Brand Builder

Vincent Kitirattragarn wasn't trying to start a company. He was just trying to find a traditional ingredient to make one of Mama Dang's delicious Thai recipes. But, as so often happens, fate intervened, and a brand new snack category - and company - was born. Dang! Here's how Vincent and the team did it. BrandBuilder is presented by SnackNation

Just four months into launching their business, a random act of kindness helped land Pipsnacks a coveted spot in Oprah’s “Favorite Things” episode. But elation quickly turned to devastation during the first airing. Within five seconds of their logo flashing on the screen, the influx of traffic crashed the company’s home made site. On this week’s Brand Builder, we have all three founders to tell the incredible Pipsnacks story, including how they landed on Oprah’s radar.

They’re the bar brand everyone is talking about. RXBAR make whole food, minimally processed protein bars that taste great and are made with only a handful of ingredients. And they are killing it. Less than five years after launching the brand from their kitchen, founders Peter Rahal and Jared Smith recently announced a $600 million acquisition by Kellogg. How’d they do it? We’ve got co-founder and CEO Peter Rahal to clue us in.

If you want to understand Deep River Snacks, look no further than their infamous tagline - “Because we give a chip.” The company makes small-batch, non GMO kettle chips, popcorn, and tortilla chips, but their mission is so much bigger than that. It's about using their product as a platform for good. In its essence, it means caring about the people in your life, and doing something to make an impact. We got the scoop from founder and CEO Jim Goldberg in this moving Brand Builder episode.

In this "snack sized" bonus episode, SnackNation Marketing Director Emil Shour shares the single best tactic for optimizing your Website traffic. Take his advice, and you'll be seeing fewer bounces and more sweet, sweet $$$$. Emil also proves to us that he is definitely NOT a marketing robot. NOTE: we'll be releasing "snack sized" episodes like this every Thursday during our launch, and new full length episodes every Monday. 

Hippie parents. A solar dehydrator. A burgeoning triathlon career. These usually aren’t the elements that make for CPG success - unless your name is Caue Suplicy. Caue is the founder and CEO of Barnana, the Santa Monica-based company that has made one of the world’s most popular foods even more irresistible. These banana bites have driven 8-figure annual revenues and a dedicated global following, all while promoting values like healthier living and sustainability. Here's how Caue and the team did it.

In 2010, Tom Donigan and his friends Scott Fiesinger and Matt Levey launched a jerky brand on a modest $11,250 seed investment, and didn’t take on any additional money for an entire year. Today that brand - Field Trip - can be found in more than 30,000 retail locations, and last year closed a six-figure funding round. How’d they do it? That’s what the debut episode of Brand Builder is all about. Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! Brandbuilder@snacknation.com. Presented by SnackNat

Brand Builder brings you the people, stories, and lessons learned from the the most innovative brands in the world. In this introductory episode, co-hosts Jordan Cohen and Jeff Murphy break down what the show is all about, share their favorite brands and top business book recommendations, and amuse themselves with the magic of podcast editing...  Brand Builder is presented by SnackNation. For episode show notes and additional content, visit www.snacknation.com/brandbuilder