371. Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing’s Jason Kashman on emerging trends in food + getting ahead of market demands

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that the food ag industry contributes roughly 1.5 trillion to the country’s GDP – that's a 5.5% share. It’s a market that continues to evolve as many factors – from consumers to regulatory challenges – create new opportunities for innovation and new products. This week we are joined by Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing CEO, Jason Kashman, to share perspective on food, health and what’s ahead. We dive into:  

• The overall landscape in the food manufacturing market, what Jason is seeing and what’s driving growth for brands 
• Popcorn is a commodity and a finished good – are the challenges and turbulence the same on both sides of the coin? 
• Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing’s history, how it became its own entity in 2019 and their overall innovation portfolio  
• The massive footprint that is Weaver Popcorn – from grocery brands to private label 
• Jason’s take on emerging trends on snack foods and where popcorn fits in the market 
• How food has changed over the last decade, including difficulty for startup innovation to grow in the space, better for you ingredients and automation on the manufacturing side 
• The supply chain lessons learned from COVID and how companies have maybe pivoted to vertical integration to eliminate uncertainty       
• If and how the regulatory challenges are affecting Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing’s business 
• What’s next for the company