SHOW REVIEW discussed the good, the bad and the “F5 Tornado” moments that occurred while learning how to balance mission, good business practices and product quality. Adapting to consumer preferences was also a repeated theme during NOSH Live. Neil Grimmer, who disrupted the baby food industry with Plum Organics, spoke
So what’s driving this industry-wide evolution? Changing consumer preferences, according to investment banker Janica Lane, a managing director with Piper Jaffray. During her presentation Lane noted the ongoing shifts are the biggest threat identified by most CEOs, and are affecting how brands and retail channels operate.
recently helped back industry darlings such as Hippeas, Bulletproof, One Bar and Vital Proteins – shared how his firm decided which companies to invest in and what entrepreneurs can do to make their businesses more appealing. Alison Ryu, managing director of CircleUp, spoke about how CircleUp’s newest platform
NEIL GRIMMER Founder & CEO, Habit Inc.
JANICA LANE Managing Director, Piper Jaffray
BRETT THOMAS Co-Founder, CAVU Venture Partners
about how he is using individualized data from blood testing to customize nutrition as the CEO of Habit Inc. And just like diets are not one-size-fits-all, Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert spoke about how retailers need to be more flexible regarding product categories and how they allow their consumers to shop, too. “The more we try to fit products into a box, the more we will fail,” Lempart said. “The industry needs curiosity.”
Kathryn Peters, EVP of retailer services at SPINS, and Brian Reed, principal of market structure at IRI, discussed how data providers have started to look at categories beyond the term’s traditional definition. Benjamin Levy, VP of Echo Capital, and Sabrina Merage Naim, a principal for Echo Capital, took a deeper dive into millennials specifically, looking at data to show how this generation is changing the industry and in turn the investment community.
Helio is using predominantly data to determine where to place their dollars. “Heuristics and bias aren’t just unfair, they lead to less informed investment decisions,” Ryu said during her presentation. Still, there is a role for human relationships and emotion in CPG, according to Mark Sisson. Sisson brought NOSH Live full circle with his presentation on how his passion and purpose for living a healthy lifestyle helped him create booming paleo-in-
PHIL LEMPERT President & CEO, Consumer Insight Inc.
SABRINA MERAGE NAIM Principal, Echo Capital Group
ALISON RYU Managing Director, CircleUp
For investors, personalization, data and mission carry different weights. Many investors base their decisions on their gut feelings and personal relationships. Brett Thomas, cofounder of CAVU Venture Partners – the investment firm that
spired brand, Primal Kitchen. The longtime fitness blogger said his established community of readers were crucial to his success. “I really believe that 100 well placed bloggers and influencers is worth an email list of 300,000 people,” Sisson said.
Distribution and snack guru Michael Renkosiak advised attendees companies on how they can best utilize the offerings and promotions of their distributor in order to have the most impact in today’s changing retail environment.
38 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018