Welcome to the Joshua Schall Audio Experience On my podcast, you’ll hear episodes of my popular short-form Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) news segment "Consumed", a long-form CPG entrepreneurship interview segment "Formula For:", deeper dive segments "Deep Dish CPG", public speaking engagements, and any of my new and current thoughts that I record specifically for this audio experience! Leave a review on iTunes and let me know what you think!
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September 14, 20260 min
[MONDAY MINUTE] Inside Target's Massive New Grocery Transformation
Target is secretly turning into a scaled-up Trader Joe’s, executing the largest transition of its grocery department layout in more than a decade. Almost half of its grocery assortment has been overhauled, not to mention a huge expansion of health and wellness items. Also, Target just slashed prices on over ten thousand everyday grocery items. Plus, they spent BIG on new high-tech mega-warehouses…just to get fresh food to shelves two days faster than before. The result? In Target’s latest financial results, the retailer disclosed that food and beverage sales surged just over 7% YoY, approaching $6 billion for the quarter. And more than half of all Target shoppers now leave with groceries. So, have you purchased groceries at Target lately?
September 11, 202611 min
Is THG Quietly Selling MyProtein? | MyProtein Packaging Mystery | THG (The Hut Group) H1 2026 Update
Let’s just hope the MyProtein packaging I just saw was some mistake or they’ve got some explaining to do! THG (aka the company formerly known as The Hut Group) recently updated the public markets by releasing its H1 2026 results. I’ll be utilizing all available publicly disclosed information to obviously update you on the recent performance of THG Nutrition division, which includes the world's largest online sports nutrition brand MyProtein. Additionally, due to the THG Ingenuity demerger action occurring at the end of 2024, the up-to-date THG portfolio configuration now would be described as a global, cash generative, health and wellness consumer brands group. During the first half of 2026, THG Nutrition revenue was approximately $444 million, which increased 9.2% YoY. THG Nutrition delivered its sixth consecutive quarter of revenue growth. Moreover, momentum was said to be broad-based across sales channels and categories (especially outside of the core protein range like creatine). But I'll dive into several strategic decisions impacting MyProtein including its global digital sales channel strategy, offline retail expansion efforts, product licensing strategy, and let’s just say A LOT is riding on the success of the MyProtein global rebrand that delivered across 2023 and 2024. But within this earnings presentation deck there was this picture of MyProtein products that had a very different visual identity, which are an 180-degree turnback in the other direction. THG Nutrition still mainly deploys a global digital-first commerce strategy, with around 84% of its total revenue coming from direct-to-consumer, online marketplaces, and social commerce…but MyProtein has continued to invest in offline retail partnerships where it places a limited (or exclusive) SKU range as part of a bigger demand generation strategy. Although the most highlighted commercial strategy (utilized for offline retail expansion) continues to surround the development of MyProtein products that are sold under licensing arrangements. When done correctly, these types of retail partnerships boost customer touchpoints and broaden brand appeal. Nonetheless, this ambitious level of offline retail expansion globally will undoubtedly help drive a more diversified retail mix over the next few years. Equally, MyProtein continues to lean heavily into international product collaborations. THG Nutrition recently expanded the successful partnership with global confectionary giant Mars Incorporated. But since those MyProtein and Mars co-branded products are whey protein, I'll outlook how THG Nutrition attempts to mitigate elevated whey protein input prices. Lastly, I'll discuss if MyProtein or any of THG Nutrition is an M&A target.
September 10, 202610 min
"Cognitive Creatine" Market Opportunity is No Longer a Speculative Hypothesis
What if the most famous bodybuilding supplement in history was actually meant for your brain? For over 30 years, we’ve lived in a reality where creatine belongs exclusively to plastic shaker bottles, gym bro subculture, and building big muscles. But behind the scientific shadows, a parallel market universe has existed since the very beginning. In this episode, I'll dive deep into the collapsing walls between sports nutrition and cognitive longevity. From early 1990s constraints that commercially suppressed "cognitive creatine" to the modern epidemic of burnout, stress, and sleep deprivation...the macro dynamics have completely flipped. Discover how forward-thinking wellness CPG brands are leveraging new ingredient technology to charge premium prices for creatine, why combining creatine with nootropics creates a "dual-engine" for focus, and how food scientists are racing to solve the "golden goose" stability puzzle. Once unlocked, creatine is escaping the pharmacy aisle to become a baseline upgrade in mainstream functional drinks and the global food matrix. The "gym bro" era was just a temporary detour. Welcome to the future of cognitive health.
September 8, 20268 min
How cbdMD Bought Twinlab for Pennies on the Dollar
How does a small, struggling hemp company pull off the "heist of the year" in the supplement industry? In this video, I'm breaking down the mind-blowing M&A transaction between cbdMD and the legendary legacy supplement brand Twinlab. Drowning in a staggering $148 million of debt, Twinlab was completely insolvent. But instead of entering a standard federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they used a rare, state-level legal maneuver called an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC). Enter cbdMD. Facing its own regulatory existential crisis in the hemp industry, cbdMD used this legal shield to scoop up Twinlab’s entire $30 million operating business for less than $4 million (completely leaving behind that massive mountain of liability). Is this a textbook distressed corporate raid masterclass that will save cbdMD, or will the cost of digesting a broken giant drag them under? Let's look under the hood of the deal.
September 7, 20261 min
[MONDAY MINUTE] Twisted Loop of SNAP and Medicaid Waste | Stop Funding Chronic Disease
I generally hate overreaching regulations that unfairly target consumer choice. As an example, if you’re spending your own money, you should have absolute freedom to choose what you eat (or drink). But here’s my semi-controversial take…when it’s the taxpayer's dime, the rules change. If you’re receiving federal nutrition assistance (like SNAP), it’s hardly “overreach” to require that funds be spent on actual health-promoting foods and beverages. And you can stay ignorant, claiming I’m obviously whatever political party…yet I’m primarily focused on the double whammy of fiscal waste created by intersection between SNAP and Medicaid. If you weren’t aware, slightly over 75 percent of SNAP recipients are also enrolled in Medicaid. Also, over 40 cents of every American tax dollar collected is now spent on treating diet-related chronic diseases. Therefore, why are American taxpayers funding the purchase of chronic disease-linked foods with one hand, then funding the Medicaid treatments for those same diseases with the other?
September 5, 20260 min
Pat McAfee Has "Elite Grocery Store Knowledge" | CPG Brands Pat McAfee Should Invest Into Next
From an early bet on Liquid Death to co-owning JAMS, here is why Pat McAfee needs to go all-in on investing into CPG brands. I mean this in the most endearing way possible, but Pat McAfee looks like the type of dude that has “elite grocery store knowledge.” And this is why I think he really needs to stop dabbling and start investing extensively in food and beverage CPG brands. If you weren’t aware, Pat McAfee was an early investor in Liquid Death…and more recently became a co-owner of JAMS (the frozen PB&J sandwich brand attempting to dethrone Uncrustables). Why would this work? Because Pat McAfee is the king of the everyday consumer. He’s relatable, authentic, and doesn’t shy away from indulging a bit. So, when Pat McAfee says a snack (or beverage) is elite…his massive, loyal audience would clear the grocery shelves. Thus, he should be backing brands like Yough frozen pizza, JaJu frozen perogies (since I’m sure he ate many perogies growing up in Alleghany County), and maybe whoever’s building a cool Jell-O shots brand. What CPG brand do you think he should target next?
September 3, 202651 min
Billion-Dollar CPG Playbook with OLIPOP Early Backer | Nathan Cooper (Barrel Ventures)
Today, we are pulling back the curtain on CPG venture capital with Nathan Cooper, Founder and Managing Partner at Barrel Ventures. As an early backer of category-defining brands like OLIPOP, Nate shares his unique "Rules" of CPG investing in an era defined by rapid disruption. We kick things off by exploring how macroeconomic shifts, from GLP-1 lifestyle changes to wearables feedback loops, are redefining consumer habits. Nate and I explore the "Great Soda U-Turn," explaining how brands like OLIPOP successfully flipped the narrative to turn fizzy drinks from digestive villains into gut-health heroes. Although modern soda is just the beginning. In fact, we dive deep into the world of precision fermentation with pioneering companies like Helaina, analyzing how bioidentical lactoferrin bypasses traditional supply limits to disrupt the massive infant formula market (and beyond). Finally, Nate and I shed light on the explosive, high-stakes sectors of "Modern Oral" mouth pouches and the complex regulatory maze of hemp-derived functional beverages. Whether you’re an ambitious founder trying to build CPG brands that master the daily consumer ritual, an investor managing early-stage long-horizon fund economics, or industry stakeholder seeking fresh market insights, this conversation delivers!
September 2, 20269 min
Why Nestlé Just Abandoned a Billion-Dollar Dietary Supplements Empire 💊
Why did Nestlé just walk away from a massive dietary supplement empire generating $1.2 billion in annual revenue? In this episode, I'm breaking down the major corporate shakeup in the global dietary supplements market: Nestlé's decision to divest its mainstream "Holistic Health" vitamin platform to private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners for $1.0 billion. If you have brands like Nature's Bounty, Osteo Bi-Flex, Puritan's Pride, or Nuun in your medicine cabinet, their parent company is about to change completely. I'll dive deep into the strategic playbooks of both giants to explain why this "corporate orphan" deal is a textbook win-win for everyone involved. What I'm Covering In This Episode: $1 Billion Carve-Out: The scope of the massive transaction closing in the first half of 2027. Why Nestlé Walked Away: How commoditization, fierce retail price wars, and logistics pushed Nestlé to drop its mainstream volume lines to focus entirely on premium, science-led nutrition. Yellow Wood’s Superpower: How the PE firm behind Suave, Q-Tips, and ChapStick nurses neglected consumer brands back to hyper-profitable health. 3-Step Growth Strategy: How Yellow Wood plans to turn this massive bet into a giant payout using radical autonomy, extreme retail leverage, and emerging health micro-trends. What do you think about Nestlé's decision to sell off these household vitamin brands? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
August 31, 20268 min
The Ghost of Jet.com: How it Changed Walmart (& Online Shopping) Forever
Why did Walmart spend a staggering $3.3 billion on a 13-month-old startup, only to shut it down four years later? In this video, we uncover the incredible untold story of Jet.com. While many critics on Wall Street called the massive acquisition a desperate, overpriced Hail Mary, Walmart wasn’t just buying an e-commerce website. They were acquiring a radical, highly proprietary tech stack and a startup brain trust that completely transformed the retail giant's culture forever. We break down the 10 forgotten proprietary inventions and strategies pioneered by Jet.com that changed online shopping...and explain why its digital DNA still lives on in the retail apps you use every single day. What you’ll learn in this video: How founder Marc Lore inverted Walmart’s corporate culture. The math behind the "Smart Cart" dynamic pricing engine. Why "Basket-Level Logistic Transparency" changed per-item margins. How Jet.com let shoppers bypass credit card interchange fees. The genius trick behind waiving returns for direct discounts. Why pausing your orders in a "digital waiting room" saves millions.
August 31, 20260 min
[MONDAY MINUTE] Next Big Functional Foods Boom 💸 | Women's Health Trend No One Is Talking About
Think the next massive CPG boom only centers around protein? Think again! Type “postpartum snacks” into the magical Google machine right now…and you’ll get tons of results that are total bullshit. My wife is a few weeks postpartum with our second child…and I was literally LOL’ing at these blogs providing exhausted moms with recipes that endless require scratch cooking. So instead, new moms generally survive on whatever easily accessible snacks can be eaten with one hand. And as someone with 15+ years of high-level experience within the CPG industry, it makes no sense how the “Age of the Endless Aisle” hasn’t fully reached postpartum healing. Although the “women’s health” market overall has been surging lately…which tells me that one day relatively soon, functional snacks designed to specifically support specific women’s health stages will mainstream.
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