Edible-Alpha® Podcast
The Edible-Alpha® podcast is your source for actionable insights into making money in food.
Episodes
October 27, 2022 • 66 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #121, Brad talks with Idella Yamben, Ph.D., director of the Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC), which, like FFI, is part of the University of Wisconsin System’s Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship. CTC offers a variety of programs and resources to help early-stage technology businesses—including those in the food or agriculture space—develop and conduct research to inform commercialization ...
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October 13, 2022 • 81 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #120, Andy sits down with Cliff McConville, founder of All Grass Farms northwest of Chicago. The diversified ag operation provides raw A2 milk, 100% grass-fed beef, pastured pork, organic vegetables, and free-range turkeys, broiler chickens, and eggs, all sold at the onsite farm store or online.
After working in the insurance business in Chicago for 25 years, Cliff’s last job allowed him to work from hom...
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September 29, 2022 • 64 mins
Will Glazik of Cow Creek Organic Farm and Silver Tree Beer & Spirits discusses his evolution from organic grain grower to distillery co-owner.
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September 1, 2022 • 78 mins
Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham of Simple Goodness Sisters stop by to discuss their innovative farm-based company, diversified business model, and plans for growth.
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August 18, 2022 • 62 mins
Sylvie Charles, M.D., traded a stable career as a physician for the wild ride of entrepreneurship when launching organic real-food sweetener company Just Date in 2018. She shares the mission behind her endeavor, along with her business arc and growth strategy.
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August 4, 2022 • 54 mins
Wisconsin's international trade expert Chris Wojtowicz discusses how food and farm entrepreneurs can successfully expand their business beyond the U.S.
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July 21, 2022 • 62 mins
Ron Henningfeld, owner and cheesemaker at Hill Valley Dairy, drops by to discuss putting his own spin on a family farm business and expanding into new opportunities.
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July 7, 2022 • 71 mins
Andy invites in Grassway Organics’ Chaz Self for an inspiring conversation about farming business models, growing a diversified ag operation, and regenerating local communities.
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June 23, 2022 • 87 mins
Brad sits down with Mark Cottone and Jim Rush of Clean Beam, maker of a dry, chemical-free footwear sanitizer powered by pulsing UV light. This innovation protects processing facilities from contaminants while proving predictive analytics that can enhance operations.
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June 9, 2022 • 74 mins
Stephanie Schneider discusses starting Together Farms with no prior experience and growing it into a thriving operation with direct-to-consumer sales and on-farm Burger Night.
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May 26, 2022 • 87 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #111, Brad talks with Steve Mehmert, managing partner at T4 Solutions, a Pewaukee, Wisconsin-based consulting firm that helps grocers and other food distributors map out profitable e-commerce programs, from ordering platforms through delivery. Brad and Steve have a fascinating conversation about key challenges, opportunities, and innovations in the rapidly evolving grocery landscape.
Steve started T4 Sol...
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May 12, 2022 • 90 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #110, Brad chats with Sara Parthasarathy, co-founder of FillMyRecipe, which makes Indian spice kits, spice blends and sauces under the Flavor Temptations brand. She and husband Partha Sabniviss launched the business 10 years ago to share their joyful, vibrant Indian culture with Americans and make it easy to cook authentic Indian cuisine.
Both IT professionals, Sara and Partha moved to the U.S. in the la...
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April 28, 2022 • 69 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #109, Andy interviews Mark Doudlah, a fifth-generation farmer and owner of Doudlah Farms Organics in southcentral Wisconsin. The 1,625-acre certified-organic, regenerative farm grows 15 different crops for human consumption. Doudlah Farms Organics also has a value-added component, milling, packaging, and selling branded dry beans, seeds, and flours direct-to-consumer and at retail.
Mark actually started ...
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April 14, 2022 • 55 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #108, Brad talks with Matt McCoy, founder and president of Field to Freezer, a Hartland, Wisconsin-based software as a service (SaaS) company that’s streamlining wild game and domestic meat processing. Matt’s story highlights the unsung importance of technology solutions to the food industry and serves as a guidepost for growing and scaling a viable tech-related food business.
A few years back, Matt, an...
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March 31, 2022 • 74 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #107, Brad sits down with Kwadwo Owusu-Ofori, founder and CEO of Twi Pods, maker of single-serve hot cocoa and mocha latte enriched with mental wellness–supporting nutrients. The duo delves into the arc of entrepreneurship in today’s world, how it has evolved, and the tools founders need now to grow a viable food business.
First, Kwadwo shares his unconventional path to starting a food company. While wor...
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February 24, 2022 • 90 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #106, Brad speaks with Michael Schlagenhaufer, manufacturing consultant at FFI partner Acuity Insurance, which provides property and casualty insurance to businesses. The two dig deep into risk management and why it’s so critical for food or beverage manufacturers.
Uniquely, Acuity offers consultant services to all insurance customers at no additional cost. As the resident manufacturing expert, Michael h...
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February 10, 2022 • 63 mins
In Edible Alpha® podcast #105, Andy talks with Marc Bernard of Rustic Road Farm in Elburn, Illinois. He and husband Luis farm 18 acres plus hoop houses, produce honey, and raise heritage-breed pigs, free-range chickens, sheep, and goats. They also run a thriving agritourism business and growing value-added brand.
A longtime horticulture enthusiast and successful chef, Marc had always dreamed of farming someday. So in 2011, when ...
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January 27, 2022 • 88 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #104, Brad interviews Rachel Smith, founder of Sweet Pea’s, a made-from-scratch treat shop in downtown Mayville, Wisconsin. Along with baking pies and other goodies onsite for its retail store, Sweet Pea’s has a growing wholesale business, an e-commerce site, and fundraiser partnerships.
Rachel aka “Sweet Pea” started baking with her grandmothers as a child and envisioned owning a unique bakery someday. ...
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December 30, 2021 • 58 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #103, Sarah sits down with Noah Munro, MBA, founder of Taste Profit, a digital marketing and e-commerce consulting firm that supports sustainable farms and specialty food brands. They discuss the importance of crafting a marketing strategy that syncs with the overall business plan, as well as key suggestions, cautions, and benchmarks for growth.
After founding an artisan fudge company and then earning hi...
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December 16, 2021 • 61 mins
In Edible-Alpha® podcast #102, Brad chats with Michelle Goetsch, founder, and CEO of Betterbin, a data company that empowers consumers and brands to recycle and compost CPG packaging properly. An alumna of the Wisconsin FFI FaBcap Accelerator, Michelle details her journey of bringing an app to market, building a viable business, and laying the foundation for future growth.
Betterbin was born in 2018 out of a pain point. As a con...
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