Fodder podcast

What’s next for the plant-based movement? Helena Lumme, co-founder of Halsa Foods, suggests looking at the evolution of gluten free and preparing for evolved consumers.Gluten free fulfilled a need. Then brands chased the trend and lost sight of nutrition. Consumers followed but then demanded healthier products.Plant-based foods are following a similar path, Lumme said, with added concern about the environment.“If you think about the plant-based market,” Lumme said, “it started because, one reason for it was, we want to consume less animal-based products, to care for our environment and to care for our planet. But at the same time, we have to be mindful not to create new kinds of environmental problems.”Lumme and co-founder Mika Manninen put health and earth at the center of all Halsa Foods, maker of oat milk yogurts, does.In this episode of Fodder, Lumme talks about:Adopting the word “clean” and its deeper meaning.Meeting changing consumer demands.Helping dairy farmers join the plant-based movement.Getting investment so early.And coming clean about plant-based foods real impacts.

Danny O’Malley saw the future when he hit the streets years ago to educate and sell an innovative new product—Beyond Meat. The plant-based burger excited his customers, and they wanted more before the analogue had made it to their menus.Spotting a growth path, O’Malley left the growing company to birth his own, Before the Butcher. The company offers the butcher counter and more in plant-based form: deli slices, grounds, shreds, chunks and tips and, of course, burgers.In this episode of the Fodder podcast, we chat about:The rise of flexitarians and meat reducers. Who is leading—and buying into—the plant-based meat revolution.Where the plant-based market could grow.Why 2020 will mark a pivotal time in the analogue meat movement.And why the market already is very different for plant-based entrepreneurs today. “We are still on the tip of the iceberg, where things are going to continue to trickle down in a very, very big way, and will continue to grow this segment of the industry, which is good for all of us,” O’Malley said.Would he jump in today? Hear what he has to say in this episode of Fodder.Fodder is brought to you by New Hope Network’s Esca Bona platform and is underwritten by 301 Inc, the Giannuzzi Group, Healthy Lifestyle Brands, Morningstar Farms, Stonyfield Organic, Unilever and Whipstitch Capital.

Bella Hughes and Harrison Rice set out to build a Hawaiian company that fed a local economy and honored Hughes’ home islands. They turned to mamaki, a native Hawaiian nettle species known to offer a caffeine-free energy boost. And in 2016, Shaka Tea was born.“We really believe what’s good for aina, the land—and that’s true, sustainable agriculture restored native ecosystems—is good for our communities,” Hughes said. “You’re growing something in a healthy way that’s healthy. So it’s good for our bodies, and our customers, and it's good for our economy.”Along the way to a breakout 2020, including raising $4.1 million in its recent growth round, they have learned a few things about building a local economy, introducing an unknown ingredient to a wider audience and balancing a business on a mission with growing a food business (especially during fund raising).We explore these topics and more in this episode of the Fodder podcast featuring Bella Hughes of Shaka Tea.

Sustainability is a journey not a destination for Rita Katona and Eric Hall, the founders of wellness shot brand So Good So You. “As an emerging brand,” Hall says, “we’re not perfect, but we’re on a journey to be better. And regardless of where a person is, as an individual, or as a brand, there are steps that you can do each day to improve what you’re doing today at the stage that you’re at.” Katona and Hall live this through and through as they build So Good So You. And after innumerable steps toward improving their plastic bottle packaging, in July they debuted the biodegradable BtrBtl. Still, it’s not the solution they seek. It’s just a step. “When we first launched our website several years ago, we had a little tongue in cheek (statement) on it that said that we would love to pour our juice into your cupped hands, but unfortunately, as that is not possible, plastic is a way that we need to get it to you. But we are always looking for a way to be better,” Hall says. The bottle, though, is only part of the story for the couple who commit all they do to sustainability and humanity. Listen to this episode of the Fodder podcast to learn about the commitments they make and costs they are willing accept on the path of continuous improvement. bit.ly/Fodder010

Twenty-five years ago GT Dave started brewing kombucha in his parents’ home and evangelizing the fermented beverage to any who would listen and take a sip of the then-unfamiliar brew. Today, GT’s Living Foods is a billion-dollar food platform. Kombucha still stands at the forefront of the company’s product offerings. Tea, kefir, shots and yogurt build on the living food offerings. Innovation remains key for GT, but it’s a pressure he feels, too. “Innovation is our lifeblood,” he says. “I think that’s what most companies need to do these days to stay relevant is, to constantly be moving forward, and definitely not getting complacent, because those who get complacent are those who will lose.” Yet, GT cautions, just because a business can innovate doesn’t mean it should. Listen in to this episode of Fodder to understand how he balances the pressure, when to let it go, what servant leadership means to him and what worries him about the changing natural products industry. bit.ly/Fodder009

Locally grown food. Locally processed packaged products. All sold at local retail. Seal the Seasons set out to put U.S. farmers first, prove “local” can work year-round and beyond farmers markets, build local economies and innovate on frozen fruit. Trending natural foods products and ingredients, after all, aren’t the only way to innovate in natural products industry. Seal the Seasons is changing what local means by innovating on infrastructure and distribution, all built on mission that remains core in all that they do. Seal the Seasons CEO Patrick Mateer and Chief Operations Officer Alex Piasecki share how they brought the Seal the Seasons vision to life, along with all the road bumps on the way, and just how this business model can grow. The Fodder podcast is powered by New Hope Network's Esca Bona platform and underwritten by 301 Inc., Giannuzzi Group LLP, Healthy Lifestyle Brands, MorningStar Farms, Stonyfield Organic, Unilever and Whipstitch Capital. bit.ly/Fodder008

Paul Schulick, the founder of the groundbreaking supplement company New Chapter, has taken on a new frontier with his latest brand, For the Biome. For the Biome launched to the public recently with natural skin care born of microbiome support. The line features waterless products, fermented cleansers, prebiotic essence sprays and CO2 extracted serums. And while the products excite, everything about the company and its leader is much deeper. In this episode of the Fodder podcast, Schulick takes listeners on a journey into how he thinks about product development, greater lessons he’s learning (still, if you can believe it) from the plant kingdom and how natural products developers can continue to find the innovation spark. Settle in for this deep think with For the Biome’s Paul Schulick. The Fodder podcast is powered by New Hope Network's Esca Bona platform and underwritten by 301 Inc., Giannuzzi Group LLP, Healthy Lifestyle Brands, MorningStar Farms, Stonyfield Organic, Unilever and Whipstitch Capital. bit.ly/Fodder007

The fires in the Amazon captured the world's attention. Now what are you going to do about it? In this episode of Fodder, the podcast powered by Esca Bona, we chat with a company and the nonprofit it works with to save the forest.

Iteration sometimes gets more attention than natural products innovation as trends such as hemp CBD, mushrooms and cold brew coffee brew like a bottomless cup of joe. So, what was most exciting and what was missing among the thousands of products shown recently at Natural Products Expo East? We sat down with three industry experts to suss out the white-space opportunity in natural. Powered by Esca Bona.

Even in the progressive natural products industry the business gender gap exists particularly at management levels and when it comes to funding. In this episode of Fodder, the podcast powered by Esca Bona, we explore what’s happening—and what needs to happen—to recognize the issue and work toward parity.

Three natural products entrepreneurs found new products in their production byproducts—food waste the nation rarely thinks about. They share their vision and how others can join the circular economy in this episode of Fodder, the podcast powered by Esca Bona.

What does the world need now from business and those funding it? We explored the possibility and the the path with Casey Johnson of RSF Social Finance, Blair Kellison of Traditional Medicinals and Esther Park Cienega Capital in this episode of Fodder, the podcast powered by Esca Bona and underwritten by 301 Inc., Giannuzzi Group, Healthy Lifestyle Brands and Whipstitch Capital.

Vertical farming is no longer the realm of dreams. These new farmers are growing real businesses as they push consumers and the food industry to rethink local.