In The Sauce

Amy Stern is the Director of Operations at Chloe's Fruit, a frozen snack brand found in 10,000 grocery stores nationwide. In this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Amy talk about supply chain and operations — what Amy refers to as "making the pops and moving the pops" — Amy shares advice about working with suppliers, having a deep understanding of your ingredients, and how to choose a co-packer. In The Sauce is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jesse Derris is the founder and CEO of Derris, a full-service brand strategy and communications agency headquartered in New York City. He is also the founder and managing member of Amity Supply, which invests in and supports early-stage consumer brands, and an advisor-in-residence at the Columbia University Entrepreneurship Program. Jesse and Ali talk about purpose: Why a company exists beyond making money and how that WHY gets translated into branding and communications. In The Sauce is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scott Norton is the Co-Founder of Sir Kensington's, the condiment company that took the world by storm in 2010 and was acquired by Unilever last year. In this episode of In the Sauce, Scott and Ali talk Culture: Why it's more than a ping pong table and some bean bags; why people are at the heart of all great businesses; how to create value for your team, and how even if you haven't formally codified your company's values, be mindful, you are communicating them. In The Sauce is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alex Ingalls is the Founder of Pilot Kombucha, a business she founded in 2015. Alex has leapt from a one-woman making, bottling and delivering process to a full production facility and three distributors. All to keep up with rapidly growing demnd. In this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Alex talk about distinguishing yourself in a growing category, responsible expansion, and the balancing act of entrepreneurship. Plus, Ali finally learns what a SCOBY is. In the Sauce is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gertrude Allen is CEO of Pet-Plate, a direct to consumer pet food business, as well as an investor, brand-builder and operator. In this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Gertrude get down to brass tacks about all things fundraising. Gertrude breaks down when it's time to move from friends and family to angels and early stage institutional investors, the key metrics those investors will be looking for as they evaluate your business, and what founders should be looking for as they evaluate opportunities. In The Sauce is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kiki Von Glinow is Founder of Toast Media Group, a consultancy that helps brands with digital growth as well as social media strategy and management. After 6 years at HuffPost, first as a journalist, then leading programming, digital analytics and email marketing, Kiki went out on her own to demystify it all for her clients. Kiki and Ali discuss everything Instagram: From the infamous algorithm to what makes good content, who's doing it right, what the future of digital looks like and, most importantly, why a brand MUST know it's audience. Intimately. In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kara Posner is an attorney with The Giannuzzi Group, a law firm that specializes in growing, scalable consumer brands. Kara and her team are the attorneys who helped Ali and Katie set up Haven's Kitchen Sauces, creating the LLC, helping negotiate distribution contracts, writing equity agreements, and more. Kara and Ali discuss all things LEGAL: What founders should keep in mind as they build, issues about ownership, trademarking, contracts with service providers, and the importance of "papering" everything. In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mitch Rubin is the Program Specialist for the Chobani Incubator, a four-month program that helps emerging food brands with everything from manufacturing and packaging, to marketing and brand strategy. The Incubator, which gives its participants an equity-free 25K grant, was created by Chobani's founder, Hamdi Ulukaya, as part of the company's mission to bring better food to more people. Mitch and Ali talk about the non-negotiables of being a successful, values-driven food business, why the team is critical, some red flags for challenger brands, and of course, what the Chobani Incubator is looking for in its applicants. In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ann Yang is a co-founder of Misfit Juicery, a juice company that turns what would be wasted fruits and vegetables into delicious juice. Ann and her co-founder Phil started Misfit out of a dorm kitchen at Georgetown and now, a few years later, distribute juice up and down the East Coast. Ann and Ali talk about mission-driven CPG's: How financial and social profits can mutually coexist; how important it is to find the right funders; and how important a WHY is for any emerging brand. In the Sauce is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alex Stikeleather is a freelance graphic designer and the artist behind the Haven's Kitchen Sauces pouch design. After graduating from SVA and four years at Pentagram, where she worked on branding for the Wing, Alex went out on her own to help brands tell their story through design. Alex and Ali discuss how they worked together to refresh the HK logo and make it packaged-good friendly, the importance of visual branding, and why bringing a designer in early is a good idea for emerging CPGs. In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Courtnie Beceiro and Charlotte Myer are buyers at Fresh Direct and Foodkick. In this episode of In the Sauce, Ali askes them all about the future of grocery shopping, what they're looking for in emerging brands and what they do with all the dozens of samples they receive every week. In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Taryn Langer is Founder and President of Moxie Communications Group, the PR powerhouse that helped launch startups like Casper and Dollar Shave Club. In this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Taryn discuss the importance of a clear brand story: Why is your product better? Who or what are you challenging and how? Taryn shares some failure stories, some incredible advice, and even gives Ali a bit of therapy. In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Derrick Quandt is Director of Operations at Banza, the best selling, gluten-free pasta company. In this episode of In the Sauce, Ali and Katie discuss supply chain and logistics with Derrick and get his advice about hiring their third employee. They discuss the importance of building systems and tracking everything as the business grows, along with the Banza philosophy: Set a long term goal, be flexible in the short term, and never, ever give up.In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Camilla Marcus has been a lawyer, chef, consultant, investor, one-time college admissions officer and founder. In this episode of In the Sauce, Ali asks her all about how her experiences have culminated with the founding of Westbourne, a social enterprise, all day cafe in Soho. They discuss the four golden pillars of entrepreneurship: Product, Market, Founder, Fit, and the difference between having a plan and having a strategy. Camilla's number one thought when it comes to building a team? Be a #talentmagnet. In the Sauce is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.