Forktales

Jenny Mehlman is Senior Marketing Director at Dairy Farmers of America, where she leads branded cheese and butter businesses. With a background in brand stewardship and innovation, she focuses on making legacy food categories relevant through consumer insight, storytelling and everyday moments that drive connection. Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a farmer-owned cooperative representing more than 9,500 American dairy farmers. As the leading global dairy cooperative, DFA produces and markets a wide range of dairy brands, with a mission centered on delivering value back to its farmer-owners and their communities. DFA operates with a long-term mindset, prioritizing sustainable growth and innovation over short-term gains. Its structure allows marketing and innovation teams to focus on building brands that resonate with consumers while supporting farmers’ livelihoods. The organization blends large-scale brand management with a strong sense of authenticity, transparency and purpose rooted in agriculture. Dairy is experiencing a resurgence as consumers reconnect with real, wholesome ingredients and seek both health and indulgence in the same products. Great marketing starts with understanding people, their routines, motivations and the small moments that shape decisions. Even in crowded categories, brands must earn attention through storytelling and relevance or risk being ignored. Innovation in dairy extends beyond new flavors to include format, function and new ways to meet everyday needs. Authenticity and transparency are critical, helping consumers trust where their food comes from and how it’s made. Creativity often comes from observing everyday frustrations and solving small, real-world problems. Strong brands maintain distinct personalities, allowing them to connect with specific audiences without competing against themselves. A long-term mindset, driven by farmer ownership, enables more thoughtful innovation and brand-building decisions.   QUOTES “We’re actually owned by 9,500 American dairy farmers, which puts a different spin on the work. It makes things more personal because our mission is to provide value to them and their families.” (Jenny) “If I can do right by our farmers and provide value to them and their families, I’m doing my job well.” (Jenny) “I look at brands as humans. They have personalities, and you have to treat them properly and have fun with them in a way that fits who they are.” (Jenny) “I’ve never found a business where you can’t get people to talk about cheese and butter. It’s kind of phenomenal.” (Jenny) “The secret to good marketing is really getting to know people, what makes them tick and what drives their decisions.” (Jenny) “Dairy is having a bit of a renaissance. It’s less about the challenge and more about the opportunity to stay relevant in people’s lives.” (Jenny) “Sometimes we get so focused on the big idea that we forget about the little moments. Those everyday occasions are where the connection really happens.” (Jenny) “I don’t often think in quarters. Our farmers are always thinking about the future, and that changes how we approach innovation and investment.” (Jenny) “Authenticity builds trust. If something feels authentic, people feel like they understand it and can trust it.” (Jenny) “I look at what I do as problem solving and getting to know people. Whether it’s detergent, chocolate or cheese, the motivations are often the same.” (Jenny) “Everybody is creative in their own way. It’s about recognizing it and giving people the permission to keep doing it.” (Jenny)

Mike DiBeneditto – CEO of Golden Waffles and Champion of Bold Brand Reinvention

Madelyn Alfano is CEO and owner of Maria’s Italian Kitchen and a lifelong hospitality leader. Raised in her family’s grocery and restaurant business, she brings decades of hands-on experience, people-first leadership and a deep belief in food, culture and community. Founded in Los Angeles in 1972, Maria’s Italian Kitchen is a family-rooted, Southern Italian restaurant brand known for classic comfort food, consistent quality and warm hospitality. With eight locations, the brand has become a multigenerational neighborhood staple across Southern California. Alfano grew Maria’s from a small takeout operation into a multi-unit brand while navigating major challenges, including the Northridge earthquake and rapid industry change. She serves on California and national restaurant boards and is a strong advocate for thoughtful leadership, employee respect and community-centered hospitality. Early lessons from her parents taught her that customers will tell you exactly what they want if you listen closely. True hospitality means treating everyone with the same respect, regardless of status or background. Clear, consistent communication is critical, especially as a business grows. Leadership requires calm focus during crises, even when things are chaotic behind the scenes. Hiring in hospitality should prioritize personality and attitude over technical skills. Strong culture is built by leading by example and meeting people where they are. Long-term employee retention comes from respect, flexibility and genuine care. What keeps guests coming back isn’t just food, it’s how they feel when they walk through the door.   QUOTES “People will tell you what they want to buy. If you really listen, they’ll show you exactly what belongs in your business.” (Madelyn) “You treat everyone the same, from the Getty’s to the gardeners. My parents taught me that respect is non-negotiable.” (Madelyn) “Whoever walks through your front door, you need to embrace them and make them feel really good about who they are and where they are.” (Madelyn) “I was the original Instacart girl. We were delivering groceries long before anyone thought to call it that.” (Madelyn) “I had to pretend that someone was coming from Mars and had never worked in a restaurant before. That’s how clear your communication has to be.” (Madelyn) “Regardless of the circumstances, if you stay focused and lead with intention, you can get through almost anything.” (Madelyn) “It’s like a duck in water. Underneath, you’re paddling like crazy, but on top you have to look calm and steady.” (Madelyn) “Don’t confuse my kindness for weakness or my casualness for not being serious. I’m very intense about our business.” (Madelyn) “I’m very interested in people. It’s better to be interested than interesting.” (Madelyn) “Our first customers are the people we work with. If you don’t respect your team, nothing else works.” (Madelyn)

Chuck Meehan is Chief Creative Officer of Pavone Group and a veteran creative leader with decades of experience shaping iconic, culture-driving campaigns. A four-time Super Bowl creative, Chuck has worked with global brands and top-tier talent to create work that breaks through noise and pressure. Chuck has led creative teams at major agencies and worked on campaigns for brands including General Motors, Hellmann’s, McDonald’s, Del Taco and Universal Orlando Resort. His Super Bowl work includes back-to-back GM spots featuring Will Ferrell and Mike Myers as Dr. Evil, as well as large-scale brand activations that extended far beyond the broadcast. Big ideas come from interpreting the brief in an unexpected way and connecting dots others don’t see. If an idea can’t be explained clearly in one sentence, it’s not fully formed. Super Bowl advertising is a six-month marathon that requires protecting the idea through intense internal and external pressure. The most successful Super Bowl spots extend beyond the ad itself into brand activations and social storytelling. Celebrity-driven campaigns only work when the talent serves the product and idea, not the other way around. AI should be used to amplify creative thinking, not replace the struggle and reps required to develop great ideas. In-person collaboration plays a critical role in mentoring young creatives and building strong creative culture. Great creative leadership is about creating an environment where people feel safe to take big swings and learn from misses.     QUOTES “The Super Bowl is the coolest thing and it’s the most terrifying thing. And what’s hard about it is, a lot of them start in August. So if you make it to February, that’s six months of your life.” (Chuck) “If you can survive that gauntlet and somehow get to the Super Bowl with a great spot, it’s a Herculean feat for sure. It’s an amazing thing and it’s a bit of a horrible thing at the same time.” (Chuck) “That (GM Dr. Evil) brand activation actually became a bigger story than even the spot in a sense. So yeah, that was a thing where we just didn’t stop at the spot.” (Chuck) “By the Monday after the Super Bowl, the whole world’s moved on. Brands looked at that and thought that if I’m spending that much money, why don’t I release the spot a week ahead of time and get more out of it.” (Chuck) “When it comes to a Super Bowl commercial, you’ve got to put three-act story in 60 seconds. That’s the discipline. When I’ve worked with people outside advertising, they don’t quite get it. It’s a very specific art.” (Chuck) “It’s good because over the years, as a creative director, ECD, GCD, CCO, I’m constantly critiquing work. I’m constantly critiquing ideas. And most of them don’t get past me, which is kind of the drill. The ones that do interpreted the brief in a way I didn’t expect.” (Chuck) “I always tell creatives, show me a different way of looking at something. And even when I’ve judged shows, it’s always the stuff that I’m like, how did they get there? Ninety-nine percent of things I can see where they’re going.” (Chuck) “If you can tell me it in one sentence, you have an idea. And if you can’t explain it, you don’t know it.” (Chuck)

]EPISODE 105: Joey Jurgielewicz – Director of Client Service at Tasty Duck and leader in sustainable duck farming EPISODE 106: Tom Moffitt – Founder and CEO of Culture Fresh Foods and pioneer in plant-based dairy innovation EPISODE 107: Edward Medina – President of Ramona’s Food Group and transformative leader in authentic Mexican cuisine EPISODE 108: Sameer Malhotra – CEO of Café Spice and champion of authentic Indian cuisine EPISODE 109: Elliot Nelson – Founder and CEO of McNellie’s Group and visionary in community-driven hospitality EPISODE 110: Curtis Chin – Writer, filmmaker and storyteller of culture and community

Curtis Chin is a writer, filmmaker, activist, and author of the acclaimed memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. His work reflects on growing up gay and Chinese American in 1980s Detroit while working in his family’s landmark restaurant. Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, founded by Curtis’s great-grandfather, was a legendary Detroit institution for 65 years. Known for its handmade egg rolls and welcoming atmosphere, the restaurant became a cultural hub and safe haven for people from every walk of life. Curtis has taken his family’s story global through more than 300 talks across seven countries. His memoir has received widespread recognition from outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CBS. He continues to tell stories through writing and film, while exploring ways to reconnect with his restaurant roots. Growing up in the dining room taught him about people, service, and the value of making someone’s day better. His father taught him to “talk to strangers,” a lesson in curiosity, openness, and seizing opportunities. Chung’s exposed him to every side of Detroit — from white-collar professionals and politicians to pimps, drag queens, and movie stars. He values service as much as food, lamenting the loss of human interaction in today’s QR code and robot-driven dining experiences. The restaurant sold more than 10 million handmade egg rolls and became a Detroit institution remembered decades after closing. Food anchored his cultural identity and offered a tangible link to his heritage when other ties to China were distant. He believes family restaurants are the “glue” of communities and often serve as civic spaces as important as political offices. Chinese restaurants shaped American dining trends — from takeout and delivery to open kitchens — and remain a vital, unifying presence across the country. QUOTES “I grew up in the restaurant, but I was one of those kids that didn’t know how to cook, so I was banished to the dining room. That’s where I actually did most of my learning.” (Curtis) “I like to say that even though I don’t work in a Chinese restaurant anymore, I’m still that Chinese waiter.” (Curtis) “My dad always gave us that advice — talk to strangers — because he knew the dining room was full of people who had opportunities outside the four walls of that Chinese restaurant.” (Curtis) “For me, going out to eat is really not just about great food, but also about great service.” (Curtis) “I realized, if I’m gonna look up to somebody, it’s gonna be my dad and not this Hollywood star.” (Curtis) “Meeting all these people gave me a different perspective, a different way to see the world.” (Curtis) “Detroit in the ’80s was really rough. I knew five people murdered by the time I was 18 years old.” (Curtis) “The one connection I did keep to my culture was food — that was the easiest way to hold on to where we came from.” (Curtis) “Chinese restaurants are actually one of the few places where you can go in and see someone from a different race or class and maybe start a conversation.” (Curtis) “Small family restaurants are the glue to a lot of communities.” (Curtis) “Chinese restaurants are going to save America.” (Curtis)

Elliot Nelson is the founder and CEO of McNellie’s Group, a hospitality company that has reshaped the dining scene in Tulsa and beyond. A visionary entrepreneur, Elliot has grown from opening one Irish pub in 2004 to overseeing dozens of restaurants and development projects. McNellie’s Group operates a diverse portfolio of pubs, restaurants, and concepts across Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and beyond. With a focus on revitalizing neighborhoods, historic renovations, and community-driven development, the company now includes more than 25 units and multiple large-scale real estate projects. Elliot’s journey started with a college business plan for a fictional pub, which eventually became the foundation for McNellie’s. From restoring century-old buildings to developing multi-million-dollar mixed-use projects, he has played a central role in the transformation of downtown Tulsa. Beyond restaurants, his work emphasizes placemaking, employee care, and creating spaces that serve as the backdrop for community life. Elliot abandoned plans for law school after realizing he wanted to build something tangible and people-focused. His first pub in 2004 became Tulsa’s destination for craft beer and helped spark downtown’s restaurant renaissance. He emphasizes that a great pub should feel like “Tulsa’s living room,” welcoming all generations. Development projects like Santa Fe Square and 36 Degrees North have redefined downtown, blending restaurants, apartments, and office space. COVID-19 reshaped habits—lunch sales are still down, but outdoor dining saved his flagship pub. Elliot believes in putting employees first, offering benefits and even personal support during tough times. Success stories include staff rising from entry-level roles to ownership and executive leadership. He sees his larger purpose as making Tulsa a better place to live—and may even consider running for mayor one day.   QUOTES “After spending a summer in a law office, I was like, man, there’s no @#$%ing way I can do this for my life.” (Elliot) “When we opened in 2004, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d waited tables for nine months to try to figure out how a restaurant worked.” (Elliot) “We instantly became the destination in town for beer. At one point, we were named one of the 100 best places in the world to drink beer.” (Elliot) “More than anything, we’ve just tried to make our hometown a better place to live. Restaurants were the vehicle in the beginning.” (Elliot) “All those other people make a bunch of money. I just like to do cool shit.” (Elliot) “A really good pub should be everybody’s place—where you can bring your kid, or your 80-year-old parent, and all generations feel welcome.” (Elliot) “I think my purpose is to make my hometown a better place to live. That clarity really helps give direction and meaning to what I do.” (Elliot) “We used to be the 11th or 12th place to get a drink downtown. Now there are about 150, and we helped create that momentum.” (Elliot) “We realized in this industry you might be the most stable force in someone’s life. It’s a responsibility I take to heart.” (Elliot) “We’re not chasing awards—we’re trying to be the place where people make their memories.” (Elliot)  

Sameer Malhotra is the CEO and co-founder of Café Spice, a nationally distributed brand bringing authentic Indian cuisine to a broad American audience. Raised in a family of restaurateurs, Sameer has grown Café Spice from a single restaurant concept into a $50 million food manufacturing business. Café Spice is a family-owned food company specializing in globally inspired, ready-to-eat meals. Partnering with Whole Foods Market and other retailers, Café Spice provides hot bar items, refrigerated and frozen meals, and private-label products for supermarket chains across the U.S. Founded in 1998 as a bistro-style Indian restaurant in New York City, Café Spice transitioned from restaurants to large-scale food manufacturing after Whole Foods tapped the brand to supply its Indian hot bars.  Today, Café Spice operates from a state-of-the-art 70,000-square-foot facility, produces both branded and private-label products, and continues to innovate with new offerings like Cantina Latina, a Latin-inspired line of prepared meals. Growing up in his family’s acclaimed Indian restaurants gave Sameer firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities of introducing Indian cuisine to America. Café Spice pivoted from restaurants to manufacturing after landing Whole Foods as a client, eventually supplying Indian food to every Whole Foods hot bar in the country. Company culture emphasizes “grittiness and safety,” with longtime employees playing a key role in consistency and growth. Scaling recipes for national distribution required investments in food safety, standardized spice rooms, and consistent culinary processes. Education and sampling are central to marketing—demos help consumers overcome misconceptions that all Indian food is spicy or “just curry.” QUOTES “Whole Foods decided they were going to open an Indian hot bar, and that’s where the entire business changed. Now, 20 years later, we make the Indian food for their hot bars in every store in the country.” (Sameer) “We’ve always been a gritty team. Culture is grittiness and culture is safety.” (Sameer) “As restaurateurs, you’re creating food that’s going to be consumed within an hour. Here, we’re making food that may be frozen or refrigerated and eaten days later. Food safety became the most important part.” (Sameer) “I walked into the Whole Foods office in a suit, 23 years old, and the guy who greeted me was in cargo shorts and flip-flops. I felt completely out of place.” (Sameer) “Spice is always a trend. Generationally, spice is much more accepted now than when we started the business.” (Sameer) “Rather than discounting, I focus on demos. People need to taste the food and realize how good it is.” (Sameer) “The biggest misconception is that all Indian food is curry and all Indian food is spicy. Not everything is curry, and not all Indian food is spicy.” (Sameer) “We changed the name from ‘alugobi’ to ‘curried cauliflower and potatoes’ and sales doubled. People knew what it was.” (Sameer) “We put in robotic arms for packaging. It increased output, reduced giveaway, and didn’t reduce jobs. Technology has been a game changer.” (Sameer) “Surround yourself with like-minded people, but also fill the gaps you don’t have. You need people who will push you—not just yes men.” (Sameer)

Edward Medina serves as the president of Ramona’s Food Group. With a background in finance, Edward has played a pivotal role in revitalizing Ramona’s, transforming it into a thriving family-owned business deeply rooted in tradition and committed to innovation. Ramona’s Food Group is a family-owned enterprise renowned for its authentic Mexican cuisine. Established in 1947 by Romana Banuelos, the company has evolved from supplying tortillas to becoming a staple in frozen Mexican foods, remaining committed to its heritage and quality. Founded in 1947, Ramona’s began as a tortilla supplier before expanding into frozen foods in the early 1970s. The company prides itself on using 100-year-old recipes, maintaining authenticity and tradition amidst industry pressures. Edward, alongside his cousin Robert, co-owns the company, leveraging their complementary skills to continue its legacy. Edward describes Ramona’s as a “78-year-old startup,” highlighting its long-standing history combined with a spirit of innovation. He recounts the company’s origins, emphasizing the resilience shown by founder Romana Banuelos, who started by making tortillas and delivering them on public buses. Under his leadership, Ramona’s maintained its authentic recipes, resisting changes despite industry trends for substitutions. The transition to frozen burritos in the 70s marked a significant evolution for the company, building on their experience as a key supplier to Taco Bell. Edward sees Mexican food’s mainstream popularity as a testament to its dynamic nature, expressing excitement about being part of this culinary evolution QUOTES “I always say we’re like a 78-year-old startup. It was started in 1947.” (Edward) “Our recipes are over 100 years old. Mrs. B carried those recipes from her early days. We have not ventured from those.” (Edward) “We like to think of ourselves as like the In-N-Out of Mexican food. We do a couple of things. We do them well.” (Edward) “The family dynamic was not very good. It was quite ugly, actually, which kind of led to our purchase in 2017.” (Edward) “When we became profitable, that’s when life got slower. We could make better decisions, make better products.” (Edward) “Culture is the way people act when I’m not here, and I think people are very responsible and when we’re not here, they get it done.” (Edward) “Mexican food is very exciting, and it’s almost American food now.” (Edward)

Tom Moffitt is a seasoned entrepreneur and pioneer in the plant-based dairy industry. With a background as a food microbiologist, Tom co-founded Commonwealth Dairy, turning it into a national powerhouse, and now leads Culture Fresh Foods, focusing on innovative non-dairy products. Culture Fresh Foods specializes in creating next-generation plant-based dairy products, offering a variety of non-dairy yogurts, sour cream, and cream cheese. The company emphasizes quality and innovation, transforming traditional yogurt plants into centers of plant-based production. Tom’s passion for food innovation is rooted in his background in food microbiology. His approach focuses on consumer demand, quality standards, and leveraging his dairy experience to excel in plant-based markets. Culture Fresh Foods navigates challenges in plant-based production with a commitment to improving taste and texture. Tom transitioned from the dairy industry to plant-based products by focusing on consumer desires, emphasizing the importance of “swimming downstream” to meet market demand. The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges for Culture Fresh Foods, as they opened just weeks before the crisis hit, impacting their market entry. Tom emphasized the importance of maintaining consistent quality and saw plant-based as a new opportunity, akin to the Greek yogurt revolution. Sustainability and taste are critical in plant-based consumption, with ongoing improvements in flavor and nutritional profiles narrowing the gap with traditional dairy. Tom shared insights from his past experiences, highlighting the challenges of balancing entrepreneurial risks with manufacturing capabilities and external market conditions. The plant-based market is becoming more interchangeable with traditional dairy, driven by consumer preferences and innovative product offerings like coconut yogurt and non-dairy ice cream. Culture Fresh Foods focuses on bulk products like coconut yogurt parfaits and oat milk for cold brew coffee, tapping into consumer trends and preferences, particularly among younger demographics. Tom’s entrepreneurial journey includes taking calculated risks, investing in quality, and navigating the complexities of plant-based product development to meet evolving consumer demands. QUOTES “I figured why swim upstream? You might as well just swim downstream and give people what they want.” (Tom) “I opened my doors in March of 2020, about two weeks before COVID. That really sucked, to be honest.” (Tom) “I’m a food microbiologist. I get really excited about yogurt.” (Tom) “For me, it’s all about food safety, food quality and quality really means if you have a cup of my yogurt today, it’s the exact same cup of yogurt you have three months from now.” (Tom) “Protein is massive and low sugar. Those are the two big things. It’s got to taste great.” (Tom) “I don’t think (plant-based) will replace dairy in my lifetime. I think it’s just going to become more interchangeable.” (Tom) “Coconut yogurts sell the best. Why? Because they taste the best.” (Tom)

Joey Jurgielewicz is a fifth-generation duck farmer and the Director of Client Service of Tasty Duck. With deep roots in the Long Island duck farming tradition, Joey brings passion, innovation and hospitality expertise to the family business. Tasty Duck is a vertically integrated duck operation headquartered in Pennsylvania, with a legacy dating back to 1933. The company supplies premium Pekin duck to top restaurants, retailers and international markets. The Jurgielewicz family can trace their duck lineage directly back to the original Long Island breeds—making them unique in the industry. The business is fully integrated: they hatch, raise, process and distribute their ducks while partnering with local family farms. Tasty Duck emphasizes sustainability, using feathers for pillows, composting manure for fertilizer and producing single-ingredient pet treats from unused duck parts. Their duck products are increasingly accessible to consumers thanks to pre-cooked items and partnerships with national retailers like Whole Foods. Tasty Duck is rooted in legacy but built for today. Joey’s great-grandfather started farming ducks in 1933, and the operation now spans generations and innovations. Joey believes duck should be more than a fine dining staple. He’s on a mission to make it an everyday option through products like duck carnitas and duck bratwurst. “A happy duck is a tasty duck.” The company prioritizes animal welfare with clean facilities, careful oversight and expert staff. Sustainability is built into every layer of the operation—from using feathers for pillows to turning manure into fertilizer.   QUOTES “We’re not the largest in the world, but we definitely like to say we are the tastiest and the most fun.” (Joey) “We’re the only one in the duck industry that can trace our roots back to our original breed, our original farm.” (Joey) “A lot of our fellow duck farmers… they chickenized it. We kept ours as the original strand from Long Island.” (Joey) “We like to say we have that respect. Duck has a spot on the menu now—it’s not just a special occasion item anymore.” (Joey) “A happy duck is a tasty duck.” (Joey) “If I can get people to try it, nine out of ten, if not ten out of ten, I can convince them to put duck on their menu.” (Joey) “Don’t try too hard. Simpler is better. Duck has a natural flavor—just enjoy it.” (Joey) “We’re a niche business, so our goal is to create a niche in our niche.” (Joey)

Season 8 highlights

Kenny Morrison is a cannabis industry pioneer and the founder of VCC Brands and CQ Drinks. With a background in documentary filmmaking and early cannabis retail, Kenny has been instrumental in shaping the cannabis-infused beverage category since 2008. VCC Brands, originally Venice Cookie Company, is a legacy cannabis company focused exclusively on beverages since 2020. Its flagship brand, CQ (Cannabis Quencher), creates micro- and macro-dose drinks designed to be approachable, flavorful and stigma-free. Founded in Venice Beach, VCC Brands embodies the area’s countercultural spirit with a refined, modern twist. CQ was born partly in response to early San Francisco regulations requiring “cannabis” to appear prominently on product labels. Today, the brand operates in seven states (soon to be eight) through a mix of licensing partnerships and hemp distribution, aiming to normalize cannabis consumption with clean branding, fast-acting nanoemulsification technology, and a lifestyle-oriented appeal. Kenny got into the cannabis industry by helping friends transition from underground cultivation to legal retail, ultimately co-founding one of LA’s first dispensaries. VCC Brands began as a baked goods company but pivoted fully to beverages to focus on “the future of drinking.” CQ Drinks emphasizes approachability by avoiding stereotypical stoner branding and designing products with women and first-time consumers in mind.  Kenny compares CQ’s brand positioning to “the Corona of cannabis” — a laid-back, beachy vibe grounded in authenticity. Nanoemulsification helps cannabis beverages hit faster, making them more comparable to alcohol and easing consumer adoption. Despite being a cannabis entrepreneur, Kenny uses the product less than most of his family and believes in freedom of choice across alcohol and cannabis. He stresses honesty, reliability, and customer service as keys to building trust in the cannabis space, especially for new users. Regional product tweaks — like adding seasonal flavors in Massachusetts — have helped CQ Drinks grow in both the dispensary and hemp markets.   QUOTES “Visiting one of these early stores, it was almost like an anthropological experiment for me, which really just means that I’m a thrill seeker.” (Kenny) “Ever since I was a little kid, my father never hid his cannabis use from me. Even when I was nine, he’d say, ‘Hey Kenny, I’m going to go get some grass, want to come with me?'” (Kenny) “We’re basically, you know, the original prohibition cannabis beverage brand… the things we’ve been through to keep this thing alive, it’s a frickin’ novel.” (Kenny) “The goal is to get to a place where we can really tell that story in sort of a deep, profound way.” (Kenny) “My theory has just been, look, if girls like to drink it, guys are going to drink it.” (Kenny) “We’re all trying to target the alcohol consumer looking to moderate their alcohol consumption… and when a cannabis drink affects you as quick as an alcoholic drink does, that’s going to increase consumership.” (Kenny) “Cannabis should be perceived as a benefit to be promoted rather than a harm to be tolerated.” (Kenny) “Something that makes cannabis very different than alcohol is because cannabis is non-toxic… tolerances vary far greater than people’s tolerance for alcohol.” (Kenny) “You’ve got to have great customer service and you’ve got to be honest. Especially in cannabis.” (Kenny) “We’re gathering a ton of information based on the success of those products in their territories… then we can release the greatest hits in our hemp lineup.” (Kenny) “I just think we’re in this season where the general knowledge of cannabis is slowly, gradually building up.” (Kenny)  

Laurel Orley is the founder and CEO of Daily Crunch Snacks and a mission-driven entrepreneur with a background in advertising. After more than a decade building major brands like Dove at Unilever, she transitioned to launch her own company focused on health, flavor, and impact. Daily Crunch Snacks is a women-owned snack brand offering sprouted, air-dried almonds and other nut blends with bold, innovative flavors. Rooted in a family recipe and a mission to support mental health, the brand emphasizes clean ingredients, sustainability, and crave-worthy crunch. Laurel launched Daily Crunch with her aunt Diane, who developed the unique sprouting process after studying brain health in India. The brand debuted in March 2020—days before the COVID-19 shutdown—and adapted its launch strategy for a digital-first world. Daily Crunch has since expanded into 6,000+ stores and was named the 13th fastest-growing food and beverage company by Inc. Laurel is a board member of the Upcycled Food Association and a member of EY’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women Class of 2024. The brand’s mental health mission is personal: Laurel’s cousin lost his life to bipolar disorder, inspiring her family to create The Support Network, which Daily Crunch supports financially and publicly. Laurel’s experience on Dove’s Real Beauty campaign taught her the power of mission-driven marketing and authenticity. The sprouting process transforms the texture of almonds, making them crisp and chip-like while improving digestibility. Product innovation stems from a blend of trend reports, consumer feedback, and Laurel’s own flavor instincts—like turmeric & sea salt or Nashville Hot. Collaborations, like their Fly By Jing partnership, are a strategic focus for driving awareness and reaching new audiences. Upcycling ingredients—such as pickle ends from Cleveland Kitchen—helps reduce waste and differentiate flavor profiles. Daily Crunch doesn’t lead with its mission, but invites consumers to discover its mental health advocacy as they dig deeper into the brand.   QUOTES “I wanted to launch a brand with a mission that I believed in. Our mission is actually mental health awareness.” (Laurel) “Soaking nuts removes phytic acid, an anti-nutrient, making them more bioavailable, easier to digest and more nutrient dense.” (Laurel) “The crunch is what gets people in. It’s lighter, airier, crunchier. Honestly, it’s like a chip.” (Laurel) “You’re always going to have setbacks. My motto is always two steps forward, one step back.” (Laurel) “We had to throw out 20,000 pounds of almonds and I didn’t have the right insurance for it. I almost threw in the towel.” (Laurel) “There’s a fine balance between mental and physical health. It all ladders back up to brain health.” (Laurel) “When you see someone in the wild buying your product, it’s the best feeling. I was hiding behind a pillar at the airport.” (Laurel) “The savory-sweet combo is really resonating right now. Our last two launches were savory, but you can definitely do both.” (Laurel)

Judy Joo is a classically trained chef, entrepreneur, and television personality whose unconventional journey spans engineering, Wall Street, and the world’s top kitchens. She is an Iron Chef, cookbook author, and dynamic force in the food world, celebrated for modernizing and globalizing Korean cuisine. Judy is the founder of Seoul Bird, a Korean fast-casual fried chicken concept with locations in London, New York, Las Vegas, and beyond.Seoul Bird merges bold Korean street food flavors with the speed and scale of modern dining, combining Judy’s culinary heritage and operational expertise. Before launching her restaurant empire, Judy trained at the French Culinary Institute, worked in Michelin-starred restaurants like The French Laundry and Gordon Ramsay’s empire, and became a recognizable face on Food Network.  Seoul Bird is expanding through a strategic mix of franchising and licensing, including high-traffic venues like Citi Field and Edinburgh Airport. Judy left Wall Street to pursue her passion for food, trading finance for the kitchen with zero expectations—just love for cooking. Her engineering and banking backgrounds continue to shape how she designs restaurants and runs operations at scale. As a Korean-American woman in male-dominated fields—finance, engineering, and restaurants—Judy forged ahead with “fearlessness or I just don’t care” confidence. She believes “today’s invention is tomorrow’s tradition,” especially in defining authenticity in global cuisines like Korean fried chicken. Seoul Bird thrives in arenas and airports, offering high-volume, high-flavor experiences with a focus on simplicity, quality, and cultural storytelling. She emphasizes the power of brand building—through books, TV, and food—as key to her business success. Judy finds inspiration everywhere, from grocery store aisles to international travel, always absorbing and evolving her culinary creativity. She’s proud to see Korean food embraced globally, transforming from a source of school-lunch embarrassment into a pop-culture phenomenon. QUOTES “I love creating experiences. I love creating meals. I love food. I love the language of food. It is a language of love for me.” (Judy) “I’m going to downgrade my life in every way possible and work weekends and evenings and much longer hours and get paid a fraction of what I was getting paid.” (Judy) “I remember hesitating. Like, which one do I want to do? I was like, oh, math and science is easy for me. I’ll go to engineering school.” (Judy) “If I want to be in these industries where I am the one and only minority, the one and only female, I don’t care. I’m going to do it.” (Judy) “A restaurant is a business at the end of the day. You have to know cost control, maximize profits, and understand finance.” (Judy) “I know so many chefs who can’t even get their way around an Excel spreadsheet.” (Judy) “Koreans are obsessed with fried chicken. Obsessed. Obsessed.” (Judy) “Today’s invention is tomorrow’s tradition. Korean fried chicken came from war and evolved. Is it authentic? I think so.” (Judy) “I’ve gone from being embarrassed about my lunchbox to everybody spamming me, asking, ‘What are they eating? What are they drinking?'” (Judy) “As long as the DNA is there—that makes it Korean.” (Judy) “Television cheffing is much easier. You’re in a nice air-conditioned studio versus burning yourself and dealing with employees.” (Judy) “Every single time I’m in a grocery store, whenever I travel, you’re constantly seeing new things. That’s a huge source of inspiration.” (Judy)  

Denise Woodard – CPG entrepreneur and advocate for allergy-friendly snacking

Stephanie Jaeger is the President of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) and a veteran of the restaurant industry with over 35 years of experience. She also serves as a Learning and Development Specialist for the Joey Restaurant Group, where she focuses on training and team culture. LDEI is a global philanthropic organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. With over 2,800 members across 42 chapters worldwide, LDEI supports women through scholarships, mentorship, and networking opportunities to elevate and advance their careers. Founded in response to the exclusion of women from the all-male “Friends of Escoffier” society, LDEI has grown into a powerful network that champions leadership, education, and community. Under Stephanie’s leadership, the organization is expanding its reach, including new chapters in Mexico and Italy, and launching new initiatives like the M.F.K. Fisher Symposium for Women’s Food and Storytelling. LDEI was born from a desire to give women a seat at the culinary table—where they had previously been excluded—and now supports thousands of members across the globe. Stephanie initially joined LDEI over 20 years ago and, inspired by mentorship and a desire to represent a global voice, rose through the ranks to become its international president. “You have to see it to be it”—Stephanie emphasized the importance of visibility and representation for women in leadership across hospitality and culinary fields. Mentorship is central to LDEI’s mission; the organization provides not just scholarships, but ongoing personal support to help women succeed in their careers. While representation at the top is critical, Stephanie believes respect and equality must also be reinforced in everyday kitchen culture and among mid-level staff. LDEI’s upcoming M.F.K. Fisher Symposium will spotlight women in food media and storytelling, creating a space for inspiration, connection, and collaboration. Stephanie’s work at Joey Restaurant Group complements her LDEI leadership, allowing her to show women within the organization that there’s always a next step in their careers. Despite growth, barriers like unconscious bias and lack of access to education persist in the industry, making LDEI’s mission more relevant than ever. QUOTES “I either needed to step up or step aside. So here I am stepping up and excited about it.” (Stephanie) “You have to see it to be it. You have to see somebody in that position, and I would encourage anybody in the industry to put a woman in that leadership position so that somebody younger can see themselves there too.” (Stephanie) “Every time I see a woman in the industry, she’s breaking a barrier. She’s showing that it’s possible. She’s showing me that I can do it too. And every time I see a woman on the Food Network or read about one taking on a leadership role, it’s one more reminder that we belong.” (Stephanie) “We need to make sure that women are not only in the kitchen, but treated with respect and equals. It’s not just about being there—it’s about being seen, being supported, and being recognized as just as capable.” (Stephanie) “Mentorship is the ability to talk about your experiences in a positive way—not in a ‘you’ll never get there’ way, but ‘look what I’ve done, and you can too.’ It’s not about gatekeeping—it’s about opening doors and saying, ‘Come on in, let me show you how I did it.’” (Stephanie) “Asking for help really can come down to just saying, ‘Is this a crazy idea?’ And sometimes you just need someone—man or woman—to say, ‘You’re not crazy’ or ‘Maybe you should rethink that.’ It’s about having someone to bounce things off of, someone who listens and understands.” (Stephanie) “I want to raise more money to support more women. I want to get the LDEI name out there more, increase our membership, and reach more women who could benefit from being part of this network. There are so many who just need the opportunity.” (Stephanie) “The restaurant industry really should be fun. Maybe don’t take yourself too seriously. You have to be able to smile, to enjoy what you’re doing. And at Joey, we focus on working as a team. That’s what creates a cohesive, engaging environment.” (Stephanie) “There is a place for you if you want to keep going up the ladder. And I think because of my own mentors and experiences with LDEI, I’m able to show that to the women I work with every day. Whether they’re servers or line cooks, I want them to see that there’s a next step.” (Stephanie)

Yanni Hufnagel, a former college basketball coach turned entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Lemon Perfect, a fast-growing enhanced water brand. With a background in coaching at top programs like Harvard and Vanderbilt, Hufnagel applied his competitive drive and leadership skills to disrupt the beverage industry with a health-focused, innovative brand. Lemon Perfect is a fast-growing beverage brand redefining the enhanced water category with its refreshing, zero-sugar, lemon-infused drinks. Made from organic lemons and packed with antioxidants and electrolytes, Lemon Perfect delivers great taste and hydration without artificial ingredients, appealing to health-conscious consumers seeking a flavorful, better-for-you alternative. Lemon Perfect offers a lineup of refreshing, zero-sugar, lemon-infused beverages made from organic, hand-picked lemons. Packed with antioxidants, electrolytes, and vitamin C, the brand’s flavors include classics like Original Lemon and fan-favorites like Dragon Fruit Mango, Peach Raspberry, and Blueberry Acai. The drinks are cold-pressed, keto-friendly, and designed for guilt-free hydration. Lemon Perfect has rapidly expanded its distribution footprint, securing shelf space in major retailers like Whole Foods, Target, Kroger, Publix, and Costco, while also growing its presence in convenience stores, gyms, and online marketplaces nationwide. Yanni was inspired to create the Lemon Perfect brand in 2017 after a chance encounter with a man who introduced him to drinking organic lemon water each morning as part of his daily routine.  Squeezing and juicing lemons each morning was a hassle and Yanni was determined to create a product that took the work out of drinking organic lemon water.  Seven years after launching the brand, Lemon Perfect has sold more than 100 million bottles. In early 2020, Beyonce featured a bottle of Lemon Perfect in one of her Instagram posts. It gave the brand a boost. In April 2022, she became a key investor in the brand. QUOTES “So many parallels between coaching and entrepreneurship and running a business. At the core, you’re telling a story. Being a great storyteller is probably the most important skill you can have as a recruiter and as a college baseball coach. [As an entrepreneur] being able to tell a story is also important, and it all starts with the product.” (Yanni)  “There’s a difference between selling and presenting. I’ve always felt like presenting was more important than selling. I’ve always tried to present our story and vision and not sell it.” (Yanni)  “I was having lunch with an angel investor and I said ‘John, what do you think about this idea?’ and he said ‘I love it. Anything you can build that captures a piece of someone’s daily routine is worth going for. You can build a business around it.’ “ (Yanni)  “We’ve sold 100 million bottles. How do you sell one billion? In America and beyond, they don’t read words, they read pictures on packaging. Putting fruit on the (packaging) was a big decision. Simplifying our message.” (Yanni)  “We had an incredible entrepreneurial culture for the first five years and then we lost our way a little bit. I’ve been focused in the last six months or so on refinding our entrepreneurial way. When you’re building a beverage and you have to scratch and claw and fight and bleed every day, you need that.” (Yanni)  “You have to have a relentless motor and I think we have a group that will do that.” (Yanni)

Eat’n Park is a regional restaurant chain known for its family-friendly atmosphere, classic American comfort food, and iconic Smiley Cookies. Founded in 1949 in Pittsburgh, it offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a focus on fresh, made-to-order meals. The brand emphasizes hospitality, community involvement, and sustainability initiatives. Parkhurst Dining, a division of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, provides customized dining solutions for universities, corporations, and cultural institutions. With a focus on fresh, locally sourced ingredients and scratch-made meals, Parkhurst emphasizes hospitality, sustainability, and culinary excellence, creating memorable dining experiences tailored to each client’s needs. Jeff said the decision to create Parkhurst Dining was rooted in the desire to focus on an industry that they knew well – food.  Eat’n Park’s FarmSource program, launched in 2002, partners with local farms to source fresh, sustainable ingredients, supporting regional agriculture while delivering high-quality, farm-to-table meals. In 2024, Eat’n Park celebrated its 75th anniversary and has nearly 60 locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.The restaurant has been a family business since the 1970s.  Jeff Broadhurst is the President and CEO of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group. He joined the company in 1996, became President in 2006, and CEO in 2008. Under his leadership, the company has expanded to include multiple dining concepts and emphasizes community engagement and sustainability.  Jeff works side-by-side with his brothers, Brooks (Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage) and Mark (Vice President of Corporate Dining & Retail Development). In the midst of COVID, Eat’n Park turned heads by opening a new location in Butler, PA. Jeff called the decision a “leap of faith” but said the decision showed employees and customers that Eat’n Park was strong and focused on growth.  Eat’n Park’s Smiley Cookies debuted in the 1980s as a way to bring joy to guests, especially children. Originally hand-decorated with bright icing and a signature smile, these cookies quickly became a beloved brand symbol. Today, they are shared nationwide, spreading Eat’n Park’s message of kindness and hospitality. QUOTES “There are challenges (with working with family). There are challenges in any business, but there are a lot more positives.” (Jeff)  “During COVID it was really nice having family there. Dealing with what we went through. That was the one thing that you really needed people that you trusted and respected and, in many cases, loved.” (Jeff) “When new management comes in I always tell them one thing: You can never have too much fun in the role.” (Jeff)  “My mother was always talking about treating people the way you want them to treat you.” (Jeff) “(The Smiley Cookies) are all about creating a smile. That’s what it’s led into.” (Jeff) “Community involvement is a big part of our culture and a big part of who we are.” (Jeff)  “A lot of our focus right now is continuing to invest in the brand – a 75-year-old brand.” (Jeff)  “What we have to do in the restaurant industry is anticipating the guest needs. What are they going to want tomorrow, next week, next year?” (Jeff) “A lot of our innovation is about helping our team members have a more rewarding job and career. You can never forget about the importance of our team members.” (Jeff)

UNiTE Food is a Yorba Linda, California-based company that produces globally inspired protein bars. The brand offers unique flavors such as Churro, Mexican Hot Chocolate, and PB & Jelly, aiming to bring diversity to the wellness industry. Each bar provides around 10 grams of protein and is gluten-free, catering to health-conscious consumers seeking both nutrition and nostalgic tastes.  Clara often relied on protein bars during her busy career but found the available flavors uninspiring. Drawing from her diverse culinary background, she recognized a gap in the market for culturally diverse flavors.  Clara’s father is an entrepreneur. Her family immigrated from Sudan when she was five years old. When they arrived in the United States, her father started a plumbing supply distribution business, which is the business Clara worked in earlier in her career.  The idea for UNiTE was something Clara started thinking about in 2018 or 2019 while she was still working in her family’s plumbing business. She began experimenting with different recipes and products in her kitchen in the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Clara often visits ethnic markets to learn about new flavors for new products. She also studied flavors and what people were eating when she traveled abroad.  QUOTES “If I’m anything, I’m a very curious person. I’m curious about how the world works and I’m curious about why segments of the population aren’t being served.” (Clara)  “If you focus on your customers, they will reward you with loyalty. And if they reward you with loyalty, your revenue will grow. If you create value, why would somebody leave you?” (Clara) “For me, it was about making sure we were taking care of our customers. That was the winning strategy. It sounds really simple, but it’s way harder to execute.” (Clara) “Business is a framework. Once you understand product liability, you understand how to insure against it. You learn about the certifying bodies in your industry. It’s hard and it’s not (hard).” (Clara) “It’s really about building relationships. Mutually beneficial relationships.” (Clara)  “When you’re over 40 and you created a new business, you’re usually not doing it for money, you’re doing it to try to make the world a better place.” (Clara) “I wanted to find common ground. Let’s find flavors that will resonate with lots of people.” (Clara) “The essence of the UNiTE brand is to seek to understand and seek to find common ground instead of focusing on how we’re different.” (Clara) “At the end of the day, consumers want authenticity and they want brands that create products that are meaningful to them. (Clara) “I don’t really worry about copycat brands. I worry more when they stop copying me.” (Clara) TRANSCRIPT 00:01.49 vigorbranding All right. Hello, everyone. Welcome to Fork Tales. I’m Michael Pavone. Our guest today is Clara Paye. And I’ve known Clara for a long time. ah She is from Unite Foods. ah Unite’s line of nutritious bars are built around the concept of global flavors, but also comfort foods. Clara has started a brand that’s redefining what protein and nutrition bars can be, and I’m happy to have her as a guest. Clara, welcome.   00:25.55 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Thanks, Michael. Good to be here.   00:27.85 vigorbranding So again, I know you, I think pretty well, and I’m excited to excited for this. This will be fun. So um I want to go back. I mean, you have a fascinating story. So before we get into Unite, I want to talk about you. How did you, you know, where where do you come from? Where do you, where did you work? You know, talk a little bit about what got you, got you here.   00:46.86 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Well, it’s definitely not been a linear path. It’s been really a path led by my own curiosity in the world. And so I think if I’m anything, I’m a very curious person. I’m curious how the world works. I’m curious why, you know, segments of the population aren’t being served. So my journey really started, you know, undergrad, I went to USC and I really went undeclared and thought I but wanted to be a lawyer and.   01:10.72 Clara Paye _ UNiTE got into one political science class and I was like, no, I definitely don’t want to do this. And so kind of was looking around like what else is out there, found the business school at USC, and more importantly, found the entrepreneurship program, which was number one in the nation at the time. And, you know, and I knew I didn’t want to study accounting or finance, and that’s what business was to me in my mind back then. And finding this entrepreneurship route really like kind of opened up the world to me and was like a light bulb.   01:34.45 Clara Paye _ UNiTE you know My dad is an entrepreneur. and We immigrated from Africa and the Sudan when I was five years old. And in Africa, he had an automotive parts distribution business. And when he immigrated to the U.S., he started a plumbing manufacturing and hardware distribution business. And so, you know, having a dad that had kind of modeled entrepreneurship, it was demystified for me. And so I was like, oh, that’s really interesting. You know, I’ve been an entrepreneur kind of since I was a little girl, whether, you know, the classic lemonade stand or side popsicles or, you know, drawing pictures and trying to sell them to my aunts. Like, you know, I always had that entrepreneurial   02:07.53 Clara Paye _ UNiTE start and you know funny and but like at USC I remember them taking a poll of all the entrepreneurship kids and how many of them had like a lemonade stand or something similar as a kid and it was like 95% of the class raised their hand right like it’s something almost innate where you know that entrepreneurship bug grabs you was even a little kid and   02:15.32 vigorbranding Mm   02:24.37 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so, you know, going into the entrepreneurship program, it was kind of like and equated to like Ted Talks, where you just got to like hear and listen to these really successful entrepreneurs that had launched and they were normal people with good ideas that they just implemented.   02:36.22 vigorbranding hmm.   02:38.93 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And I thought I would you know be an entrepreneur straight out of undergrad. I wrote a business plan um and for the apparel industry back then. this is I’ll date myself, but I graduated in 1999 and in 1998, 99. I wrote a business plan for plus size clothing for teenage girls. So I saw that there was this huge segment of the population where kids were kind of, you know, Americans were growing in size. and there weren’t really anything fashionable for young girls to wear if they were plus size. They had to shop, you know, especially in jeans, they had to start in the, you know, shop in the women’s Husky department, women’s department or the boy’s Husky department. And it really wasn’t anything fashionable. And I wrote this great business plan. All my professors told me to do it. And like the only person I knew that had any money was my dad.   03:21.66 Clara Paye _ UNiTE you know, being 21 years old and or, you know, barely 21 and asking him to fund, you know, I needed like $30,000 back then to launch this business. And my I was going to do it with my best friend whose father had just invested in the jeans manufacturing plant.   03:34.66 Clara Paye _ UNiTE She had done the entrepreneurship program the year before. It was like this home run idea. The internet was just coming online and we were going to do it all online. We didn’t need storefronts. You know, we’re kind of kind of revolutionize all of these things.   03:44.94 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And my dad’s like, what? Huh? Like watch yourself humming products. Yeah.   03:48.78 vigorbranding Yeah.   03:50.42 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like, this is a business that already exists. And he just didn’t see it, didn’t understand. But it’s it’s ironic that like that business would grow on to be like that segment specifically, um where I did all my research at this mall, like, went on to become a billion dollar business, like Torrid went into the same free mall with the same concept. And so that was kind of like always in the back of my mind, my entire career. So from age 20 to now, like, gosh, like, why I should have done that, like, I should have done something like that, you know, why didn’t I try and um I’m telling a really long part of the story so we can edit this, but it’s really like, you know, for me, it was really about that early experience in entrepreneurship that I held on to, but then I would go on.   04:22.93 vigorbranding Oh, it’s great.   04:29.89 Clara Paye _ UNiTE and work in cosmetics, worked for advertising agencies, you know, um and then eventually my dad lured me into the family business, which was like, you know, about five years after college, I wanted to get my MBA and he said, hey, I’ll make you a deal. You and your best friend want to come work for me, get your and MBAs and I’ll pay for them. And you just have to stay the time that you’re studying. And, you know, we did this executive MBA program where we worked our nine to five and then we went to school from like six to 10.   04:53.31 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And those are long days, but they were really fun because I got to take what I was learning in the MBA program and immediately apply it to my family business, which was, again, the plumbing and hardware distribution business. And so not that I was in love with plumbing and hardware, like, trust me, if I never see another supply line in my life, it’ll be too soon. But um it was really about this unique experience that I got to learn and apply, learn and apply. And it was just Really? um Really what set me up for like, you know in that curiosity to like really make an impact in my family business Where you know, sometimes when you join a family business you get told well, this is how we’ve always done it So this is why you have to do it this way and for me I got to kind of redefine everything Because of this MBA program that I was doing and my dad trusted, you know, he always had a high regard for education And so was like, okay. Well, yeah, let’s try it and really got you know got in and   05:45.11 vigorbranding That’s fantastic. i mean You bring up a really interesting point, though. Being a so a sibling of an entrepreneur, you you kind of do realize, or you maybe you don’t realize that it’s it’s not easy, but you you know it’s it’s doable, right? If you watch your father do it, like my father had a couple small sporting goods stores. So I thought, well, if you want to start a business, you just go out and start it. You just do it. and You know, my story is I’ve never been smart enough to know what I can’t do. So I’m like, Oh yeah, I can do that. And just, you know, and sometimes you pass, sometimes you fail, but you know, it’s like, Oh, I can try that. Oh yeah, I’ll do that. So, but, but I think our parents really do make it easier for us if they’ve done that, you know, and you sort of, I don’t want to say you take it for granted, but it’s sort of like, it seems doable. It seems attainable, you know, and next thing you know, you you’ve got something special. And I’ll say this, it had to be interesting, difficult, and maybe very educational for you.   06:34.52 vigorbranding ah being a young woman in and the and the plumbing supply distribution business. I mean, what was that like?   06:40.78 Clara Paye _ UNiTE ah You know, it was it’s a very old industry. It’s you know very much like there’s very little product innovation. And so for me, being a curious person, I was always trying to learn. I always wanted to go to like plumbing school. So like I could like learn about the products a little bit more because they’re actually really complex. And if you ever go down a hardware store aisle and you go down the plumbing fittings or the plumbing section, I mean, there’s literally thousands and thousands of SKUs and so many different parts to like toilets and you know faucets and it’s it’s a very confusing um you know you have to have like a lot of deep knowledge in the industry to really make an impact so for me you know i knew i was never going to have that right what i could bring to the table was really an outside the box way of thinking about this industry like you know we created the company’s first website and started selling you know online and really trying to   07:28.80 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Um, quantify customer experience, right? Like it wasn’t just about like place, you know, filling orders. It was like, what was the experience of that order for your customer? And so I’ve always been a customer centric leader. So I think it’s because I came up through marketing and entrepreneurship. You know, I really care about the customer and I really care about like the person that’s opening the box, whatever that box is, you know, and so.   07:51.58 Clara Paye _ UNiTE For me, it was all about aligning the business to be customer-focused, because my thesis was, if you focus on your customers, they will reward you with loyalty. And if they reward you with loyalty, your revenue will grow.   08:01.84 Clara Paye _ UNiTE right It’s a win-win.   08:02.46 vigorbranding mean   08:03.15 Clara Paye _ UNiTE If you create value, why would somebody leave you? So it’s when you’re not creating value and you’re creating problems for the customer that you know you have that attrition.   08:13.25 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so for me, it was really about um making sure that we were taking care of our customers. And and that was the winning strategy. I mean, it sounds really simple, but it’s way harder to execute when you get to scale.   08:26.05 vigorbranding That’s great. I mean, it makes total sense. So basically, you do all your own plumbing now, is that what you’re saying?   08:31.81 Clara Paye _ UNiTE not at all   08:32.01 vigorbranding Yeah, I knew about it. Okay, so now let’s jump into something that I know you’re very proud of and should be. the that You founded Unite, okay? and And so let’s talk about that. You founded in March of 2020, right?   08:44.85 vigorbranding In the middle of that thing called the pandemic with COVID. um but Obviously, that was a part of the story. That’s what sort of infused the story. Can you talk a little bit about that?   08:53.69 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Yeah. So, you know you know, I’d been ideating on it for like probably a year and a half before that and really trying, you know, it was working in the plumbing business at my, you know, and the family business that I was kind of like stuck behind my desk. And especially when I became a mom, like I was always just like looking for quick fuel to get me through my day. And that was like kind of when I had the epiphany for Unite and really our main point of differentiation is that we use global flavors.   09:15.38 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so I had this unique experience, again, just just like the plus sized clothing where I was like, wait a minute, like there’s this whole population of people out there, like half the population are immigrants, people like me, or people that are just like really interested in other cultures and really interested in other foods.   09:31.28 Clara Paye _ UNiTE You know, I live in LA, like there’s, you can eat Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, whatever you want, any time of day you want, you know, it’s all, you know, and that’s what makes America unique is that we are this melting pot of cultures.   09:38.69 vigorbranding Yeah. Yeah.   09:42.73 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And it very similarly, I saw this demographic shift where, you know, America was just going to continue to grow in, in multiculturalism. And so I was like, okay, if you’re in wellness and you are diagnosed with something like for me, it was a gluten intolerance. Like, and you go and try to find diet compliant food and you go to the shelf and like nothing resonates with you. Like that’s a huge miss. And so I think it was because   10:08.08 vigorbranding but   10:08.18 Clara Paye _ UNiTE You know, i I’m not, everybody that has created protein bars up to that point wasn’t diverse, didn’t have the life experience I had. So I just kind of used my own life experience it to develop it.   10:18.38 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And I developed them in my kitchen, like really, like, you know, as I got my cuisine on out and was like, what would I put in my protein bars? And for me, it was like almond butter and dates and, you know, let’s sweeten it with all natural things.   10:25.68 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   10:28.41 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And I i can’t use sugar, alcohols or Stevia. Like I i just, they’re not palatable to me. So I just use natural things. and literally googled what do nutritionists say should be in a protein bar and like made those my macros like it’s not that hard you know you don’t have to like spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to figure it out and um created my first recipes and found a co-packer to make them and I knew you know because I didn’t want any food liability I wanted a really strong co-packer to be the producer for them found one that ah you know where they saw the vision they understood what we were about and supported us and got our product launched and   11:05.31 Clara Paye _ UNiTE You know, Expo West was this trade show, you know, it was a trade show in the food industry. It’s the largest natural products convention in the entire world. And if anybody hasn’t been to it, just imagine seven convention centers all smashed together in Anaheim, hundreds of thousands of people, like 3000 plus exhibitors. It’s literally and figuratively like Disneyland. Like it’s just, it’s a zoo. It’s, there’s so many people. And we got our little 10 by 10 booth and at the, you know, they have this like new products part of natural expo that opens a day before or used to.   11:35.43 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And we got our booth set up and we were ready to rock.   11:37.30 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   11:37.51 Clara Paye _ UNiTE We were going to go show our bars. We had this whole warehouse full of new bars to show buyers.   11:39.71 vigorbranding and   11:41.83 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And that’s how it’s going to get people excited. And then the pandemic. And that was the first thing to get canceled. And literally we got this call like shows not going to happen. So break down your booth.   11:51.86 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And you know, and it was like such a wild time.   11:52.43 vigorbranding Yep.   11:55.64 Clara Paye _ UNiTE um And people were really, you know, unsure of what was going to happen. And, you know, ah brands were not able to get into stores to pitch or any buyers, everything kind of went on hold because every grocery store was worried about safety for their employees and how to keep cleaning products on shelf and Lysol wipes.   12:13.52 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And like nobody was really thinking about like protein bars, right?   12:16.49 vigorbranding Right, right.   12:16.43 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like we’re all trying to, you know, that’s what like, I think we all were baking banana bread every day in this power now and like, you know, consoling ourselves with chips and margaritas at, you know, noon. so   12:26.31 vigorbranding Yeah. Well, I remember like for us, I mean, you know, one of my companies is Quench, which is a CPG food and beverage. I said, you know, COVID was truly the greatest sampling program in the face of the earth, food and beverage. If you made a product at that time, if you had an established product, you people bought it, people ate it, they put in their pantry, they stacked in their shells. I mean, it was phenomenal time for food. I mean, unfortunately, it was you were too new, right? You couldn’t even take advantage of it. You didn’t even get a chance to get out of the starting gate. so That’s how to be extremely disappointing. But I think it’s amazing too. Like, okay, so you you come from one industry and and you learn a lot just in business and dealing with people from one industry. But then you you applied to this startup that you didn’t, you’ve never really, you were never in the food business. So you don’t learn how to be a manufacturer, you had to learn about safety, you had to learn about ingredients, legal and and everything and anything. I mean, it’s just, ah it’s an amazing undertaking. How did you how did you learn so much?   13:21.18 Clara Paye _ UNiTE You know, like business is a framework. So once you understand product liability, you understand how to ensure against it, right? And you learn that, you know, you have to look, what are the certifying bodies in your industry, right?   13:35.40 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like in, you know, for electrical companies, it’s like UL listing, you know, in food, it’s SQF.   13:35.85 vigorbranding Mm hmm. Mm hmm.   13:40.84 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And it’s not like the information isn’t that hard to find. So I think it’s like, you know, once you have a framework of, it’s, you know, the product is a widget almost, right? Like how you deal with Lowe’s is how you deal with Target.   13:49.40 vigorbranding Mm   13:52.55 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like it’s a big box.   13:52.83 vigorbranding hmm.   13:53.59 Clara Paye _ UNiTE They care about many of the same things, right? You have to understand what’s going to happen on the back end of your business. You have to understand how to get that product there on time and in full. And that’s what matters to them.   14:04.49 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so I, you know, it’s hard and it’s not. And so for me, I’ve always really relied on my network, Michael, like, like if I don’t know the answer, I know somebody that I know must know the answer.   14:16.44 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   14:17.09 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So I spent a lot of time. I don’t want to say networking, but I think it’s really about building relationships, like mutual like mutually beneficial relationships with people, trust.   14:26.75 vigorbranding Sure, trust.   14:29.50 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And when I got into the food space, I was like, I just need to great advisors around me. I need people.   14:33.78 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   14:33.82 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And I didn’t want like consultants. I wanted people who were also running their businesses, who were going in the trenches, doing it with in in real time.   14:38.08 vigorbranding Sure. Skin the game. Yep.   14:41.79 Clara Paye _ UNiTE and so you know, having a ah YPO forum of YPO, you know, food CPG people was like one of the ways that I accomplished that and like really creating a forum of people around me that were doing the same things as I was.   14:50.42 vigorbranding Mm   14:56.01 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And, you know, there’s a lot of symbiotic um experience there. And we all got to go through COVID together. So it was something I did early on, you know, it was like grabbing people who wanted to go on this journey with me.   15:02.72 vigorbranding hmm. Mm hmm.   15:06.56 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so, You know you’re I think networking is like kind of like a bad word sometimes like people think it’s like you’re using people when you say networking but you’re doing networking right you’re actually at creating value for other people first right and that out it works.   15:13.24 vigorbranding who yeah   15:20.16 vigorbranding That’s right. Yeah. Absolutely. All right. So now let’s talk. You created the, the you had a product, you you got shut down and covered. So let’s talk about the Unite name. You created a brand and I’m a big brand guy, you know that. I love brands and and I love what you did here. I love the name and I’m not just saying that because you’re here, but this is something I did not know. I read an article and I read about the I in Unite. I should have looked and realized that the lowercase I, but to talk about the brand and how you came up with the name.   15:45.47 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Yeah, I mean, so for me is all about that what I was trying to do. So this is like the mission part of like this journey when like you’re over 40 and you’re creating new business. Usually you’re not doing it just for money. You’re really doing it because you feel like something’s missing in the world and you want to make the world a better place. At least that’s my journey.   16:01.60 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And for me, it was like, how can I use food as this instrument of inclusion to improve the lives of people, see people who haven’t been seen, welcome them into wellness, right? And kind of create cultural bridges, right? Where like somebody who I think food is has this unique way of binding people, right? Like it’s the cultural equivalent of bringing your, you know,   16:23.95 Clara Paye _ UNiTE your dish to a potluck and like you know kind of like do you like it you know kind of like yeah having that like you know there’s a moment where you’re like are you sure it’s kind of a little strange or like you know when when people used to come to my home and like be like you know my mom made this thing you don’t have to eat it it’s you know you might not like it and then people loving it and you’re like oh Okay, it’s good. Like it’s safe. Like everyone’s accepted now. And so I think for me, it was like how, you know, food can, can also divide people. But if people make fun of somebody’s food or make fun of flavors, you know, and I think it also can unite. And so I wanted to use it as like, you know, let’s, let’s find common ground. Let’s find flavors that like will resonate with lots of people. And so like the flavors we choose typically are not just like country specific. They’re like region specific.   17:04.98 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So like, you know, churros are eaten in Spain, in Mexico, and like all over Latin America, right? Baklava is eaten in North Africa, in Greece, in Russia, in Croatia, right?   17:15.03 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Bubble tea, which sounds like just an Asian, Asian flavor. And yes, it was born in Taiwan, but you know, like but the British drink milk with tea. the in Indian people drink milk with tea, and the Middle East drink milk with tea.   17:25.54 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like those flavors are, can resonate with lots of different people.   17:29.23 vigorbranding Yeah.   17:29.53 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So, and then there’s peanut butter and jelly, and that’s the one where people are like,   17:31.64 vigorbranding Yeah.   17:32.95 Clara Paye _ UNiTE huh like you know that’s like that’s not global but it’s like my american heritage is just as important and so i want all people to feel represented and the reason the eye is small and as i think because if you’re trying to connect two sides you yourself have to get smaller to understand the other side and so that you you know to understand the other you know and we live in such a time of division and so like really having a name like unites like it’s really the essence of the brand   17:37.39 vigorbranding yeah   17:58.39 Clara Paye _ UNiTE is to, you know, ah seek to understand and seek to find common ground and instead of like how we’re different.   18:05.96 vigorbranding I love it. i mean You obviously have a propensity for for marketing. it’s it’s It’s very smart and very sound, the thinking behind it. and and I’ve had the products that are fantastic. and again I’m not just saying that they’re your your products are absolutely delicious, so you should be very, very proud of that.   18:21.31 vigorbranding um you know and now So we talk about the flavors, so ah we do a food trends presentation every year and we always come up with all these funky flavors and and we we I shouldn’t say funky, we we we learn about things that are popping in different parts of the world and starting to you know bubble up and and and ah you know we we try to grab onto them, I mean all of us as manufacturers, as restaurants, as ah marketers And we try to understand these flavors and how to bring them forth and and introduce something fresh. how do How do you go about finding flavors? How do you go about deciding what the next flavor is going to be?   18:54.83 Clara Paye _ UNiTE it’s really intuitive for me but like you know my my hero flavor is churro and like that one was really you know born out of you know I live near Disneyland I live like 15 minutes away and I have small kids and so we were always at Disneyland always the line at the churro cart was kind of like around the corner right and like churro was like definitely this very familiar flavor and like churros are you know they’re eaten they’re They’re not just different for different sake. Many people have had a churro, whether it’s at a fair or at Disneyland or at a carnival. Churro was like not that um outside the box for most people, and it was very approachable. and so like That Disneyland car, just like looking at the lines, I was like, yeah, that could be a really good flavor. How come nobody you know hasn’t really done that? and then   19:44.35 Clara Paye _ UNiTE you know, I would visit ethnic markets a lot to look at the flavors.   19:47.44 vigorbranding Sure.   19:47.62 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So I go to Hispanic markets, I go to Korean markets, I go to Japanese markets, you know, I live in an area again, where I’m blessed by diversity. And so I study, you know, when I travel, what are people eating?   19:59.01 Clara Paye _ UNiTE What, you know, what are people, you know, what do people enjoy? And I really, I mean I the first flavors are really like things that I loved so I just wanted to create things you know flavors and then I tested them on my friends and I probably Michael I probably made like 15 or 20 different flavors before I started right like and kind of like chose the heroes from um the ones that I made and in my kitchen.   20:17.81 vigorbranding Mm-hmm. Now, is there one that you you loved and thought, oh, everyone’s gonna love this and didn’t make it? Is there a flavor that you kind of, what is it?   20:26.76 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Yeah it was a ah green tea matcha   20:30.55 vigorbranding Uh-uh.   20:30.44 Clara Paye _ UNiTE flavor and so but green tea powder sometimes can be fishy and it’s like sounds so weird but like it just didn’t work in in scale right and so and there are macho bars out there but I never think that they taste great and so you know I wanted it to have like good product integrity and so like that was like a   20:35.42 vigorbranding Okay.   20:39.37 vigorbranding Not it.   20:45.81 vigorbranding Mm-hmm.   20:48.56 Clara Paye _ UNiTE you know, one that like I thought would be, you know, cause if you, if you look at the Starbucks menu, like ah so many, you know, those, those are great flavor cues too. Like, you know, Starbucks spends a lot of time in flavor development. And so you can just, you can take cues from adjacent industries.   21:01.68 vigorbranding Sure. We got to work with a lot over the years ah through Quench. We worked with the Hershey Company and we worked with the scientists. And I was always blown away because we’d go in the, and back, this would be like early 90s, we’d go in these rooms or they’d have to swipe a card for the door to open. It seemed very like,   21:17.81 vigorbranding Uh, sign sci-fi, you know, and it would it be lab technicians and they’d put drops and they’d be like, here, taste that. What does it taste like? I’m like, well, I taste apple pie. They’re like, wait for it. I’m like, Oh, I taste whipped cream. Wait for it. Oh, I can not taste crust. Like they could do this. I mean, it was like better living through chemistry. They could do all this stuff.   21:36.54 vigorbranding and what it came down to obviously was and this is what is so hard with what you do is now you have to source the ingredients now you have to make sure it’s not a chemical thing and then you have to understand can you can you afford that flavoring at a price point that will be palatable to the consumer so there’s so much involved in all of what you do yeah   21:56.81 Clara Paye _ UNiTE There is so much like, look, all business is hard, but the food business is particularly hard, right? Because you’re, it’s a living, breathing thing, right? And for me, it came down to simplicity. Like I always wanted simple ingredients um because I wanted people to be able to understand what was going into the bar, right? Like I wanted it to be real food and natural. And um so when you have those kinds of like,   22:22.56 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Barriers, you know, it’s it helps you and it hurts you right? Like I can’t put in a bunch of processing You know like many large companies can because that’s not the brand value that I’m trying to create or the kind of product I’m trying to create.   22:30.08 vigorbranding Right. Mhm.   22:34.50 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So yeah, it’s very hard um You know, we do get a lot of those scientists taking pictures at our booth every year at all the Expos and so people and we have been copied, you know and that’s like just anytime you’re successful at something people are gonna copy you and so   22:45.84 vigorbranding Sure. Mhm.   22:50.21 Clara Paye _ UNiTE But I think at the end of the day, consumers want authenticity. They want you know brands that are creating products that are meaningful to them and will reward those brands. So I don’t really worry about like copycats. I worry more about when they stop copying me.   23:07.91 vigorbranding but you know and But to your point, and you know weve we’ve been doing a food trends report for over 15 years, and what you are doing and and how you’re doing it is very on trend. It’s not easy. It’s not inexpensive. i mean it’s ah it’s ah you know you there’s you could You could have cut corners along the way on your product, but you don’t do that. I just think that that’s going to pay dividends in the long run. i think that’s such a It’s hard to stick to your ethos, but I think you do a fantastic job of that. so I think it’s something to be proud of. and so and My next thing is, I did not know this, but the I in Unite stands for invite. and I did not realize on the back of every bar there’s an email address that you can people can send directly to you for suggestions on new flavors. Have you have you learned anything from these? Have you gotten anything interesting in the emails?   23:52.30 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Yes, I love those emails, like those emails come to me. And so I get to interact with the people that write those emails. And, you know, the most meaningful ones are when people will give me a flavor suggestion, but then they’ll also say, thank you for making a bar for us.   24:07.73 Clara Paye _ UNiTE You know, thank you. And it’s exactly what I wanted to do.   24:09.63 vigorbranding That’s super cool.   24:10.64 Clara Paye _ UNiTE when I, when I set out was like, make the invisible feel seen.   24:12.05 vigorbranding Yeah.   24:14.77 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And you know, I know what it’s like to not feel seen. You know, I know what it’s like to like, kind of be in the shadows, like being a woman in the plumbing industry. Perfect example, right? Like you don’t really belong here or you don’t like, you know, somebody that looks like me typically doesn’t work in plumbing, right?   24:29.33 Clara Paye _ UNiTE like It’s a very old, old, you know, antiquated kind of industry. And so like when I get those emails, I get really excited and people do have some great ideas and ideas of like things that we’ve actually developed, you know, and just haven’t launched. And, you know, so it’s fun to know that like, it is also on trend for people.   24:49.00 vigorbranding That’s fantastic. So I mean, ah um I’m being italian Italian. My wife’s Greek. So yeah, yeah, her mother makes us baklava. So it’s phenomenal. So I love that. I’m really proud to see that you have a baklava in your in your flavors. So you have you have baklava, you have peanut butter and jelly, you have chiro, bubble tea, Mexican hot chocolate. What’s your what’s your favorite?   25:09.34 Clara Paye _ UNiTE You know, it’s like asking me which my favorite kid is.   25:12.05 vigorbranding ah We all have one.   25:11.94 Clara Paye _ UNiTE um i and I mean, is our hero.   25:12.61 vigorbranding Come on. We all have one. On any given day, we all have one. A favorite kid.   25:18.32 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And churro was like the first bar where I was like, okay, we really have something.   25:19.02 vigorbranding Uh-huh. That’s the baby.   25:21.72 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Yeah. But I really also very much like baklava. And it’s similar to churro in that, you know, it’s got kind of like some of the the same kind of spices with the cinnamon.   25:28.18 vigorbranding Mm-hmm.   25:29.41 Clara Paye _ UNiTE But baklava has never been done outside of baklava.   25:31.48 vigorbranding Mm-hmm.   25:32.33 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like, think about it, Michael. Like, you’ve never seen a baklava ice cream. You’ve never seen a baklava cracker.   25:35.23 vigorbranding Nope.   25:36.56 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like, you’ve never seen a baklava popcorn. Right? Like it was very unique.   25:40.80 vigorbranding Yeah.   25:41.16 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And, you know, when I, before I launched, you know, many of the, the manufacturing partners I met with in the beginning were like, these price flavors are too strange. Like nobody’s going to buy these and like to be, you know, have come full circle and and be like, no, they’re great.   25:54.00 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And like Baklava just won a good housekeeping award this year when they’re, you know, best snack award. Churro won the same award last year.   25:59.19 vigorbranding Awesome.   26:00.98 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So it’s like, it’s incredibly validating when, you know, people. like like the product and like, you know, um appreciate it. And it’s got organic honey in it. It’s just really tasty bar.   26:12.34 vigorbranding That’s great. Well, like I said, you’re the products are amazing. And in a way, I like i look at these flavors and in a way they are they’re kind of all comfort foods, too, right? I mean, they’re, they’re, yeah, they’re all international flavors, but they’re almost like international comfort flavors, you know, it just it kind of feels that way.   26:28.40 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Well, they’re nostalgic flavors.   26:30.16 vigorbranding Yeah.   26:30.11 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So they’re foods that you ate in childhood.   26:32.21 vigorbranding Right.   26:32.26 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so that was also really important to me. That was also one of the barometers is like childhood flavors.   26:36.76 vigorbranding Perfect.   26:38.45 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And ironically, I mean, I didn’t develop these for kids, but like kids love our bars and like, duh, they’re childhood flavors, right? Like they’re really for adults, but you know, so we’ve had this like wide range of like consumer interest in our, in our products. And so for me, it’s like about taking you back to kind of like a simpler time. I think, you know, health food specifically is sometimes punitive. Like, Oh, I don’t really like this mushroom powder, but I’m going to drink it because like, i my you know, my,   27:03.59 Clara Paye _ UNiTE podcast said that I’m going to get muscles if I drink it. you know and I’m like more on the other side of wellness. We’re like, let’s make it fun and let’s make it like food you want to eat, not food you have to eat.   27:09.80 vigorbranding Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that’s great. All right. Well, let’s have some fun here. So, you know, being the research guys that we are and the marketing guys where we came up with our own flavors. So we decided to go around the world. I want your opinion on if these are going to be winners or not. So we’ll start in India, a gulab jambu. It’s very popular dessert. It’s often served during celebrations. It’s fried dough soaked in a rosewater syrup, often garnished with almonds and cashews.   27:40.04 Clara Paye _ UNiTE 10 out of 10. I think that would like a home run flavor. I’ve actually, you know, my Indian friends have also suggested ah exact flavor and it’s always kind of been in my mind.   27:45.01 vigorbranding Yeah.   27:48.94 Clara Paye _ UNiTE The rosewater is the one that’s like, can be polarizing. So, you know, we try to have things that are like, you know, broad appeal, but yeah, I think 10 out of 10 would be a great flavor.   27:57.57 vigorbranding Plus, I’ll say this, I hate to be the total American here, but pronunciation can also be a barrier to people buying something if they can’t if they can’t figure out how to say it.   28:04.52 Clara Paye _ UNiTE For now, right?   28:06.08 vigorbranding All right, now we’ll head to Spain, a creamy caramel flan.   28:09.66 Clara Paye _ UNiTE I love flan and I think flan is another one of those foods that’s mistaken for like just Latin Americans because lots of people eat flan or you know it’s called sometimes creme caramel it’s called like different things in other regions of the world you know so yeah another great flavor you guys are good at this don um don’t start a bar company Michael.   28:15.09 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   28:26.72 vigorbranding yeah Yeah, yeah. We would never if we, you know, they’re yours. These are all yours if you want to do them. So you have some friends, we have some employees in Brazil. So um Bolo de Rolo. It’s a light sponge cake. It’s rolled up with a layer of tangy guava jam.   28:43.47 Clara Paye _ UNiTE This one I’ve never heard of, I’ve never had.   28:45.94 vigorbranding right   28:46.23 Clara Paye _ UNiTE I’ve not not been to Brazil, so it really piqued my interest. I love guavas. I think tropical fruits, you know, we see that in beverage now.   28:54.85 vigorbranding Right.   28:55.48 Clara Paye _ UNiTE You know, there’s all kinds of great beverages that have popped up with tropical fruit flavors.   28:56.09 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   29:00.70 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And definitely in terms of what global flavor trends, guava I think is still underrated because I love guavas.   29:04.97 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   29:07.99 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So yeah, I think, you know, it’d be interesting to to get the um the sponge cake kind of consistency in a bar because bars tend to be a little bit drier and a little bit harder to to make soft because water stability issues.   29:20.76 Clara Paye _ UNiTE But I think that’s super intrigued. I want to go to Brazil, so that’s on my list.   29:24.27 vigorbranding Yeah, there you go. There’s an excuse for R and&D. It’s a write-off. um you know Yeah, it’s ah that that’s that’s that’s fun. OK, so we go to Italy ah for some almond biscotti.   29:37.61 Clara Paye _ UNiTE I mean, I love biscotti, but I think if you’re craving biscotti, eat a biscotti.   29:41.08 vigorbranding Yeah, I agree.   29:41.18 Clara Paye _ UNiTE you know   29:42.08 vigorbranding Yeah, I don’t think that works in a bar, right?   29:43.73 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Well, you know like people tell me, like oh, you should make a hummus flavored bar. I’m like, what? Why don’t you just eat hummus?   29:49.24 vigorbranding Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly.   29:50.94 Clara Paye _ UNiTE you know For me, it’s about taking some things. Because biscotti is not unhealthy, like typically. like you know If you had one, it’s like it’s fine.   29:55.05 vigorbranding No.   29:57.11 Clara Paye _ UNiTE It’s like a treat. So I typically try to take like higher calorie, higher density things to make them healthy and approachable.   30:02.75 vigorbranding oh   30:05.67 vigorbranding Yeah, you’re you’re almost bringing a dessert together to a degree, right?   30:05.58 Clara Paye _ UNiTE so i probably Exactly.   30:08.59 vigorbranding Yeah.   30:08.51 Clara Paye _ UNiTE a   30:09.42 vigorbranding Yeah, that totally makes sense. And you know what’s funny? You you just said something that that really kind of stuck with me. though The beverage industry does do a lot of flavors. And it’s really kind of accelerated. I mean, as a company, we were early on with with flavored beverages in the tea category.   30:24.27 vigorbranding And we were we had a brand that we worked with for like 15 years. We helped build what’s called Turkey Hill Iced Tea. Excuse me. And it was the first refrigerated tea. a lot of There was teas out there that were shelf-stable, but we were in the refrigerator. Well, the proliferation now of beverages in the refrigerator. You go to a convenience store with just walls of beverages. So there’s a lot of unique flavorings that you see popping up. And I guess that’s that would be a good place to see, I don’t know, what’s acceptable, right? like what are what are What are consumers interested in?   30:53.61 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Yeah, I think um it’s a good, again, like I got to take a lot of flavor cues from like a Starbucks or like, you know, what are people drinking?   31:01.08 vigorbranding yeah   31:02.11 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And like, what are the flavor cues in beverage that we can borrow from, right? Or we that can inform some of us. I think in beverage, it’s a little bit easier because the flavoring is just like props added to something versus like you’re trying to really create something authentic in food.   31:13.60 vigorbranding Yeah, yep, yep.   31:19.97 Clara Paye _ UNiTE But gosh, I’m just happy I have a shelf stable product. Like I can’t imagine distributing a refrigerated or frozen product.   31:25.52 vigorbranding Yeah, yeah, yeah.   31:26.11 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like knowing what I know now, it’s like just a whole nother level of of anxiety.   31:30.73 vigorbranding Yeah, well in flavoring to own on that side is it’s amazing how if you had some foot, it’s not obvious as a flavor to like what happened to potato chips, right? So we have a snack food category of snack foods. I mean, adding just a new flavor a new fun. It’s it’s amazing how much velocity you get and how much traction we actually did it across the tuna category.   31:49.35 vigorbranding And you would think, you know, tuna, we started adding sriracha or different types of hot or or or Thai chili or, I mean, just all these kind of unique flavors.   31:54.20 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Mm   31:57.94 vigorbranding And it’s amazing how it can really ah get you more more ah shelf presence.   31:59.66 Clara Paye _ UNiTE hmm.   32:03.65 vigorbranding And it also then, ah it creates ah an atmosphere of trial. So it’s ah’s it’s an awful lot of fun for that too. So um so as an entrepreneur who who’s growing and developing a brand that’s still a relatively young brand, ah you just created it four years ago.   32:17.34 vigorbranding What are some of your biggest challenges?   32:20.85 Clara Paye _ UNiTE It’s sad to say, Michael, but like there’s a lot of predatory behavior for emerging brands in the food space, right?   32:26.57 vigorbranding he   32:26.47 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Where I think this industry like depends on the turn to a certain degree of like brands to fail, to come in to shoot their shot. And like when they fail, it doesn’t matter because there’s like so many other brands behind them trying to get in that same shelf space.   32:39.58 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So I think it’s just being the underdog. like If you look at the shelves that we’re on, we’re competing with behemoths, right? Like billion dollar brands, multi-billion dollar brands, like that control the entire food supply.   32:48.42 vigorbranding Mm hmm. Mm hmm.   32:51.38 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And we’re like on the same shelf and like, how can we actually compete to build brand awareness? Like, you know, so you just do it with a radical authenticity. You do it by creating value for the consumer, creating something different, creating a better product.   33:05.17 Clara Paye _ UNiTE But it’s really like having come from a larger company where like, you know, you have some kind of street cred because you are a larger and you’re eight It’s easier to grow a larger company, but to grow from scratch has been like humbling.   33:17.69 Clara Paye _ UNiTE like it’s There’s a lot of people who want to put their hand in your pocket, who want to you know take advantage of you, and you have to be astute.   33:18.13 vigorbranding Yeah.   33:24.66 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And again, you have to surround yourself with people that are smart, that will help you avoid the landline, help you clear those paths. but You know, I, um, I also started, um, a nonprofit called included for, you know, people of color in food CPG just because I feel very passionately it’s called included included CPG, um, for people to kind of like not make the same mistakes that I made or kind of try to pull it forward somehow by clearing the path for, you know, I don’t want people to, you know, make the mistakes that we, we’ve made or could have potentially made.   33:49.99 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   33:56.73 vigorbranding Mm hmm. That’s you’ve you’ve always been one to give back. And I think that’s very admirable. I mean, we were walking around. It was it was it this we were just talking about with the included CPG.   34:09.40 vigorbranding We were walking around. He was exposed. You had a special section and they they they don’t you had them donate space. What was that for?   34:16.71 Clara Paye _ UNiTE um Yes for emerging brands and no for included and so we do do that at the fancy food show and at Expo West every year and so we kind of run kind of a mini incubator accelerator For these brands and help them get that space and be ready to pitch and you know, you have to be market ready So it’s not like for a brand that’s like pre-launch it’s like, you know if you have some kind of like established brand presence and really hoping to elevate them to the next level because those trade shows are so expensive and it’s so primitive and so anything that we can do to   34:18.69 vigorbranding Oh, OK.   34:43.19 vigorbranding Yeah.   34:46.50 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Level the playing field to like help an emerging brand win is like I just it just lights me up I like it makes me so happy because These are the people improving the food systems.   34:57.16 Clara Paye _ UNiTE These are the people that are bringing healthy Products to market.   34:57.35 vigorbranding Right.   35:01.02 Clara Paye _ UNiTE These are the people who are you know, taking their family recipes and trying to share them with the world   35:06.90 vigorbranding Well, I mean, I admire you because you’re able to, I could see you walking into those shows and asking for them to give you all this space. And I know how you are. You do with a smile, but you’re pretty emphatic and I’m sure you always get your way.   35:19.64 vigorbranding Cause I know I sit in meetings with you and when I’m, and when I miss a meeting, I have to answer to you, but you do with a smile, but you always hold people accountable and you get what you want. And I do respect that. So sure.   35:29.41 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Well, I mean, it’s been a great partnership with New Hope and the Specialty Food Association. And it just, it aligns with their value. So they actually are great partners. And so it’s a, you know, and it’s a team. It’s not just me. There’s like five other founders on the leadership team have included. So, you know, we, we are really working hard to improve um the food systems.   35:51.19 vigorbranding what So what ah what do a lot of these folks, i mean thankfully they have you ah to sort of open up the door for them, literally to bring them into the into these shows. so like What do you see a mistake made by ah want to be entrepreneurs? what What do they do wrong? Or what do what do you think and in the brand creation process? What do you what do what do you think that they they do wrong a lot?   36:11.05 Clara Paye _ UNiTE I mean, it’s probably something we did wrong too, but it’s like trying to pretend you’re a big brand when you’re not, right? Like, yes, you can get on that shelf, but are you ready? Can you support it the same way a big brand does?   36:20.43 vigorbranding Mmhmm.   36:22.89 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Do you know all the levers to pull, right?   36:24.66 vigorbranding Mmhmm.   36:25.09 Clara Paye _ UNiTE like And it’s hard to say, like, it’s hard when the opportunity knocks not to take it, right?   36:30.71 vigorbranding Sure.   36:31.30 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So it’s like that discipline of knowing, you know, What is the actual contribution margin of this account? And, you know, is it just like, or does it accomplish something else? So I think it’s like biting off a little bit more than you can chew.   36:44.02 Clara Paye _ UNiTE um And then the one that I pay attention very closely to is quality. I think quality can sink your company so fast. You know, one quality issue, one copacker issue, one whatever issue.   36:53.05 vigorbranding yeah   36:54.04 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So if you’re not paying attention to your product, you know, so closely, um that can really be a landmine because you can always create more brands. But you know, if your brand name is like tainted, it’s hard for you.   37:07.44 vigorbranding Right. I mean, some people might not even know like that. I think people assume because you have a brand, that you actually make it yourself. And you know, there are co-packers out there and a lot of brands use co-packers and you’re handing off your basically your baby and your promise, you know, a brand is a promise, your promise to the consumer to someone else to make. Obviously, there’s there’s checks and balances there. But it it is a, you know, there’s there’s places along the way that you have to count on a lot of partners. And it’s a, I’m sure it’s a difficult business, you know,   37:36.97 Clara Paye _ UNiTE I think you have to think of your co-man relationships as kind of like your investors because they’re investing their line time, their energy you know to develop your brand as well.   37:40.66 vigorbranding here Yep.   37:44.95 Clara Paye _ UNiTE So it is a partnership. You’re not just like, you know. Um, taking and giving, right? is It’s truly a partnership but if done right. And like, yeah, I like to, I like to actually preface a lot of my buyer meetings by saying, Hey, by the way, I don’t make this in my garage.   37:56.50 vigorbranding Mm   37:57.57 Clara Paye _ UNiTE I, you know, because like the, the bias is if you’re like an emerging, I have a dream person and you’re like, make as far as in your garage and like packaging them up and sending them out.   38:01.10 vigorbranding -hmm.   38:07.22 Clara Paye _ UNiTE I thought there’s anything wrong with that. But like, when you’re trying to pitch a fortune, you know, 100 company, they got to make sure that, you know, you have your ducks in a row.   38:09.52 vigorbranding Right. eat Yeah. Yeah.   38:14.95 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so that’s a good qualifier.   38:17.32 vigorbranding Yeah, Target doesn’t want you like ah to think you’re baking the night before. That’s funny. But I mean, yeah, it’s ah yeah’s it’s true. And it’s amazing all of the the hurdles, I’ll say, that you have to go through. So you have a great, yeah there’s a quote that you like to talk about. lot Winston Churchill, success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. And you’re always enthusiastic. You want to talk a little bit about some of those things that you had to bump up against, some of your failures, some of the things that you had to pivot.   38:44.24 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Oh, there’s so many, Michael. I mean, every, if it’s, if it was easy, everyone would do it, you know, like I say that, but it’s like, it’s so true.   38:49.31 vigorbranding Sure.   38:51.46 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And like, you know, and every entrepreneur I talk to in the food space or any space, it’s like, you gotta be able to take those hits and get back up.   38:57.56 vigorbranding Oh, yeah.   38:59.18 Clara Paye _ UNiTE But the getting back up is really hard, right?   39:02.31 vigorbranding Mm hmm.   39:02.73 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Especially when there’s like, you could do something else with your time. You could do something else with your energy.   39:06.20 vigorbranding Great.   39:07.24 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And that’s where like a mission becomes really important. And it’s like, what’s actually driving you?   39:11.03 vigorbranding Mm   39:11.36 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Cause if it’s money, you’ll give up. There’s way easier ways to make money.   39:15.17 vigorbranding hmm.   39:15.47 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like if I wanted to go make money, I’d just take my money and invest it in real estate or whatever. I’m like, yes, we do that too. but It’s really about mission for me. And so what drives you to like make the world a better place, have a lasting impact, create products that resonate with people.   39:31.82 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And so success is just a barometer. It’s just an outcome of you living that up. But like, you know, there are times, I mean, I think if you’re not ready to throw in the towel every month in your business, are you even an entrepreneur?   39:42.90 Clara Paye _ UNiTE Like, you know, like it’s just, it’s the getting back up.   39:43.50 vigorbranding Right.   39:46.20 Clara Paye _ UNiTE And it’s like that loss of enthusiasm is what gets you. And like another way to send that is like burnout. If you’ve burned out, it’s too late. So I make sure that I don’t burn out.   39:52.89 vigorbranding Yep. Yeah, that’s very smart. That’s actually very sage advice right there. Because look, these businesses, no matter how ah exciting they are, or how long you’ve been doing them, you do hit those those troughs, you do hit the burnout phase. I mean, personally, I started my first agency 33 years ago. And it’s, you know, ah yeah well and during this whole time with COVID, there’s so much change. And and and you know You think, well, you’ve been doing this for a long time. Everything think just should be on autopilot. No. I mean, I probably worked harder in the last couple of years. I did maybe in some of the middle years. I don’t know. It’s just just a different time. So yeah, the entrepreneur thing, I think everyone takes it for granted or everyone looks over and says, oh, you’ve done that. Or you have money because of this. And ah most people don’t realize those days and those sleepless nights and those weekends and the you know the the fears of everything from bankruptcy to lawsuits to everything else. We all go through it. right i mean every   40:45.92 vigorbranding i get to I’m very fortunate i get to talk to a lot of founders, I get to talk to a lot of entrepreneurs, and a lot of successful people, and they all have the same they all have those same stories. Every one of them has that nightmare, like, yeah, there was this time when, and you know you didn’t think there was a tomorrow. so it’s ah ah you know it’s ah It’s good to hear, it because your story, you’ve seen it all all the way around from your father to to starting up now and what you’