Sarah chats with Keesha, the vibrant founder of Live Loud Foods, a brand that’s redefining the nut market with bold, unique flavors. Keesha shares her fascinating journey from information systems engineer to culinary entrepreneur, highlighting the challenges of launching a food business, including crucial financial insights and marketing strategies.

CPG Operations Expert, Jessi Freitag shares how to use CPG Automation, file management and other tools to enhance productivity, improve culture and do more of what you love.

Niki and Mike of The Fishtown Pickle Project share their entrepreneurial journey and the strategic decisions that propelled their business forward.

In this episode, we kick things off with a Holiday primer to get you ready for the last quarter of 2024. Sarah shares what you should consider, analyze and plan for as we head into fall, as well as a list of free and low cost resources to support a successful Holiday shopping season. Then you’ll hear her conversation with Kait, founder of Savorista, that centers around the work Kait took on during our CFO Office Hours this summer.

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Sara Hauman, Founder of The Tiny Fish Co. to discuss her vision for bringing the same values of sustainability and quality she stands by in a professional kitchen to the retail world. Sara shares her journey into CPG, which began with her desire to find a more balanced and fulfilling career outside of the restaurant industry. After appearing on Top Chef, she decided to pursue her passion for canned fish and started her own brand.

In this episode, Sarah welcomes a panel of leaders to explore the real-life experiences and benefits of transitioning to employee ownership and cooperative business structures.

Stacey Smith from Project Equity explains the different models like ESOPs, EOTs, and worker cooperatives, emphasizing their role in economic stability and community retention. Devra Gartenstein, founder of Patty Pan Cooperative, shares her journey of converting her food business into a worker cooperative to improve employee quality of life. And Monica Rocchino discusses her experience transitioning The Local Butcher Shop to a cooperative, highlighting the importance of financial literacy and structured management.

In this episode, Sarah welcomes back Emily Winston, Founder and CEO of Boichik Bagels, to discuss the growth and expansion of her business. Emily opened her first bagel shop in Berkeley in 2019 to huge success. Now with 6 Bay Area locations, a Bagel factory, nationwide shipping, and retail distribution, Emily shares what building a bagel empire really looks like.

In this episode, Sarah is joined by entrepreneurs Pace Webb and Chris Georgalas as they share their journey in the food industry. They discuss their backgrounds, the founding of their businesses, and the challenges they faced, and how the franchised their Fried Chicken Sandwich business and sold 150 units nationwide!

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Lauren Montgomery, the founder of Monty’s, to discuss the intricacies of building a sustainable food brand. Lauren's journey from a deep passion for nutrition to creating the cleanest ingredient cashew cream cheese and plant-based butter on the market is both inspiring and educational.