Food Business Marketing Podcast - Strategy, Stories, and Tips to Build a Strong Brand · Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) & Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods)

177. Three Emerging Brands Shaking Up Shopping Carts

March 25, 2026·51 min·3 clips

Liana says many people thought Nudo sold noodles, and she was okay with it.

The episode centers on three Expo West brands. The host treats them as different answers to the same question: how to build a strong brand that stands out and shakes up shopping carts. One brand starts with a family recipe. Another begins with a personal pain point in a category the host thinks desperately needs shaking up, which gives the conversation a more urgent, problem-solving edge. The third brand is still working through scale, with local programs and larger retail partners part of the path forward. Cove sun care comes up as a clear example. The founders talk through why sunscreen should feel good to use, why parents get confused by ingredient claims, and how a background in natural cosmetics can make ingredient choices more concrete. The show stays practical, focusing on what the product needs to do, what the customer needs to understand, and what experience from a founder's past can become a real advantage. That keeps the pace moving. The structure is deliberately varied: one story leans on heritage, one leans on personal need, and one leans on partnership, which makes the episode feel like a tour of different ways to enter the same crowded aisle. It also sets up more to come. The host signals that future conversations will feature brands further along in their journeys, so listeners can compare early-stage thinking with what growth looks like after the first wins. That framing turns the episode into a useful reference point for founders who want to see how strategy shifts as they build and grow. It is a conversation about momentum. The episode keeps returning to the idea that a strong brand is built through clear positioning, honest problem-solving, and the willingness to use past experience as a competitive edge.

As heard by us

Three brand stories, with a clear look at how each one tries to stand out.

This episode pairs three brands the host met at Expo West, and each one takes a different route to getting noticed. One leans on a family recipe with a twist, another starts from a personal pain point in a category that still feels overdue for a reset, and the third is trying to…

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Why you'd press play

Three founders, three different ways to earn a spot in the cart.

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