meat consumption, improve health and most importantly, improve the lives of the farmers who grow it. She saw Jackfruit as a simple solution to solve complex problems So Annie dropped everything to try and commercialize this then-obscure meaty fruit and it has been a wild ride but now more popular than ever, the Jackfruit Company has products all over the United States. There are so many good pieces of advice in this interview. Whether you need inspiration get up your butt and start something meaningful, or maybe you want to understand the com

This is a short episode of the future of My Food Job Rocks

Tetrapak is one of the biggest packaging companies in Europe and you might know them for their unique boxed packaging. When you think of boxed chocolate milk or juice, these guys might have made it. But more importantly is that TetraPak is more than just a packaging company, they solve complex ways in how to package and sustain food. You’ll learn about how Jesper Thomsen (Food Technologist)  and Helen Sellar (Product Manager) found out about food science and why they love working at TetraPak. You’ll also learn about the types of problems TetraPak is trying to solve from packaging complex food systems to solving sustainable packaging. Also, this is a great episode about what you can do with a  degree in Food Science! Both Jesper and Helen have food science degrees and utilize it in solving Tetrapack’s food division! Enjoy this episode with Jesper and Helen all the way from Europe! About Jesper Thomsen Food Technologist – Dairy Chilled, Business unit Liquid Foods, Jesper Thomsen works as a food technologist cov

Robert Jakobi is a serial food entrepreneur who founded Metcalfe, Itsu, and is now CEO and Founder of BOU, a company reinventing bullion. What makes Robert’s story so fascinating is that he made successful companies in two different countries. Originally from the United Kingdom, he built Metcalfe and Itsu, and now is growing a successful bullion company right in the United States. You’ll get a great overview of Robert’s history, on all three companies that he’s built or is building, and then we dive straight into dissecting his whole story, so this episode is structured a bit differently, because you’ll hear everything upfront and then we get into the heart of what makes a successful food business. You’re going to get some amazing advice no matter what stage of a business you. You’ll get advice on how to start a company, what to do with your money whether in the Seed round or the Series A round, and being at the right place at the right time, but finding the pattern to turn an old category on its head. About

The name of the game in this episode is food service, an area that’s not well talked about yet it dwarfs retail space. Think about it, lunch spots, schools, universities, and prisons all use the foodservice channels to feed people and this channel has its own challenges. That’s where Stephanie Lind comes in. Stephanie Lind has a good understanding of the food system and I like to say I do too so we get into some really complex discussions about supply chain in the foodservice industry. So you will learn a ton about the complex world of foodservice and I hope this interview helps you discover this whole new world right under your nose. About Stephanie Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Elohi Strategic Advisors Stephanie Lind is the Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer of Elohi Strategic Advisors, a firm she founded in early 2015.  She works closely with emerging natural and sustainable food and beverage companies as well as their venture capital and private equity investors. Elohi acts as a full ser

Coca-Cola has probably the most ubiquitous and well-known branding in the entire world but they need scientists to do it. Scientists that help innovate in multiple countries Wendy Zhang is one of those scientists who works on Coke products to bring them internationally. She works with teams from China and Japan to get innovative coke products onto the market while still maintaining that delicious coke brand. Learn about the interesting nuances in communicating internationally and the different techniques to understand flavors and customs when bringing product to different nations. You’ll also get perspective on the value of a PhD and an MBA, because Wendy has her PhD and is getting her MBA after work. Another fun part about this episode is Coke’s initiative on sustainability. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth year, #SKS2019 is *the* conference shaping the future

You might have heard of Salt of Earth because they sponsored our podcast So David Hart was a native in California but more to Israel on a scholarship and kept on coming back. Now in Israel full time, he’s worked for companies, started his own company, and recently heads a company within a company. You see, Salt of the Earth is actually a parent company where they sell well, salt. However, David is exploring selling the Mediterranean Umami brand, a salt reduction solution to lower sodium content. So this episode has a lot of tangible tips to become an intrapreneur, but also some really good sales tips on how ingredients can be sold to big and small companies. Though the timelines are different, the process is the same. Learn from David’s variety of experiences and how each trial made him better and better throughout his career. Sponsor We’re excited to be partnering with Smart Kitchen Summit {SKS}, the leading food tech event bringing together leaders across the food and cooking ecosystems. Now in its fifth ye

This episode's main focus is talking about the legal nuances of starting a food business. Everything you’d like to know about NDA’s, patents, and copyright, it's is all here. But Abe Cohn also does a great job talking about the fun stuff like LLCs, stocks, and fiscal cliffs, you know,  the fun stuff.  But another hidden gem in this interview is talking about networking. Whether you're an introvert who has a grand invention or an extrovert with a grand vision, Abe gives multiple scenarios on how bright minds can meet each other. So maybe next time, you can use these tips to find your next cofounder. About Abe Abe Cohn is an Intellectual Property Lawyer at Cohn Legal Group, a specialty group of a larger law firm, designed specifically to provide a boutique and highly individualized experience for entrepreneurs and startups. Though we cover legal here, what about technical? Well my friend Rachel has something for you.  Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re

When you think of High-Pressure Processing, you might think guacamole, or hummus, or juices, but can you do it for a snack bar? Brenden Schaefer has spent the last three years developing a fresh-tasting fruit and vegetable bar that’s sold in retail such as Whole Foods, etc. Brenden knows his stuff, and there’s a reason why. He worked for one of the biggest food company in the world, Pepsi! He advised the CEO Indra Noori directly making tough decisions based off of data. He took this experience and brought it to marketing emerging brands such as IZZE and ONE coconut water With this experience in tow, Brenden started Bright Foods and has been doing super well. Find out not only about the technology of High-pressure Processing but also about how Brenden switched from one expertise to another and how he progressed through the food industry by starting out, loving music. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by TraceGains! Why not speed up new product development with TraceGains. With 25,000 suppliers, 200,000 ingredi

If you are looking at the field of sensory, then this is the episode for you! This is probably the most technical sensory episode we’ve had so far as we learn about new sensory techniques, what type of groups should do what type of sensory and also, great tips on how to sensory test for kids! Emily Kimmins from KraftHeinz does a great job explaining the purpose of sensory, and how focusing your testing parameters and delivering compelling data allows you to convince a global organization that everything will be alright: that you can do a global launch for a product. But even if you aren’t a huge company, Emily and I still discuss great tips for small businesses or one-man sensory teams. You’ll also get to hear about Emily’s first sensory job, which involved working with Dentures, and how she got into the food industry. Like many, it’s usually never a straight path. Sponsor People have been saying My Food Job Rocks is a great food business podcast. If you’re a food entrepreneur or want to become one, I highly

Our guest today is Dr. Maya M Warren, Sr. Director of International Research and Development and the Tastemaster at Cold Stone Creamery. I’ve seen Maya twice on TV. One on an episode of the Amazing Race with Amy DeJong (a podcast guest from way back) and last Christmas at my Grandma’s house watching Dr. Oz (my grandma loves the show, not me). Anyways, I had to get her on the show so I asked Amy for Maya’s contact and we went from there. Thanks Amy! Maya is a delight to talk to as the first thing you notice about her is that she absolutely loves what she does. I mean, she has her PhD in ice cream, gets to travel the world formulating ice cream, and gets to be on TV to talk about ice cream! She lives and breathes it. Maya and I talk about the fact that she didn’t even know about food science until midway through college, and even though her college didn’t offer food science, that did not stop her from working mornings at a processing plant and doing her thesis solely on ice cream. You’ll also learn a bunch of o

You are listening to a bonus episode where I talk about my actual day job at the Concept to Consumption podcast. I talk with Gary Nowacki, the CEO of TraceGains! So you’ll learn mainly about how I think about things and my thought process on innovation. I talk a lot about growing Better Meat Co and the steps it took to do so. A big portion of the interview is also about analyzing the current plant-based meat landscape, and how the players, both the restaurant and the manufacturers are differentiating themselves. Enjoy this one, I love to talk shop and I appreciate Gary’s team for letting me do so. No ads this time, this one’s a freebie

Today you are listening to episode 180 with Alexander Zox, New Business Development Lead and Dianna Rogers, Director of Account Services and New Business Development at BrandFirst Creative Agency. BrandFirst Creative Agency specializes in branding food companies form confections to food tech. They were the main creative agency behind the Alt Protein Show and I bumped into them at Expo West This episode was recorded a bit earlier, but the main reason was that I wanted to coincide with BrandFirst’s newest podcast, Innovativeness. You can find that in the show notes with their first episode with Victor Santos Director of the Cellular Meat, at JUST who I met at the Cultured Meat Symposium. This podcast is a great overview of the landscape and language in the food tech world. We talk a lot about how the current food tech players are communicating right now, and how language is a huge thing to consider when communicating something new. About Dianna As Director of Brand Strategy and New Business, Dianna is a strateg

Zachary Lones started working as a cashier at Sam’s Club (which I didn’t know was owned by WalMart) and rose through the ranks from a business associate to multiple levels of managers and landed in the director’s seat 8 years later. I saw his story on LinkedIn and I thought, Zachary would be a great podcast guest. A lot of people want to get promoted, especially in a large company and Zach has done it so many times and I wanted to distill the method on how he did it. This is great episode about climbing up the ranks, but I think the heart of this episode is what Zachary’s mission in life is, and how being promoted allows him to accomplish it. He empowers and showcases people through media the people at Walmart who love their jobs. From the cashier to the janitor. About Zachary 11 years ago I began as a cashier at Sam’s club, climbed the store ladder til I was running stores at Walmart, today I am the Local Social & Walmart World Director. My aim is to use my job to do work that makes the world a better pl

Today we have Roger Berkowitz, CEO and President of Legal Sea Foods on the show. A Third generation family business that not only does fish processing, but has a fish restaurant, and a fish grocery store. All of my fans in the East love this restaurant. I interview Roger on the complexities of the fish farming industry and there was some things I didn’t know about, one, Roger talks about how the rising temperature of the water is affecting fish yields, and two, the complexities of fish farming. You will also learn some tips Roger has learned in his life of leadership. And also, learn about Roger’s other food love. It’s not fish, it’s actually….coffee! About Roger Roger started working in the family fish market in Inman Square, Cambridge at the age of 10 and held a variety of roles prior to becoming President and CEO in 1992.  Since taking the helm, he’s led the company’s growth and diversification.  He now oversees restaurant, retail and mail order divisions and steers the course for 4,000 employees. Roger is

Eric Pierce analyzes hot trends, consumer behavior, and innovative breakthroughs and collects this data to help natural product industries strategically innovate. If you guys don’t know, the New Hope Network is at the forefront of the food industry as they are the ones in charge of Expo West, Supply Side East, and many more industry conferences throughout the world. I was fortunate enough to meet Eric during my shift at the Better Meat Co in Expo West. I was so excited to see him because I’ve listened to Eric speak a few times, especially on podcasts such as Alex Oesterle’s Food Marketing Nerds. The way Eric talks about trends and breakthroughs is insightful and digestible. So this is the basis of this interview. I ask Eric how can we understand trends, such as Turmeric, CBD and plant-based foods. Is there a deeper context when trends emerge and does knowing this, create better products? Well, you’ll learn a ton about just how deep, the rabbit hole goes. We talk about macro forces and trend hierarchies in thi

This episode is with Scott and Jon Demers, two brothers who founded a frozen meal company that specializes in healthy seafood. They’ve recently rebranded, so you might know their previous brand, Cheating Gourmet but now they’ve gotten a bit more personal and call it simply, Scott and Jon’s. Maybe you’ve seen that small little refrigerator right next to the fresh fillet of salmon. If you’ve ever peeked inside of it, you might have found something from Scott and Jon’s. From their deep fried seafood appetizers to their new shrimp noodle dishes, these brothers are innovating the frozen seafood section. Learn about the humble origins of how the brothers thought of the idea to enter this category and what it felt like to experience the amazing growth they went through. About Scott and Jons Scott and Jon Demers are co-founders of Cheating Gourmet premium frozen seafood. The brother’s passion for providing consumers with healthy, convenient food is at the core of their business and shines through in their mission to

If you recall, a year or two ago, we did one of these and had a pretty good response so we’ve decided to do one again to catch up. The issues we discuss in this episode aren’t really well talked about, so I view this as a very transparent heart to heart. It helped Kim Schaub, perhaps it might help you. Things like communication, impostor syndrome, prioritizing your life versus your work life all come up in this episode so if you’re dealing with issues like these, this one is a good listen. No ads this time, this one is a freebie Show Notes Ohio State - Citation Needed and NCSU Gabriel Keith Harris American Food Innovate Summit La Terra Fina Dear Ambitious Students So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport Anyway You Want Derek Sivers Paul Shapiro Episode 102 Better Meat Co. Gratitude Katie Jones Podcast with Kim Schaub Impostor Syndrome Type-A People Black Swan Decision making capital Phil Saneski