Daniel Staackmann is the founder of Upton’s Naturals – an independently owned producer of vegan foods founded in 2006. The company is focused on meat alternatives using innovative` ingredients such as wheat-based seitan and jackfruit. Upton’s Naturals sells its foods across the United States and around the world.
Click to Watch – Learn about alternative meat sources!
Aaron Goldstein is a Director at Lincoln International – a multinational independent investment bank and financial services company specializing in advisory services and financings on middle-market transactions. The firm works with publicly traded and privately-owned companies, financial sponsors, and lenders.
Click to Watch – Learn about selling your business!
Jeff Jordan is the General Manager of the Fazer U.S team, a 129-year-old international family-owned company out of Finland that specializes in making some of the world’s best confectionery. Jeff led Fazer’s U.S team to the successful launch of the Nordi brand of chocolates into the U.S market. Nordi is a premium brand of chocolate […]
Rob Dalton is the co-founder of 88 Acres, a small-scale bakery in urban Boston. Leading the operation is Rob and his wife, Nicole – together, they are on a mission to deliver healthy snacks on an ingredient platform of seeds.
Click to Watch – Learn about striking the right balance!
Hassan Alireza is the CEO and Founder of The Daily Crave – a snack food business that strives to make delicious, better-for-you snacks. Their Quinoa Chips, Lentil Chips, Veggie Chips and Veggie Sticks are non-GMO and contain no MSG, no hydrogenated fats, no trans fats, no artificial colors, flavors, or ingredients. Their snacks are gluten-free and kosher!
Click to Watch – Learn about following your cravings!
Carrie Abbott is the founder of Newfangled Confections – a contemporary return to blast-from-the-past candy with a dash of love and nostalgia-based in Indianapolis, IN. Carrie’s modern take on grandma’s candy dish favorites is inspired by fond childhood memories that included many trips with her grandfather to Hook’s Drugstore in the late 1970s.Click to Watch – Learn about delivering delicious candy!
Molly Wilson is the founder of Molly&You, a woman-owned and operated gourmet powerhouse. Today you can find Molly&You beer bread mixes, beer cake mixes, party dip mixes and her hottest sensation – microwave brownie, cake, and muffin mixes for one – in amazing flavors.Click to Watch – Learn about making a bold move!
Tony Migacz is the Founder and President of Cheesewich. Cheesewich was designed with today’s fast-paced health-conscious consumer in mind. Healthy low-carb and gluten-free meals are not always readily available. However, Cheesewich prides itself in bringing healthy snacks to moms looking for great lunch alternatives for their children, busy laymen needing high protein fuel and executives craving that high energy to make that next risky deal.
Click to Watch – Learn about taking action on a good idea!
Ari Sherman is a co-founder of Evo Hemp. He is a sales and marketing executive with experience in the natural products industry. Ari also co-founded Hemp Health LLC.
Click to Watch – Learn about creative hemp solutions!
Jeff Schmidgall is the co-founder of Bubba’s Foods. Since 2014, Bubba’s Foods has been at the head of a natural health food revolution where smart, healthy choices finally meet big, bold flavors. Run by gourmet chef Jared Menzel and his brother-in-law, former CrossFit trainer and health coach, Jeff Schmidgall, they’re satisfying your naughty and nice cravings with every wholesome green banana they peel, dash of chipotle they sprinkle, and nourishing handful you munch.
Click to Watch – Learn about understanding your market!
Mark Sarafa is the founder of Pop Daddy Popcorn. Seeking a healthier way for his family to enjoy snacking, one day Mark bought a large popcorn machine and started experimenting with different kernels and flavors in his basement, passing out his popcorn to friends, family, and neighbors. Following his successful experimentation, in 2013, Pop Daddy became Mark’s full-time job and the business has only kept growing from there!
Click to Watch – Learn about making the most of an opportunity!
Ryan Farr is the founder of 4505 Meats. 4505 Meats began back in 2009 when Ryan, started frying up chicharrones in his home kitchen. Living in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Ryan was inspired by the many bodegas and shops that carried chicharrones and he thought that the snack would be a great use for the pork skins he often saw thrown away in butchery practices and restaurant kitchens. With his first kid on the way, Ryan decided to start making chicharrones at home and selling them to local bars for extra cash. The chicharrones quickly became infamous throughout the city and endearingly dubbed “crispy clouds of porkaliciousness.”Click to Watch – Learn about pork skin snacks!
JJ Rademaekers is the founder and CEO of JJ’s Sweets. The idea for this company came to JJ in a dream he had one night in 2009. Inspired by the dream, JJ began experimenting with making delicious, natural sweets made from sustainably sourced, organic, healthier ingredients. What started as a candy stand at Boulder’s local farmer’s market has since grown into a thriving natural candy brand, with Cocomels occupying shelf space in more than 2,000 retailers around the country. In 2014, JJ’s Sweets further expanded our reach in the natural candy market with a line of Chocolate Covered Cocomels. Click to Watch – Learn about creating dairy-free candy!
Bill Bauernfeind is the founder of RedHawk Food Group. RedHawk Food Group is dedicated to providing incredibly delicious and healthy foods to consumers of all ages. Formed in 2014 by experienced food and beverage business leaders and investment, financial and operating managers, RedHawk entered into a long term license agreement with Jamba Juice, Inc. to produce, market and sell a specialized line of Certified Organic, non-GMO fruit snacks that are made with real fruit and provide 100% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C in each serving.Click to Watch – Learn about creating a strategic partnership!
Tom and Eric Healy are the father and son team behind The No Bake Cookie Co and AvoLov Avocado Chips. AvoLov’s chips are made from real hass avocados, dried to a crisp and seasoned to perfection. The No-Bake Cookie Company is based in Bend, Oregon, the lifelong home of founder, Carol Healy. Both Carol and her husband Tom grew up in the small community located in the heart of Oregon, at the base of the Cascade Mountains. Click to Watch – Learn about using simple ingredients!
Rob Nelson is the founder of Big League Chew. Big League Chew started from humble beginnings in the Portland Mavericks bullpen in 1977. For more than 35 years, the iconic pouches packed with shredded, flavorful bubble gum have become the preferred chewing gum for all ages having sold more than 800 million pouches to date.
Click to Watch – Hear all about creating a positive impact!
Gabe Carimi was selected in the first round of the NFL draft and received the Outland Trophy. He is currently a full-time fitness enthusiast with the before and after photos to prove it! His dedication to improving his lifestyle and diet led to the creation of Stryve. He has a beautiful wife, Danielle, who is a fitness warrior in her own right, as well as two cute kiddos.
Click to Watch – Learn about healthy beef snacks!
Kenney Joyal is the founder of Snowflakes Candy. Snowflakes Candy is dedicated to making delicious, uniquely-crafted candies that are satisfying, sweet, simple, and sugar-free. They made their debut with a line of a hand-crafted, artisanal candies, which are now available in stores nationwide. Snowflakes Candy remains dedicated to using high-quality, sustainably-sourced ingredients that our customers love for the sheer fun of eating guilt-free candy.
Click to Watch – Learn about sustainable sugar-free candy!
Trace Ostergren is the founder of MudLrk. Trace first ventured to China when he was 15 years old, where he attended school and travelled extensively throughout Asia. Although many ideas were attempted prior to MudLrk (pronounced Mud-Lark), Trace is confident that his brand and its products most exemplify his goals and beliefs: to create remarkable food products that are beautifully crafted, good for you and good for the planet.05Click to Watch – Learn about why we need to eat more plants!
James Cruickshank is the founder and CEO of Treeting Cards. James came up with the idea for Treeting Cards when he was seven due to the deeply felt injustice of his mom not buying him an Xbox. James’ cards are filled with unexpected twists and turns and are a true reflection of what he loves to do most —make people laugh! His little brother, Jack, with his unrefined and outlandish humor, contributes a lot of ideas as well and works as his right-hand man.
Click to Watch – Learn about developing creative and funny cards!