Alicia Robb, founder and CEO of Next Wave Impact is no ordinary fund manager. Describing herself as an 'accidental venture capitalist', her research with the Kauffman Foundation led her to found a fund with a current goal to diversify the investor base, helping to close existing gender and racial gaps, while supporting entrepreneurs pushing global solutions and having a positive impact. In this episode we cover the nuts and bolts of investing, delving deeper into Alicia's background and the research that led her on her path today, as well as what she looks out for in a good pitch and...
With over 15 years of experience working in hospitality, Jerome Pagnier is the first to understand and acknowledge just how wasteful the industry can be. From food waste to energy as well as the abundance of animal products on the menu, it's a space that's overlooked by many when it comes to veganism and environmental resilience reform. Having a desire to change things, Jerome and his cofounder set up WiseFins, a company that aims to transform the hospitality industry, both by helping already-established businesses build a more purposeful and sustainable future for themselves, as well as a stealth project which sees...
Big news!Happy to welcome our new Australian distributor Soulfresh!They'll be selling Bite in their portfolio, which includes in-house vegan brands including Nutty Bruce, Pico, Eaty and Wildly Good. We're excited at the potential, not only do they have a large national salesforce they also get the potential of plant-based foods and doing things different. Having a distributor also makes life easier for many stockists - no more struggling to get above large free shipping thresholds, as there are multiple products that can be delivered at once. Also they have relationships with a large amount of stockists, from small independents to...
Who said cardboard's boring?This week we made a leap to a new carton for our choc balls. What's the big deal? Well for one, we reduced the amount of units from 20 down to 12 to give more flexibility of ordering - something especially smaller stockists have asked for.But the other big change is that the carton now doubles as a shelf ready pack. As in, tear the top off and you're left with a nifty display case.Not only does this let us emphasize some of the key points in the design (vegan, ethical cocoa, recyclable etc) it also let's...
In the vegan community, we have a goal to alleviate the suffering and exploitation of billions of animals worldwide. For a lot of us that means creating plant-based products that consumers can easily use to substitute for their usual, animal-based foods. And whilst that's our ideal, what if there was a way we could pick up the momentum by encouraging meat producers now, to use less meat? Enter Paul Shapiro, best-selling author of 'Clean Meat' and CEO of vegan-run company Better Meat Co. Doing something different, the startup focusses on creating plant proteins, that through blending, provide a hybridised alternative...
During her senior year at Cornell, Jessica Kwong had a decision to make. To say yes and secure a stable job at one of the world's most prestigious snack companies, or to follow her entrepreneurial spark and pursue starting her own business. Fresh out of university, she took the risk and declined the offer, taking her chance in starting Jack and Friends, a NY-based startup aimed at creating inclusive plant-based snacks for anyone of any lifestyle to enjoy. In this episode, we hear more about Jessica's story, as well as the tough decision she had to make. We learn about...
When her son Jonah was diagnosed with a milk allergy at 3 months old, Jessica Harris decided the only thing she could do was to change her diet. It wasn't until she started weening him that she soon realised there was no free-from food on the shelf, that nutritionally fit what she wanted to give her child. So she set off into the community, and after asking other mums in similar positions, it became clear they were all looking for the same thing: a fun, delicious, allergen-friendly yoghurt for their kids. Addressing what Jess saw as a gap in the market,...
While working as a manager for Apple, Ashish realised he wanted to have a career that aligned with his values and was more mission-driven. With the combination of research and intuition, he landed on Vegancuts. Despite having no background in e-commerce, but a desire to make a difference, he set out on a journey to fulfil the potential he saw in the business. In this episode, he shares how he transitioned from tech and the learnings he brought with him into his new role. We also spoke about the whys and hows of Vegancuts' evolution as a brand, how the company...
After the birth of his daughter, award-winning chef Alejandro Cancino had a decision to make. To stay in the restaurant world, or to take the plunge and start his own business, to try and bring veganism into the mainstream. With three hats to his name, he set to work and founded Fenn Foods, the plant-based manufacturing company and creators behind meat alternative vEEF. In this episode Alejandro sits down to talk about his journey, what it's like owning your own facility, the benefits and struggles of bootstrapping, as well as the importance of resourcefulness. We also cover how to make tough...
Where we see waste, Upcircle sees wonder. Having repurposed over 250 tonnes of coffee grounds into sustainable skincare, Anna and Will Brightman continue to make headlines, with the sibling duo appearing on UK's Dragon Den and featuring in publications such as VOGUE and Elle Magazine, among others. Despite their success however, things weren't always easy, with the pair choosing to quit their jobs to pursue their dream. This week we cover their journey, as well as how to organically grow an online presence, everything ethics, and the hows of maintaining balance in the early stages of getting a startup off the ground....
Big news, we're thrilled to launch into our first major chain.
Our salted caramel and original choc balls are now available at PARKnSHOP, one of the 2 largest supermarkets in Hong Kong.
Our HK fans can check Shop Finder on our website to discover which shops stock it.Personally, we're really happy to not only broaden our reach to show plant-based options can be tasty and affordable, but also will let us learn a lot and help inspire hopefully other vegan founders looking to get off the ground and break in...
Have you ever wondered what a vegan world would look like? Vikas Garg, CEO and founder of abillionveg, is turning this into reality through an app that makes eating vegan easier, while encouraging people to make a difference, one review at a time. But abillionveg is no ordinary platform. We spoke with Vikas about the challenges he has faced so far including the difficulties in building a team, as well as the future for the startup and their goal to donate $1 million this year. This is his story. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from...
Mushrooms. We've all tried them, but never like this. Meet Fable Food Co, a startup focussed on transforming one of nature's healthiest foods into a tasty meat alternative. This week we spoke with Michael Fox, cofounder of Fable, and chatted about a variety of topics, starting from his fascinating history of entrepreneurship and the power of packaging, to being endorsed by a michelin star chef and what it means to be a responsible plant based meat producer in the market today. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Notes Despite only...
Working as a freelance writer and engaging with animal activism, but feeling like nothing was changing, Alice Shopland had the idea of vegan food being a positive contribution which could fit her entrepreneurial interests. Fast forward to now, and what started as a small importer of vegan cheeses, has now grown to a successful and mission-driven business with accomplishments making New Zealand headlines. How did she get there? And what are some secrets to her success? Listen to find out her story. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook...
After reflecting on his career, Blair Crichton knew he wanted to have a positive impact on the planet and make a difference. With an interest in climate change, and having been a long-term vegetarian, he took an interest in the food-tech space, leading him to take up opportunities at Impossible Foods, the Good Food Institute and New Age Meats. Fast forward to now, a cofounder of Karana - a startup focussed on creating delicious and indulgent asian comfort foods using whole plants, starting with pork. How do they do it? Using one of the world's most sustainable crops: Jackfruit. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes ...
Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Notes From meeting in an uber ride, to launching a market-leading business in the field of vegan cheese, you could say cofounders Bree Gaudette and Matthew Ronalds are doing it all. With no formal training, but an unrelenting desire to create a vegan alternative close to the cheeses she used to love, Bree set to the kitchen to have a go herself. Fast forward to now with multiple products such as mozzarella, haloumi and even a delicious brie in puff, all...
Tempeh, a food discovered 300 years ago, in Java, Indonesia is set to make it into the mainstream. But how will it get there? And who is propelling the fermentation technology forward? Meet our first guest, Chris Kong, head of business development for Better Nature, a startup company focussed on producing protein the better way, one block of tempeh at a time. In this episode we learn their story, why tempeh, and what the future holds for the delicious meat alternative. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Summary...
Yep, that's right! In today's episode we share the big news, a new direction for the vegan startup podcast! Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Show notes Big news - we're expanding our "Vegan Startup" podcast to include other vegan startups from around the world! If you're in a vegan startup or know one to be features, pls comment or send us a DM! ps - don't worry, we'll also continue updating our journey with BITE as well :) Background - For those who've have been listening...
Everywhere you look right now, Coronavirus appears to dominate the headlines. But what impact has the virus actually had on our team, and what does it mean for the future of Bite Society? Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Show notes It's safe to say that the world is in panic over the coronavirus, and with the number of cases escalating day by day, it's understandable that people are beginning to worry. Shelves of supermarkets have been run dry, and as of today, events and gatherings of...
After touching on the topic briefly across multiple episodes, this week we sit down with Bite Society's head of global sales, Michal, to finally bring you an in-depth episode on international business and how we plan to take our mission global. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Show notes Some of you may be thinking, why is that we are even interested in doing international business since we are a zero profit and our motivation doesn't lie in the money? The answer falls under two main...
In last week's episode we mentioned that Bite Society had begun to trial a 'brand ambassador program'. This week, we thought we would delve deeper and explain what it is, how it's been going and why we're excited to be the first of (hopefully) many businesses to do it. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Show notes I guess it's time to get into the nitty gritty. What actually is an ambassador? And how does their role integrate into Bite Society as a project? It's important to take a...
Before the end of 2019 we left you with the news that we were hoping to launch our new flavour into the world. So now the question remains... did we do it? And if so, how did we go? In our first episode of 2020 we talk all things salted caramel, an update on the launch so far, and where we're hoping to go next. Click here to subscribe on Android or Apple iTunes We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch by email simon@bitesociety.com or katrina@bitesociety.com or @bitesociety on Instagram or Facebook Show notes So... what you've all been waiting to know. Have we launched our new flavour? ...
I think we just set the record for the world longest receipt 😅
(courtesy of sending a truckload of samples to all our newly appointed BITE ambassadors... go team go!!!)
#bitetribe
We're going through an interesting discussion for a potential new product, now in early prototyping. One of the things we have to figure out is weight and form-factor, and the resulting tradeoffs when it comes to price and physical attributes. For example, we can go down a "bigger" path, for example like the custom mould like the square on the left, with multiple snap-able pieces. This would be a more unique look, better for branding, and a larger size lets us have more shelf front facing area on the package, to grab attention. On the downside, a larger product is...
Thrilled to be helping support these groups with stock donations over the next couple of weeks. They'll be used for different things - sold to help raise funds, used as part of fundraising raffles, used in street outreach, samples for uni open days etc. The Dominion ExperienceMonash Vegan Society - MVSRMIT Vegan ClubOne Step For AnimalsAnimal Activist CollectiveWildlife VictoriaVictorian Lamb Rescue Inc.Melbourne Goat SaveLamb Care Australia Huge thanks for all the valuable work these groups do! ps - for those in Melbourne come along to The Cruelty Free Shop's volunteer info event where many groups will be sharing how to get...
We're trying something new - our first ambassador program! The goal is to help us reach more stockists and also give fun freebies to our community (you beautiful people 🥰) How it works: 1/ You have a fave local cafe or shop you think might stock our salted caramel choc balls * 2/ We'll send a free pack & goodies for you to enjoy, and also a pack for you to give the manager there to try - and put in a good word! 3/ Let us know how it went and we'll follow up with them To give it a...
Our first uni stockist ! Stoked to receive our first order from a campus, The University of Queensland! (level 4 in the union building) Hopefully it's the first of many we can make our way to - definitely want to be amongst the students who are going to fix stuff and make the world better in years to come :) This milestone is also meaningful personally. UQ is where my better half Grace studied teaching, and her eyes lit up when she heard the news 🥰 Now if I can only figure out a way to get into Melb Uni.... 😂 ps - if...
Had a call this morning with someone looking to start their own vegan distribution business. I shared our experience figuring out storage, also different ways to work - broker vs importer/distributor and she seemed keen to explore and take next steps to get it off the ground... It reminded me to share this page on our website about ways we can help your project (all for free of course): https://bitesociety.com/pages/helping-each-other It's a core part of our mission and hope we can reach a bunch of folks this year... Do get in touch if you'd like to chat about your project...
Baby was crying at 4am so I'm up...Ok I'm up so I'll just hop online for a few minutes to schedule a pickup I forgot to do last night...Computer on, monitor light is way too bright...Squint at the screen...Ok booking done... now just check a few emails and socials...Did the samples reach the influencers for their contests?Oh and I'm running out of insulated wrap - I really should buy some more, oh and gel packs ran out too...Oh I forgot to contact that cinema, need to put that down on the prospect list......which reminds me I need to reorganize the...
So our first launch tasting for salted caramel happened on Saturday.All went pretty well, roughly 1 in 4 people who tried went on to buy, lots of good feedback etcBut one funny thing - several times when I asked what they thought of the taste, I got "does it have coconut in it?" or "I can really taste the coconut" Which is weird because:A) there is no coconut in the formulationB) coconut has never come up in the prototype tastingsI was scratching my head until the end of the session when I was packing up and noticed just behind my...
