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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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_outlineAlex 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 aligns with your standards. Yet this isn’t sustainable long-term, stunting future brand growth. Hear how a forward-thinking brand owner propelled his business forward despite setbacks to get his exclusive products in consumers’ hands.
After the first year of making chili oil in his personal kitchen to ensure quality outputs, Alex Sorenson sliced his finger with a mandoline blade, significantly delaying production. He decided to partner with a co-packer to expedite production and shipping, allowing him to focus on growing the business rather than overseeing daily operations. But Alex nearly lost his brand after partnering with a co-packer who underfilled his products and didn’t ensure safe packaging methods. He maintains that co-packer relationships are fundamental to business success, emphasizing the importance of researching and vetting each company before establishing a mutual agreement with each other.
Welcome back to the Brand Alchemist Podcast as Taja Dockendorf interviews Alex Sorenson, the Founder of Blank Slate Kitchen, about his brand-building story. Alex talks about his products’ travel-inspired, culturally rich flavor profiles, his plans to diversify his product line, and how he transitioned from a software engineer to a professional chef.