Tenley Fitzgerald is the VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy at Yes! Apples, a brand bringing marketing, partnerships, and storytelling to family-run orchards in Upstate New York. On this episode of ITS, Tenley and Ali talk brand-thinking, consumer behavior, convincing farmers, retailers and consumers that "apples to apples" is a wild misunderstanding.

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Griffin Spolansky is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mezcla, the protein bar brand known for its bold flavors and distinctive “puff-crispy” texture. On this episode of ITS, Griffin and Ali talk about the bar category, getting partners to bet on your brand, and keeping your business as simple as possible.

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Abe Kamarck is the founder and CEO of True Made Foods, the clean-label ketchup and BBQ sauce brand made with real vegetables instead of added sugar. On this episode of ITS, Abe shares his experiences with Ali as True Made Foods has lived through the full arc of modern startup CPG: The go-go growth years, over expansion, broken partnerships, logistics chaos, and the hard work of cutting back to get profitable.

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Isabel Washington is the Founder and CEO of Laurel’s Coffee, the fast-growing RTD latte brand made with organic, regenerative A2 dairy. On this episode of ITS, Ali and Isabel talk about balancing conflicting consumer preferences, building for existing rituals, and the first thing you learn as a McKinsey consultant.

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Ilay Karateke is the co-founder and CEO of Bezi, the labneh brand on a mission to make the Middle Eastern spreadable cheese a mainstream category in America. On this episode of ITS, Ilay walks Ali through the primary questions she continually asks herself as she's building Bezi, explains why she is turning down bigger distribution, and why slow and steady is key when you're working with constraints like the refrigerator and awareness.

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YC Cheng is the CEO of Hero Bread, the better-for-you bakery brand making low net carb, low sugar, high protein products that actually taste like real bread. On this episode of ITS, YC walks Ali through his experience investing, founding and scaling World Golf Tour, and how he's growing Hero.

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Andrea Hernández is the founder and author of Snaxshot, one of the most influential newsletters in food and beverage. On this episode of ITS, Ali and Andrea talk about where CPG is now, hypebeast grocery, colostrum snacks, suggestions for founders, and what to look out for in 2026.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support In The Sauce by becoming a member!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rita Hudetz is the Chief Commercial Officer at Oishii, the vertical farming company behind some of the most talked-about strawberries in America. On this episode of ITS, Rita walks Ali through CPG and tech foundational theories and brand building and sales strategies she learned and developed at PepsiCo, Hu Kitchen and Milkbar.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support In The Sauce by becoming a member!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.