161. Should You Go? Choosing Events & Shows That Will Move Your Food Brand Forward
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Release Date: 12/03/2025
183. Is Luck Random or About Being Ready?
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Is it luck? OR, is it having a clear strategy and sense of awareness that prepares you to be ready when opportunity knocks?
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182. Your Brand Adds Value Across Your Business (Not Just Marketing)
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Why your brand strategy is a margin driver—not a marketing expense
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181. Build a Brand That Adapts While Staying True to Its Core - Kasondra Shippen Flax 4 Life
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Three emerging brands share what it looks like to start and grow a brand in real time—from product decisions to marketing strategies and early retail traction.
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180. Build a Brand That Solves a Real Need - with Jon Romanow of Let'z Go!
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Personal need plus industry expertise plus understanding the bigger market insights beyond yourself...all of these things led to a strong brand strategy for Letz Go! Nutrition as they hit the ground running after Expo West.
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179. Build a Brand That Grows With the People You Serve
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Brand Strategy puts the consumer/user at the center of everything you do as a brand, and Betsy Frost, CEO of Q Mixers, shares how she builds brands using this philosophy.
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178. Is Your Brand Strong Enough to Stand Out?
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Katie Mleziva of Real Food Brands shares why having a beautiful brand is not enough, and how to make sure you have a strong foundation that aligns everything you do.
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177. Three Emerging Brands Shaking Up Shopping Carts
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Three emerging brands share what it looks like to start and grow a brand in real time—from product decisions to marketing strategies and early retail traction.
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176. Build Your Inner Edge to Deliver When It Matters Most with Chad McGehee
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Learn to build your inner edge so you can stay focused, resilient, and steady in the moments that matter most. This episode with Chad McGehee explores how intentional mental training helps you lead and deliver under pressure.
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Expo West Takeaways Through a Brand Strategy Lens (Ep 175)
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Clint asks Katie questions about her experience at Expo West 2026...but not just the trends and hot brands. Katie shares what she saw with her unique brand strategy lens.
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174. Knowing What to Say in Conversations At Food Industry Events
Food Business Marketing Podcast – Brand Strategy and Alignment for Strategic Growth
Every event is an investment, and every conversation is an opportunity! Katie and Clint unpack how food business owners can prepare strategically, communicate with confidence, and turn meaningful conversations into forward motion.
info_outlineHow to decide which local, regional, or national shows make sense for your food business in 2026 based on your brand strategy and goals.
Planning events for 2026? In this episode, your hosts Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) break down how to choose the events that actually support your goals — instead of getting swept up in FOMO or the pressure to “be everywhere.”
From local consumer festivals and regional distributor shows to big national expos and retail-specific gatherings, there’s no shortage of options. The key is choosing the ones that match *your* business stage, resources, and business goals.
You’ll hear stories about events they’ve attended — from small community tastings to Fancy Food — and what they learned about sales, visibility, distribution, and opportunity cost along the way. Plus, they share a simple decision filter you can use to evaluate whether an event is worth your time, energy, and budget.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How to align event types with your 2026 business goals
- Choosing between consumer-facing, buyer-focused, supplier, and networking events
- Why timing, bandwidth, and inventory capacity matter
- Clint’s experience with distributor and retailer shows (and what actually paid off)
- How to avoid overcommitting — placing your bets on the right events
- A simple 3-question filter that helps you decide whether an event is worth attending
Whether you’re just starting to think about events or you’re mapping out a full calendar for 2026, this conversation will help you make confident, aligned decisions that move your business forward.
👋 Join Katie and other food business owners in the Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable on Facebook to talk about specific events & industry shows. You'll find the link in #2, below.
WHAT TO DO NEXT?
1. 📧 Katie's Friday Newsletter includes a Weekly Worksheet to help you apply these ideas directly to your food business. Sign up here.
2. 💬 Join the Conversation! Tune in to the podcast, then join us in the Real Food Brands Marketing Round Table - a free food & farm business owner community - to ask questions and meet other people who love producing real food as much as you do!
3. 📞 If you're ready to talk about building a clear, cohesive brand or integrating your brand + sales strategy, you can Request an Intro Call to discuss the ways we work with food, farm, and natural product brands.
Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!
Katie Mleziva
Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands