Afternoon Toast
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Kimmy Pace, a former technology consultant, turned her lifelong struggle with chronic dehydration and gut sensitivity into a mission after discovering Korean roasted barley tea in a novel. Realizing that most "better-for-you" drinks were too sugary or carbonated for her system, she began brewing her own at home. This gentle, grounding ritual became the foundation for a beverage brand designed for those seeking hydration without the digestive stress. Afternoon Toast is a line of ready-to-drink, caffeine-free teas crafted from steeped ginger and roasted barley. With a unique nutty and toasty...
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Launch Lab
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Danielle Calabrese is a CPG powerhouse with over 16 years of experience scaling brands from zero to $40M and guiding more than 100 founders to collective sales of over $100M. Known for her "build smarter, not harder" philosophy, Danielle has secured dozens of SKUs with top-tier retailers and distributors, making her one of the industry's most sought-after advisors for navigating the complex journey from kitchen table to retail shelf. As the creator of Launch Lab, Danielle has developed a 10-week, cohort-based program designed to take early-stage founders through a proven, step-by-step...
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Strip Jerky
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Nicole Schlesinger traded her corporate NYC desk for butchery classes at the Institute of Culinary Education after realizing the jerky market was dominated by sugary, "candy-like" options. Obsessed with quality, she squeezed two oversized dehydrators into her tiny apartment to perfect small-batch, chef-driven recipes that prioritized premium meat and clean ingredients over the industry standard. This experimentation led to the birth of Strip Jerky, a brand redefining the protein-packed snack with an artisanal, modern approach. By blending culinary integrity with bold flavor profiles, Nicole...
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CHUZA
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Daniel Schwarz, Founder and CEO of CHUZA, is a leader who finds inspiration in the concept of poise under pressure. In Mexico, the word "CHUZA" carries a powerful double meaning: it signifies a strike for success, that precise moment when perfection is reached and the momentum continues. This philosophy was personified during the early days of the pandemic by a daily visitor to Daniel’s window, an unflappable owl who remained calm while being challenged by crows. This "COwl-Founder" became a symbol of the resilience required to build a brand and served as the motivation Daniel needed to...
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Good Bacteria
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Anabel González, an ex-Parsons creative and founder of Good Bacteria, transformed her personal postpartum healing journey into a mission to fix a major flaw in the wellness industry: the lack of microbial diversity in traditional probiotics. Recognizing that static supplements often fall short, Anabel collaborated with a scientific advisory board from institutions like Johns Hopkins, Oxford, and Stanford to bridge the gap between clinical research and daily gut health. The result is Good Bacteria, the first daily probiotic system designed to rotate weekly to mimic the variety of a...
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Boredom Kills Creative
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Alex Adam, Founder and Creative Director of Boredom Kills Creative, spent a decade in the music industry witnessing how powerful branding can build and unite communities across the world. This unique background gave him a deep understanding of market impact and emotional resonance, leading him to transition his expertise from the stage to the shelf. Alex now applies those lessons in cultural connection to the world of CPG, helping brands find their heartbeat and scale with purpose. Boredom Kills Creative is a strategic branding agency that partners with CPG companies poised for growth to...
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2026 Brand Predictions
Emerging Brands Podcast®
In this solo episode, I’m sharing eight emerging brands that are redefining their categories. We are seeing a massive shift toward "functional nostalgia" taking the comfort foods we grew up with and upgrading them with high protein, fiber, and clean labels. From whipped cottage cheese dips to flash-frozen aromatics, these founders are solving real-world problems with flavor and radical transparency. Inside the Episode: Functional Condiments & Dips: Why and are reimagining everyday sauces and cottage cheese as protein-packed, gut-friendly essentials. The New Baking Aisle: How and...
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Lil' Gourmets
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Shibani Baluja launched Lil' Gourmets with a mission to move baby food out of the dusty, shelf-stable aisle and into the refrigerated section where freshness and nutrients truly live. Based on the latest infant nutrition research, Lil' Gourmets offers fresh, organic, globally inspired meals that provide 100% of a baby’s daily vegetable requirements with zero added salt or sugar. With a professional background in mergers and acquisitions at Kraft Foods, Shibani saw a critical gap in the market for "veggie-first" foods that actually taste like the ingredients on the label. Today, Lil' Gourmets...
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Steps to Take Before Launching a CPG Food & Beverage Brand in 2026
Emerging Brands Podcast®
After 15 years in the industry and currently guiding over 15 pre-launch founders, I’ve realized that while many people have a great product idea, few have the "order of operations" down. Launching a brand that actually stays on the shelf requires more than just a good recipe; it requires a strategic foundation built before you ever pick a name or design a logo. In this solo episode, I am walking you through the exact 12-step checklist I share with my private clients. From navigating the complexities of trademarks and manufacturing to building a "build in public" social strategy that captures...
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Café Aroma
Emerging Brands Podcast®
Bernadette Gerrity is the granddaughter of Café Aroma’s founder, Rogelio “Roy” Montes De Oca, and is currently steering the brand into its most vibrant chapter yet. With a professional background spanning marketing, fashion, and psychology, plus a Level 2 Sommelier certification, Bernadette brings a unique, lifestyle-driven lens to the coffee industry. While staying deeply rooted in the humble, entrepreneurial spirit her grandfather established six decades ago, she is evolving Café Aroma into a modern cultural staple. By leveraging her passion for world-class event planning and...
info_outlineWhile navigating the demands of motherhood and a busy career, Maggie Slavonic, a mom of two and former Emmy-winning creative director, recognized a significant gap: healthy, convenient, and truly nourishing snacks built specifically for the unique nutritional needs of mothers.
This personal realization, combined with her expertise as a functional nutritional therapist, sparked the idea for a brand designed to support mothers through every phase of their journey. Mom Snacks™ is the first functional snack brand created specifically to nourish moms. The brand crafts organic, nutrient-dense superfood snacks that offer essential support, allowing moms to feel their best while juggling everything else.
Inside the Episode:
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How Maggie pivoted from a nearly two-decade career in design and creative direction to launching a CPG brand.
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Why Maggie felt compelled to create a functional food brand specifically addressing the unique nutritional needs of moms.
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Key lessons for emerging founders on creating a mission-driven brand that balances convenience, taste, and superior nutrient density.
This podcast episode was made possible by Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds is the go-to platform built for creator-powered retail activations—connecting everyday creators with CPG brands to spark shelf-level awareness, drive in-store momentum, and generate authentic content in the markets that matter most. Learn more!