Uncategorized

Producing Delicious Ketchups, BBQ Sauces & Cooking Sauces with Richa Gupta, Founder & President at Good Food for Good

In this episode, we're joined by Richa Gupta, Founder and President of Good Food for Good. Richa talks about her journey beginning at General Mills where she worked as a Marketing Manager, to today where she has founded her own brand and started her mission to help people eat less sugar. Richa brought her ideas to life by whipping up her first batch of sauces in her own kitchen and selling them at a Farmer's Market. Richa tells us about a chance encounter with a customer at a Farmer's Market that inspired her to create what became her best-selling product. This enabled her to get her product on the shelves of Whole Foods Market and took her business to the next level.

Ken Ojuka
36 min read

Turning Misfortune Into Success with Ted Fleming, Founder & CEO at Partake

In this episode, we're joined by Ted Fleming, Founder and CEO of Partake. Ted talks about his life and experiences after receiving a devastating medical diagnosis and how that inspired him to create his product. Ted tells us that he knew in his core that there was a market for this product, even though others thought it was a terrible idea. He also shares the actions he took after his manufacturer sent him a bad batch of the initial product and how that led to the creation of a different product that he still sells to this day.

Ken Ojuka
41 min read

Challenges & Opportunities in the Beverage Space with Chris Hunter, Co-Founder & CEO at Koia

In this episode, we're joined by Chris Hunter, Co-Founder and CEO of Koia. Chris is an entrepreneur who has developed a 100 percent plant-based protein drink which is sold in stores nationwide. Chris recounts his experiences investing in another drinks company that ultimately didn't succeed. This led to the rebranding and repositioning of the beverage which eventually became Koia. Furthermore, he talks about the three-tier system of the alcohol market and the differences between that and the non-alcoholic beverage market. Chris gave us some great insights into the challenges and opportunities that exist in the beverage space, specifically around distribution, as well as the moments where he hit it out of the park!

Ken Ojuka
42 min read

The Importance of Forming a Close Relationship with your Co-Packer with Pat Bennett, President & Founder at Pat’s Granola

In this episode, we're joined by Pat Bennett, President and Founder of Pat's Granola. Pat is a wonderful example of becoming a food entrepreneur after a successful career in a completely different field of work. Pat talks about how her love for a recipe she'd been eating with her family for over twenty-five years and without a doubt, inspired her to start their business so that she could share it with even more people. Most importantly, she gives some great advice on working with a local co-packer along with the wisdom of being onsite, especially during initial production and how crucial it is to have a close working relationship with your co-packer.

Ken Ojuka
42 min read

The Similarities & Differences between Producing a Machine & Producing a Packaged Product with Dr. Glenn Mathijssen, Co-Founder and CEO at Alberts

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Glenn Mathijssen, Founder and CEO of Alberts. Glenn tells us about his journey from a university project to getting his first investment and launching his own company, ”Alberts Smoothie Station and Soup Station”. Glenn’s an outstanding European entrepreneur who is very driven and definitely knows his stuff. In this interview, he shares some lessons he’s learned about the similarities and differences between producing a physical machine and producing a packaged product.

Ken Ojuka
47 min read

Going from Thousands in Revenue to Millions & Getting the Most Out of Crowdfunding with Alex Bayer, CEO & Founder at Genius Juice

In this episode, we're joined by Alex Bayer, CEO and Founder of Genius Juice. Alex tells us about his seven-year journey bringing Genius Juice to life, and then scaling it from thousands in revenue to millions. He discusses a wide variety of subjects from his past experiences including getting on Shark Tank, and the importance of having a rock solid product. He also talked about his success with crowdfunding campaigns, including tips on how businesses can get the most out of these strategies. Alex also stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with a team of advisors who have expertise in different aspects of your business.

Ken Ojuka
47 min read

Multiple Revenue Streams & Upcycling Food with Daniel Kurzrock, Co-Founder & CEO at ReGrained

In this episode of The Physical Product Movement, we're joined by Daniel Kurzrock, Co-Founder & CEO at ReGrained. Dan shares how he was first introduced to the problem of food waste. When he brewed his own beer back in college, Dan did a great job recognizing the environmental impact of food waste and ReGrained was born out of the desire to try to address this problem. He talks about how, as a company, they've taken a leadership role in the upcycling movement by giving talks, releasing content, and highlighting landmark research on this subject. He also shares some of the great opportunities for companies to differentiate their products by using upcycled ingredients, and also how companies can unlock additional lines of revenue by reviewing the byproducts of their production process.

Ken Ojuka
48 min read

Accidentally Becoming an Entrepreneur by Inventing a New Category of Unsweetened Flavored Water with Kara Goldin, Founder & CEO at Hint

In this episode, we're joined by Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint water. Kara speaks with us about the lessons she learned from working in the tech industry as an executive and how she became an accidental entrepreneur. Furthermore, she explains how she came up with the idea for Hint water and the initial steps she took to get it off the ground, which included getting it into Whole Foods, even though she was still producing it in her own kitchen. Kara’s advice stresses the importance of just getting started, questioning everything, learning quickly and figuring it out along the way. Lastly, we also got her to talk about her wall street journal bestselling book called "Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters”. She shares how the book came about and why she was motivated to write it.

Ken Ojuka
50 min read

Understanding Landed Costs & Profit Margins with Marc Siden, Co-Founder & CEO at Cloud Water

In this episode, we're joined by Marc Siden, Co-founder and CEO of Cloud Water. Marc talks about the challenges of leading his company through the last year of COVID and how they've been able to thrive to become stronger through these unprecedented challenges. Additionally, he shares the difficulties and opportunities in the beverage space, specifically on how to compete against established giants like Coca-Cola. Lastly, Marc shares the importance of understanding your landed costs, distributor margins, retailer margins, shipping and promotional costs, and why this is absolutely vital to your success as a physical products company.

Ken Ojuka
52 min read

Embracing Science to Figure Out Tough Problems & Surrounding Yourself with Strong Team of Experts with Laura Modi, CEO & Co-Founder at Bobbie

In this episode, we're joined by Laura Modi, CEO & Co-Founder of Bobbie. Laura talks about her journey from working at Google and Airbnb and how she made her way from the tech industry to the world of physical products. Importantly, Laura shares the frustration that led to her creating a new and better baby formula product: Bobbie and the challenges of launching the product into a regulated and competitive industry. Laura emphasizes and talks about embracing science to figure out tough problems and the importance of surrounding yourself with a strong team of experts.

Ken Ojuka
38 min read

Kickstarter Campaign Mastery with Will Nitze, Founder & CEO at IQBAR

In this episode of the Physical Product Movement Podcast, we're joined by Will Nitze, Founder and CEO of IQBAR, the leading "brain+body" plant-based protein bar. Will talks about his journey from attending Harvard studying psychology and neuroscience and after graduating, entering the world of software sales and now pivoting to launch his own business. He shares his experience with the countless iterations that ultimately led him to create IQBar and then leveraging Kickstarter campaign for market research and gaining initial traction. Lastly, Will provides a tremendous insight into his distribution strategy through D2C, retail, and Amazon.

Ken Ojuka
50 min read