jobTopia with Tony Moore

How to Differentiate Your Brand and Find the Whitespace with Adamya Sharma, CEO and Founder of NEOPOP E127

Finding the whitespace in the market to carve out a niche is the first step to differentiating your brand.  What attributes do consumers want in an F&B brand? Will the consumer adopt your differentiation? Is it valuable to them?   
Do you think you can start something from scratch? Do you have a great concept? Could you enter the most competitive and cutthroat city in the world (I'm talking about you, NYC!)? Adamya answered yes to all three of those!
Connect with Adamya Sharma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamyasharma/
NEOPOP: https://www.drinkneopop.com/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 127 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE
 
 

Agricultural Changes Coming to a Grocery Store Near You with Dirk Winkelmann, President Vanguard Direct E126

Consumers are disconnected from their food.  Farmers might as well live on Mars. For most Americans, we have no idea what it takes to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables. We simply show up at the grocery store and expect the food to be fresh and taste good. 
I am on a journey to change this! I have been looking for more Agriculture businesses to interview on the podcast and learn about the food system. Today Dirk Winkelmann, the President of Vanguard Direct, LLC joins me to discuss a summertime staple - the grape!
Business model
Roots not Seeds 
From planting to the first harvest - how long does it take to grow?
Field trials
The changes taking place in grocery
Connect with Dirk Winkelmann on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-winkelmann-a435b827/
Vanguard Direct: https://www.vanguardteam.com/en/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 126 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE
 

Never Do THIS When Building a Business with Legacy Food Storage CEO Phil Cox and Honeyville COO, Nathan Hyde E125

Phil Cox, the CEO of Legacy Food Storage, has a brilliant, straightforward approach to building a business through deal-making. He adheres to a few principles that guide him.  Phil makes this process seem so simple. His competitive advantage is HIS infrastructure and key partnerships. Now he can add additional businesses to his portfolio. I challenge all my friends and entrepreneurs out there to rethink their partnership agreements! 
Nathan Hyde, COO Honeyville, runs a multi-channel business comprising: Grain Milling, Tempsure, Private Label, Mixing and Blending, Formulation, and Distribution. As a 70+year-old business, Honeyville has the expertise and name recognition that Legacy Food Storage leverages for its sales and marketing campaign. Join us on a fascinating approach to business and learn never to make business deals like so many others do!  
And remember, NEVER CLOSE THE KIMONO!
Connect with Phil Cox on LinkedIn: He is a GHOST on socials - https://www.linkedin.com/company/legacy-food-storage/about/
Legacy Food Storage: https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/
Connect with Nathan Hyde on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-hyde-30b6ab9a/
Honeyville: https://honeyville.com/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 125 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE
 
 

Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast with Michael Kiolbassa, CEO Kiolbassa Smoked Meats E124

I tend to shy away from podcasts about culture and leadership as they drift into soft and fuzzy feelings and are light on facts and practicality. So for those reasons, I was hesitant to interview Michael Kiolbassa, President of Kiolbassa Smoked Meats, about this topic.  I am not too proud to admit that I was dead wrong! What you are about to hear is one man's personal journey into vulnerability, humility, and fear of failure which in turn created a profound and transformational moment throughout his company that catapulted Kiolbassa into 4X growth. Get ready.
Origin story
Business model - club and retail
He sensed he could be a better leader
Value-based leadership - Charlie Luck - https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/values-based-leadership-in-family-business/
Ken Blanchard program - https://www.kenblanchard.com/
Great game of business - Jack Stack https://www.amazon.com/Great-Game-Business-Expanded-Updated/dp/0385348339
The scariest moment created the pivot point
Daring Greatly - Brene Brown https://brenebrown.com/book/daring-greatly/
Discovering WHY
Employees decided to solve the problems for him!
Links of love program - a tradition of giving https://kiolbassa.com/links-of-love/
Top grading https://topgrading.com/resources/topgrading-ebook/
"Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast" is a Peter Druker quote https://strategiesforinfluence.com/peter-drucker-coaching-tips/
Connect with Michael Kiolbassa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kiolbassa-666037a/
Kiolbassa: https://kiolbassa.com/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 124 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE
 

June Food and Beverage Report with special guest Eric Schmitt, VP Rapids & Affiliates E123

Eric Schmitt, VP of Rapids and Affiliates, joins me to discuss the news and trends affecting the Foodservice / QSR space for June.  We cover the news so you don't have to!
Articles referenced here:
https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/nekter-juice-bar-enters-doordashs-ghost-kitchen
https://fesmag.com/topics/the-latest-news/20297-smart-care-acquires-texas-service-agent
https://fesmag.com/topics/the-latest-news/20279-tech24-acquires-eighth-service-agent
Robotics in restaurant operations
https://www.fermag.com/articles/chick-fil-a-pilots-autonomous-delivery-robots-at-two-austin-locations/
https://www.fermag.com/articles/wing-zone-specs-robotics-in-all-future-restaurant-builds/
Being prepared for your first or next restaurant
https://www.fermag.com/articles/5-ways-to-help-dealers-amid-market-challenges/
General restaurant sales trends and inflationary pressure on QSR concepts
https://www.fermag.com/articles/positive-sales-growth-streak-continues-for-restaurants-despite-traffic-losses/
 
Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eschmitt1/
Rapids: https://rapidswholesale.com/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 123 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE
 

5 Strategic Growth Ideas with Lauren McNamara, Vice President & Assistant General Manager SunOpta. E 122

Lauren McNamara, the Vice President & Assistant General Manager SunOpta, walks us through the strategic process of expanding and scaling a food brand in today's chaotic environment. 
SunOpta - publicly traded on Nasdaq
The business model includes ingredients, co-manufacturing, private label, retail, and foodservice
Oat alternative dairy has advantages over Almond
5 growth strategies and ideas you MUST do when scaling a food manufacturing business
Expand on expertise
Partners
Time 
Supply Chain constraints and forecasting 
Talent
Consumer trends and sentiments 
Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-mcnamara-3249424/
SunOpta: https://www.sunopta.com/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 122 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE
 

People, Culture, Family and Foodservice. Oregon Fruit Branches Out with Paula Costa Bravo, VP Sales and Marketing E 121

Paula Costa Bravo's career arc extends from General Mills, Hersey's, and Kellogg's. These best-in-class brands taught her how to build a sustainable brand through customer and operator insights.  But her passion for people and culture lead her to Oregon Fruit Products where she combines all her talents to steer her company into new channels of growth.  Join me and Kevin Scott, the CPG expert, as we discover Paula's strategies to expand Oregon Fruit Products into Foodservice and beyond.
Connect with Paula: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulacostabravo/
Oregon Fruit: https://www.oregonfruit.com/
Origin Story
Leveraging experts
Vision
Foodservice / Industrial
Influencing the team
Overcoming team reluctance
Priorities shifted during the pandemic
Connect with Kevin Scott - the CPG expert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-scott-14b14b7/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 121 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE
 

Disrupting the $100 Billion Corporate Catering and Events Category with Hungry’s Jeff Grass, CEO and Jon Ebner, NYC Market Leader E120

A culinary expert is passionate about cooking! The last thing they want to worry about is logistics, accounting, SAAS IT platforms, and sales. This is the genius behind HUNGRY's marketplace model connecting chefs to corporate catering gigs and events. 
Jeff Grass, the CEO and co-founder of HUNGRY, and Jon Ebner,  the NYC market leader, unpack how HUNGRY is disrupting the $100 billion marketplace and working to solve one of the biggest problems in America - starvation. 
Origin story
What exactly is HUNGRY and the HUNGRY Marketplace?
Business in a box
Chef Entrepreneurship
Leveraging commercial kitchens for better economics
The HUNGRY operating system
Fundraising
City growth and what's next for HUNGRY
Connect with Jeff Grass on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgrass/
Connect with Jon Ebner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonebner/
HUNGRY: https://tryhungry.com/
About your Host Tony Moore and the Winning at Work podcast:
Are you looking for a fun and light-hearted podcast to stay current on the trends shaping the $1.6 trillion food and beverage industry? My totally awesome brands featured here take us deep into the world of sustainability, plant-based, food tech, CBD, and good for you. Want to learn how to grow a brand? Scale a brand? I've got you covered. 
Join me on my mission to discover what makes these companies different, better, and special.
Episode 120 is sponsored by: Timpl Search - National Food and Beverage headhunters for sales, marketing, innovation, and operations. https://www.joynussearch.com/
Contact: Tony Moore. 404-904-9235. Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentbetterspecialbrands/
Music from Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/get-the-funk-inLicense code: SF3WUKBUJQULFHXE