The Feed
By HNGRY
The FeedDec 16, 2020
114- Analyzing retail expansion strategies with Prime Site Construction & Advisory
John Rabiner and Mike Sanuti are the co-founders of Prime Site, an end-to-end construction and advisory firm that leverages data and insights for retailers. In this episode we’ll analyze real estate strategies of fast-growing salad and beverage concepts, talk about omnichannel fulfillment, and analyze grocery retail expansion across dollar, convenience, and smaller-footprint formats.
113- Predicting supply chain shocks with Francisco Martin-Rayo of Helios
Francisco Martin-Rayo is the Co-Founder & CEO of Helios, an AI platform that aggregates billions of data points to predict the climate, economic, and political risks facing global commodities. In this episode, we’ll chat about how some of the largest food players and commodity traders are leveraging Helios’ platform, the various tradeoffs we need to be considering in agribusiness, and technological solutions that can help create a more resilient food system over the long haul.
112- Designing trickster sugars with Ali Wing of Oobli
Ali Wing is the CEO of Oobli, a biotech startup that manufactures “sweet proteins” that reduce the amount of added sugar in foods and beverages by 75-90%. In this episode we’ll talk about the science behind these trickster sugars, Oobli’s two-pronged go-to-market strategy, and the metabolic health crisis in America.
111- Building an AI-based restaurant GM with Matt Wampler of ClearCOGS
Matt Wampler is the Co-Founder & CEO of ClearCOGS, an AI-based demand forecasting platform that helps restaurants move beyond guesswork. In this episode, we’ll talk about how the platform helps drive profitability for customers like Goop Kitchen, how it builds its predictive models on back-of-house and POS data, and the potential for AI across the entire restaurant customer journey.
110- Growing a multi-dimensional booking platform with Matt Tucker of Tock
Matt Tucker is the SVP and Head of Tock, a comprehensive restaurant reservation platform focused on revenue management through offerings like events, experiences, off-premise, and more. In this episode, we’ll talk about what sets Tock apart from the competition, how it has evolved beyond fine dining, and the future P&L of restaurants.
109- Bringing transparency to kitchen food safety with Christine Schindler of PathSpot
Christine Schindler is the Co-Founder & CEO of PathSpot, a health & safety operating system for restaurants and food manufacturers. In this episode, we talk about PathSpot’s proprietary handwashing compliance hardware, how it serves as the system of record for standard operating procedures, and the power of its data to help prevent foodborne illness before it happens.
108- Automating fast casual dining with Stephen Goldstein of Kernel
Stephen Goldstein is the COO of Kernel, a redesigned restaurant model for the next era of hospitality that leverages automation and efficiency to drive convenience, better wages, sustainability, and quality. In this episode, we’ll talk about Stephen’s journey from RBI, Deliveroo, and Wonder to Kernel, the concept’s unique approach of vertical integration, and how Kernel’s modular design could influence the course of its future.
107- Building intelligent machines for foodservice & CPG with Rajat Bhageria of Chef Robotics
Rajat Bhageria is the Founder & CEO of Chef Robotics, an AI startup focused on automating assembly lines within foodservice and CPG. In this episode, we’ll talk about Chef’s unique approach to robotics, how it quickly scaled to helping produce over 12 million meals, and the symbiotic relationship between humans and robots within the food industry.
106- Empowering CPGs to sell into foodservice with Reed McCord of First Bite
Reed McCord is the Founder & CEO of First Bite, a software platform providing market intelligence and CRM tools for CPG brands selling into foodservice. In this episode, we’ll talk about Reed’s early experience helping scale Impossible Foods, the black box of foodservice distribution, and how First Bite is helping brands identify and sell to the most likely restaurant customers.
105- Curating top restaurant lists with Judy & Eliot Frost of Beli App
Judy & Eliot Frost are the co-founders of Beli, a social network and review platform dedicated to restaurant fanatics. In this episode we’ll talk about the problems with the existing rating platforms and restaurant discovery, how Beli aims to play a pivotal role in the end-to-end dining experience, and the power of its data to unlock personalized recommendations.
104- Optimizing third-party delivery with Priyam Saraswat of Voosh
Priyam Saraswat is the co-founder of Voosh, a dashboard that helps restaurants maximize profitability on third-party delivery apps. In this episode, we’ll talk about how Voosh leverages AI to help restaurants win back lost revenue from chargebacks, optimize their promotions, and get a full picture of their delivery P&L across multiple platforms.
103- Diving into the gut microbiome with Dr. Joseph Weiss of UCSD
Dr. Joseph Weiss is a gastroenterologist and clinical professor at University of California San Diego. In this episode, we’ll talk about the various functions of the gut microbiome, why many probiotics are scientifically unproven, and the power of resistant starch prebiotic foods.
102- Creating a better burger robot with Aniai
Gunpil Hwang is the co-founder & CEO of Aniai, a hamburger automation startup based in Seoul, Korea. I was also joined by Head of North American Sales Eric Hansen. In this episode, we’ll talk about Aniai’s first-principles approach to kitchen automation, how it’s different from competitors, and the current and future foodservice robotics landscape.
101- Designing new seafood alternatives with Anne Palermo of AQUA Cultured Foods
Anne Palermo is the Co-Founder & CEO of Aqua Cultured Foods, a startup developing whole-muscle cut alternatives to seafood using biomass fermentation. In this episode we’ll talk about the health and sustainability challenges facing traditional aquaculture, how AQUA is partnering with high-end restaurants, and the market opportunity to offer a high-fiber, lower-cost seafood alternative.
100- Digitizing local farms with Cole Jones of Local Line
Cole Jones is the Founder & CEO of Local Line, an e-commerce network connecting local farmers with restaurants and grocers. In this episode, we’ll talk about the importance of keeping food dollars within local economies, how large QSRs like Chipotle are using the platform to purchase tens of millions of pounds of local produce, and how farmers can tap into a marketplace of buyers looking for new suppliers.
099- Automating grocery delivery with Ellen Brune of AutoStore
Ellen Brune is the VP of Product Management at AutoStore, a warehouse automation system for online grocery and e-commerce fulfillment for brands like Best Buy, Puma, HEB, and Giant. In this episode, we’ll discuss the tradeoffs between manual and automated grocery fulfillment, how automation can deliver groceries faster and more accurately, and how it might transform the physical shopping experience of the future.
098- Scaling digital hospitality with Sai Alluri of Momos
Sai Alluri is the Co-Founder & CEO of Momos, an all-in-one customer engagement platform that helps restaurants grow and retain their guests. In this episode, we’ll talk about how Momos is consolidating email marketing and feedback management, leveraging AI, and how restaurants are using it to identify key areas to delight their customers.
097- Decentralizing local food with Michael Robinov of Farm To People
Micahel Robinov is the co-founder and CEO of Farm To People, a New York City-based grocery delivery service that procures fresh produce, meat, dairy, and more directly from local farmers. In this episode, we’ll talk about sourcing products from sustainably-grown purveyors, the unit economics powering its delivery service, and the future of hyperlocal, decentralized food production and distribution.
096- Putting food and beverage on-chain with Derek G Taylor of Happy Friday Coffee
Derek G. Taylor is the founder of Menotti’s Coffee Shop and The Park, a on-chain DAO powering food, beverage, and music projects like Happy Friday Coffee. In this episode, we’ll chat about the potential to move offline communities on-chain, how blockchain can create more equity within hospitality, and the pure espresso technology behind Happy Friday Coffee that enables espresso to be served without any machines.
095- Scaling modern salad chains with Nick Kenner of Just Salad
Nick Kenner is the Founder & CEO of Just Salad, a fast casual salad chain on a mission to unlock everyday health and sustainability. In this episode, we’ll chat about technology’s role when it comes to nutrition, automation, and retention, its reusable bowl program, and the whitespace opportunity for salad to steal share away from fast food.
094- Doubling down on natural sugar with Marcus Antebi of goodsugar
Marcus Antebi is the founder & CEO of goodsugar, a NYC-based quick service concept serving unpasteurized organic smoothies and juices as well as plant-based prepared foods and baked goods. In this episode, we’ll explore Marcus’ entrepreneurial journey including the founding story of Juice Press, his unique approach to culinary and retail, and his plans to expand into CPG.
Full disclosure that unlike prior episodes, there is a lot of raw profanity in this conversation.
093- Using generative AI in food with Kevin Brown of Innit
Kevin Brown is the Co-Founder & CEO of Innit, an AI platform purpose-built for large CPGs, grocers, and healthcare companies. In this episode, we’ll talk about the problems with off-the-shelf large language models in food, the future of personalized nutrition, and the promise of smart kitchens.
092 - Building circular economies with Page Schult of Topanga.io
Page Schult is the co-founder & CEO of Topanga.io, a technology platform powering reusable container programs. In this episode, we’ll define what the circular economy really means, how it can help save businesses money in the long run, and talk about its deployments for meal delivery services, college campuses, and more.
091- Redefining plant-based cooking with Matthew Kenney of Ascention
Matthew Kenney is a world renowned plant-based chef, restaurateur, educator, and entrepreneur. In this episode we talk about Matthew’s launch of the first plant-based IP holding company, how he’s transitioned his restaurants from owned-and-operated businesses to asset-light franchises, and his thoughts on the future plant-based dining landscape.
090- Powering next-gen CPG distribution with Arik Keller of Mable
Arik Keller is the Founder & CEO of Mable, a next-generation wholesale technology platform for emerging food & beverage brands. In this episode, we’ll chat about Mable’s three-sided marketplace of retailers, CPGs, and distributors, how it’s enabling c-stores to test new brands, and how technology can play a role in creating a more diverse and flexible ecosystem.
089- Creating new alternative proteins with Martina Lokajova of Tempty Foods
Martina Lokaiova is the Co-Founder & CEO of Tempty Foods, a Danish food innovation company creating fungi-based alternatives to tofu and meat. In this episode, we’ll talk about why Tempty is shying away from imitating meat analogs, its recent partnership with mycoprotein leader Quorn, and the importance of unbundling of food brands from technology R&D.
088- Optimizing restaurant pricing with Colin Webb of Sauce
Colin Webb is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sauce, a dynamic pricing engine that helps restaurants leverage their data to optimize their online sales. In this episode, we’ll chat about the history of dynamic pricing, how restaurants can double their profitability on third-party marketplaces, and how variable pricing can alleviate the many cost pressures facing food delivery.
087- Building America's online bakery with Ismail Salhi of Wildgrain
Ismail Salhi is the Co-Founder of Wildgrain, the first bake-from-frozen subscription food service for artisanal breads, pastries, and pastas. In this episode, we’ll chat about the current state of the over-commercialized American baked goods market, how Wildgrain bootstrapped itself to 44k paying subscribers, and its unique business model that taps into underutilized capacity of local bakeries.
086- Consolidating last-mile deliveries with Alex Blum of Relay
Alex Blum is the Founder & CEO of Relay, a last mile logistics company that consolidates restaurants delivery orders across every channel. In this episode, we’ll talk about how restaurants can save money by switching to self delivery, how Relay is able to more efficiently batch orders compared to DoorDash and Uber Eats, and the impact of the recent minimum wage legislation in NYC on the entire ecosystem.
085- Building "fermentation as a service" with Edward Shenderovich of Synonym
Edward Shenderovich is the Co-Founder & CEO of Synonym, a developer of shared and dedicated commercial-scale biomanufacturing facilities. In this episode we’ll talk about the myriad use cases for fermentation in pharmaceutical to textiles and food, how Synonym is creating a new asset class, and how “fermentation as a service” can unlock a wide range of applications we have yet to fully appreciate.
084- Bringing local markets into the e-commerce era with Bobby Brannigan of Mercato
Bobby Brannigan is the Founder & CEO of Mercato, a local marketplace highlighting over 1,500 top independent grocers and specialty stores in the US. In this episode, we’ll talk about how Mercato is able to quickly digitize merchants, the role of its unique marketplace alongside larger competitors, and how it strives to make grocery delivery profitable for its markets.
083- Digitizing restaurant procurement with Dante DiCicco of Zitti
Dante DiCicco is the Founder & CEO of Zitti, a company on a mission to bring radical transparency to the $300bn wholesale restaurant industry while streamlining vendor payments for operators. In this episode, we’ll talk about the current inefficiencies of pen-and-paper restaurant procurement, the competitive landscape of back-of-house technology companies, and the massive opportunity to create a comprehensive inventory, ordering, and accounts payable solution for small and medium sized restaurants.
082- Building the consumer frontend for future foods with Ben Berman of Tomorrow Farms
Ben Berman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Tomorrow Farms, a CPG startup focused on building irresistible consumer brands around emerging platforms like precision fermentation and upcycling. In this episode, we’ll chat about why foodtech startups should focus on being B2B and R&D centric companies, the nuances behind precision fermentation dairy, and how Tomorrow Farms plans to build the Unilever of sustainable pantry staples.
081- Uncovering the tensions in the restaurant industry with Jensen Cummings of Best Served Creative
Jensen Cummings is a fifth-generation Chef and Restaurateur turned consultant and media operator. In this episode, we’ll talk about where Jensen sees the biggest growth opportunities for restaurants, the tug of war between restaurateurs and tech companies, and the lens operators should use to evaluate new innovations like automation.
080- Empowering the next generation of culinary influencers with Kristen Barnett & Trevor Kerin of CCW
Kristen Barnett and Trevor Kerin are the Co-Founders of Culinary Creators Worldwide, a new agency focused on omnichannel activations for the next generation of culinary influencers. In this episode we’ll chat about the opportunity for influencers to work with brands, ghost kitchens, and tech firms to create tangible consumer experiences, the potential for grocers and restauranteurs to tap into such talent, and the key to successful partnerships in the space.
079- Analyzing the current state of restaurant tech with Stefan Hertzberg of ItsaCheckmate
Stefan Hertzberg is the SVP of Growth at ItsaCheckmate, an integrator between POS systems and online ordering channels for QSRs like Wendy’s, Five Guys, and Jet’s Pizza. In this episode, we’ll talk about the recent M&A activity in the fragmented restaurant tech space, how operators can own their customer data on third-party delivery platforms, and the challenges facing many startups in the space.
078- Leveraging AI to unlock nature’s full potential with Karthik Sekar of Climax Foods
Karthik Shekar is the Head of Data Science at Climax Foods, a producer of specialty dairy-free cheeses currently being used by Michelin-starred chefs. In this episode, we’ll talk about how the startup leverages AI to speed up its R&D cycle, the advantages of natural plant-based alternatives over precision fermentation, and the potential for AI to create new foods we’ve never even dreamed of.
077- Feeding good gut bugs with Marc Washington of Supergut
Marc Washington is the Founder & CEO of Supergut, a line of shakes, snack bars, and powders focused on gut health through prebiotic fiber. In this episode we’ll talk about the misconceptions behind probiotics, the role of the gut in moderating everything from our mood to our metabolism, and the future of clinically-validated health and wellness products like Supergut.
076- Building the plug & play online grocery platform with Brad McNamara of Morrissey Market
Brad McNamara is the founder & CEO of Morrissey Market, an online grocery platform built on top of the existing restaurant distributor infrastructure. In this episode we’ll talk about Brad’s roots in vertical farming, how Morrissey is building online grocery as a service for food as medicine and nonprofit organizations, and the economics behind his asset-light approach.
075- Defining table stakes for modern restaurateurs with Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ
Shawn Walchef is the owner of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ Media, a 15-year-old BBQ chain located in San Diego, California that also creates B2B content for operators. In this episode, we’ll discuss how Cali BBQ is leveraging smaller-format locations like ghost kitchens and stadium concessions to build the “Amazon Prime of BBQ,” the current state of restaurant technology, and how restaurant operators can leverage the full potential of social media.
074- Delivering dinner from microenterprise home chefs with Morley Ivers of Cookin
Morley Ivers is the Co-Founder & CEO of Cookin, a Toronto-based food delivery marketplace enabling a new crop of creators to sell hot food from their homes or commissary kitchens. In this episode, we’ll talk about the regulatory hurdles facing Cookin and similar platforms, how Cookin is developing its own chef certification program, and the behavioral shift in how consumers will order food over the next five to ten years.
073- Dissecting the robotic delivery pipedream with Dmitry Shevelenko
Dmitry Shevelenko is the former head of Uber’s mobility partnerships and founder of Tortoise, a startup that built slow-moving robotic vending machines for stadiums, parking lots, and other public spaces. In this episode, Dmitry talks about lessons learned from his startup, the current landscape of autonomous delivery bots, and the challenges for hardware startups to become commercially viable businesses.
072- The Willy Wonka of Algae With Elliot Roth of Spira
Elliot Roth is the Founder of Spira, a startup growing algae to be used in protein, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and pigments. In this episode, we’ll talk about Elliot’s personal journey of growing his own spirulina algae while he was food insecure, how algae can replace harmful petrochemicals found in our clothes and food, and the future of hyperlocal, distributed food systems.
071- Building the world’s first caffeine replacement with Jeffrey Dietrich of Rarebird Coffee
Jeffrey Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Rarebird, a modern coffee company building a new replacement to caffeine without the jitters. In this episode, we’ll talk about the 60% of the population who are slow caffeine metabolizers, how Rarebird is leveraging a metabolite called Paraxanthine, and the various adaptogens that it's infusing into its portfolio of coffees to support long-term cognitive health.
070- Reimagining microwave cooking and frozen foods with Steph Chen of Anyday
Steph Chen is the founder of Anyday, a modern cookware brand designed specifically for microwave cooking. In this episode we’ll talk about some of the biggest misconceptions around the health and safety of the home microwave, how culinary influencers like Dave Chang and Kenji Lopez-Alt have become proponents of this way of cooking, and the next generation of CPG brands rethinking your freezer and pantry.
069- Fixing the broken incentives of our food system with Justin Mares of Kettle & Fire
Justin Mares is an entrepreneur behind better-for-you CPG brands like Kettle & Fire, Perfect Keto, & Surely and co-founder in TrueMed, a payment integration that allows health-promoting merchants to accept pre-tax HSA and FSA funds. In this episode, we’ll talk about designing decentralized, local economies around food, uncover some of the perverse incentives of Big Food lobbying that impacts our health, and look at the potential for personalized nutrition and wearables to improve preventative healthcare.
068- Democratizing the private chef with Carlos Ventura Jr. of Feast & Fettle
Carlos Ventura Jr. is the Founder & CEO of Feast & Fettle, a regional meal prep service delivering throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In this episode, we’ll talk about how the service has scaled from a home chef operation to over $20mm in revenue, how it’s differentiated other delivery services, and its new retail strategy.
067- Breaking down Amazon’s fulfillment network with Marc Wulfraat of MWPVL
Marc Wulfraat is the Founder & President of MWPVL International, a global supply chain and logistics consulting firm that advises large retailers on warehouse and automation strategies. In this episode, we’ll dissect the various pieces of Amazon’s global supply chain, its recent changes to its online grocery business, and the role of automation.
Full disclosure, the host is a shareholder of Amazon stock.
066- Arming the coffee rebels against Starbucks with Dane Atkinson of Odeko
Dane Atkinson is the Founder & CEO of Odeko, an online wholesale and technology platform powering a third of independent coffee shops across the US. In this episode we’ll talk about how Odeko’s reverse franchise model arms mom and pops against Starbucks, what the future of loyalty looks like for small businesses, and the myriad of ways technology can build sustainable local economies around the café ecosystem.
Read the full HNGRY Trends article here
065- Engineering a pre-alcohol probiotic with Zack Abbott of ZBiotics
Zack Abbott is the founder & CEO of ZBiotics, a manufacturer of the world’s first genetically engineered probiotics. In this episode we’ll chat about how ZBiotics started with a product that aims to reduce the negative effects of hangovers, the current state of the sober-curious movement, and the implications of GMO labeling.
Show notes: