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The American food system is like a speeding locomotive heading in the wrong direction—and stopping it won't happen overnight.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with AJ Richards, founder of From the Farm, about why our centralized food supply chain is brittle, how "greenwashing" has destroyed trust in organic labels, and the decentralized "Airbnb model" he is building to fix it.

Listen to learn:

🚂 Why reversing food system collapse takes 20 years minimum
🥩 How a hub-and-spoke model returns 100% of revenue to ranchers
🛑 Why legacy farmers are abandoning "Certified Organic" labels
📦 How to monetize logistics without charging a commission
🏭 Why government slaughterhouse grants failed without marketing
📉 The direct link between cheap food and rising healthcare costs

Whether you’re in AgTech, supply chain operations, or just care about where your food comes from, AJ offers a sobering look at the fragility of our system—and the infrastructure required to save it.

Learn more about From the Farm:
🌐 https://fromthefarm.org/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodsystem #supplychaincollapse #agtech #regenerativeagriculture #foodsovereignty #businessstrategy #fromthefarm #logistics #futureoffood #organicfarming #entrepreneurship #ranching #foodsecurity

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Founders often dream of an exit, but few understand what corporate acquirers are actually looking for.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Auroni Majumdar, VP of R&D and Global Open Innovation at CJ Foods, about the specific criteria global giants use to evaluate targets—and how to position your startup as a "must-have" asset rather than a risky bet.

Listen to learn:

🏠 Why acquirers prefer "fixer-uppers" with good bones over "fully renovated.”
🍔 Why speed to market is now the #1 driver for acquisitions.
🤝 A masterclass in negotiating partnerships that build trust and lead to deals.
🌍 What Asian and Global markets are looking for in US-based food tech.
🧠 How to identify if your technology solves a specific "hub and spoke" problem for a global strategist.
💊 How the "share of stomach" shift is changing how investors value food companies.

Whether you’re a founder building for an exit or a corporate leader looking to innovate, Auroni opens the playbook on how deals actually get done in the food industry.

Learn more about CJ Foods:
🌐 https://www.cj.co.kr/en/index

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #cpgstrategy #brandbuilding #fablefish #wildsalmon #sustainablebusiness #foodsupplychain #upcycledfood #manufacturing #privatevsbrand #founderstories #businessstrategy #bootstrapping #retaildistribution #womenincpg

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Sometimes the hardest decision in business is turning down revenue—especially when you’re just starting out.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Meghan Luck, founder of Fable Fish Company, about how she transformed a commodity by-product into a premium CPG brand—and why she rejected a massive private label contract to do it.

Listen to learn:

🐟 How to turn supply chain waste into a premium CPG brand
🛑 Why saying “no” to easy revenue protected long-term equity
🤝 The reality of finding a manufacturing partner who truly cares
🧪 How to scale from kitchen recipes to industrial production
🛒 Why simple trade show presence beat big budget booths
🧠 How to balance daily fires with proactive growth strategy
🎣 Why authentic founder stories win retail partnerships

Whether you’re a bootstrapped founder, a CPG operator, or navigating a family business transition, this episode offers a blueprint for prioritizing long-term value over short-term cash.

Learn more about Fable Fish:
🌐 https://fablefish.co/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #cpgstrategy #brandbuilding #fablefish #wildsalmon #sustainablebusiness #foodsupplychain #upcycledfood #manufacturing #privatevsbrand #founderstories #businessstrategy #bootstrapping #retaildistribution #womenincpg

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Most companies think they have a sales problem. In reality, they have an alignment problem.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with DeAnn Petersson, founder of Sunburst Sales Innovation, about how companies can build predictable revenue without adding headcount by fixing what’s broken between sales, marketing, leadership, and operations.

Listen to learn:

📈 Why most sales challenges are actually alignment issues
🧠 How to move from instinct-driven growth to intentional, repeatable execution
🤝 Why sales needs a seat at the strategy table
💰 How compensation plans often work against growth initiatives
🧩 What true sales and marketing alignment looks like in practice
📊 How companies can grow up to 32% without increasing spend or headcount
🏗️ How to build scalable revenue systems without killing speed or hustle

Whether you’re a founder, sales leader, or operator trying to scale responsibly, this episode offers a clear framework for creating growth that’s predictable, sustainable, and aligned.

Learn more about Sunburst Sales Innovation:
🌐 http://sunburstsi.com

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #predictablerevenue #salesalignment #revenuegrowth #gotomarket #salesleadership #businessstrategy #revops #scalablesystems #salesandmarketing #growthwithoutheadcount #b2bsales #leadershipdevelopment #commercialstrategy #founderinsights #entrepreneurship

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The coffee industry is massive — but it’s also structurally broken.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina sits down with Andy Kleitsch, co-founder and CEO of Atomo Coffee, to unpack how his team is approaching disruption in a $450B market without alienating consumers, retailers, or the industry itself.

Listen to learn:
☕ Why disrupting coffee requires working within existing consumer rituals
📉 The structural problems inside the global coffee system
🧠 Why market entry strategy matters more than technical perfection
🚀 How Atomo shifted from product innovation to business model innovation
🏪 What Andy learned from launching through cafés and specialty operators
📊 How sustainability became a growth advantage — not a cost
🤝 Why blending into existing products may scale faster than standing alone
🌍 How mission alignment attracts better talent, partners, and investors

Whether you’re building a food or beverage brand, navigating a legacy industry, or trying to turn a mission into a scalable business, this episode offers a clear look at how disruption actually works in practice.

Learn more about Atomo Coffee:
🌐 Website: https://atomocoffee.com

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodtech #beverageindustry #coffeeindustry #marketdisruption #businessstrategy #foodandbeverage #sustainablebusiness #startupstrategy #founderstory #categorycreation #innovationeconomy #goToMarket #missiondriven #entrepreneurship

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What happens when someone with no distilling background buys a failing rum distillery and rebuilds it into a Louisiana cultural staple?
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Doug Miller of Wildcat Brothers Distilling about how he transformed a struggling operation into a craft rum brand rooted deeply in local agriculture, Cajun and Creole heritage, and true Louisiana terroir.

Listen to learn:
🥃 Why Wildcat Brothers uses raw Louisiana sugar instead of molasses
🌾 How Louisiana terroir shapes the flavor, aroma, and identity of their rum
🧪 What open-air fermentation brings to the spirit (and why it’s so hard to control)
🔥 How Doug rebuilt a failing distillery with zero industry experience
🛢️ The art of aging rum in bourbon barrels and local woods like hickory and persimmon
📉 Why “go smaller to grow bigger” became their guiding business philosophy
📈 How private label projects and small-batch innovation fuel sustainable growth
🏪 The reality of OND season — and how they built year-round revenue to survive it
🤝 Why mentorship and community matter so much in the craft spirits world

Whether you’re building a CPG brand, entering the craft beverage space, or scaling a heritage-driven business, Doug’s story offers a powerful blueprint for growing with authenticity and purpose.

Learn more about Wildcat Brothers Distilling:
🌐 Website: https://wildcatbrothers.com/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #craftspirits #rumdistilling #louisianaculture #americanrum #craftdistillery #foodandbeverage #founderstory #entrepreneurship #growthmindset #businessstrategy #terroir #artisanrum #cpgroundtable #smallbusinessgrowth

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Most people think water kefir is just another kombucha. It’s not even close. And for Fermenteria founder Jade Chang Sheppard, that misunderstanding became the opportunity to build an entirely new functional beverage category.
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Jade about how Fermenteria went from a small taproom to a fully self-manufacturing fermentation brewery producing a zero-sugar, multi-strain probiotic beverage unlike anything else in CPG. Jade reveals why water kefir requires scientific rigor, why no co-packer can make it correctly, and how vertical integration and rapid innovation have become Fermenteria’s biggest strategic advantages.

Listen to learn:
🥤 What water kefir actually is — and why it’s not kombucha
🔬 Why Fermenteria built its own brewery, lab, and 45-barrel system
⚙️ How self-manufacturing protects culture integrity and product quality
🚀 How Fermenteria iterates faster than big beverage brands
🧪 Why a microbiologist is essential to producing real water kefir
🏪 How retail partners respond to a totally new category
💡 How innovation and education drive consumer adoption
👥 The founder mindset behind building something that didn’t yet exist

Whether you’re a CPG founder, a functional beverage innovator, or simply curious about what it takes to build a category from scratch, this conversation pulls back the curtain on the science, discipline, and creativity behind Fermenteria.

Explore more about Fermenteria:
🌐Website: https://fermenteria.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fermenteria/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodentrepreneur #cpg #foodandbeverage #waterkefir #functionalbeverages #fermenteddrinks #probioticdrinks #zerosugarbeverages #founderstory #entrepreneurship

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What separates the best-performing teams from the rest, especially in fast-moving and ultra-competitive industries like produce, grocery retail, and CPG?
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In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Don Klusendorf of D&W Marketing, a leader with decades of experience in fresh produce, category strategy, leadership development, and team building. Don breaks down how strong teams really operate, why clarity and preparedness matter, and how value is the real differentiator in commodity-driven categories.

From building better internal teams to helping retail and foodservice partners solve problems before they arise, Don shares practical leadership lessons shaped by years in the food and beverage industry.

Listen to learn more about:
👥 Why the best teams share definitions, language, and expectations
🚀 How taking initiative helps people build confidence and competence
🥕 What most brands misunderstand about selling in produce and CPG
💡 Why value (not price) is the true competitive edge in commodity categories
📈 Why you should think like a businessperson, not a salesperson
🏆 What turns vendors into trusted problem-solving partners

Whether you lead a sales team, manage produce or CPG accounts, or want to strengthen your leadership skills, this episode offers straightforward tips on building teams that perform and relationships that last.

Explore more about Don:
🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-klusendorf-57909513/

🚀 Learn More About Our Sponsors:
Intercontinental Beverage Capital: https://inbevcapital.com/
Sinuate Media: https://sinuatemedia.com/

#recipetorevenue #foodandbeverage #produceindustry #cpgindustry #teambuilding #businessleadership #selling #b2bfood #categorygrowth #retailmerchandising #valuecreation #entrepreneurship #growthmindset #businessstrategy #leadership

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