Meghan Shookman’s Post

Congratulations to Kelsi's Kitchen on launching at Whole Foods! It was so rewarding to support Kelsi Petersen and Cassandra Hume on this launch…with more exciting news to come 🤫 With Kelsi’s Kitchen your daily indulgence is about to get a glow-up with their decadent cacao bites 🍫 You can find these fudgy, raw food inspired treats in 3️⃣ flavors including an exclusive Salted Peanut Caramel flavor at Whole Foods in two regions across these states: California, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Utah, Nevada, Texas (El Paso), New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Run don’t walk 🏃♀️ to your nearest Whole Foods and stay tuned for more! #emergingbrands #entrepreneurship #cpg #naturalandorganic #innovation Karen Howland Katie DeVito Bruce Hinson Kristi Bridges Elise Jacobs Blanck Abby June Richards, CPA-TX Scott Sanders Matthew LoLordo MS / SSGB

Excited to share that I've joined the Naturally Austin Board of Directors! And just in time for the biggest event of the year...pitch slam! Naturally Austin brings together entrepreneurs, investors, brands, retailers, and industry experts for one purpose: to make Austin the best place to launch and scale a natural products company! On May 15th, Naturally Austin will host its 5th Annual Pitch Slam, showcasing five 🖐 early-stage brands in a shark-tank-style pitch competition 🦈. It's an opportunity for entrepreneurs to: 🎤 take the stage in front of a panel of industry experts 📣 get exposure to investors, retailers, etc. in the audience 🏆 win a suite of prizes, including the opportunity to pitch on the national stage at the 2024 Expo East and a booth at Newtopia Now in Denver. The application deadline has been EXTENDED to Monday, April 15, so hop to it! Link in the comments to apply or get your tickets to watch the action! #naturalproducts #foodandbeverage #entrepreneurs #pitchslam #naturallynetwork

Proud mama moment finally seeing Naked Lower Sugar in the wild! This 3-month sprint from concept to sell-in was a labor of love. Sugar is the #1 barrier in the category and despite the fact that all the goodness in Naked is from fruit juice, it’s still a lot of natural sugar. So, we set out to make an equally delicious, thick and fruit-filled smoothie with 50% less sugar. We didn’t stop there, knowing that 95% of consumers are deficient in fiber, we added inulin and an upcycled citrus fiber to plus up the satiation and thickness. I’m incredibly proud of the dream team that made this all happen, but especially Haley Miller, Monika Weimer, Kristin Parshall, Alex Villanueva, Valerie Maldonado, Melissa Johnson, Casey Moran, Jennifer Dahlgren and so many more. Look for Lower Sugar Naked Juice in a store near you, soon! #expowest #foodandbeverage #beverageinnovation #trendspotting #cpg ❤️🩹Please also keep Monika Weimer in your thoughts and prayers as she was in a horrific hit and run bike accident this past week. We’re all anxiously awaiting and rooting for her recovery!❤️🩹

The best way to predict the future, is to create it. Founders at Expo West do that in spades. Here are the top 10 future-creating trends I spotted from the awe-inspiring community at Expo West: 1.) Indulge with Intention: Less about permission, more about fully embracing mindful treats like the cookie granola from Purely Elizabeth, the new dessert line from FAGE, playful flavors from Alec's Ice Cream made with A2 dairy and grain-free enhanced donut holes from DEUX. 2.) Global Gone Mainstream: Ethnic food is everywhere, not just one aisle. Consumer can travel the world through food with street wraps from Deep Indian Kitchen, saucy noodles from Omsom, MingsBings, strawberry matcha chocolate from TCHO Chocolate, an ube smoothie from REBBL Inc. and globally-inspired gummies from Better Sour. 3.) Kid-Focused Creations: The kids market is set to explode with all of the quarantine babies & brands showed up with kid-friendly, convenient nutrition like Once Upon A Farm A2 Whole Milk Shakes, MUSH Kins Oatmeal Smoothies, Sunnie Snack Packs & Teton Waters Ranch Taste Buds Burgers with Veggies. 4.) Supply Chain is Sexy: From regenerative to upcycling ingredients, supply chains are making an impression with consumers, like my favorite organic skyr from Painterland Sisters, regenerative & slow fermented peppers & olives from Big Picture Foods, Maine Crisp Co. Better Buckwheat crackers, RIND Snacks & many first-to-market ROC certifications. 5.) Microbiome Mania: Gut health continues to explode across categories like pre and probiotic sodas from poppi and Culture Pop Soda, gut-friendly crackers from Fair & Square , pickled everything from brands like SuckerPunch and even skin microbiome care for babies from Bunjie. 6.) Purely Plants: Shifting away from overly processed meat substitutes to a celebration of the inherent nutrition in plants like the frozen bowls from Blue Zones Kitchen, elevated white truffle burger from Actual Veggies, and chopped & seasoned oyster mushrooms from Windy City Mushroom. 7.) Nostalgia Reimagined: Consumers are still reminiscing their favorite foods growing up, but reimagined with a healthier spin like GOODLES gluten-free superfood mac & cheese, Cappello's gluten-free biscuits, Simple Mills Pizza Pop MMM's and The New Primal less sugar sloppy joseph sauce. 8.) Culinary Comforts: With inflation, consumers are looking for convenient ways to get a gourmet experience at home. Brands like Sauz, Patagonia Provisions, Haven's Kitchen & Churn are elevating everyday comfort foods with convenient solutions. 9.) Planet First Personal Care: Brands are finding ways to reduce their environmental impact with toothpaste tablets from The Humble Co., shampoo bars from BRIXY & bamboo tissues from BimBamBoo. 10.) Elevated Non-Alcoholic: Brands are bringing more complexity to non-alcoholic options from AVEC DRINKS to Abstinence Spirits aperitifs. What trends did you spot that I missed? #expowest #trendspotting #foodandbeverage

SXSW, always a full cup of discovery that recharges me. Here are a few of the experiences, ideas and people that filled my cup to the brim the last few days (in no particular order): 1.) Longevity Talks with Pvolve and Therabody at the Snap Sanctuary reinforcing that movement is medicine and both are investing in women’s health research - today only 6% of sports medicine studies are on women. The world is also waking up to the value of Eastern medicine. I tested out some ear beads for balance and energy 🧘♀️. 2.) Augmented reality and intelligence are changing the game. Chobani is experimenting with AR to drive engagement and gamify packaging for their limited release products like a trick or treat QR portal into actual prizes you can win. And they’re taking AI to understand their brand guidelines to streamline development of brand assets 🪄. 3.) Story do more than story tell. This was the message from the Harmless Harvest CEO tasked with maintaining the brand’s integrity as it scales. He placed a bet on regenerative 5 years ago and as of November the brand is finally certified and reaping the rewards of that bet with higher yields, etc 🥥. 4.) Tech is inspiring food innovation. The CEO of Beyond Meat introduced Beyond IV, the latest version of the Beyond Burger, which now uses avocado oil (removing coconut and canola oils), incorporates nutrient dense beans like red lentil and faba bean and reduced saturated fat by 60% and sodium by 20%. It’s the epitome of progress over perfection 🍔. 5.) It’s the people that really make the magic though. A surprise encounter with Rick Newkirk a decades only friend from my Kelley MBA program who is now the GM for social at Delta. If you have any travel issues with Delta, yes you should “@“ him. And shoutout to Marc Nathan for always living up to his “super connector” namesake for being the host with the most at the Funded House ❤️. Experiences over things, always. Onto the next one: see y’all at Expo! #sxsw #experientialmarketing #innnovation #foodandbeverage #marketing

Ready to run it back again as a mentor for this spring's CPG accelerator track with SKU - the trailblazing accelerator that was a springboard for brands like Siete, Epic Provisions, and Dude Wipes. These 7 brands were selected from over 150+ applicants and are the ones to watch 👀 across food & beverage 🥤, beauty 💅 and pet 🐶. Heather's Choice makes delicious dehydrated meals, catering to the outdoor adventure market with an eye toward health and quality. Ever tried to pack a hiking snack that wasn't a trail mix or PB&J? I thought so. Kelsi's Kitchen makes decadent, truffle-like chocolates inspired by the raw food diet and made with just 5 nutrient-dense ingredients. Try to have just one square. I dare you. I Love Micheladas has a mission to share the joy of legit Mexican flavors through Michelada mixes that deliver the every 🌶 time. Don't sleep on Micheladas for your next refreshment, folks. Wellnergy Pets offers a unique line of premium preventive care and supportive care products for your furry loved ones, including hip and joint care, skin care, dental care, and gastrointestinal care. The time for a petcare Renaissance is now. SANARA NATURAL BEAUTY LLC offers luxurious mind and body care rituals crafted with indigenous Latin American botanicals for the spa + beauty markets. The name Sanara comes from the Spanish word, sanará which means “you will heal.” Curation Beverage Company's collection of canned alcoholic beverages are a modern spin on craft cocktails made with real juice and nothing artificial, ever. If you have a thirst for honest ingredients, pick up a multi-spirit party pack. OhhFoods is on a mission to make snacking safer and a lot sweeter by creating a line of snacks that are vegan, gluten-free, and free from the top 10 allergens. The snacking bites are like a heavenly slice of pie, trust me! Ready to spark some movement to the moon 🚀 for these breakthrough brands! #emergingbrands #foodandbeverage #beautyindustry #petcare #cpg

All I do is win win win...guacamole! Give them a Strava Challenge and they will come. That's how the saying goes, right Chipotle? Chipotle Mexican Grill x Strava. Another winning activation. Timely. Motivating. Relevant. Fun. And, it leads to Business Impact. Timely ⏰ The challenge starts the second Friday of January, which is known as Quitters Day, the day people are most likely to forfeit New Year's resolutions. This encourages participants to keep the motivation (and movement) going. Motivating 🏃♀️ With the new Chipotle x Strava No Quitters Challenge, if you complete 2 days of activities per week for two weeks, you get the guac. Along with 75k of your friends. While it's a small token, it's attainable. Relevant 🙌 According to a Chipotle survey, nearly 7 out of 10 Chipotle consumers who are runners indicate they are likely or very likely to eat Chipotle after training for a race. Fun 🤸♀️ Who doesn't love guac? It's something fun to work towards that is 10x better than a virtual badge. And if you're in select cities, you can run Chipotle segments for a chance to win a lifetime of Lifestyle bowls. Impactful 💰 And it gets feet in the door, dollars in the register. It dusts off the top-of-mind-awareness cobwebs and reminds health-minded folks that Chipotle has a bowl for every lifestyle. Now I've got a craving. And a little more motivation. But P.S. Chipotle, where are the Austin segments?! https://lnkd.in/gHazJFsv #foodandbeverage #brandpartnerships #newyearnewyou

Arizona Tea x Vacation: is this the next gen Lip Smackers x Dr Pepper? This collab slaps so hard it brought me back to 1992 and a deep Internet hole to see if Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers still exists. Sadly, it was discontinued last year. But both are evidence that more than a line extension, the right collab can ignite a loyal following, bring relevance and massively expand an audience. This quote from the Arizona Tea founder is everything though: “Since 1992, we put the world’s best flavors on your lips, now they’ll stay there.” Here are some my favorite collab Kings & Queens of late: - Walmart x Mean Girls - The Coconut Cult x Hu - Perfect Snacks x Pure Barre - sweetgreen x Siete Family Foods Who else is killing it in the collabs department? #brandcollaboration #branding #brandpartnerships #brandbuilding #cpgmarketing https://lnkd.in/ddgkmTsX

Too much oversight kills creativity. How many of us have tested the wazoo out of a piece of creative, ran it up and down the totem pole of people who want to weigh in (everyone) and then washed it through legal only to be left with…meh 🤷🏼♀️. I love this piece by the former creative director at Oatly with 4 lessons for disruptive creative: 1.) Trust: in the power of creativity and the people doing the work. Not testing. Not complicated approval processes that leave work stale and watered down. Empower the people doing the work to approve it. 2.) Care: about your audience more than yourself. Acknowledge and embrace the indifference: no one is thinking about your brand right now. No one, except you. Be consumer centric. Give them something they care about. For Oatly, that was entertainment over information. 3.) Be Single-Minded: in your message. Talk to me like I’m a 5th grader never rang more true. Say one thing and simply. People are busy and inundated with information. They don’t have time or capacity for more than one thing. 4.) Be Fearless: it’s better to be debated than to be ignored. When you’re trying to start a food revolution, subtlety doesn’t get the job done. Same goes for a massive turnaround of a much loved (years ago) brand. It comes down to a few principles. Trust your marketing team. Dismantle stifling processes that result in mediocrity. Know that indifference is your biggest competition, not other brands. And criticism, means you got someone to actually care about your brand and mission. Anything you’d add? https://lnkd.in/g34gsqcU #creative #marketingeffectiveness #brandbuilding #marketingleadership