The Modern Retail Podcast

'To traditionalists, we are inauthentic': Inkbox CEO Tyler Handley on changing the perception of temporary tattoos

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Temporary tattoos are no longer relegated to children's birthday parties -- they're becoming a bigger and more widely accepted part of the body part i...

'For all intents and purposes we are a brand': Italic founder Jeremy Cai on the company's new path forward

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Italic is trying to become a luxury brand in its own right. The company has been around since 2018 and has gone through many iterations. At the same t...

'It is a very unique market': July co-founder Athan Didaskalou on expanding an Australian luggage brand to the U.S.

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The last few years have been a rollercoaster for travel companies. But Australian luggage brand July says business is now beginning to boom. "Things h...

'We're getting an absurd amount of people': Neighborhood Goods CEO Matt Alexander on the return of physical retail

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Things got scary for Neighborhood Goods in 2020. "We went through layoffs and furloughs -- all sorts of challenging things," said co-founder and CEO M...

‘They're ready for liquidity’: OpenStore’s Michael Rubenstein on building a platform to give Shopify founders an exit

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The e-commerce portfolio model has been getting a lot of press of late. And OpenStore thinks it may have cracked the code for finding and acquiring DT...

An awesome product is table stakes': Weezie co-founder Lindsey Johnson on building a luxury bath brand

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The key to DTC towel brand Weezie's success is staying in its lane -- or, bathroom. That's according to co-founder Lindsey Johnson who joined this wee...

'We're the coach versus the quarterback': General Mills' DTC lead Carter Jensen on how the CPG giant goes about e-commerce

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

General Mills is known for being the company behind household name brands Wheaties -- but it's also trying to build out a robust DTC strategy. At the ...

'I was laughed out of the room': How Bokksu founder Danny Taing bootstrapped his business to a $100M valuation

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bokksu, which connects U.S. customers with Japanese snacks, is still bullish on subscription boxes, according to its founder and CEO Danny Taing. The ...

'We don't want to be everything to everyone': W&P president Kate Lubenesky on evolving a modern kitchen brand

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the kitchen brand W&P, it's been a good time for the home products space. This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, W&P president Kate Lubenesky spo...

'Consumers have evolved': TalkShopLive's Bryan Moore on North America's growing appetite for livestream commerce

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a big year for TalkShopLive -- and for livestream commerce in general. The livestream commerce platform has been around since 2018. Until 20...

'All the packaging would look the same': Couplet Coffee's Gefen Skolnick on trying to reinvent a category

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Couplet Coffee, which sells both coffee beans and coffee-related products online, is only a few months old and is trying to enter the market with a ba...

'Bringing every one of our stores to profitability': Gorillas' Adam Wacenske on the burgeoning quick commerce space

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lightning-fast delivery services are taking cities like New York by storm. And Gorillas is trying to be the leader of the pack. This week on the Mode...

UrbanStems CEO Seth Goldman on making national flower delivery feasible

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It may seem simple to order a bouquet of flowers and have it delivered to your home, but a lot of work goes into such a task. On this week's Modern Re...

Sabai's Phantila Phataraprasit on building a sustainable furniture brand from the ground up

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For direct-to-consumer furniture brand Sabai, sustainability reigns. The brand, which launched in the summer of 2019, and saw a growth spike in both 2...

Umamicart's Andrea Xu on building an online Asian grocery startup

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Umamicart is trying to bring authentic Asian grocery items to more U.S. consumers. The app launched in early 2021 and, according to co-founder and CEO...

‘It’s all about walking the walk’: Reformation’s Hali Borenstein on the clothing brand’s next moves

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a turbulent few years for Reformation, but the women’s clothing and accessory brand is forging ahead. According to CEO Hali Borenstein, ...

One Stripe Chai founder Farah Jesani on pivoting from cafés to DTC

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, startup chai brand One Stripe Chai saw coffeeshops as the ticket to its success. Then the pandemic came and everything changed. After a bumpy...

‘Bringing the market to its full potential’: Dia&Co’s Nadia Boujarwah on growing the $21B plus-size market

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Online apparel marketplace Dia&Co is trying to tap into the $21 billion inclusive sizing market. Within the last few years, more brands have begun int...

‘It starts with the product’: Firebelly Tea’s David Segal on building a modern tea empire

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

DTC startup Firebelly Tea is hoping to help the hot steeped beverage reach the celebrity status of coffee. That’s according to co-founder and CEO Da...

‘Not a flash in the pan’: Win Brands Group’s Kyle Widrick on growing a DTC roll-up company

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Win Brands Group has been around since 2017, but this is the year the DTC roll-up strategy is really beginning to gain steam. The company owns a slew ...

‘Unapologetically loud and fun’: Ghia’s Mélanie Masarin on the sober curious movement

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The non-alcoholic drink, which launched in 2020, tastes similar to a European apéritif. And, according to founder and CEO Mélanie Masarin, there’s...

‘A fundamental shift’: Consumer investor Mags Kala on the growing crypto space

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The leap from Richard Branson to crypto isn’t that big, as it turns out. For venture capitalist Mags Kala, all it required was quitting her day job....

PepsiCo’s Fabiola Torres on making Rockstar Energy relevant with gamers young and old

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Energy drinks are in the midst of a renaissance. According to Fabiola Torres, CMO and svp of PepsiCo’s energy drinks category -- which includes big ...

Fast fashion, livestream shopping & DTC holding companies: The Modern Retail Podcast’s year in review

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another year has come and gone, and big changes came to the retail industry. Giants like Shopify and Amazon grew even bigger, while older retail model...

Chain Reactions: Oats Overnight's Brian Tate on building a CPG plant

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Oats Overnight, a spoon-free, protein-based drinkable oatmeal, has been made in-house since the company began. Founder and CEO Brian Tate started Oats...

Chain Reactions: Paravel’s Andy Krantz on getting creative to make the most of container ships

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As securing space on container ships gets more expensive, brands are coming up with creative ways to make sure their products take up less space. One ...

Chain Reactions: Exploding Kittens’ Carly McGinnis on diversifying manufacturing

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

International manufacturing continues to create headaches for American brands.  For card and board game maker Exploding Kittens, producing the majori...

Chain Reactions: Scout’s Deb Waterman Johns on implementing a pre-book wholesale model

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If a boutique wants to carry products from handbag maker Scout, they are going to have to plan ahead.  In mid-2020, Scout transitioned to a pre-book ...

‘Our storytelling is our marketing’: Healthy Roots Dolls founder Yelitsa Jean-Charles on growing a modern toy company

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Yelitsa Jean-Charles says she was able to grow her business by being authentic. Jean-Charles is the founder and CEO of Healthy Roots Dolls, which make...

‘It’s not a blank canvas’: Teva’s Anders Bergstrom on how the sandals brand capitalized on recent fashion trends

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a good time to be an outdoor apparel brand. According to NPD Group, outdoorwear sales are up 45% this year, and some brands have been able to d...

Corkcicle CEO Chris McDonough on how the brand partners with Disney

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For Corkcicle, the company’s mantra is to focus on innovation through partnerships. The company, which makes a variety of consumption-focused produc...

‘A tide that lifts all boats’: Hims co-founder Joe Spector on entering the pet telehealth space with Dutch

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Telemedicine has taken the human world by storm, and Joe Spector thinks the next frontier is pets. Spector is the founder and CEO of Dutch, which offe...

‘DTC is still our main focus’: Bearaby’s Kathrin Hamm on navigating online with retail partnerships

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the pandemic, most people sought comfort -- and many of them turned to weighted blankets. Bearby, which makes knitted weighted blankets, saw sa...

‘Chefs are the new athlete’: Made In’s Chip Malt on how the cookware brand taps culinary influencers

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the ways direct-to-consumer cookware brand Made In has grown was through its connection with chefs. “Chefs are the new athlete,” said co-fo...

‘We don’t want to be everywhere’: Glasshouse Fragrances founder Nicole Eckels on its U.S. launch

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After hitting it big in Australia, Glasshouse Fragrances is testing out the U.S. market. The company makes luxury candles among other high-end product...

‘Billion dollar brand’: Kids Foot Locker’s Jill Feldman on the retailer’s ambitions

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kids Foot Locker has big plans to be the number one shoe retailer for kids. According to Jill Feldman, the vp and general manager of Kids Foot Locker,...

‘Our goal was not just to bring oat milk to Brooklyn’: Oatly’s North America president on the brand’s growth plans

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s 2021, and oat milk has become a mainstream phenomenon. One brand leading that charge is Oatly. It’s a nearly-30-year-old Swedish company, but...

'Basically profitable since day 1': Saatva co-founder Ricky Joshi on tackling the luxury mattress market

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last year and a half, people have increasingly invested in their homes. And mattress brand Saatva was able to capitalize that demand. The ten...

St-Germain’s Emma Fox on the growing apéritif market

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been an unpredictable year-plus for the spirits industry, as alcohol consumption shifted away from bars to the home and, now, slowly back to ba...

‘Sometimes marketers get blinded’: Cuisinart’s Mary Rodgers on how the appliance brand stays current

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cuisinart is generally known for one thing -- its food processor -- but the company has been expanding its reach in the kitchen for decades. In fact, ...

‘The perfect storm’: How Brunt is building a DTC apparel brand for trade worker

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Girouard hadn’t planned on launching his company during a pandemic, but that’s what ended up happening. Girouard is the founder and CEO of Br...

‘We are fortunate to have a subscription model’: Bark CEO Manish Joneja on capitalizing on the pandemic pet adoption boom

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

According to the dog toy and accessories brand Bark, that’s led to an increase in demand. During its latest quarterly earnings report, the company r...

‘We’re not entering 20 new categories’: Magic Spoon’s Gabi Lewis on building a modern cereal brand

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Gabi Lewis thinks the cereal world is ready for an upgrade. That’s why a few years after he sold his first company, a cricket protein startup, he co...

‘There’s tons of whitespace’: Minibar Delivery’s Lindsey Andrews on the growing alcohol e-commerce space

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

E-commerce saw unprecedented gains in 2020, especially in areas like alcohol that historically relied on in-store sales. Indeed, Minibar Delivery -- a...

‘I’m a stores guy by trade’: Designer Brands’ Roger Rawlins on the shoe retailer’s digital future

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Designer Brands Inc., parent company of DSW, has been trying to prove itself to be a bonafide digital retailer. This past quarter cemented that the cu...

Foxtrot CMO Carla Dunham on the convenience store startup’s ambitious expansion

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Convenience store startup Foxtrot is trying to become a national name. Over the last few weeks, the company announced a series of expansion plans. For...

‘Building a business that will last’: AptDeco’s Reham Fagiri on scaling economically

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Furniture became a hot item in 2020, and resale platform AptDeco was ready for that demand. The company’s sales grew more than 300% last year, and i...

How outdoor furniture brand Yardbird started on Craigslist and expanded nationally

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, the best way to figure out product-market fit is to go on Craigslist. That’s what outdoor furniture brand Yardbird did in 2016 when it fi...

‘I don’t have a good filter’: East Fork’s Connie Matisse on scaling a brand while staying true to its roots

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of changes have happened at Asheville, North Carolina-based East Fork Pottery over the last year. For one, its CMO and co-founder Connie Matisse...

United Sodas of America’s Marisa Zupan on the new DTC beverage playbook

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not easy launching a new brand -- and even harder doing it during a pandemic. But that’s what United Sodas of America did. The startup soda c...

‘The Shark Tank effect is real’: Copper Cow Coffee’s Debbie Wei Mullin on growing a modern CPG brand

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a crazy year for brands in the CPG space. That’s what Debbie Wei Mullin, founder and CEO of Copper Cow Coffee, said on this week’s epi...

Harry’s Labs’ Tehmina Haider on how the CPG giant is building out a portfolio of brands

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last year, when razor startup Harry’s backed a cat food company, it was -- in part -- due to the work of Tehmina Haider. Haider is the head of Harry...

Asutra CEO Stephanie Morimoto on growing a wellness brand with Venus Williams’ help

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s good to have celebrity boosting your brand. That’s what self care wellness brand Asutra, which sells products like soaps, sleep aids and anti...

How Farmer’s Fridge pivoted to home delivery during the pandemic

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, businesses start out as direct-to-consumer. Other times, they’re forced into it. That’s essentially what happened with Farmer’s Fridg...

‘We’re a growth brand’: Tillamook’s CEO on the dairy company’s eastward expansion

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s tough transforming a local brand into a national name. But that’s what Oregon-based dairy company Tillamook is trying to do. Over the last fe...

‘We very much see retailers as acquisition channels’: Caraway CEO Jordan Nathan on the cookware brand’s growth strategy

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a good year to be a homewares brand. Indeed, cookware startup Caraway was a hot commodity during the pandemic. According to its founder an...

‘We can be a lot faster’: Levi’s Marc Rosen on how the denim brand’s business has evolved

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Marc Rosen has worn many hats -- or, perhaps, pants -- at Levi’s. Today, he’s the president of the apparel brand’s Americas business. But he’s...

‘We’re not trying to be a retailer’: Google’s commerce president Bill Ready on growing the shopping ecosystem

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Google wants to make it crystal clear that it’s not a marketplace. True, people can buy things on Google, but it also lets sellers link out to other...

‘Disproportionately benefited’: Ocean Spray CEO Tom Hayes on going viral and expanding into new categories

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a crazy year for Ocean Spray. The 91-year-old cranberry product company not only saw an increase in sales over the last year, but went vir...

‘A rich tapestry of interests, affinities and geographies’: Crocs president Michelle Poole on the shoe brand’s influencer strategy

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a big year for Crocs. The popular shoe brand, known for its ubiquitous plastic slip-ons, saw revenue grow 12.6% year-over-year, hitting $1...

Taika CEO Michael Sharon on growing a coffee brand during the pandemic

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you text the phone number on a can of the coffee drink Taika, chances are that a human will respond. This is by design. The company, which boasts a...

‘This is a land grab’: Vivino CEO Heini Zachariassen on the growing wine e-commerce market

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Shazam for wine had quite a big year. Vivino, an app that lets users search for wines by taking a picture of the label and read customer reviews, ...

‘We never had to pivot our message’: Lands’ End’s Sarah Rasmusen on comfort coming back in style

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Comfy clothes certainly had a moment last year. Indeed, as Sarah Rasmusen, chief customer officer at the apparel brand Lands’ End said, “it could ...

‘Game-like experiences have just exploded’: Tophatter’s Andrew Blachman on the future of entertainment-based commerce

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a big year for online shopping -- not just for Amazon. The live auction site Tophatter, in fact, had a record year. The nine-year-old comp...

‘Grocery will maintain positive growth’: King Arthur Baking’s Bill Tine on the new CPG landscape

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The coronavirus changed the way people shopped for groceries, and King Arthur Baking Company was no exception. The 230-year-old company had one of the...

BenchMade Modern’s Edgar Blazona on getting customers to buy high-end furniture online

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When the New York Times writes about your product, sales inevitably explode. That’s at least what high-end sofa company BenchMade Modern experienced...

‘A slightly different voice’: Casper’s Emilie Arel on how its branding and product line has evolved

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Emilie Arel joined mattress brand Casper for a personal reason. “I have two little kids -- they both slept on a Casper before I worked at Casper,”...

‘We break down those barriers’: How Lightship Capital’s Candice Matthews Brackeen has grown her fund

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Candice Matthews Brackeen is looking outside of typical Silicon Valley circles for the next billion-dollar company. She’s a general partner at Light...

“An unspoken understanding between our customers and our brand”: Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao on how to build community

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

2020 was the year the Fly By Jing soared to new heights. The company, which is best known for its array of Chinese sauces, has taken the direct-to-con...

‘The beginning of a new era’: How Zenni harnessed its vertically integrated business model to reach record heights

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Even during a pandemic, people still needed glasses. As a result, online eyewear brand Zenni Optical has been riding a rocket ship. After an initial s...

‘DTC companies were late to the omnichannel game’: Untuckit’s Aaron Sanandres on leading a dress shirt brand during a pandemic

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

2020 was a tough year for casual dress shirt brand Untuckit, but the company was able to adapt. While many retailers that catered to workwear complete...

‘The purchase cycle is very considered’: Carvana’s Ryan Keeton on how the pandemic changed used car sales

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a big year for online shopping -- online car shopping too. Last summer, for example, Edmunds.com reported that used car and truck sales we...

‘Big companies are not as good at innovation’: Canteen Spirits CEO Brandon Cason on disrupting the hard seltzer industry

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Canteen Spirits was ready to take on the hard seltzer industry -- and then the coronavirus hit. The company launched in late 2019 and began 2020 expec...

‘An experience that’s bad, or at least a little weird’: Alto Pharmacy’s Matt Gamache-Asselin on why he entered the space

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Healthcare and insurance aren’t the sexiest areas, but they are both ripe for disruption. That’s why Matt Gamache-Asselin, co-founder and CEO of A...

Cure Hydration's Lauren Picasso on growing a beverage brand and utilizing micro-influencers

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lauren Picasso is both an athlete and an entrepreneur -- and she used both skillsets to help launch her company. Picasso is the founder and CEO of Cur...

A legal challenge for Amazon, and boom times for TikTok: Modern Retail's top trends for 2021

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's an understatement to say that 2020 was a strange year. A global pandemic turned everything upside down, and retail was no exception. In this week...

'A proxy for independent retail': Shopify President Harley Finkelstein on how retail was revolutionized in 2020

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's easy to talk about retail doom and gloom, given a nearly year-long shutdown for brick-and-mortar stores and bankruptcy filings by many big name r...

Herman Miller Retail president Debbie Propst on 'softening' Design Within Reach's image in tough times

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has quickly changed the typical office chair shopper. It's no longer entire companies investing in ergonomic seating, but individuals wor...

'It's never easy': Clorox's Jackson Jeyanayagam on hiring DTC talent in a post-pandemic world

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the pandemic's third wave mounts, Clorox wipes are still a hot commodity -- the product's shortage is expected to last into the new year. That outs...

Cuyana co-founder Karla Gallardo on how the pandemic strengthened the brand's mission statement

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In Karla Gallardo's estimation, the world got tired of fast fashion just as the direct-to-consumer model was being proven out. "By 2010 there was fati...

Adore Me's Camille Kress on accompanying a woman's journey through life with satellite brands

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With a pandemic driving its six brick-and-mortar stores to little use, lingerie company Adore Me has relied on a try-at-home model. "We basically send...

Waze's Suzie Reider on the return of road traffic and the retailers that depend on it

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

GDP and unemployment are one set of statistics, but another way to measure the extent of the economic slowdown brought by the pandemic is a bit more m...

Semihandmade's John McDonald on hitching his wagon to Ikea, and then competing with it

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you're going to ride behind another brand's success, Ikea isn't a bad choice. That's, in fact, what Semihandmade did. Semihandmade makes and sells ...

How Blk & Bold capitalized on Target and Amazon's coffee shortcomings

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard to find good coffee online, and roaster Blk & Bold found that to be a competitive advantage. The company saw huge growth over the last year,...

'We're always watching the competition': Farfetch's Kelly Kowal on Amazon's growing luxury presence

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Luxury retailers have historically been slow to go online. But in the age of coronavirus, digital remains one of the only viable channels. Kelly Kowal...

Mattel COO Richard Dickson on entertaining young consumers everywhere they are

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Barbie is Mattel's most iconic brand, but the toy company has more than 400 others that CEO and president Richard Dickson is, in his own words, lookin...

Bloomscape founder Justin Mast on shipping living things and why it acquired a plant care app

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Some DTC founders pick a sector just because they spy an opportunity. Bloomscape founder Justin Mast said did that too with his direct-to-consumer pla...

Thrive Market CTO Sasha Siddhartha on supercharged growth and the grocery website's future

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thrive Market, which first launched in 2014, had been growing at a rate of 40% a year before the pandemic. Now, with new customers joining the members...

'We want you to like our brand': Truff co-founders Nick Guillen and Nick Ajluni on making their TikTok channel a destination

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Most companies use social media as a way to point consumers to the brand's website. In hot sauce company Truff's case, social media -- and TikTok, in ...

'A little bit of a rocket ship': Abbio co-founder Jonathan Wahl on growing a kitchenware brand during a pandemic

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Wahl sees the boom in kitchenware companies as a good thing for the sector as a whole. "Seeing others recognize the same opportunity reaffirm...

'A perfect storm': Article Director of Marketing Duncan Blair on cornering the furniture market

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

2020 hasn't been a good year to travel or go on vacation, and Americans are spending more on home improvements instead. Furniture brand Article was lu...

Strong Roots founder Sam Dennigan on the growing popularity of vegan food

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Dennigan launched Strong Roots with a single item -- sweet potato fries -- in Ireland in 2015. The frozen vegetables company has since raised $18....

GT Dave on the challenges of being a kombucha leader

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Back when GT Dave, founder of GT's Living Food, single-handedly proved that there was a market for kombucha in the U.S., "probiotic" was hardly a buzz...

Blueland CEO Sarah Paiji Yoo on how the pandemic changed the cleaning supplies aisle

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Blueland CEO Sarah Paiji Yoo wants you to know that when you pay for cleaning supplies at the grocery stores, you're mostly buying water. "Oftentimes ...

Pop Up Grocer founder Emily Schildt on rethinking the grocery experience

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It took a trip to London for Emily Schildt to realize that American grocery stores could do better. "I came back personally really yearning for a groc...

'We're humans, we're aspirational by nature': Reel CEO Daniela Corrente on what consumers are saving money for

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Piggy banks aren't especially in vogue, but the idea behind them sticks. By saving up a little over the long haul, you can pool quite a bit of money —...

Bacardi CMO John Burke on e-commerce and at-home drinking

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Closed spaces, mingling strangers and loud music to shout over -- bars seem purpose-built for spreading the coronavirus. According to Bacardi CMO John...

Cleo Capital's Sarah Kunst on scouting for business ideas in unlikely places

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cleo Capital's Sarah Kunst thinks the investing landscape focuses a great deal on the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs -- in plainspeak, that's stuf...

'It's completely inverted': Sanzo founder Sandro Roco on the coronavirus's effect on DTC demand

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Before the pandemic, the zero (or low) sugar beverage brand Sanzo had all the scrappy upstart charm and aesthetic of a DTC brand. But, it still sold m...

How Brightland founder Aishwarya Iyer fashioned an olive oil company after beauty brands

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Aishwarya Iyer started Brightland, an olive oil company, in 2018 with the idea of describing the products like wine and marketing it like a beauty bra...