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