What if you build your Community before you even launch your brand? Madi Lieber and Michelle Cordeiro Grant did just that, taking  what they learned at Meta, Google, Lively, and Thrillist to the CPG world as they build their beverage brand, Gorgie. Find out how a community-first model can foolproof decision making, and the tactics and strategy they've found to be successful.

UNFI's UpNext program is designed to curate and incubate emerging brands. Aaron May, Senior Manager of the UpNext program, explains their criteria for brand selection, the most common mistakes brands make when starting out with UNFI, and how to directly access the UNFI team for advice and support.

Jason Bronstad of Malk, Ayeshah Abuelhiga of Mason Dixie, and Sean Connor of ForceBrands talk about the future of leadership, current hiring trends, and how to keep teams feeling inspired and connected in today's working environment. They also discuss which positions are in high demand right now, how to prioritize hires that align with business goals, and tactics to build an engaging team culture, no matter what the size.

Jing Gao popularized chili crisp with Fly By Jing in grocery retail and transformed Global aisles to include an entire set of the condiment. But, it wasn't easy. Jing talks about how building a DTC audience laid a foundation for retail, why the premium price tag was not only crucial to business health when investment was impossible to secure, but also an important step towards valuing Chinese culture, and how her version of chili crisp is traditional - not personal.

Omsom's innovative, personalized, and identity forward approach to digital marketing paved the way for record growth on their foundational DTC platform. Founders Vanessa and Kim Pham discuss the issues they encountered while scaling the business from DTC to brick-and-mortar, and learn the solutions they used to scale distribution nationally with Whole Foods Market and Target.

The convenience store channel is just about the most competitive and expensive you'll find in CPG, but the promise of sky high velocities and an immediate way to reach new customers is undeniably attractive. Andy Steele of Ollipop and BODYARMOR, and Vanessa Walker of NEW YOU BRANDS and La Croix lay out the cost of doing business, when the right time to launch is, secrets for getting your products on shelf, and why the changing landscape is good news for BFY food and beverage brand alike.

Social Media and influencer marketing is just the beginning of how the landscape of earned PR has changed, but Sara Brooks of Goldilocks PR comes to the rescue with years of experience and scrappy strategy that even the most emerging brands can make use of. Sara tells us how to pitch traditional outlets like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, exactly how to get started with TikTok and content creation that feels authentic, and how and when to activate influencer partnerships that produce results.

You won't find a smarter, more experienced, or creative marketing duo than Mari Lee and Katie Geyer of Nutrabolt / C4. Find out how they choose events that support customer acquisition goals, activations that actually drive velocities in store, and a brilliant nugget of wisdom on how to find influencer partners that deeply resonate with your brand.