Nombase Podcast

Hosted by BevNET Inc.

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Episodes

140

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

BevNET presents: The Nombase CPG podcast, a series featuring open discussions on pressing topics impacting food and beverage businesses. Each episode explores a key issue in the CPG industry, offering timely insights, tactical advice, and community discussion. Join the live podcast recording to ask your questions and share your comments directly with our guests, or catch up on past podcast episodes anytime.

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60 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 13738 min

Before You Spend More on Growth, Ask These 5 Questions

As brands grow, it's easy to focus on the next retailer, the next marketing initiative, or the next distribution opportunity. But sustainable growth starts with a deeper understanding of your brand identity, who it's for, and what makes it truly different. In this episode, Eric Ramstad of Farmwell Drinks, Shaakira DeLoach of Ginja Snap, and brand strategist Kelly Criswell of Mudge to discuss how emerging brands can build around a niche, attract the right consumers, and create a foundation for long-term growth. From rebrands and packaging decisions to demos, consumer feedback, and community building, the conversation explores the questions founders should be asking as they refine their positioning and prepare to scale. You Will Learn: • How to identify the consumers most likely to become loyal customers • Why simplifying your messaging can strengthen your brand and improve consumer understanding • How to use demos and direct customer feedback to refine positioning and packaging • What creates meaningful differentiation when competitors can copy your ingredients or category • How to evaluate whether your current positioning can support future growth and expansion

June 8, 20261 min

A Quick Note From BevNET Live

Hope to see many of you at BevNET Live this week on June 10 + 11 in NYC! And for everybody else, we'll get back to our regularly scheduled podcast next week. Thanks for being part of our community!

June 2, 2026Episode 13535 min

What You Need to Know Before BevNET Live with Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman

Getting ready for BevNet Live June 10–11 in New York City? Or on the fence? BevNet's Editor-in-Chief, Jeff Klineman, walks through a practical "how to do BevNet Live" guide — covering the agenda, key speakers, and how to make the most of every hour at the show. We cover: Tips on how to get the most out of networking, speaker presentations, 1:1 meetings with retailers and investors, and everything else at the show What you need to do at BevNET Live and what you can catch up on when you're back home Agenda highlights from Athletic Brewing, Culture Pop, and Dirty Shirley on building without outpacing your business Retail sessions with Walmart, Whole Foods, and Vitamin Shoppe on getting — and staying — on shelf Five investor-focused sessions including a term sheet tutorial and a former PepsiCo M&A lead The delta-9 hemp category under the microscope as Congressional pressure threatens its future Early intel on AI and agentic commerce — what CPG brands need to do now before big players lock it in There's still time to register at Bevnetlive.com - see you there!!

May 26, 2026Episode 13432 min

Small Format Retail is More Than A Shelf. Here's How It Can Turn Early Placement Into Bigger Opportunities.

Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart, shares what emerging CPG brands can learn from small format retail, curated placements, and real shopper behavior. She also breaks down the reopening of The Goods Mart in Brooklyn, a new South Williamsburg location with double the space, expanded grab and go, frozen, pantry, beauty, home, vintage snack finds, and a front row view into what consumers actually buy. You will learn: How small format retail can help brands test packaging, price, and positioning Why taste and founder hustle matter more than launch hype How placement at small format retail stores can lead to press, investors, and new accounts How to think about hotels, offices, coffee shops, and other nontraditional channels Why operational readiness matters before expanding into new outlets How to use customer feedback to understand what drives repeat purchase

May 19, 2026Episode 13354 min

What Actually Breaks First When a CPG Brand Starts Working

This conversation began as a Nombase webinar, and due to listener demand, we turned it into a podcast episode. In this episode, Evan Walther of Oceans walks through a discussion with Troy Bonde, co-founder and CEO of Sauz, William Hicks, CEO and co-founder of Magic Mind, and Ian Myers, founder of Oceans, on what really happens when a CPG brand moves from early traction into serious growth.They get into the messy middle between roughly $2M and $20M in revenue, when product market fit is real, but the team, cash flow, operations, and retail systems are suddenly under pressure. You will learn: • How Sauz handled a Target PO bigger than its lifetime revenue • Why founder bandwidth becomes the first real scaling bottleneck • How Magic Mind improved cash flow by renegotiating supplier terms • Why unit velocity matters more than top line revenue in retail • When to spend on packaging before paid marketing • How to use retail media, demos, and display to drive trial • Why early hiring mistakes can create more drag than leverage • How to know when your systems are breaking before your team does If your brand is working, but everything is starting to feel stretched, this episode will help you understand what's normal, what's avoidable, and what to fix before growth breaks the business.

May 12, 2026Episode 13250 min

They Invested In Poppi, Siete & Bachan's. How A 'Supernatural' Team Evaluates Early-Stage Brands.

*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="ce2b53dc-7798-4ae5-a680-465ac155c919" data-turn-id-container="ce2b53dc-7798-4ae5-a680-465ac155c919" data-testid="conversation-turn-34" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="assistant"> Chris Robb, founder of Supernatural Ventures and early investor in brands like Bachan's, shares how he evaluates founders before revenue, what separates breakout brands from the rest, and why most CPG companies waste money too early. You will learn: • Why unit velocity matters more than total revenue in early retail growth • How to price your first fundraising round without hurting future raises • Why packaging is the one area early brands should overspend on • How to use retailers and store buyers as real world product validation before scaling • What Chris looks for in founders before investing pre revenue capital Chris also breaks down how Supernatural Ventures approaches pre-seed investing, why he avoids heavy marketing spend early on, and how brands can build momentum organically before raising larger rounds.

May 5, 2026Episode 13141 min

OpenSky Ventures Fund II Is Live: Is This Investor For You?

OpenSky Ventures has backed brands like Fishwife, Magic Mind, and Habiza, and is actively deploying capital into the next wave of innovative businesses. They focus on brands with early traction, strong customer loyalty, and clear potential to scale into lasting, differentiated brands. In this episode, Stephanie Nwokolo Hussey, Principal at OpenSky Ventures, breaks down exactly what they look for, how they evaluate founders, and how to know if your brand is a fit before you pitch. You will learn: • How to prove real brand strength through repeat rates, subscriptions, and early customer loyalty signals • What investors actually want in a deck, including must show metrics and common deal breaking mistakes • How to stay capital efficient by controlling marketing spend, supply chain costs, and team structure • How to build a go to market strategy using organic growth, community tactics, and customer first channels • How VCs separate real trends from hype using examples like protein demand and GLP 1 driven behavior shifts If you are a food or beverage founder thinking about raising, this episode will help you quickly understand whether Open Sky should be on your target list.

April 28, 2026Episode 13047 min

Zeroing in on Costco, Target, Walmart? What to Fix Before You Go Big

Landing a major retail account can change a brand overnight, but only if the operational foundation is ready to support it. Join Paul Verdu and Mitch Wedemeier from Octopi, a co-manufacturing partner backed by Asahi Group, to break down what really happens when brands scale into large national and club retailers. You'll learn: • Why landing a retailer like Costco or Target often creates a 90 to 180 day production sprint and what must happen within that window • The critical documentation required including specs, certifications, and material data to enable a smooth transition between co manufacturers • How differences in co-manufacturer equipment and capabilities impact product quality, timelines, and scalability • Common surprises around packaging, lead times, and retailer requirements and how to plan for them early • How to balance forecasting, inventory risk, and production flexibility to avoid stockouts amid unpredictable reorder cycles

April 20, 2026Episode 12945 min

25 Million Americans Use Yuka. Here Are The Things That Will Kill Your Score

Yuka is increasingly influencing what gets bought and what gets put back at shelf, with millions of consumers using it in real time while they shop. In this episode, we're joined by Gabriella Sebag-Weingrad, who leads Yuka's US business, to break down how it all works and what it means for food and beverage brands trying to stay competitive. For founders, understanding Yuka is no longer optional, it's a competitive advantage. How Yuka's scoring system actually works and which ingredients can instantly cap your score or drag it down The specific additives and formulation choices most likely to get your product put back at shelf What happens after a scan, including when consumers switch, trade up, or abandon products entirely How brands are reformulating in response and what they're removing without replacing Ways to improve your score without destroying margin, taste, or shelf life How to turn Yuka from a risk into a growth lever by positioning your product as the winning alternative

April 14, 2026Episode 12841 min

How to Stop Fighting Operations Battles and Find Your Flow

Growth is exciting, until your operations start pushing back. Many founders try to solve this by working harder, producing more, or expanding faster. But the brands that actually scale learn a different lesson: at some point, you have to stop forcing it and start building systems that work with your business, not against it. In this Nombase podcast, Dirty Gut founder Daniel Berlin sits down with Jesse Barruch, co-founder of Whims, to get some advice on how to navigate that shift without breaking your business. Find out: How to know when you're forcing growth instead of building real scale How to schedule smaller production runs early to save you from costly mistakes later How to approach co-manufacturer selection and avoid the wrong partners What to track when you have little to no data and how to build useful systems over time How to think about inventory, forecasting, and demand planning in the early stages The operational problems that only reveal themselves as you grow How to decide what to handle yourself and what to outsource as a founder The tradeoffs between control, cost, and efficiency in your operations How to structure your time around high impact work that actually drives growth Why your vision for the business should guide every operational decision you make