My Food Job Rocks!

I was first introduced to Burlap and Barrel when my friend Phil Saneski told me about them at MISTA. All the way in California. The next time I heard of them, I met Ori sitting down working at the WeWork Food Labs in New York, when I was doing my orientation. We chatted, knew a few common friends, and then he invited me to a Rabobank mixer. So if you’ve noticed a pattern with our entrepreneurial guests, the best way to get on the show is to know someone I think is cool, meet me in person, and take me out to drinks. Joking aside, Ori is a wealth of knowledge and I didn’t even know he built and sold a mortgage company! He used this experience to really shape Burlap and Barrel and with his cofounder Ethan, they make an unstoppable team with a variety of unique products. If you go to Burlapandbarrel.com, you’ll see a variety of spices you’ve probably never heard like Urfa Chili or ground Black Lime. As you’ll see in the episode, Ori took a lot of care in crafting the site to be as user friendly as possible. Plenty of tips and tricks in this one. Enjoy! About Ori Ori is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, where he leads the company's US operations and finances, as well as eCommerce and retailer relationships. Ori's family moved to Baltimore, Maryland from Israel when he was 5 years old. He developed a love of all things food as a kid, learning to cook Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes from his parents. Ever enterprising, Ori's entrepreneurial journey started in his teens, when he started a business (poorly) DJ'ing parties. Ori first teamed up with Ethan to start Guerrilla Ice Cream, an activist ice cream cart that received a frenzy of media attention, in 2010. A few years later, he launched Sindeo, a venture-backed mortgage company that provided home loans in an open and transparent way. Sindeo raised $32m, helped its customers secure more than $500m in home loans, and had record-breaking customer satisfaction scores. Ori took the startup from idea through acquisition. Show Notes MISTA WeWork Food Lab Burlap and Barrel – single origin spice company that helps farmers My cofounder, Ethan, was a chef in New York and worked as relief in Afghanistan. He found spices in Afghan and brought them back and people loved it Guerilla Ice Cream We bring our spices from farmers in 12 countries Ethan does operations and professional cooking, Ori is the operation and home cook How did you get to where you are today? I grew up in Maryland and went to the University of Maryland. I studied business. I started small and goofy entrepreneur projects I worked in the big ad agencies after that I learned how did people like Applebees and Six Flags marketed at scale Before Burlap and Barrel and after Guerilla Ice Cream, I had a mortgage company that raised over $30 million dollars. However, it was such a chaotic journey. Ethan approached me beforehand but I had to sell the mortgage company but he prepared for me What type of tweaks did you make?: A ton. Mainly optimizing Ecommerce Once we got press (that was basically this is Burlap and Barrel) our site exploded Once we asked our customers who they were, we found our demographic My Food Job Rocks: The more we do what we do, the more our spices go around the world Chef Ottolenghi is a gift: He wrote a ton of books and included our spices in our books How do you delight your customers?: We really care about our customers and are transparent when things are slow or if we have something special What do you want to learn about?: How do we hop on the trends that current buyers are forecasting? Do you read any business books that have helped you? The Hard Thing and Hard Things The Lean Startup Facebook group: #OMGCPG Surprisingly, there’s a whole community of food entrepreneurs who have their own problems More importantly, everyone is helpful in the industry For scrappy entrepreneurship, you have to cover your weak points. Doesn’t have to be experts, but friends and family Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might not have heard of Curion Insights. That’s because their job is to help big fortune 500 companies innovate. A lot the top food companies can get stuck in a rut and need services like Curion to test things using methods like sensory testing and category reviews. Keren Novack herself has an interesting background and uses her psychology degree often as she climbed up the career ladder to be a VP of Curion. We also go through an interesting section about the challenges new and innovative CPG products have when it comes to competing in the store. Also, we get a sneak peek on one of the hottest potential trends and how big companies are looking at it: Sustainable Packaging. Enjoy! About Keren Keren takes complex research initiatives at all stages of the project life cycle and utilizes a research-based psychology background to apply an insightful understanding of consumer behavior behind perception. Prior to joining Curion Keren worked for L’Oreal USA as a Sensory Research Scientist. Her 12 years of sensory & consumer insights experience includes food, beverage, and personal care. She is also a trained QDA panel moderator. Keren received her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College in Psychology and holds a Certificate of Sensory & Consumer Science from UC Davis. Show Notes What do you do for a living?: Market research Why do big companies ask Curion for help?: Big companies have biases and we help them navigate swiftly It takes a huge amount of resources and big companies can’t move fast. Even changing one thing can take a while New target markets make it much harder for big companies to innovate. Disruptors can get there fast, but big companies can’t. How do you guys do sensory tests?: We usually have the client come to us QDA Panels We have facilities in New York, Dallas, Chicago, the Bay Area, etc How much do you inform them?: Really depends. We work with everyone and some people know the tests and some people don’t How did you get to where you are today?: I’m a psychology major Franklin and Marshall College After college, where did you go?: I was applying to everything I found a job at L’oreal and it fits me perfectly Curion has grown a ton thanks to new leadership Herb Stone and Joel Sydel Food Science and Psychology is amazingly important How do you feel people with Psych degrees can feel more competent in the food industry? You have to live and breathe it and be in a company who supports it. My Food Job Rocks: I get to be in a company that embraces change Biggest trends: Plant-based with a focus on sustainability and nutrition. I think it’s a bit blown out of proportion CBD is rising too but we don’t really know where it’s going Are there any insights on how trends can be sustained?: The new millennials/Gen Z latches on to trends and rides them swiftly I don’t know if we’ll ever have a legacy brand anymore because there are so many new trends Are these new products going to be around in 20 years? The End of CPG (White label article) For grocery shopping, it’s so hard to choose and try new products The rise of online shopping People, especially families, have a static list and it doesn’t change Companies have to rely on word of mouth What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to taste?: We need to feed a lot of people. How do we make sustainable products? I think we can do better in waste and sustainability A lot of companies are actually focusing on sustainable packaging Anyone inspired you to get into food?: I fell into food but on the daily, people inspire me everyday What type of news do you consume?: Food Navigator Food Dive In general, people send me interesting things Do you have any advice for anyone to be in the food industry?: What do you want to do in the food industry? There’s so many options. Internships or trials are the best way to know about a job Where can we find you for advice?: email is best knovak@curioninsights.com LinkedIn works too   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re introducing something called the Pantry Podcasts, which is basically an analogy that these podcasts, like your pantry items, are practically timeless but eventually, you have to create something with them! Don’t think of this as year-old pasta, but rather that special bottle of bourbon you’ll open on special occasions or perhaps to reward yourself from surviving the tough period we’re all going through now. These interviews are timeless and get better with age. This was recorded a little bit less than a year ago back when I was planning another podcast but life changes and I just have been swarmed. During my time trying to make a new podcast, I had a ton of really amazing guests, but I didn’t have the capacity to make another, short-form podcasts. You’ll hear clapping in the background because I do this face to face at Food Funded, an amazing Entrepreneur and Investor Fair. I actually went to my first one to meet Paul and Joanna, the founders of Better Meat Co for the first time. The second time, I had a blast doing these interviews. The next one is on June 4th. I wonder what will happen again? Thank you, Cynthia Maxey, who is a super-connector of the food industry in the Bay Area, for introducing me to these amazing guests and letting me use her space to share these people’s stories. ---------------------------- Our first guest is Jon Sebastiani, I don’t think he needs any introduction. A pioneer of the natural food movement, he founded Krave Jerky, sold it to Hershey, and then started Sonoma Brands which has Smashmallow, Guayaki, and Dang Foods. Here you’ll learn how and why Sonoma invests in really cool brands. It’s more than just growth. Sonoma Brands Krave Jerky Why would a candy company want to be a Jerky Company? What was the hardest part of Krave?: the first 2.5 years of not knowing if we had something Was the growth of Krave gradual or exponential?: I was at the right place and the right time and the consumer was ready What do you look for in the companies you invest?: We want to understand the product fits into a need case. What food trends are exciting right now?: Actually everything. There are consumers who are always looking for premium products Why are you at Food Funded?: At Food Funded, I met some awesome people at the beginning and I want to give back What advice would you give someone who has an idea but is scared to share it?: Do a small MVP and see who buys it -----------------------  Will Rosenzweig is the Faculty Co-Chair at Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business Will has a great track record, just look at his resume. After founding the company, Republic of Tea, he then became a VP of Odwalla, holds a ton of leadership positions, and is just an all around good guy. Also, fun fact, I thought Will reminded me of Seth Godin and Seth Godin actually has a class about Food with Will! It’s called The Business of Food Workshop. Small world. I inherited a class by Alice Waters and Michael Pollen I also teach a social entrepreneur course on food innovation Berkeley Food Institute Transforming Food Systems Graduate Certificate Revolution Foods Republic of Tea – How an Idea Becomes a Business What do you teach your students?: We usually teach how to think and try to guide your moral compass Then we teach you how to become a systems thinker Edible Ed Class on youtube Edible School Yard Project Edible Education 101 How do you choose a problem?: Generally, the problem will find you and you will try and find a solution Design Thinking Toolkit Sam Kass Food investing has changed. You can raise money on an idea. Before you had to prove your worth What brings you to Food Funded?: I’m a big fan Regenerative Agriculture Mission Chinese Full Belly Farms Regenerative Agriculture is to restore the land and that’s through the soil What do you recommend for someone to start something?: Enroll a list of advisors You have to be credible You need passion, credibility and tenacity Prototype, test and iterate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we interview David Chan, Watter Resource Control Engineer by day, and creator of Nichijou Ramen by night! So before I got a full-time job at WeWork, I was thinking of launching a new podcast that was a lot less in formality and structure. Now, I don’t have the time, but I have a bunch of interviews that are amazing, but aren’t the common My Food Job Rocks structure. However, they are all super valuable, and I always think: would this ruin My Food Job Rock’s consistency? But then I think about the fact that this is my platform and I can do whatever I want. So You’ll find more experimental podcasts from old interviews in the future. I met David through an after-work group called Side Hustle Wednesday and we connected instantly because of our weird love of food. David is actually a civil engineer but he is obsessed with ramen. So the question is always “well, is he going to go full time into ramen?” And the answer is, you don’t have to! You don’t have to go all in to showcase your passion and that’s what I wanted to capture with David. You can have a perfectly fine high paying job and work on your craft. This is what I did with podcasting and my life is more fulfilling because of it. So not only how you’ll learn how to improve your passionate craft, but also tips on being yelp elite, social media strategies, and a lot of cool facts about ramen! Thank you to Jenise Vu for connecting us through her group Side Hustle Wednesday in Sacramento! Enjoy! Show Notes @nichijou.ramen Yelp Elite UC Davis Buca De Bepo My Sister introduced me to ramen Reddit Ramen Ramenheads Serious Eats Food Labs VP of Sun Noodle Kenshiro Ramen Lab Restaurant Social Media Strategies: Follow the right people, post consistently, own the market Shio Ramen – pure ramen Miso ramen – miso ramen I’ve done popups at New York, Portland and California Derek Siverrs  Franks Kafka Ryujin and Raijin in Sacramento Favorite Ramen: In Japan Motonashi Karoke Nichijou.net What’s next? More about techniques. For example. Bowl physics 5 components of ramen Soup Noodles Tare (seasoning) Oil Toppings Always Serve Yourself First 2 Tablespoons of Salt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alison Montford is the founder of Ends and Stems. A web platform where they send you recipes to help you be more mindful about food waste. This isn’t the first time around the block for Alison. She’s had a business before and is a master bootstrapper Alison used a ton of tricks that bootstrapped entrepreneurs have to use such as tapping into groups that share, and focusing on your Minimum Viable Product. For example, do you actually need to spend a quarter million on an app? Or would a simple website do? Also learn with how much the average person wastes and how much CO2 people emit when you waste food using pizza! Show Notes What do you tell people you first meet?: I’m a chef with a mission to eradicate food waste I have a web app where I send out ways to reduce food waste using recipes I interviewed over 1000 different families and got a lot of valuable data How did you get 1000 people to answer your survey?: Why are you struggling at dinner time? Viral effect on busy mom’s groups For surveys, you really need to target the target market Yummly How did you develop an app? I talked to a lot of people and a web app is much easier than mobile. Right now, I do it but eventually I want machine learning. However, people charge a ton for AI companies Kapwing – Why most MVPs should be a web app How did you get to where you are today? I studied Anthropology I got a sales job selling cryogenic storage for stem cells Why did you move from New York to San Francisco?: For the adventure One day I googled “What should I do with my life?” and I found “personal chef” Why did you sell a business?: I got burnt out, but it was a really hard decision Tell me about your pizza statistic Impact Consultant The average person wastes a pound of food a day It’s very hard to have people see the value of 1 kilogram of CO2 so we compare it to pizza. We want to target a certain part of food waste, people who pay attention to wasting food now Project Draw Down Paul Hawken ShamePlane.com My Food Job Rocks: I’ve been able to focus on what I’m interested. I’ve always wanted to do something a little bit different What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Farming Dan Barber: Third Plate What are some helpful resources you use?: Surprisingly, Facebook Groups San Francisco Women Chefs Facebook Group T-shirt company Mini Activists Advice for someone in the food industry: If you have no food industry experience, go volunteer into food How do we find you?: Go to www.endsandstems.com @endsandstems, facebook, etc It’s free for the first two weeks It’s two dollars a week   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have 15 stories throughout the WeWork Food Labs Ecosystem (and some of my personal friends) based on one simple prompt: A career in food can be incredibly difficult, and we believe it requires true love to work towards positive change within the industry. What moment or experience initially sparked your love of food and keeps you going when you’re having a tough day? we recorded what they said and put them all in this episode. Thank you for contributing: Trish Wesevich - Brand & Mortar Group Emily Kealey - Naturally Austin Nicky Chang - Junzi Gordon Crane - Apple and Eve Elliot Begoun - Intertwine Group Michel Nischan - Chef, 4 Time James Beard Award Winner Amin Bahari - Elite Sweets Alison Cayne - Haven's Kitchen Stephen Zagor - Consultant and Educator Mike Lee - Alpha Food Labs Kevin Newsum - Steamm Espresso Valerie Chouquet - Encore Gourmet Experience Daniel Scharff - JUST Vanessa and Kim Pham - Oxtale Co Adam Yee - WeWork Food Labs and a bunch of other stuff   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We interview several people who benefit from the SQF conference and you’ll be hearing case studies on how SQF has benefitted them from copackers to consulting. What I find really cool about this episode is how people get into the quality field and how they progressed throughout their roles. I find it beautiful that no matter where you are in life, you can end up in a career in food. What I find amazing is just how aligned in purpose the people in the quality field are. You’ll also hear from a special past guest and we catch up on what he’s been up to. A disclaimer is that this is in a live setting in a noisy conference room so it might be a little noisy. We’ve tried our best to mitigate the noise, so just be mindful when listening to the episode in whatever setting you’re in. Mandy Jennifer, QA Manager from Pillar’s Fine Foods Piller’s Fine Food It’s my first time visiting I brought my husband over There’s a new code this year. Ver 9.0 Leclerc Foods Alba Velasco SQF Practitioner of the US Waffle Company US Waffle Company We make store brand gluten-free pancakes and waffles We do foodservice and retail brands Food Safety Consortium Denise Webster Food Safety Consultant Food Safety consultancy Mark Crowell Certified SQF Trainer and Consultant Eurofins How do you become a trainer?: The application process, live training, test, and being shadowed Social Responsibility Standard How did you find out about food science?: Michigan State I wanted to be a chemist but I never had the personality of a chemist Tesco’s Fresh and Easy In any time in your career, you have to make critical decisions Bryan Armentrout VP Eurofins Past interview Eurofins actually does training and consulting Dr. Doug Marshall FSMA Connecting corporate and industrial to fill in gaps with the corporate supply chain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was invited to the SQF Conference in San Antonio to do some interviews. If you’re not familiar with the SQF Institute, it’s a certification body that ensures our food is safe. After all, SQF stands for Safe Quality Food, but it’s a lot more than that! I was fortunate to be invited to their annual conference last year to learn a bit more about the concepts behind SQF and the people who run it. We got quite a bit of content so I’m splitting it into two parts. I’d say this first part describes the ins and outs of the SQF program and the second part focuses more on, past guests and connections! It’s always so interesting meeting people in new places. Guests and Show Notes Sarah Mullunich  – Marketing and Sales Director of SQFI Food Industry Association Ethical Sourcing and Certification Systems SQF Certified: email me at s.mullenich@sqfi.com How to become SQF Certified: Find a certifying body and auditors come and verify your plant sqfi.com Only locations can be certified 12th year at SQF The conference is 2 and a  half days of learning and networking in the SQF industry Each year, we have a theme: this year’s theme is: Shaping the future of food safety together What’s super fun about SQF? Here in Texas. We're going to the Kinibbie Ranch that has a rodeo and live steers and celebrate Texas My Food Job Rocks: I get to keep food safe. Yawinder Sighn - Student from Cornell University  2nd-year phd from india I won a  scholarship to go to this conference How did you find out about the scholarship?: Cornell aggrigates student scholarship and I found this one IAFP IFT PCQI certification – part of FSMA, more global HACCP certification – generalized certification What do you win when you win the scholarship?: Travel expenses waived at $3000 dollars Reshmine from Galaxy Desserts – QA Manager I get interrupted in this one, but I decided to leave it here. I think it’s funny. We actually met at NCIFT SQF is important for everyone Why are you here?: It’s my first time here and I’m so glad I’m here. I get to network, learn more about certifying bodies, and learn about Edition 9 How did you convince your boss to go to SQF?: We’ve been SQF and you need to improve your skillset What have you learned today?: Improvement in the food fraud, environmental program, pretty much getting the most up to date methods The codes and standards keep changing and you have to keep up to date A person can be a SQF Practitioner a company can be a SQF Company My Food Job Rocks: We eat food every day. You’ll always have a  job Deni Otovemi -Quality Assurance at Wayne Farms Emerging Leaders Network We talked about risk and risk is a factor of profession Daniel Akimamayan IT Tech for SQF Bachelors of Economics Kainen Ryse Manager of the Ethical Sourcing and Sustainability Standard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daniel has had a multitude of very impressive jobs but nothing satisfies him as much as showing data for a good cause. Daniel’s job is to gather data sets through either tests that he sends out or gathers other data points to convince huge, conventional companies to use their products such as JUST Egg. If you’re in the plant-based industry, there’s a lot to think about such as: who is your actual target market? Or What’s in a name? You’re also going to learn the value of networking. Perhaps the value of hard work is something you can’t put on a resume. I think what’s fascinating about Daniel is that he puts a ton of effort in his roles and people recognize it in each part of his career path. So much, he started his own networking group, SF CPG. You’ll also learn… one fun thing about JUST. They have a  band called the Super Fantastics and Daniel’s the drummer and singer Stay tuned. At the end of the episodes, you’ll hear a song from them We do this episode at the JUST office. Show Notes Smart Kitchen Summit SF CPG Or San Francisco Consumer Products Group Next Gen Chef MISTA Seeds of Change Burning Man What’s your role?: I’m the director of Strategy and Analytics and Insights How many Eggs are in JUST? 8 eggs per bottle Downstream Processing People are looking for plant-based are health reasons. Even if they don’t eat a lot of plant-based, it’s healthier. This plant-based product isn’t 2% of the population, but 40% of the population Primary Research: Surveys and trying to understand plant-based consumers Most research about customers and labels Just Egg: Made from plants, not chickens What’s a good survey plant?: You can do a 20-50 person sample and get good data as a litmus test Why did you choose psychology?: Kenyon College in Ohio, both of my parents are psycologists After my MBA, I got a job at Deloitte After Deloitte, I got into Mars How did you get into Mars?: I met this guy from old fashion networking. I would get referrals, and if anyone wanted to meet with me, I would ask them for time to meet and I met them in person. How did you get a job at JUST?: JUST reached out and asked for someone to understand pricing In general, the approach to pricing is to find the options (competition), test it, and see what works. What resources do you have on your disposal How did you change from pricing to analytics?: I saw the sales go in and pitch a story, but they need data SPINS Data Surveymonkey My Food Job Rocks: I get to do something meaningful and impactful Food Trends: Cultured Meat What is one thing you’d like to know more about?: It’s a privilege to hear about such exciting stuff that’s happening in other companies What type of resources would you like to share?: Think about your dream job and then find ways to get there. Podcasts: Taste Radio, How I Built This JUST has a house band with a band room The Super Fantastics Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lilian Cruz-Hand, is a Quality Specialist, but she does so much at her job at Save A Lot. From building a sensory lab, to working with product development. She's a rockstar, and listens to all of my episodes. So much, that her boss actually contacted me to interview her! Eric Iserman asked me to interview Lilian and I think that really says something about the team in Save A Lot and supporting one another. It's a sign of a good culture. Though a fun little segment, Lilian brings a ton of knowledge on the table about white-labeling, building labs, and an example of lifelong curiosity. Perhaps being a superstar specialist isn’t about digging deep into one field, but understanding how each field affects one another. You’ll also learn what goes behind making a white label product, you know, the store brand products in grocery stores. Lilian does an amazing job on describing what goes into it and what you might need to pay attention to in that role. About Lilian Lilian Cruz-Hand is a Quality Specialist Sensory Lead at the headquarters of Save A Lot Food Stores in St Ann, Missouri. With over 9 years of experience in the food industry, she has created prototypes to test with consumers against marketing concepts; and worked on bench top product development through commercialization. Lilian has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and is currently earning her Culinary Arts degree at St Louis Community College. Lilian has had the opportunity to explore many facets of the food industry ranging from quality, to R&D, and sensory in both small family-owned companies and global food competitors. Lilian combines all of her previous experience in her current cross-functional role working in a test kitchen and sensory laboratory where she is responsible for new product development, quality assurance and continuous improvement of products marketed under Save-A-Lot's private label portfolio. Show Notes Save-A-Lot is limited Assortment which is why products are a bit cheaper St. Anne Missouri We opened a space last year with a ton of open tablespace. Lots of equipment and lots of storage and equipment How did you find out about food science?: I have a chemistry degree and focused on biomedical research at first. Sometimes I shout EUREKA just to boost morale My first job was entry-level lab assistant stuff and worked more on analytics. Then I worked in Quality in a spice company Abbott Nutrition – Learned all things sensory DuPont in St. Louis with protein shakes Skillset: While you work, you’re always developing your technical skill How do you develop a sensory lab?: The bible for sensory labs: The Sensory Techniques Textbook Reference Organization of Sensory Professionals My Food Job Rocks: I get to make an impact, my team is amazing and I get to do something new. Where do you go to find food trends?: My local grocery stores but also many other competitors so I can see who’s there and what options exist? There’s a lot of growth on private labels What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Lack of high quality but low cost products Favorite Quote: I think food, culture and landscape are completely inseparable Favorite Book: Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook Junior’s Cheesecake Favorite kitchen item: Kitchen knives such as Henkel knives, Advice for the food industry: Don’t be afraid to try something else Where can we find you?: LinkedIn Sensory professionals: I’m in the directory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices