The CPG Operator Podcast from BevNET CPG Media is your go-to resource for building and running a food or beverage brand. Host Melissa Traverse sits down with brand founders, retail buyers, investors and industry partners to dig into the issues operators face every day, from retail and distribution to pricing, fundraising, marketing and supply chain, with timely insights and tactical advice you can put to work. Join a live recording to ask your questions, or catch up on past episodes anytime. Formerly the Nombase Podcast.
Latest episodes
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47 min
How to Get AI to Recommend Your Brand Over Competitors
Consumers are increasingly turning to AI to discover products and decide what to buy. But how do you get your brand recommended? Deana Burke, co-founder of tech media company Boys…
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40 min
A Little Psychotic Energy and the Strange Qualities Investors Love
What makes investors want to bet on a founder? Rogers Healy, founder of Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners, sees countless investment opportunities a day but pursues very few.…
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51 min
What If the Best Way to Grow Is to Stop Chasing the Obvious Wins?
The obvious path to growth isn't always the right one for your product. Burlap & Barrel has built a successful spice business by making some decidedly unconventional choices about…
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47 min
Your Product Does a Lot. What Should You Lead With?
When your product has several compelling benefits, which one should lead? Jous founders Nicolas Jeffery and Camilo Ortiz sit down with Chris Robb of Supernatural Ventures and The A…
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43 min
How to Keep Your Retail Partners Onboard Even When You Change Almost Everything
Every brand eventually changes something big — price, packaging, format, the category it sits in — and that puts existing distribution on the line. After raising its prices to matc…
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48 min
Want More Shelf Life Without Reformulating? Check Here First.
Kendall Kransdorf, founder of Cotto, a whipped cottage cheese dip, on a hero ingredient with a short shelf life and high demand - a combination that forces hard operational decisio…
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47 min
A Whole Foods Market Buyer's Playbook for Scaling a Brand
Charlie New is the Global Category Merchant for Refrigerated Beverages at Whole Foods Market, overseeing coffee, tea, juice, and soda. He's spent years watching what separates bran…
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1 h 00
How Winning Brands Turn Better-For-You Ingredients Into Big Business
Building products with better ingredients is easy to talk about. Building a successful business around them is much harder. Join Tom First, Founder of Culture Pop, and Heather Wood…
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35 min
Getting a Distributor Is Just the Beginning. Here's How to Turn It Into Growth.
Most founders think getting a distributor is the hard part. Scott Rosenbaum, co-host of the Business of Drinks podcast, has spent 20 years in beverage alcohol distribution and know…
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38 min
8.5 Million Consumers, One City: How to Win NYC Retail
New York's density makes it one of the best cities to build retail distribution — and one of the hardest to crack. Namik Soltan, founder and CEO of GNGR Labs, spent six years self-…
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49 min
Private Label Is a $330 Billion Business Now. How to Ride It Without Diluting Your Brand.
Many founders think private label can compromise opportunities for their brand. Derek Brawley thinks that's backwards. He's spent nearly two decades running private label programs…
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49 min
The Truth About CVS: What 9,000 Doors Really Means for Scaling Brands
CVS may not be the first retail opportunity food and beverage brands evaluate, but it's important to know when it can be the right fit. Ashley Czerwien spent two and a half years a…
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51 min
Don't Blend In. Make Your Difference Easy to Understand.
Building a differentiated brand is only half the battle. The other half is making sure consumers actually understand why it matters. Join Sahra Nguyen, founder & CEO of Nguyen Coff…
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48 min
Don't Build the Board Everyone Else Has. Build One That Gives You an Edge.
Most founders know they need a board. Far fewer know how to build one that makes the business materially better. In this episode, Brad Charron, CEO of Aloha, and Kierstin Rielly, C…
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45 min
This Economy Is Splitting the Aisle. Here's the Pricing Model to Win Either Side.
Today's grocery aisle is splitting between shoppers looking for the best deal and those who are happy to pay more for brands they believe are worth it. In this episode, Scott Sande…
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48 min
The Science Behind Functional Products Consumers Come Back For
Functional ingredients are everywhere, but adding a trending ingredient to a label doesn't guarantee a product that actually works—or one consumers will buy again. Philip Bromley,…
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44 min
Do You Really Need to Build in Public to Grow a CPG Brand?
Founders are constantly told they need to build in public - but is it actually the best way to grow? In this episode of the Nombase Podcast, Nick Elliott, Founder of Esprizio, join…
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46 min
Why This Brand Pulled Out of 2,500 Doors—and What Brands Chasing Those Retailers Need to Know
Getting onto retail shelves can feel like a big accomplishment—but what happens when strong velocity, national distribution, and real sales still don't add up to a profitable busin…
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39 min
Before You Spend Another $100K on Growth, Make Sure You Can Answer These 5 Questions
As brands grow, it's easy to focus on the next retailer, the next marketing initiative, or the next distribution opportunity. But sustainable growth starts with a deeper understand…
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1 min
A Quick Note From BevNET Live
Hope to see many of you at BevNET Live this week on June 10 + 11 in NYC! And for everybody else, we'll get back to our regularly scheduled podcast next week. Thanks for being part…