Hearts & Carts: Recent Episodes
Alex Hill
Weekly Podcast from Alex Hill & Justin Osborne about the people behind the products that are winning hearts & filling carts.
This cast is for anyone with an interest in the world of consumer products, and our mission is to help you become a better and more informed CPG professional.
We deliver interviews with seasoned cross functional CPG professionals, veteran CPG leaders, and entrepreneurs in the broad consumer products space - and more.
Matt founded Uncle Matt's Organic in June 1999, before the FDA organic seal existed. Starting with one item sold locally in his backyard, it has become the oldest organic OJ brand in the US and is sold in over 15,000 stores nationwide. As the steward of 4 generations of sustainable citrus farming, Matt's goal is to produce the highest quality products using sustainable organic methods while educating consumers and farmers about the benefits of an organic lifestyle.
Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mclean-5507733/
Uncle Matt: https://www.unclematts.com/
Also check out our sponsor Caddle @getcaddle.com
One of the most impactful leaders I’ve had the chance to work with, Marcia Moran (SVP at Peet’s Coffee, former VP @ Riverside, Vega, and Kraft Heinz) joins the show to share some advice she’s learned throughout her career. Not only does Marcia teach a master class on leadership in this episode, but we’ve also got Vanessa Ordway (who you might remember from our most listened to episode ever) as our guest host to make this a reunion event for the crew!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-scoppettone-moran-mhrod-1515298/
https://www.peets.com/
CPG veteran Jeff Doucette joins the show to chat about his career journey across big CPG, decision to go out on his own, and why Field Agent rocks. Jeff gets into the importance of relationships, saying yes to new opportunities, and some of the exciting things happening in the CPG space.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-doucette-72b3556/
https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/
And check out our sponsor Caddle @ askcaddle.com
Charismatic industry leader, Grant Caton joins the show to discuss his CPG career in the alcohol and cannabis space. Grant gets into his leadership style, the changing regulatory world, and the best ways to build relationships. Did I mention we've got the always charming Mark Lee as a guest co-host this week?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-caton/
AND - make sure to check out our sponsor Caddle @askcaddle.com.
Jessica Shields joins the show to talk about her career journey in the natural space and how emerging brands can make the most of their marketing budgets. Must listen for anyone considering demos on their brand!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicawebershields/
https://www.healthandfitnessactivations.com/
https://becauseminded.com/
And check out our sponsor Caddle @ askcaddle.com
One of my favourite people in the world, Neil Green (Head of Sales, Canada @ EHP Labs) joins the show to chat about his career. Neil goes into detail on how different the natural wellness world is, what he's learned during his career, and some of the fun the guys used to have working together at Vega.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-green-mba-bb66333b/?originalSubdomain=ca
https://ehplabs.ca/
A pioneer in the space that started at the Granville Island Market and built a natural foods empire, Ian Walker of Hippie Snacks & Left Coast Naturals joins the show. Ian provides some history about natural foods in Canada, how he juggles a distribution company and brand, and what keeps him motivated to keep improving.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-walker-a8725318/
https://www.hippiesnacks.com/
https://www.leftcoastnaturals.com/
We've got a sweet one today! The inspiring Austin from Sweet Nutrition stops by to chat about his career journey. Austin jumps into his past career stops, how he built his sales chops, and what led to the invention and iterations of Sweet.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-calladine-20810412a/
https://sweetnutrition.ca/
And check out our sponsor @ askcaddle.com
In what's sure to be our lowest rated and listened to episode, the always insightful Mark Lee decides to host and interview Justin Osborne. Mark and Justin discuss their career paths, moves into the natural space, and how they've built their careers.
Make sure to check out our sponsor @ askcaddle.com.
Award winning marketing strategist, brand builder, and entrepreneur, Ryan Moran joins the show to talk about his career journey. Ryan dives into his passion for storytelling and how that drove the creation of Locke & King.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanpatrickmoran/
https://lockeandking.ca/
One of the best guys to spend time with at CHFA, Devin Powell from Pulp & Press joins the show to chat about his unexpected journey into CPG, his expansion into the USA, and what stood out to him at Expo West. He gives some advice on the industry, some great local brand shout outs, and what he’s really excited about for the upcoming year.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinpowellpp/
https://www.pulpandpress.com/
Former President/General Manager of Canada & China for SC Johnson joins the show to catch up with the guys. Chris dives into developing markets, his long career journey with SCJ, and why he likes Alex so much more than Justin.
Happy CHFA week everyone! What better way to get pumped for the Vancouver show than sitting down with the man, the myth, the legend – Aaron Skelton. Aaron joins the show to discuss the upcoming event, his exciting career beginning on the retailer side, and his focus on advocacy on behalf of the industry. For anyone attending the show this week, this is a must listen!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronskelton/
https://chfa.ca/en/
https://www.saveoursupplements.ca
Another old Vega buddy (Vega just had some outstanding people) joins the show, Eiman Raouf comes on to discuss the world of QA. Eiman dives into his family business that led to him being a food scientist, the different areas of innovation & QA, and his thoughts on leadership.
A CPG Veteran who held leadership roles at Kruger, PepsiCo, Molson Coors, ConAgra, and Upper Crust; Tom Gunter joins the podcast to discuss his wildly successful career. Tom shares learnings from throughout his career, some exciting launches like Healthy Choice, and how he’s keeping busy in “retirement” by consulting and mentoring instead of golfing. We also give our old friend Ransom Hawley a shout out.
Supply Chain Dad, Kevin Lee joins the show to discuss his career journey from freight to beer to health and wellness. Kevin dives into different areas of supply chain, his leadership philosophy, what drives him, and how supply chain has changed over his career. Did I mention Pirates? If you’re interested in learning more about supply chain and operations, this episode is for you.
Justin's old professor from McMaster stops by the podcast to chat about the world of teaching, what's new in his world, and what he's learned over his career. Did we mention that he's also an extremely accomplished ad executive? He dives into this and much more.
Forbes 30 Under 30, Dragon’s Den, and all around great human being: Ameen Fadel from Cedar Valley Selections joins the show to chat about his entrepreneurship journey. He dives into his ability to pivot the main product, set up manufacturing, and expansion plans. He also gives a shoutout to some past brand H&C guests as his brand crushes.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameen-fadel-48175514b/
https://cedarvalleyselections.ca/
The guys sat down with one of Justin's Vega colleagues, Mike Remes. Mike shares the story of broad reaching career in the natural products space, and how he is now helping to lead the charge to build KOS Naturals
Mike's LinkedIn
KOS Naturals
Today the guys chat with Mitch Cobb, one of the masterminds behind red-hot non-alcoholic beer brand Libra. Mitch drew inspiration from values-driven companies in his MBA program which ultimately led him to roll the dice on craft brewery Upstreet Brewing. His own health epiphany kicked off a two-year journey to concoct incredible tasting non-alcoholic beer. Mitch gives the inside scoop on the scrappiness, persistence and community-building behind this thriving PEI business that's winning over consumers across North America.
Mitch's LinkedIn
Upstreet Brewing
Libra Non-Alcoholic Beer
CPG Veteran (and our first finance expert) joins the show to chat about his journey from large multinationals to starting his own company. He dives into concepts around uncovering your values, pushing outside of your comfort zone, and learning to appreciate the journey to be successful. He recommends some fun books along the way which will keep the guys busy over the next few months.
Ron's LinkedIn
Clear Concept Inc
Love Mondays Podcast
To celebrate 1 year as a podcast (We’re as surprised as you!) we’re joined by our first ever guest Mr. Mark Lee to see what’s going on in his world. Like usual, Mark mixes in some humour, learnings and advice we can’t wait for you to hear.
Mark's LinkedIn
Canopy Growth
Even a bee allergy couldn’t keep Aja Horsley away from her love of bees, healthy honey, and the need for sustainability! Aja chats about quitting her day job and creating the premium brand Drizzle Honey, the importance behind your “why”, and how to scale effectively.
Aja's LinkedIn
Drizzle Honey
Wandering the halls of CHFA, the guys were sent by multiple people to check out Moonshine Mama’s and their amazing founder Mel. After trying the original Lemon Turmeric Elixir and meeting Mel, they knew she had to be on the show! Mel gets into her personal wellness journey and how her battle with cancer drove her to find better nourishment from nature leading her to Moonshine Mama’s.
Melinda's LinkedIn
Moonshine Mamas
The majority of purchase decisions are made in a store and no one knows this better than Amanda Kenny, Founder & Chief Merchandiser at Hive Naturals. Amanda works with some of our favourite brands and past guests – Righteous Gelato, Humble Potato Chips, Chiwis, Made with Local, Nuts for Cheese and more to ensure they win at shelf. We discuss her career journey, the value a merchandising team provides, and how she builds win-win relationships with brands and retailers across Canada.
Amanda's LinkedIn
Hive Naturals
Justin’s old Vega colleague Lisa Schimnowsky joins the show to chat through her experience of growing Vega, moving across North America, and stepping out as an entrepreneur with L8. Lisa talks about the importance of balance, scaling slowly, and the differences between working in the USA & Canada.
Lisa's LinkedIn
L8
Justin is joined by the amazing Jeff Lahey in this special episode titled: Two Guys and a Bunch of Chips. As the Co-Founder and COO of Humble Snacks, Jeff is uniquely positioned to know almost everything about snacks. He dives into his exciting career journey including PepsiCo, Guru, and Skinny Pop and how that helped him create Humble Potato Chips along with past guest Alicia Lahey.
Jeff's LinkedIn
Humble Chips
A brand crush for many of our previous guests, the amazing Margaret Coons of Nuts For Cheese joins the show to chat about her journey from Chef to wildly successful CPG entrepreneur. Margaret dives into her inspiration for the brand, selling out her first farmers market, expanding into 4,000 stores across North America, and her 3 commitments with the brand.
Margaret's LinkedIn
Nuts For Cheese
Holistic Nutritionist turned founder, Julia Kirouac of nud fud Inc. joins the show to chat about her journey. Julia shares some of the struggles entrepreneurs face, the CPG landscape, and her mission of disrupting our food system with nutrient-dense, delicious snacks made from real food.
Julia's LinkedIn
nud fud
Mario Massellis of Catania Worldwide sits down with the guys to discuss his career in the produce world. Mario chats about the importance of strong relationships, being curious, the focus on quality, and why he still loves working in the industry.
The man behind the incredible Phoeapolis Organics, bringing ultra-premium organic extra virgin olive oil to every Canadian, Mokhtar Asmi joins the show. Mokhtar chats about his experience working in tier 1 CPG with Bayer & Lactalis before his jump into entrepreneurship and what he’s learned along the way.
Mokhtar's LinkedIn
Phoeapolis Organics
The incomparable James Boettcher joins the show to talk about his childhood journey that led him to the un-freakin-believably delicious Righteous Gelato. James spends time discussing how the challenges and obstacles throughout his journey made Righteous the business it is today and changed his perspective on leadership.
Bonus – Alex has some big news to share in the intro!
James' LinkedIn
Righteous Gelato
Are you familiar with millets? You should be. One of our faves from CHFA West: the incredible Sujala Balaji, Founder & CEO of Rainfed Foods joins the show to tell us all about Millets, her exciting career journey, and her approach to sustainability.
Sujala's LinkedIn
Rainfed Foods
Sports broadcaster turned produce expert; "Rocket" Ron Lemaire joins the show to chat about his career journey. Ron helps explain some of the difficult sustainability issues we face, changing consumer dynamics and his role as President of the CPMA.
Ron's LinkedIn
The CPMA
The Plastic Pact
Aamir Malkani of Plant Up Inc. joins the guys to chat about everything plant based. Aamir shares some great stories and insights into how entrepreneurs can get started in the space and what makes Plant Up special.
Aamir's LinkedIn
Plant Up
Justin's favourite operations person Nina Nicholls joins the show with founder and friend Jade Herrmann from Yoggu! We dive into the creation of the incredible dairy free yogurt company inspired by France and some of the different challenges and shifts along the way with our first ever 2 guest episode.
Yoggu!
Jade's LinkedIn
Nina's LinkedIn
Today the guys connect with Andrew Russell, the Chief Growth Officer at Made with Local where we chat about how he and his wife Sheena are turning their passion for quality, farm-fresh ingredients into a thriving national snack bar brand. We learn how they've grown from a humble farmers' market stand to having bars in stores across Canada through constantly improving recipes and expanding their offerings. Andrew walks us through his career and shares Made with Local's journey - from early days partnering with social enterprises to now running their own manufacturing, and how he has moved from leading ops to steering strategy.
Andrew's LinkedIn
Made with Local
Mimmo Franzone of Longo’s joins the guys to discuss the produce world, the importance of execution (with an example from our friends at Mid-Day Squares), how brands can best partner with retailers, and changing consumer trends. We also spend some time gushing about Justin’s favourite topic – Sneakers.
Mimmo's LinkedIn
Longos
We are excited to have our first retailer guest! Zack Jones of Save-On-Foods joins the guys to chat about their history, what differentiates their stores, changing consumer trends, and his successful career in retail.
Zack's LinkedIn
Save-On-Foods
The guys are joined by Brian Yam - the VP of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at Blue Ocean Regulatory and host of the popular podcast Mighty Startup. Brian is an expert in navigating complex regulations and ensuring consumer safety, with a diverse background in lab research and leadership roles at great companies like Natural Factors and Vega. Brian shares what regulatory affairs & quality assurance are all about, and talks about the importance of fostering collaboration between departments to ensure compliance and consumer safety. Get ready to dive into the world of regulations and entrepreneurship with Brian!
Brian's LinkedIn
Blue Ocean Regulatory
Asha Wheeldon discusses breaking down barriers, handling push back, and changing the narrative around plant-based with her incredible brand Kula Foods. She gets into detail on the importance of building community, being purpose driven, and understanding everyone’s food journey.
Asha's LinkedIn
Kula Foods
Former health tech professional, Sarah Goodman, discusses the inspiration behind Chiwis - the 100% natural upcycled fruit chip brand that has grown from zero to 1,800 doors in 18 months. Sarah dives into expanding into club, channel margin challenges, and the importance of packaging.
Sarah's LinkedIn
Chiwis
Come listen to the story of the start-up Steve Wozniak didn’t know he inspired! Our friend and former colleague Ransom Hawley tells us the story of his career journey and the creation of Caddle featuring Dragon’s Den, big CPG, and some amazing consumer insights.
Ransom's LinkedIn
Caddle
Co-Founder of brüst, Josh Barr joins the show to discuss the transition from marketing at Nestle to managing sales in the USA to ultimately launching a functional beverage. Josh dives deep into how to build a strong team, the process of raising capital, and his approach to marketing. Josh's LinkedInbrüstbrüst front-funder
The guys sit down with friend and former colleague David Côté to chat about his career spanning big CPG, consulting, franchise operations and the cannabis space. As the Founder & CEO of Northern Helm, David dives into the changing regulations and challenges of operating in a new industry.
David's LinkedIn
Northern Helm
Former RN turned CPG founder, Corey Wood of Elixir Kombucha joins the show to talk about the importance of gut health, his inspiration behind the brand, and what it’s like raising funds in today’s market.
Corey's LinkedIn
Elixir Kombucha
Elixir Kombucha on WeFunder
The guys had the chance to chat with Sean Lee – the CEO & Co-Founder of Cincy Brands about his unique career journey that has taken him from banking, to CPG giant P&G, to the creation of his own CPG holding company and brand accelerator. Sean shares his POV on how to build a great and interesting career, and dives into some memorable marketing campaigns on brands like Old Spice.
Sean's LinkedIn
Cincy Brands
The guys chat with Lauren Bensadoun – the co-founder of BUZZD Nutrition. Lauren shares the story of how BUZZD’s functional coffee creamer came to be, the value of building in public, and how to get the basics right as establish a brand and expand distribution.
Lauren's LinkedIn
BUZZD Nutrition
The guys chat with Mitch Jacobson of Rviita Energy Tea about his why behind shaking up the energy drink category, what it’s like to start and take the leap into entrepreneurship, and his simple but powerful philosophy for getting things done to build the business.
Mitch's LinkedIn
Rviita Energy Tea
The genius behind Evive Nutrition, Dominic Dube walks us through how he created the Nespresso of Smoothies. He jumps into retail expansion, the importance of DTC, super foods ingredients, and what life is like running a truly family company.
Dominic's LinkedIn
Evive
Vancouver plant based legend Karen McAthy joins the guys to discuss the art of plant-based cheesemaking and her company Lumi Foods. Karen gets into the science behind cheese, DTC vs. retail sales, navigating the climate during the pandemic, and gives some shout outs to local brands and entrepreneurs. Karen's LinkedIn
Lumi Foods
The guys enjoy a great conversation with Alicia Lahey - co-founder & CEO of Humble Snacks. Alicia shares her career journey on the way to founding Humble Snacks, then goes deep on her experiences building a purpose driven brand aimed at disrupting the snacks category with a mission leave this planet better for future generations.
Karen joins the guys to share the story of Blume and their superfood lattes. Along the way she shares how Blume approaches product development, what it's like to bootstrap a startup to over 1500 doors, and how purpose and community create a foundation for a strong brand.
Karen's LinkedIn
Blume
Justin’s old Vega colleague, Julie Daoust joins the show to discuss the kingdom of mushrooms. Julie provides a new perspective of the natural CPG world from the scientific / R&D side and dives into some of the most cutting edge nutritional science of today. Alex and Justin are about 10x smarter after this conversation.
Julie's LinkedIn
M2 Ingredients
Om Mushrooms
2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 and Dream Pops founder David Greenfeld swings by to chat about building a delicious plant-based ice cream company in public. He dives into his investment banking past, how he creatively built a brand following before selling direct, and the importance of connections with other founders.
David's LinkedIn
Dream Pops
Nishal Kumar of No Days Wasted joins the show to discuss building a North America brand, DTC vs. retail, the Dragon’s Den experience, and working with TV personalities like Biz Nasty. He gets granular on steps to build a business from scratch, creating fans of your product, drops some legendary quotes and the importance of maximizing every single day.
Nishal's LinkedIn
No Days Wasted
Phil’s co-founder behind This Commerce Life, Kenny Vannucci joins the show that chat about how the industry has evolved over the past few decades and some of the challenges the industry is facing. Kenny talks about growing up in retail, his long career at London Drugs, and the move to the consulting world with fun projects on Commercial Drive Coffee Company, Old Growth Beverages, & Norman’s Community Market.
Kenny's LinkedIn
This Commerce Life Homepage
This Commerce Life Spotify
Canadian podcast legend, Phil Chang, joins the show to discuss the state of the industry and his career path through it. Phil covers his time at some of the big guys: Unilever, Revlon, Kimberly-Clark, Danone, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson; his transition to the retailer side with the rise and fall of Target Canada and the transition into consulting and podcasting.
Phil's LinkedIn
This Commerce Life Homepage
This Commerce Life Spotify
Former Company Group Chairman at Johnson & Johnson, Jeff B Smith joins the show to chat about the transition from CPG leadership roles to helping brands disrupt the start-up status quo with Ignite Venture Studio. Jeff dives into some of his exciting projects including the creation of Rise Market and Honed while discussing the future of the CPG world.Jeff's LinkedInIgnite Venture Studios Homepage
Will Nitze joins the show to discuss building the amazing IQBAR from the ground up. Will goes into detail on crowdfunding, the importance of go-to-market strategy, unit economics, creative marketing, and the importance of being obsessed with your product.
Will's LinkedIn
IQBAR Homepage
Mike Catalano had a big impact on each of the guys early in their careers: as the person who recruited Alex and gave him his first shot in CPG, and as a mentor who took Justin on one of his first buyer engagements to a planogram lab during an internship. Mike joins the show and discusses his career path, the move into the food space, importance of quality and the power of vertical integration, and how to be a great mentee.
Mike's LinkedIn
Wonderful Homepage
CPG veteran and Justin’s work BFF, Vanessa Ordway joins the show to talk about her career with companies like Rubbermaid, PepsiCo, Danone, and Vega. Vanessa goes deep on the importance of candor, differentiated experiences, and how to build a successful career in CPG.
Vanessa's LinkedIn
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream
Founder of Bro Dough & social media expert, Erica Rankin joins the guys to chat about building a brand from scratch, the importance of finding strong mentors, spending time in stores, and the power of thinking bigger.
Erica's LinkedIn
Bro Dough Homepage
In 2012, Dean Packingham set out to make the world’s best hot cocoa and is now in over 1,000 stores across the USA including Costco, Coburn’s, Meijer, and Hy-Vee. With the cold weather outside and warm cups of cocoa inside, Dean joins the guys to chat about how he started the brand, the importance of getting the formula right, and building a community of supporters.
Dean's LinkedIn
Mike & Jen's Cocoa Mix Homepage
Prior to becoming Chief of Sales for Jelmar, Sarah Chadwick has enjoyed a successful career in both marketing & sales. A former manager and mentor to both of the guys, she joined the show to share her experiences, provide insights on cross-functional growth and leadership, and to shed light on Alex's extravagant Costco food court ordering preferences.
Sarah's LinkedIn
Jelmar Homepage
CPG veteran and new Vancouverite; Kim Purslow joins the show to chat about her CPG journey, her transition into the alcohol space, what beverage best represents each of the guys, and finding her voice as a leader.
Kim's LinkedIn
Labatt Homepage
Jamie Griffiths of Matt & Steve’s joins the guys to talk about his career CPG journey from retail to large CPG to start-up, the importance of believing in yourself, and how he’s going to finally get the US on board with the famous Canadian Caesar!
Jamie's LinkedIn
Matt & Steve's Homepage
Canada's unstoppable entrepreneur, Mike Fata, talks about the journey to make Manitoba Harvest the global leader in hemp based foods and their $419M exit in 2019. Mike shares tangible advice on starting a business, skills and tactics he himself benefited from, and what new brand investments he’s excited about.
Manitoba Harvest
Mike Fata Homepage
Fata & Fleishman Mentorship
2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Winner, Co-Founder and Rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares – Jake Karls joins the guys to chat about using storytelling to build fans not customers, how to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and being unapologetically yourself.
Mid-Day Squares
Hearts & Carts
The LinkedIn leader on Authenticity in CPG and Founder of IWON Organics joins the guys to chat through his career, health & wellness, challenges facing the CPG industry, and how to build your brand following by providing value.
IWON Organics
Former MBA professor and accomplished strategic marketer, Jim Letwin joins the show to discuss his career journey from CPG to agency leadership, some of his favorite campaigns, and the role of culture in achieving success.
Jan Kelly Homepage
An old MBA friend of the guys, Greg Gabel joins the podcast to discuss the tech space, best practices for retail sales, successful product marketing, how to compete with tech giants, and advice for starting out in the space.
LinkedIn Profile
ecobee Homepage
Award winning sales leader Dave Tielemans joins the podcast to discuss his CPG background, how to efficiently plan your time, changing consumer trends in retail, and balancing family life.
LinkedIn Profile
Neptune Retail Solutions Homepage
Justin’s first CPG manager joins the show to discuss the changing retail landscape over the years,
transitioning from traditional CPG into the beauty industry, and enormously needed advice on beauty trends
and self-care. Confirmed that Justin has started exfoliating after this episode.
LinkedIn Profile
Orchard International Homepage
A CPG veteran and good friend Mark Lee joins the podcast to chat through his traditional CPG background, the transition into the world of Cannabis, the importance of leadership representation, and how much he enjoyed working with Alex & Justin in the past.
LinkedIn Profile
Canopy Growth Homepage
Join the guys for a quick chat on who Alex and Justin are, how they met, and why they wanted to start a podcast.