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Taste Radio: Daily Summaries Delivered
by BevNET Inc.
The top podcast for anyone building a business in food or beverage, BevNET's Taste Radio features interviews with the leaders and rising stars of our fast-evolving industry. The shows also include discussion on emerging trends, innovation and news of the week from our regular cadre of hosts from the BevNET and NOSH teams. Tell us what you think at ask@tasteradio.com. You can also email us if you are interested in Taste Radio sponsorship opportunities. And if you like the podcast, share it with a colleague, will ya?
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Today38 min
The Blueprint For A CPG 'Hero'
Scaling a CPG brand isn't just about finding more ways to grow – it's about knowing which opportunities are worth pursuing. Hero Bread is taking on some of food's most entrenched categories with baked goods and pasta that deliver the taste and texture of traditional carbs with zero grams of sugar along with added protein and fiber. With products now in more than 9,000 retail locations, including Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, Publix, Sprouts and Wegmans, the brand has built significant momentum – and attracted investors including Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, and The Weeknd. In this episode, Hero Bread CEO YC Cheng shares hard-earned lessons on scaling a CPG brand, including why the company walked away from a major foodservice opportunity, how D2C helped fuel retail growth, and why adding SKUs can actually hurt the business. He gets candid about the hidden costs of expansion – from inventory and logistics to opening new doors – and explains how founders can make smarter decisions about where to place their next bet. Show notes: 0:20: YC Cheng, CEO, Hero Bread – Hero Bread CEO YC Cheng discusses his background as a founder, operator and investor and how the company built a CPG business around a simple proposition: make bread that delivers the taste and texture consumers love with more protein and fiber and fewer simple carbohydrates and sugars. YC explains why Hero shifted from foodservice, including a partnership with Subway, toward D2C, how direct consumer relationships helped fuel retail growth, and why the brand resonates with consumers across nutrition, weight management and gut health—not just a single dietary niche. He also discusses partnerships such as Auntie Anne's and the importance of creating better-for-you products that seamlessly fit into existing routines. YC also explores the economics of D2C bread, Hero's retail strategy and growing product portfolio, and the challenges of launching new SKUs. He shares how consumer data and retail execution work together, why Hero takes a disciplined approach to trends and innovation, and how the company balances growth with profitability as it scales. Brands in this episode: Hero Bread, Subway, Auntie Anne's, Panera Bread, Once Upon a Farm, Dose
- 4 days ago23 min
The Big Opportunity In Overlooked Categories
The most overlooked aisle in the grocery store may be ripe for reinvention. Riff is betting on it. We dig into the new shelf-stable meal kit brand launched by Sir Kensington's co-founder Mark Ramadan and Eleven Madison Park chef Daniel Humm. We also discuss Battle Bars' attempt to broaden its appeal in the protein bar category and what investor network The Angel Group wants to see from emerging CPG brands. Show notes: 0:20: Angels In The Parking Lot. We Riff On Riff. Winning The Battle. Phenomenal Education. – The hosts recap the recent Taste Radio meetup in San Diego, featuring live interviews with Maddie Serviente of The Angel Group and Chuck Casano, founder and CEO of Pitaya Foods. They also preview upcoming Nosh Live, BevNET Live and Brewbound Live events in Los Angeles. The conversation then turns to Riff, a new brand of elevated pasta and noodle meals designed to compete with familiar names such as Hamburger Helper and Rice-A-Roni and now available nationwide at Target. The hosts discuss the opportunity to reinvent familiar categories through better food, branding and consumer appeal, while emphasizing that taste remains critical to a brand's success. They also spotlight Battle Bars' brand refresh, including redesigned packaging and reformulated protein bars, and discuss how the changes were informed in part by the significant role women play in the protein bar category and are intended to broaden the brand's appeal. Ray offers a mea culpa over Goodles' reported acquisition price, while the hosts discuss Sol-ti's growth in the wellness shot category and its recent $30 million fundraise. They wrap with All Phenoms, a sparkling functional beverage that illustrates both the opportunity and challenge of communicating multiple functional benefits while maintaining a clear consumer proposition. Brands in this episode: Riff, Sir Kensington's, Hugh Kitchen, Hamburger Helper, Rice-A-Roni, Jif, Life, Goodles, Chef Boyardee, Super Coffee, Battle Bars, Sol-ti, All Phenoms, Wild Wonder, Olipop, Poppi
- 1 weeks ago34 min
From $2M To $24M In Three Years. Why Katie's Is Thriving.
Building a thriving CPG brand wasn't Katie Lee's plan. It was a crisis response that evolved into a national business. When the COVID-19 shutdown threatened her four St. Louis restaurants and the livelihoods of 150 employees, the chef and restaurateur created a line of frozen pizzas simply to keep her team working. That pizza became the foundation for Katie's, a CPG brand that has grown from roughly $2 million in revenue in 2023 to a business on pace to surpass $24 million in sales this year. The brand is also headed for more than 6,300 retail doors by year-end, including every Target and Sprouts nationwide, along with Whole Foods, Publix, Wegmans and other major retailers. That kind of growth hasn't come without some serious operational challenges. When Target awarded Katie's a national rollout, Lee suddenly had to figure out how to produce 400,000 pizzas in three months. Now, as the brand expands beyond pizza into new categories, she's building a new manufacturing facility while working to preserve the restaurant-level standards and culinary approach that set Katie's apart in the first place. Katie shares what she's had to learn the hard way about CPG, how she and her team navigated the brand's explosive growth, and why she's ultimately more motivated by the freedom to create, build and make an impact than by a big exit. Show notes: 0:20: Katie Lee, Founder & CEO, Katie's – Katie discusses her new book, Unemployable, which chronicles the unconventional path that took her from dropping out of high school at 15 and struggling with addiction to becoming a successful restaurateur and entrepreneur. She explains how she essentially brought the restaurant experience to the freezer aisle, using hand-stretched dough, wood-fired cooking and premium ingredients to create KATIE'S first line of pizzas. She talks about the brand's Walmart Golden Ticket and full-chain Target rollout, including the challenge of meeting the massive production demands that came with those opportunities. Lee also explains how her restaurant background gives KATIE'S an advantage in CPG: her team can develop products quickly, test them with thousands of restaurant customers and apply decades of culinary experience to ingredients, technique and hospitality. She believes consumers are increasingly looking for restaurant-quality food at home, but says the experience extends beyond the food itself to storytelling, presentation and the people and craft behind the product. Brands in this episode: Katie's
- 1 weeks ago31 min
What Goodles' $500M Acquisition Says About CPG Innovation
This week, we dig into Barilla Group's acquisition of Goodles and how the mac and cheese brand's success reflects growing demand for better-for-you versions of familiar, legacy products. We also look at David Protein maker Medici Brands' $2.2 billion valuation following its Series B raise, the launch of its better-for-you candy brand HallPass and how the company is rethinking two of the most familiar formats in CPG. Show notes: 0:20: Incremental Betterness. Medici Momentum. Shelf Impact. Dance & Drink. A Trip To London. – Ray highlights Taste Radio's upcoming meetups in San Diego and San Francisco before the hosts unpack Barilla Group's acquisition of Goodles, including the brand attributes that made it attractive to consumers and acquirers alike. They also explore the broader trend of "incremental betterness," as Ray puts it, and why improving established categories can be just as powerful as creating something entirely new. The conversation turns to Medici Brands and how founder Peter Rahal has fueled its rapid expansion beyond David protein bars into new formats, including HallPass, which the hosts sample and review. They also taste David's new pumpkin spice bar and discuss how brands can use "training wheels" to make better-for-you products more approachable before potentially improving their formulas further. Melissa spotlights new flavors of Koia's Protein Pop line, while Mike showcases Golden Disco's non-alcoholic cocktails. Melissa also highlights a new Nombase course from packaging expert Fred Hart focused on designing products for maximum shelf impact. Finally, the hosts discuss Kendall Jenner joining U.K.-based functional beverage brand Trip as a shareholder and global ambassador, and look ahead to Taste Radio's upcoming meetup in London. Brands in this episode: Poppi, Goodles, Culture Pop, Annie's, RXBAR, David Protein, HallPass, Thirsty Buddha, Rise Kombucha, Trip, Koia, Golden Disco
- 1 weeks ago1h 1m
Five Brands Shaping CPG's Next Wave
In the latest episode of Taste Radio's Elevator Talk, leaders from five emerging CPG brands -- Tamarind Heads, Cozy, Samsara, Jöey Nordic Seed Crisps and Nadas Empanadas -- introduce their businesses, share what's changed since launch and offer a look at where they're headed next. Joining regular host Ray Latif, editor and producer of Taste Radio, is Can Koyuncu, the co-founder and CMO of Chapter Foods, who brings sharp questions, candid feedback and an investor's perspective to each pitch. Want to put your brand in front of experienced CPG operators and investors? Applications are open for future episodes of Elevator Talk. Participation is free, interviews are conducted remotely, and founders get the chance to pitch their products, share company news and get unfiltered feedback from industry leaders. Apply now to be featured in an upcoming episode.
- 2 weeks ago28 min
Keurig Dr Pepper's Former CEO Has A Beefy Take On Growth
What if the smartest growth strategy for your CPG brand is to stop chasing growth? Larry Young spent nearly 50 years in the beverage business before trading corporate boardrooms for a cattle ranch. The former CEO and president of Keurig Dr Pepper and his wife, Colette, now own Texas-based 10-2-4 Ranch, where they're building a premium beef brand on their own terms. In this episode, Larry and Colette explain why they've resisted the pressure to grow fast, raise money and chase scale; how they've made premium quality accessible without premium pricing; and why customer relationships, authenticity and simply delivering on your promises can be more powerful than any conventional growth strategy. They also share lessons on educating consumers, building word of mouth, choosing the right partners and hiring people who genuinely care about what they do. Show notes: 0:20: Larry & Colette Young, Owners, 10-2-4 Ranch – Larry discusses how a lifelong career in the beverage industry ultimately led him and Colette to ranching and the creation of a consumer beef brand. They talk about the 10-2-4's origins as a hunting ranch, how it evolved into a cattle operation and, eventually, a premium beef business built around Wagyu-influenced cattle, quality, traceability and affordability. The Youngs explain why their goal isn't to become the biggest beef brand, but the best, why taste is the most powerful selling point, how affordable pricing makes premium beef more approachable, and why educating consumers about lesser-known cuts and the nutritional benefits of beef is central to their strategy. They also share how word of mouth, restaurant partnerships, steak nights and social media help build the brand, while emphasizing personal relationships and customer service as key differentiators. The conversation also explores their decision to avoid political debates and carefully choose media and influencer partners so the brand remains focused on food rather than ideology. Finally, the Youngs reflect on entrepreneurship, defining success on their own terms, the importance of hiring people with passion and integrity, and the unexpected fulfillment of building a business that aligns with their lifestyle and values. Brands in this episode: 10-2-4, Bai
- 2 weeks ago27 min
Is It A Trend Or A Distraction?
How do you know when a trend is an opportunity – and when it's just a distraction? In CPG, the pressure to add protein, fiber, adaptogens, nootropics and every other buzzy benefit can be relentless. But more isn't always more. We dig into why some brands are winning by keeping things simple, how Purely Elizabeth has managed to embrace trends without losing its identity, and why Pathwater's evolution beyond bottled water may offer a lesson in building a brand around what consumers actually value. Plus, we swap samples, trade founder war stories and discover a few products that made us stop and pay attention. Show notes: 0:20: Clear Messaging. Too Much Function. Trend Chasing. Founder Hustle. Snack Time. — The hosts explore the tension between simplicity and functionality, comparing straightforward products like Bare Brew and Cherrish with more complex concepts like Vera. They discuss why emerging brands are often better off with one clear benefit and a simple consumer message. They also look at how Purely Elizabeth has embraced trends like protein and fiber while staying true to its core, and how Pathwater has turned its broader sustainability and hydration positioning into an advantage. Along the way, they share some funny realities of building CPG brands and highlight new products from Hol Health Club and Peppertux. Brands in this episode: Bare Brew, Narra, Pure Leaf, Doritos, Mamma Chia, Cherrish, Vera, Purely Elizabeth, PathWater, SmartWater, Bodyarmor, Hol Health Club, Melo, Doosra, Peppertux
- 3 weeks ago40 min
Replay: After The Caulipower Sale, Gail Becker's Words Hit Differently
Caulipower's sale to Urban Farmer in November 2025 marked the latest chapter in one of the most remarkable founder stories in modern CPG. Before the acquisition, the company was generating more than $120 million in annual sales and had established a dominant position in better-for-you frozen food. But for founder Gail Becker, building a successful company was never just about creating enterprise value — and that makes this conversation worth revisiting. When Gail joined Taste Radio in March 2025, she spoke candidly about the motivations behind Caulipower, the company she built after seeing an opportunity to make the foods people loved more accessible and better for them. With the benefit of hindsight — and knowing where the Caulipower journey ultimately led — Gail's perspective on success feels especially resonant. She opens up about the emotional rewards of entrepreneurship, the relationships she developed with consumers and the leadership lessons she learned while scaling Caulipower into a market leader with a national retail footprint of more than 25,000 stores. Whether you're hearing it for the first time or revisiting it with the outcome of Caulipower's sale in mind, Gail's message is clear: building a valuable company is one thing. Building something that genuinely matters is something else entirely. Show notes: 0:25: Interview: Gail Becker, Founder, Caulipower – Recorded at the lively Caulipower booth at Expo West 2025, Gail Becker takes us behind the development of the brand's new dill pickle pizza, a product that spent two years in development before reaching shelves. She outlines the three must-have criteria for every new Caulipower product and explains why expanding access to better-for-you food remains central to the company's mission. Gail also discusses the brand's willingness to challenge conventions and reflects on the intensity and optimism that defined Caulipower's early days. Despite being naturally private, she became the public face of the brand and shares what she's learned about navigating that role — including the importance of knowing when to say no. Brands in this episode: Caulipower
About Taste Radio
The top podcast for anyone building a business in food or beverage, BevNET's Taste Radio features interviews with the leaders and rising stars of our fast-evolving industry. The shows also include discussion on emerging trends, innovation and news of the week from our regular cadre of hosts from the BevNET and NOSH teams. Tell us what you think at ask@tasteradio.com. You can also email us if you are interested in Taste Radio sponsorship opportunities. And if you like the podcast, share it with a colleague, will ya?
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Frequently Asked Questions
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It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Taste Radio as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
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