Matt Bunce joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Matt has 18 years experience in CPG R&D from Fortune 500 to B2B to Consulting and Startup. He is passionate about CPG, Food and R&D. His dream is to help businesses grow through making happy customers. Matt grew up lower middle class, first-generation college grad, grandparents immigrated from Europe.

Matt started his entrepreneurial journey in middle school buying gum in bulk and selling during class for 3x the cost. When he was old enough, he began mowing lawns in high school before starting his first job at a pizza shop where he landed in the ER from a meat slicer incident.

Matt has been with Whoa Momma from the beginning. He started as a consultant in 2019 and reformulated for scalability and quality, did trials and finalized flavors until taking a pause during Covid. After receiving an SBA loan for capital to launch, Whoa Momma Protein entered 300 retail locations in 2024. Matt became part owner in 2024 and developed several new innovations to fill the pipeline for the next 3-5 years. If all goes well, their next big launch will be with popcorn in January 2025!

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Matt:

• You have to get in front of your target customers, and that's the hardest part of marketing. It's trial and error, but getting in front of the right customers is a real challenge.
• Grocery has a real opportunity to start to dedicate sections to new brands so consumers know exactly where to go. Consumers can then see what's new and get really excited.
• Any entrepreneur needs to understand what their strengths and weaknesses are. Making those changes could potentially double or triple business just from implementing some of those changes.

Joe Rotondo joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Joe is the Founder & CEO of Smearcase, the first frozen cottage cheese ice cream (FroCo) on the market. Smearcase is the most protein-dense ice cream on the market with over 40 grams of protein per pint and boosted with collagen. Launched in July 2024 in NYC, Smearcase has quickly expanded to over 60 stores in the tri-state area and is set to debut in Sprouts and Whole Foods in 2025.

Joe’s entrepreneurial journey began in college, where his transition from exercise science to apparel designer inspired Rocky Clark, a luxury sustainable denim brand. He is a passionate advocate for product innovation, branding, and entrepreneurship and won the title of "Best Bagel of NJ" in 2018. Joe proudly ran the 2024 NYC Marathon earlier in November, channeling the same drive that fuels his groundbreaking ventures.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Joe:

• Community engagement is crucial for CPG marketing success. When your values are at the forefront of your relationship with those in your community, you will see a magnetic connection start to form.
• Building a unique brand requires innovation and disruption. If you're looking to get into CPG, find your niche and get really clear on how you're going to be different to drive that unique value proposition.
• We're just starting to scratch the surface on what personalization in food supplements can be. Consumers need to continue to learn what works for them. Be mindful of the noise that's out there, but don't just be a follower.

Brooke Cullison joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Brooke is a seasoned digital media strategist with a track record of driving exceptional results. With a decade of experience in the digital media landscape, she has spent the last 8 years leading media strategy and planning, while also building and managing high-caliber teams. As the Director of Ecommerce & Media at Liquid I.V., she plays a key role in overseeing acquisition, retention and media channels, helping drive growth on the company’s website, along with brand campaigns, paid social, television, streaming and out-of-home advertising. Brooke initially joined Liquid I.V. in March 2021 and has been instrumental in helping fuel an innovative, test-to-scale mindset that has made Liquid I.V. a true breakthrough brand.

In a digital landscape that's more competitive and crowded than ever, especially in the post-pandemic era, Brooke firmly believes that brands must be agile. The days of a singular path from Awareness to Conversion are over. There are more channels than ever to reach your audience, and you must create dynamic paths to purchase by reaching the right audience, at the right time, with the right message. This philosophy is at the core of Brooke’s approach to growth marketing, and it's what sets her apart.

As a proud UCLA alum, Brooke is committed to innovation, continuous learning, and driving impactful change in the industry. She is always excited to connect with like-minded professionals, so don't hesitate to reach out!

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Brooke:

• The brands that are doing the best right now, really standing out, and thinking of the consumer first, are those that embrace innovation.
• Balancing performance marketing with brand awareness is crucial.
• AI is transforming how consumers shop and search.

Co-hosts Jennifer Silverberg and Risa Crandall hit the stage at Groceryshop for a live recording of the CPG Scoop podcast. And Drew Ingram, Director of Portfolio Media Strategy at PepsiCo, joined them in Vegas for this super special 50th episode!

In the episode, Drew discusses the evolving landscape of marketing, consumer engagement, and the innovative strategies PepsiCo employs to stay ahead in a competitive market. He shares insights on the importance of adapting to consumer behavior, leveraging data for real-time optimization, and the role of influencers in brand authenticity. His conversation with Jennifer and Risa also touches on the challenges posed by economic factors and the integration of AI in marketing efforts.

Mehek Khera joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Mehek is the founder & CEO of Niramaya Foods, bringing back the promise of health through Indian inspired cooking techniques, her grandma's recipes and real foods + spices. Niramaya Foods makes dips & snacks that make heritage inspired nutrition hyper accessible and easy for the average American consumer.

After 10 years in different sectors of retail, Mehek had some health setbacks and realized that what she grew up eating at home, also a staple in billions of Indian homes - is missing on the shelf. After a long chronic health battle, she became a nutrition coach and now creates shelf stable food lines filled with Heritage Inspired nutrition for the busy modern consumer. Storytelling through dance is her secret passion and storytelling through food is her daily profession.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Mehek:

• Authentic storytelling is crucial in CPG marketing, and brands should leverage various platforms like TikTok to connect with consumers.
• CPG companies should be nimble and responsive to consumer needs, learning from their feedback and making necessary changes.
• The future of the CPG landscape involves bold flavors, clean labels, and products that support consumers' health and nutrition goals.

Marc Walkin joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Marc is a passionate and innovative marketing leader with over 15 years of experience. He has held a diverse set of leadership roles building modern brands in both retail and CPG such as Stop & Shop, Popcorners, Beech-Nut and Staples. Every position Marc has held had the common thread of building from the ground up from brand transformation to corporate strategy to breakthrough shopper & digital marketing playbooks. Marc is looking forward to continuing to leverage his experience and entrepreneurial spirit to make Turbyne’s mission a reality.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Marc:

• Understanding the shopper journey and creating a coordinated approach is crucial for success in the industry.
• In-store tactics, such as sampling and shelf displays, are underrated and can drive sales.
• Building a modern-day playbook and testing strategies in selected markets can lead to incremental growth.

Tina Manikas joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Tina is a dynamic agency leader, known for her focus on vision and relentless pursuit of compelling commerce and brand activation strategies, capabilities, and solutions to grow brands and solve commercial business problems.

As president of Tracy-Locke, she has been leading an award-winning brand to buying agency and is now a leader of global connected commerce in the evolved Omnicom Commerce group. Leading teams and solutions for major clients from large to challenger brands - Pepsi to Diageo to Mars to Pizza Hut and more. Prior to Omnicom, she has led and created agencies, with deep expertise in CPG and has been a passionate industry speaker and thought leader on commerce driving creativity and solutions.

As a past president of the jury at Cannes Lions and Spikes Asia, and an advisor at Effies US, Tina has helped evolve the categories of activation and commerce in these awards programs. She has played a key role in helping those who set the benchmark recognize outstanding commerce strategies and work, while also staying ahead of where the industry is heading.

Tina was named advertising woman of the year by the Chicago Ad Federation in 2019, and there is even a Tina Manikas Day in Chicago proclaimed by the Mayor! She serves on boards including the Off the Street Club in Chicago and the Chicago Foundation for Women, and she is a big supporter of female leadership and growth. She is super proud of the teams she’s led that have won Effie awards every year for the last 20 years. She is a retail geek and loves all things commerce and behaviors. She is a proud intrapreneur, and she has three kids and ten godchildren.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Tina:

• CPGs need to focus on value and joy in the buying process to compel consumers to choose their brands.
• Being nimble and partnering with others can lead to success in the ever-changing CPG industry.
• Finding balance and being present in different aspects of life is so important for personal well-being.

Susan Lambert, Director of Shopper Marketing and Customer Insights at Massimo Zanetti Beverage, joins Jennifer and Risa on the latest episode of CPG Scoop!

Susan has spent her career in CPG with companies large and small, starting in Sales then moving into Marketing and Insights. Susan truly loves studying consumer data - what people do, what it means, how to reach them, how we connect our brands to meet these needs, what are the white spaces in our portfolio, etc.

She has demonstrated strengths, including highly effective consultative selling, development of marketing strategies for both new and existing products, team leadership, expert proficiency in analytics, market research and sales management with demonstrated results.

Susan is very much a family person, and enjoys hanging with them in her "not work" time.

Our favorite takeaways from this episode with Susan:

• With consumers having many paths to purchase, we need to, very closely and customer by customer, optimize the way we can convert our products and help them convert products in stores.
• Micro-influencers that are aligned with your customer base can return very strong ROIs, low investment, great content, and great engagement.
• People are still looking for convenience, and are very interested in sustainability, but that definition varies by the cohort.