The Firebelly Social Show

Jill Frechtman is the Founder and Strategic Advisor at the Food Founder Collective, where she advises and mentors emerging food founders as they build and grow their brands. Before becoming an advisor, she built her food CPG brand, Fretzels by Jill, from scratch, growing it into a brand carried by retailers like Nordstrom and The Fresh Market and earning national media coverage on The Today Show and in The Wall Street Journal. Draw...

Keya Wingfield is the Founder of Keya's Snacks, a brand bringing bold Indian American flavors to the classic American potato chip, using single-origin spices from India and US-grown potatoes. Keya is a Food Network Spring Baking Championship winner, and her chips have gone viral, leading to national distribution in over 1,800 stores, including Sprouts Farmers Market. Known for her creative fusion of cultures, she uses food as a bri...

Kathie Pelliccio is the Founder and "Seed Queen" of Kathie's Kitchen, the company behind SuperSeedz, which produces award-winning, gourmet pumpkin seed snacks focused on healthy, flavorful eating. Since founding her company in 2004, Kathie has grown SuperSeedz into a beloved brand available at major retailers such as Whole Foods and Harris Teeter, with fans across the Northeast and an enthusiastic online following. Kathie is a food...

Björn Steinar Jónsson is the Founder and CEO of Saltverk, an Icelandic food company focused on making sustainable food built upon Nordic food traditions. Under his leadership, Saltverk has expanded its range of flaky salts, produced using 100% renewable geothermal energy, while reaching customers across 180 markets. An engineer by training, Björn combines technical expertise with a deep appreciation for Icelandic nature and craftsm...

Duncan Alney is the Founder and CEO of Firebelly Marketing, an award-winning, top-ranked agency that helps founders of mission-driven food and beverage brands grow their businesses and connect with their audiences through social media marketing. Duncan has worked in marketing for 30 years and brings his expertise in engaging with clients and rebuilding brands to each project. He has worked with top brands, including Netflix, Fiji W...

Gian-Mikel Facenda is the Founder of Root2Sales, a company that helps emerging food and beverage brands scale their sales and retail presence. With deep experience in CPG, he works closely with brands to navigate distribution, broker relationships, and go-to-market strategy. Prior to founding Root2Sales, Gian-Mikel served as Director of CPG Business Intelligence at North Highland and Director of Business Intelligence & Strategi...

Benno Nelson is the Co-founder of Five Corners Beverage Co., a Chicago-based company that crafts unique, globally inspired non-alcoholic beverages. Five Corners is available on about 75-80 shelves across Chicago and is known for bold flavors such as Salted Lemonade, Sangrita, and Pickleback. Benno's background spans theater and tech, and along with his wife and co-founder Shelby, he brings a passion for cultural storytelling and co...

Maxine Henderson is the Founder and CEO of Bollygood, an Indian-inspired sparkling beverage brand bringing the flavors of nimbu pani to a modern audience. Launched in the fall of 2021, Bollygood offers sparkling lemonade and limeade and is now available in major retailers, including Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, Walmart, Market District, Giant, and several independent stores.

Maxine was born in London, Ontario, Canada, to parents who i...

Carolina Ramirez Nogales is the Co‑founder and CEO of Pacific Soul, a brand creating healthy, convenient, and joyful freeze-dried superfruit snacks inspired by Colombian roots. She co‑founded Pacific Soul to make healthy, convenient, and joyful nutrition accessible, inspired by her family's health journey and supporting Colombian farmers. Before founding Pacific Soul, Carolina was Head of Product Marketing at Solugen and Global Str...

Emily McIntyre is the CEO of Swift Coffee Sourcing, a boutique importer specializing in ethically sourced, high-quality coffee from Peru and Ethiopia. Under her leadership, Swift has nearly quadrupled growth expectations in its first year and boasts a newsletter open rate of over 50%, exemplifying her impact as a storyteller and connector in the specialty coffee industry. A former journalist, world traveler, and consultant to over ...

David Abadin is the Founder of DisCo, a company modernizing food distribution by providing transparent, technology-driven solutions for emerging and mission-driven brands. Under his leadership, DisCo helps brands reduce the hidden friction of traditional distribution, retailer relationships, and alternative channels while enabling greater transparency and control through custom pricing and real-time data sharing. David's background...

Brooks Addington is the CEO of TÖST Beverages, a company renowned for its sophisticated, non-alcoholic sparkling beverages. With over two decades of experience in consumer goods and finance, he has successfully expanded TÖST's distribution to over 10,000 accounts across all 50 US states and eight countries. Under his leadership, TÖST has partnered with major national retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, HEB, and Walmart. ...

David Mesa is the President of We Grow CPG, a boutique sales management agency offering elevated sales partnerships to the CPG industry. The agency's core expertise lies in helping emerging brands expand their distribution by building aggressive and strategic revenue plans from the seed stage to the late stage. 

With over 20 years of experience in the CPG industry, David has extensive knowledge in developing unique brands that...

Sean Klimson is the Owner of Klimson Logistics Solutions (KLS), a third-party logistics (3PL) provider specializing in nationwide LTL and FTL trucking and transportation services. Under his leadership, KLS has earned a strong reputation for customer service while building a growing client base, particularly within the food, beverage, and CPG space. Sean has also built a strong personal brand, with over 21,000 LinkedIn followers, an...

Elizabeth Corbett is the President of Enterprise Sales at AE Global, a custom packaging design and supply chain solutions provider. With over two decades of experience, she has developed sustainable packaging solutions for prominent brands such as Starbucks, Tiffany & Co., and Estée Lauder. Specializing in the cannabis sector for the past eight years, Elizabeth is passionate about creating environmentally responsible and sustai...

Gian Facenda is the Founder of Root2Sales, a company that helps emerging food and beverage brands scale their sales and retail presence. With deep experience in CPG, he works closely with brands to navigate distribution, broker relationships, and go-to-market strategy.

Kirk Homenick is the President of Hardbite, a premium snack brand known for crafting small-batch kettle chips with bold flavors and high-quality ingredients. Under h...

Colin Long is the VP of Sales at SuckerPunch, a food brand reinventing pickles with bold flavors and functional benefits. Colin helps lead the growth of a brand redefining the pickle category with bold flavors and functional benefits. Under his leadership, the brand has expanded its reach across retail and into performance-driven markets like professional sports.

Rachel Klein is the Director for CPG Growth at PLEASE & THANK YOU...

Jasmin von Teichman is the Co-founder and CEO of Purplesful Popcorn, a company dedicated to creating healthy, antioxidant-rich purple corn popcorn while donating 25% of profits to children's nutrition charities. Purplesful has achieved widespread growth in both Canada and the US, including a significant launch into 400 Kroger stores, and is on a mission to donate $5 million over the next five years. Her work reflects a commitment t...

Serenity Carr is the Co-founder and CEO of Serenity Kids, a brand transforming the baby food aisle with nutrient-dense, protein-forward products. She co-founded the company to challenge the norm of sugar-heavy, low-nutrition options and instead prioritize healthy fats and balanced macronutrients for early development. Through Serenity Kids, she is on a mission to help raise healthier children by redefining what quality nutrition lo...