146. Bold Moves to Build a Brand that Leaves a Legacy - with Matt Keepman of Mullen’s Dairy Bar
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
Release Date: 08/20/2025
169. Can you say yes to help? How the right help can lead us to our goals
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
As entrepreneurs many of us are quick to offer help—but far slower to ask for it. Can you relate? But why NOT ask people who have been there or have the right tools to help us unlock the next level of success we’re working towards?
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168. What is a Brand Strategist, Anyway? Plus, Marketing vs Branding vs Brand Strategy
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
Clint puts Katie in the hot seat to ask a question many food business owners are wondering: what is a brand strategist, anyway?
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167. From Transaction to Tradition: How Food Brands Can Become the Go-To Choice
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
How food brands earn a place in everyday routines, go-to gifting, and meaningful traditions — and what it really takes to move from a transaction to a trusted, automatic choice.
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166. Profit, Margins and Cash Flow...OH MY! A Mini Masterclass in Food Business Financials with Sarah Delevan
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A mini masterclass in food business finances with Sarah Delevan. We're covering margins, growth scenarios, and why "scale" isn’t a financial strategy.
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165. Choosing Your Word of the Year: Lean Into Who You’re Becoming as a Leader
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
How choosing your Word of the Year can help you lean into who you were meant to be....a benefit to your brand, your business, and beyond!
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164. Curating Holiday Traditions & Year-Round Food Rituals
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
In this fun episode, Katie & Clint swap stories about holiday traditions—and close with a simple idea about how brands become part of year-round rituals.
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163. Brand Pillars: The Backbone of Your Brand That Makes a Major Impact
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A simple framework to help you review where you’ve been, regroup your resources, and refocus your next 12 months anytime you want more clarity and alignment. Great for year-end, or any time of year to reset!
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162. Review, Regroup & Refocus to Align With Your BHAG
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A simple framework to help you review where you’ve been, regroup your resources, and refocus your next 12 months anytime you want more clarity and alignment. Great for year-end, or any time of year to reset!
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161. Should You Go? Choosing Events & Shows That Will Move Your Food Brand Forward
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
If your message feels messy, it’s likely not that you’re bad at writing...it’s because your brand strategy needs more structure. In ep 159, Katie shows how a strong foundation makes your messaging clearer + more consistent everywhere.
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160. Are You Using “Expedited Cautiousness”? Smart Growth for Food Brands
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
If your message feels messy, it’s likely not that you’re bad at writing...it’s because your brand strategy needs more structure. In ep 159, Katie shows how a strong foundation makes your messaging clearer + more consistent everywhere.
info_outlineWhat does it take to build a food brand that leaves a lasting impact? Whether you’re just starting out or decades in, your legacy isn’t just about how long your brand survives — it’s about the people you impact along the way.
In this episode, Food Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva and co-host Clint Matthews, co-founder of Start Right Foods, are joined by Matt Keepman of Mullins Dairy Bar, a nearly 100-year-old iconic ice cream brand based in Wisconsin.
Together, they explore what it means to be caretakers of a legacy brand, how to make bold decisions that align with your values, and why lasting impact comes from both protecting tradition and shaking things up with bold decisions when something is out of alignment.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- Why legacy is about impact, not just longevity
- When Mullen's removed artificial dyes — and what happened next
- The role of community in keeping a legacy brand alive
- How being bold can help you build a brand that lasts
- How to balance honoring the past with innovating for the future
- ...and just for fun, Matt's expert tip on how to get rid of an ice cream headache (or, Mullen's dairy-free sorbet in this example)!
🔔 Don't forget to get on the email list for Friday emails that include short, fun worksheets to help you bring your ideas to life!
If you want to make a positive impact and leave a legacy with the brand you're building, you don't want to miss this conversation.
🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗
✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com
✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episode questions or ideas)
✓ Work with me: 1:1 Brand Review Workshop or Brand Success System
✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands
✓ Mullen's Dairy Bar website
✓ Start Right Foods website
Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!
Katie Mleziva
Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands