Product sampling is one of the most effective ways of gaining new customers. When COVID hit, all demos and tasting events stopped overnight. How can you now drive trial and awareness as an emerging brand?
Join us Thursday, October 15th at 10am as we talk with four amazing founders and learn how you can apply their learnings to your business to continue growing.
Featured speakers for this discussion…
Shibani Baluja,Founder & CEO, lil’gourmets
Shibani Baluja is the founder & CEO of lil’gourmets. lil’gourmets created the first and only fresh organic veggie meal. Their complex, global recipes feature 70-95% veggies and beans, combined with nourishing ingredients like coconut milk and olive oil, plus unique chef-crafted spice blends for fresh, delicious RTE snacks & meals that kids and adults love! Based on the research that shows there is a high correlation between our first foods and our future eating habits, lil’gourmets strives to cultivate curiosity in kids by exposing them to unique tastes, textures, and cuisines to help them fall in love with vegetables and diverse, culturally-rich foods for life.
Before being consumed by creating healthy food for kids, Shibani spent 11 years at Kraft Foods, most recently as a Director in their Mergers & Acquisitions team where she led a number of acquisitions, divestures, and other strategic initiatives. Prior to that, she spent six years at Merrill Lynch in their Private Client Group. She holds her BA in Economics and MBA in Finance & Strategy from the University of Michigan. Shibani lives in Chicago with her husband, Mike, and children, Jayden (lil’gourmets inspiration) and Mira (lil’gourmets #1 fan).
Pete Maldonado,CEO, Chomps
Peter Maldonado is the CEO and co-founder of Chomps, a meat snack company that uses the highest-quality, sustainablysourced proteins and no harmful, hidden ingredients. Maldonado has always been entrepreneurial, never holding a full-time,salaried job in his life. Personal trainer and real estate broker are titles he previously held, but a CPG food/beverage co-founder is by far his most successful. Since starting Chomps from his Chicago apartment in 2012, Maldonado has grown the company to beone of the fastest-growing better-for-you snack brands in the country.
Clark Nowlin, Founder & CEO, Golden Ratio
Regina Trillo, Founder, Nemi Holisticks
Regina, a human rights attorney from Mexico City, moved to Chicago 9 years ago and founded Nemi Holisticks in 2019 to bring together her love for chips, health and human rights. Nemi Holisticks are plant-based, crunchy sticks made from nopales (prickly pear paddle) in Mexican-inspired flavors. Regina partners with womxn of color and independent farmers in Mexico while using real and sustainable ingredients (like nopales) to make the crunchy snacks. Nemi Holisticks is on a mission to share delicious and authentic Mexican flavors in a fun and crunchy way!
Jordan Buckner (Moderator),Founder & Owner – TeaSquares, Founder – Foodbevy
Jordan Buckner is the CEO and co-founder of TeaSquares, a line of superfood energy snacks sold in corporate break rooms, Whole Food Markets, andAmazon.com. His personal mission is to create products that enhance people’s lives while giving back and mentoring others to do the same. Forbes awarded Jordan a 30 Under 30 recipient in the food and beverage category in 2018, and graduated from the Good Food Accelerator.
TeaSquares helps people fuel their passions through healthy, functional snacks, while its social mission is to fuel economic development in underserved neighborhoods. TeaSquares gives you the energy to help you reach your aspirations and potential – throughout each day, and in life. Our delicious superfood snacks are developed with nutritionists to help you overcome the valleys of fatigue, giving you immediate and sustained energy to FOCUS on what you need to conquer.
This is a FREE virtual event – pre-register now to save your spot!
This event is in partnership with our Industry partner, Foodbevy:
