The Good Food CFO Podcast
Food Industry Finances are unique, and no one understands them better than The Good Food CFO.
New Episodes Weekly
Episode 91 :: Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Bryce Fluellen
In this episode we are celebrating the life of a hugely influential member of the food industry, Bryce Fluellen. Sarah had the honor of sitting down with Bryce at the end of 2023. Unfortunately, the world lost Bryce in early 2024. We hope that this interview tells his story and preserves his legacy as a Servant leader for so many in this industry, as he fought for food justice and social equity in every role he served.
Episode 90 :: You Can’t Scale Your Food Business Like a Tech Company
Scaling promises to bring not just more revenue, but more profit, more cash flow, and a sense of ease in doing business. And it seems every business owner is eager to get there. In this season opener, Sarah Delevan is answering the #1 question we get asked inside The Good Food CFO Community - “How do I scale my business?”
Episode 89 :: Breaking Down the Price vs Margin Conundrum
Profitability is the goal of every business. But at times it can feel like you are doing everything right, everything traditional business media says that you should be, and yet your business is still running out of cash. In this episode, Sarah breaks down a different way of thinking about your finances and improving your cash flow and profitability.
Episode 88 :: Managing Trade Spend at Any Size with Nikki McNeil
Nikki McNeil is a Co-Founder at Vividly, a trade spend management software which aims to deliver clear value through efficiencies when analyzing trade spend dollars. Whether you’re a founder managing trade spend for one partner or hundreds, having the right system in place can ensure you stay on budget and receive proper payment from all of your distributors and retailers. In this episode, Sarah got to sit down with Nikki to discuss managing trade spend, and what kind of systems you can put in place to support you and your team at any size.
Episode 87 :: The Strategy to Sourcing Ingredients with Ingredient Brothers CEO Eran Mizrahi
Sourcing the best ingredients for your good food product has many implications for your business. Eran Mizrahi co-founded Ingredient Brothers to support founders in this process.
In this episode, Sarah and Eran connect over their shared buyer and finance experience, building a relationship with your purveyors, and Eran shares an approach to strategically reducing ingredient costs that was spot on and totally new to us!
Episode 86 :: Pulling Out of Retail
Traditional business media celebrates big revenue, new accounts, and most of all growth and scale. Cutting revenue in the short term, letting go of accounts and scaling back are the exact opposite of that. So of course right-sizing your business can make you feel bad, and like you’re moving in the wrong direction.
We need to look at the benefits of doing things differently, the benefits of doing what is right for YOUR business, rather than what is generally celebrated in the public eye without context.
In this episode, Sarah shares the reasons behind right-sizing and pulling out of retail, and we hear from 2 founders that chose to right-size, and their reasons behind the move. Sarah also discusses how right-sizing can impact your bottom line in a positive way, and gives us an update on our founders’ stories.
Episode 85 :: Pasta Sauce with a Purpose with Francesca Pittaluga
In 2022, Francesca Pittaluga launched Ciao Pappy, drawing from her 14-year career in luxury fashion. Her inspiration came from a passion for high-quality food, a love for the California and Italian coastal lifestyles, and a dedication to her Italian father's culinary traditions.
In this episode, Francesca joins Sarah to talk about her transition to the Food Industry and the lessons she’s learned along the way. You’ll also hear about her approach to giving back, as well as her mindset around setting goals and taking Ciao Pappy into the New Year.
Episode 84 :: What Grub Street Got Wrong About The Shoppy Shop
Retail is a complex and, at times, difficult sales channel to navigate for Good Food Founders.
In this episode, Sarah and Chelsea discuss two articles that put the Brand/Retail relationship at the forefront.
First, in the news segment, Sarah shares a Civil Eats article that highlights why mid-size farms and brands are disappearing from retail shelves. Then in the main episode, Sarah and Chelsea discuss a Grub Street article that has been on Sarah’s mind since January 2023.
Episode 83 :: Emily Dyer-Schiefer is Marie Kondo of Operations
Emily Dyer-Schiefer traded her chef's knife for a business blueprint, and she hasn't looked back since. Tired of the conflicting advice and clichés saturating the food business landscape, Emily founded two platforms designed to streamline success. Whether through bite-sized lessons at Food Biz School or a dive into strategy at The Kitchen Think, she's committed to helping foodpreneurs build strong, thoughtful businesses that defy the status quo.
In this episode, Sarah gets to connect with Emily after years of following each other’s careers online. They become fast friends as they discuss all the common pit-falls they have encountered while working in the food industry and supporting Good Food Founders.