Jo-Anne Reynolds
Born and raised in South Africa, Jo-Anne has lived all over the world and most recently has called Calgary, AB home for the past 11 years. Jo-Anne has an executive…
Food is universal. Everyone eats. But building a food business? That’s a special kind of challenge. The founders in this section have done it. Restaurants, food brands, beverage companies, meal delivery services, and everything in between. All while dealing with razor-thin margins and the fact that your product literally expires.
These interviews cover the full food and beverage landscape. CPG brands. Restaurant concepts. Food tech. Alcohol. Coffee. Health food. The farm-to-table movement. And the logistics of getting perishable goods from point A to point B without anything going wrong. Which it always does.
What makes these founders interesting is the passion. Nobody gets into food for the easy money. Because there isn’t any. They get into it because they care about what people eat and drink. And that passion comes through in every conversation.
You’ll find insights on product development, retail distribution, restaurant operations, food safety, branding in a crowded market, and the particular challenge of scaling something that started in a kitchen. If you’re building in food and beverage, or thinking about it, these are your people.
Born and raised in South Africa, Jo-Anne has lived all over the world and most recently has called Calgary, AB home for the past 11 years. Jo-Anne has an executive…
Olga Sagan is the sole owner of the nationally renowned Piroshky Piroshky. Founded in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market, Piroshky Piroshky has offered hand-crafted pies to loyal fans since 1992….
Rob Koenen is the Chief Marketing Officer of Boxed Water is Better®; the first national company to offer a sustainable alternative to plastic water bottles and aluminum cans. Rob is…
Adams Chimera, CEO of Rootd, has spent the better part of the last decade as an insider in the vitamin industry. After working for many of America’s most recognizable vitamin…
Robert is a three-time entrepreneur. He sold his first company for $300,000 while he studied at the University of Southern California. He is a Forbes Under 30 Scholar and Global…
Taking risks and challenging yourself is necessary, but it’s always best to mitigate these risks by being well-researched, well-informed, and well-prepared. Simon Hansen is a digital entrepreneur and founder…
Stick to your core principles and focus on making products that you make well and are passionate about. Stacie is CEO and owner of Bilinski Sausage Co, a third-generation…
Know your numbers, get the facts, then outwork the world! Jimmy John Liautaud is the founder of Jimmy John’s, a sandwich chain that prides itself on “Freaky Fresh” ingredients…
Peter Yang is a millennial entrepreneur, a second-generation restaurateur and the co-founder and Chief Development Officer of Pokeworks. Yang was exposed to the restaurant industry at a young age, with…
Focus on your core and try to please that one guest you have in mind. This creates the quality in what you do while serving the needs of your target…
Never say never…nothing can stop you if you put your mind to it. Rowena Scherer founded eat2explore to teach her kids and kids around the world about different cuisines…
Talk to your target market first to decide what to sell based on what they say they will buy, don’t invent it in a vacuum. Alison Mountford is the…