Pleasantly Persistent-Rooted Food Sales Podcast!

Hosted by Matt Cotton-Founder of Rooted Food Sales

Business EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

126

Latest episode

May 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Talking through the challenges, joys and all the daily topics that are part of our Food Sales world!!

Listen to episodes

60 recent

May 15, 202626 min

Building Relationships in Foodservice with Kareema Goodwin, President of The Ryan Group

Topics Discussed:⚡ Intentional NRA networking ⚡ Booth strategy essentials ⚡ Being smart with lead follow-up ⚡ Foodservice relationship building ⚡ Industry trends evolving

April 29, 202625 min

Transparency, Trade Shows & Helping Brands Win with Shannon Peffley of CPG Xperience

Topics Discussed:💡 Building Through CPG Failures 💡 Reinventing Trade Show Economics 💡 How Brands Win Trade Shows 💡 The Power of Consistent Follow-Up 💡 Service-Driven Business Mindset

April 8, 202622 min

Building a Better Candy Brand with Michael Fisher, Founder & CEO at Rotten

Topics Discussed:🍬 From startup employee to founder🍬 Building a better candy brand🍬 Supply chain challenges in CPG🍬 Hiring and team building lessons🍬 Candy first, health second philosophy

March 25, 202627 min

Turning Ballpark Food Into an Experience with Chef Philip Thompson, Executive Chef at Kauffman Stadium, Home of the Kansas City Royals

Topics Discussed:⚾ Reinventing stadium food experiences ⚾ Global fusion menu innovation⚾ Social media driving food trends⚾ Balancing cost and quality⚾ Creative vegetarian menu options

February 25, 202626 min

Selling Solutions, Not Just Ingredients with Jake Briere, Vice President of Business Development at Smart Batch

Topics Discussed:🍽️ Operator Mindset Over Features🍽️ Premium Products as Solutions🍽️ Smarter Sample Experience Design🍽️ Versatility vs Strict Recipes🍽️ Protein Trends Driving Menus

February 12, 202623 min

Cracking Foodservice Prospecting with Reed McCord, Founder & CEO at First Bite

Topics Discussed:🎯 Foodservice Prospecting Evolution🎯 CRM Without Data Entry🎯 Cold Email That Converts🎯 Menu-Driven Targeting Strategy🎯 Automation Meets Attribution

January 28, 202633 min

From Retail Myths to Real Scale in Foodservice, with Mike Levinson of Foodservice Octopus

Topics Discussed:🔥 Retail Is Not Inevitable🔥 Private Label Runs Retail🔥 Foodservice Is Underrated🔥 Taste Beats Brand Stories🔥 Feedback Scales Faster

December 3, 202523 min

Mastering Modern Cold Outreach with AJ Cassata, Co-Founder & CEO at Revenue Boost

Topics Discussed:📧 Crafting Effective Subject Lines📧 Follow-Up Strategies for Cold Emails📧 LinkedIn vs. Email Outreach📧 Leveraging AI in Cold Outreach📧 Sales Pet Peeves and Best Practices

November 19, 202525 min

AI, Discovery Calls & The New Sales Playbook with Preston Simon, VP of Sales, Away From Home at Generous Brands

Topics Discussed:👉 Data-driven foodservice sales strategies👉 Selling premium against private-label👉 Building multi-stakeholder relationship depth👉 Discovery calls that uncover truth👉 AI tools improving sales efficiency

November 6, 202531 min

From Chaos to Clarity: Coaching Founders with Dan Crothers, Founder at Upstream Coaching Solutions

Topics Discussed:🔹 The Role of Thought in Coaching🔹 Common Challenges for Founders🔹 Urgency and Decision Making🔹 Implementing Effective Systems🔹 The Importance of Trust and Communication