Beyond Personal Taste: Creating a Consumer-Centric Brand
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Taja Dockendorf is the Founder, Owner, and Creative Director at Pulp + Wire, a female-founded, award-winning, full-service CPG branding and marketing agency. Pulp + Wire specializes in helping natural and organic foods, cannabis, hemp, and lifestyle brands discover their identities and create websites, packaging, and social media strategies that resonate with their audiences. Taja has built P+W into one of the most in-demand, referred design houses in the Northeast, and her creative approach to a client-centric and holistic business model has consistently earned the company multiple...
info_outline
Best of Brand Alchemist
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Taja Dockendorf is the Founder, Owner, and Creative Director at Pulp + Wire, a female-founded, award-winning, full-service, CPG branding and marketing agency. Pulp + Wire specializes in helping natural and organic foods, cannabis, hemp, and lifestyle brands discover their identities and create websites, packaging, and social media strategies that resonate with their audiences. Taja has built P+W into one of the most in-demand, referred design houses in the Northeast, and her creative approach to a client-centric and holistic business model has consistently earned the company multiple...
info_outline
The Alchemy of GEM
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Sara Cullen is the Founder and CEO of GEM, a multivitamin made from real food. After years of struggling with fatigue, inflammation, and digestive issues, she discovered she was nutrient deficient and created a transparent and sustainable solution made with nourishing whole foods. Sara is driven by a passion for sustainable farming and global agriculture. In this episode… The standard American diet falls short of the recommended daily nutrient intake, leading many people to be nutrient-deficient despite eating what they may consider a healthy diet. Modern supplements and vitamins...
info_outline
The Alchemy of Brazi Bites
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Junea Rocha is the CMO and Co-founder of Brazi Bites, a better-for-you, Latin-inspired, gluten-free frozen foods brand. With a background in civil engineering, she transitioned to the food industry by scaling her family’s recipe for Brazilian cheese bread into a thriving brand with multiple product lines sold in thousands of stores nationwide. Junea also launched the Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, where she empowers emerging entrepreneurs to advance minority representation in the CPG industry. In this episode… The CPG industry is reaching new heights with the ongoing introduction...
info_outline
The Alchemy of Goode Health
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Mike Glick is the Co-founder and CEO of Goode Health, a health and wellness company specializing in biometric tracking and nutrition products designed to improve overall health. He also leads the Columbus studio for Palm Venture Studios, a private firm for new health and wellness technologies located at Ohio State University. Having spent over 10 years leading adult and pediatric nutrition at Abbott, Mike is dedicated to improving accessibility to nutrition and healthcare. In this episode… In an industry flooded with generic products, nutrition brands must differentiate their offerings...
info_outline
The Alchemy of Tia Lupita Foods
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Hector Saldivar is the Founder of Tia Lupita Foods, a Mexican-inspired food brand made with clean ingredients. A Mexico City native, he adapted his mother’s renowned hot sauce recipe into a thriving business. With 14 years of CPG experience, Hector began his career as a field representative before working for industry giants like Nestlé and Diamond Foods. In this episode… Starting a new business venture can be a challenge filled with unexpected trials and lessons, especially in the CPG space where creative freedom is valued. How can you harness this creativity to adapt cherished family...
info_outline
The Alchemy of Blobs
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Mike Schanbacher is Co-founder of Blobs, a candy company with clean ingredients and low sugar content. In his role, he spearheads Blob’s marketing and growth strategies, infusing the brand with the joy and nostalgia of childhood candy. With experience crafting digital marketing and growth strategies, Mike has held roles at numerous prominent companies, including Ogilvy, Partner Commerce, Quip, and USA Today. Nicholas Kheny is Co-founder of Blobs, where he oversees operations, finance, strategy, and R&D, ensuring great-tasting, better-for-you candy. With a background in biochemical...
info_outline
The Alchemy of Brooklyn Dehli
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Chitra Agrawal is the Founder of Brooklyn Dehli, an Indian-American condiments brand. She founded Brooklyn Dehli to bridge cultures by connecting consumers to authentic Indian flavors. Chitra is the author of the cookbook Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Brooklyn. For over 15 years, she has taught and written about vegetarian food rooted in her Indian heritage. In this episode… People often launch CPG brands after identifying a gap in the market, but others do so to fulfill a personal need. When taking this route, recognizing and connecting with your ideal customer...
info_outline
The Alchemy of GOOD GOOD
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Gardar Stefansson is the CEO and Co-founder of GOOD GOOD, a CPG brand offering all-natural and low-calorie jams, butters, and spreads with no added sugar. In his role, Gardar oversees daily operations and establishes a cross-country network. After noticing most food options were high in sugar or contained artificial sweeteners, he founded the brand to offer tasty and nutritious alternatives. Before launching GOOD GOOD, Gardar co-founded two artisan salt companies. In this episode… With diabetes becoming a global epidemic, people are searching for sugar substitutes and alternatives to...
info_outline
The Alchemy of Blank Slate Kitchen
Brand Alchemist Podcast
Alex Sorenson is the Founder of Blank Slate Kitchen, which crafts internationally inspired sauces with all-natural, quality ingredients. The brand began as a side project before evolving into a successful venture sold nationwide and featured in major publications. As a New York Times-starred chef, Alex has worked in various fine-dining restaurants throughout New York City, France, Rwanda, and Borneo. In this episode… When you’ve satisfied a market need with a brand built from your personal experiences, it’s natural to execute each step of the process singlehandedly, ensuring everything...
info_outlineSheena Russell is the Founder and CEO of Made with Local, a B-Corp Certified snack company. As a social entrepreneur, she creates real food bars and granola mixes with ethically-sourced ingredients to connect people to the planet. Made with Local creates social impact through partnerships with local farmers and food producers. The brand has grown to reach over 3,000 grocery stores across Canada.
In this episode…
Many natural and organic snack brands are often dry and bland, with minimal variation in texture and flavor. This is because the ingredients are mass-produced in factories with specific product lines. Learn how one company cultivates a community to self-manufacture locally-sourced, tasty snack bars.
Sheena Russell began self-manufacturing her products in an exclusive bakery to gain control of quality and profit margins. This has allowed her to innovate and scale her brand into new markets. To maintain fresh, natural ingredients during growth, Sheena builds a network of local farmers who align with the brand’s mission and values. Establishing a disruptive brand that outperforms CPG competitors requires developing exceptional products and creating a community of supporters.
In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Sheena Russell, Founder and CEO of Made with Local, joins Taja Dockendorf to talk about how she created a social impact snack brand. Sheena explains the importance of building a community to gain brand recognition, the benefits and challenges of self-manufacturing, and the brand’s goals for innovation.