Building Brand Loyalty & Establishing Category Leadership in Specialty Food

…annnddd we’re back! 

My guest today is Linda Boardman, the Chief Executive Officer of Bragg Live Food Products since 2019. Previously, she was president of Branch Brook Holdings, an investment partnership between Swander Pace Capital, Jefferson Capital Partners and United Natural Foods, Inc. that invests in natural and specialty product companies. Linda currently serves on the board of directors of Oregon Ice Cream (Alden’s Organic), Reliance Vitamin Company and PlantFusion.  Previously, she was board president of Frontier Natural Product Cooperative (Simply Organic and Aura Cacia) and was a board director of Kicking Horse Coffee Company.  Prior to joining Branch Brook, Linda was president of Applegate Farms, the leading brand of natural and organic deli meats. She also led the private label group at Whole Foods Market, known for its 365 brand.  Linda started her career in the food industry at Ocean Spray Cranberries, where she worked in brand management and communications.

We discuss: 

• Linda’s background & experience: What brought her into the food industry and her experience starting out at Ocean Spray 

• Leading private label for Whole Foods Market: What she learned about retail & product development from this unique experience

• Brand building for consumer products: What Linda’s learned throughout her tenure and across her myriad experiences working in the specialty & natural food industry

• What food companies should  know about investors: What investors are looking for in 2024, the current state of investing, and advice for someone looking to gain traction and secure funding in the specialty food space

• Linda’s tenure and experience at Bragg: What’s interested her about the role of CEO, what she’s learned from her time leading Bragg thus far, and what it means for Bragg to be a category leader in apple cider vinegar 

• Behind the scenes of product development and route-to-market at Bragg: What sets them apart from other food companies at which Linda has worked 

• The most important brand decisions business leaders can make in the specialty foods space 

• Trend forecasting for 2024+: Linda’s top predictions in the specialty & natural foods space for this year and beyond  

 

Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN. 

 

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**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician.