Jason Burke is the Founder and CEO at New Primal, a clean-label meat snack brand making better-for-you jerky, meat sticks, and kid-friendly protein snacks. He launched the brand in 2012 after a homemade jerky recipe caught on with coworkers and has since built New Primal into a national CPG brand. In his role, Jason leads the company's growth strategy, product innovation, and retail expansion, helping push the meat snack category beyond traditional jerky into poultry-forward, lunchbox-friendly options.

Some categories seem fixed until a founder looks closely at what consumers are avoiding, compromising on, or never invited into in the first place. In better-for-you CPG, growth often comes from making the familiar feel easier, cleaner, and more relevant to everyday routines. So how do you take a dated category and turn it into something families, retailers, and new consumers can actually get behind?

As a CPG founder with expertise in clean-label meat snacks, Jason Burke answers that by focusing on access, familiarity, and long-term discipline. Rather than simply creating a better version of jerky, he saw an opportunity to rethink price point, format, flavor, audience, and usage occasion, moving from premium jerky into meat sticks that could work for lunchboxes, parents, and variety-seeking snackers. Jason emphasizes the importance of staying close to consumers, building strong retail relationships, using familiar flavors to reduce trial friction, and knowing when to narrow focus instead of chasing every adjacent opportunity. His approach shows that category disruption is less about one big breakthrough and more about consistent, intentional decisions that compound over time.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf chats with Jason Burke, Founder and CEO of New Primal, about building a cleaner meat snack brand and reshaping a legacy category. Jason shares why focus matters, how familiar flavors drive trial, and what it takes to grow through retail. He also touches on packaging, expansion, founder resilience, and future innovations.

Liz Zwillinger is the Co-founder of Biologica, a wellness brand creating drinkable multivitamins tailored to women's hormonal life phases. Drawing on her own journey navigating hormonal symptoms, Liz recognized significant gaps in women's health and turned her focus to researching nutrition, hormones, and aging. She launched Biologica to simplify supplementation, combining essential vitamins, minerals, and botanicals into delicious, stage-specific beverages for women. Continuing to guide research-driven product development, she ensures every formulation meets women's evolving health needs.

Life stages bring shifts that impact energy, mood, and daily routines for many women. From changing hormones to evolving nutritional needs, navigating health and wellness can be challenging. How can women simplify self-care while supporting their bodies through these transitions?

Liz Zwillinger, an expert in women's wellness and nutrition, explains that understanding hormonal life stages is the key to targeted health support. She highlights the importance of combining essential vitamins, minerals, and botanicals to align with these stages, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions. Liz also emphasizes taste and routine as critical factors for consistent supplementation, supporting both effectiveness and daily enjoyment. By tailoring nutrition to hormonal phases, women can better manage energy, mood, and long-term health.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf chats with Liz Zwillinger, Co-founder of Biologica, to examine why stage-specific wellness matters. Liz discusses how to address hormonal health, simplify supplementation, and choose ingredients that support women. She also touches on product flavor, daily routines, and practical tips for sustaining energy and well-being.

Clara Sieg is the Co-founder and CEO of Loonen, a glass-bottled water company rethinking hydration through spring-sourced, purified water, third-party testing, and transparent quality reports. In her role, she guides the brand's vision, product standards, retail growth, and consumer education, ensuring every decision reflects Loonen's commitment to clean water without plastic packaging. As a former partner at Revolution Ventures, Clara spent more than a decade investing in early-stage consumer brands before launching Loonen after her pregnancy sharpened her concerns about plastics, toxins, and everyday water quality.

The products we use every day often feel simple because they are so familiar. Water, in particular, can seem like the most basic choice on the shelf, yet its sourcing, packaging, and testing tell a much deeper story. What happens when a founder starts questioning not just what we drink, but what our water passes through before it reaches us?

The answer starts with treating water as a product that deserves the same scrutiny as food, beauty, and home care. As a former consumer investor and founder focused on safer everyday essentials, Clara Sieg brings a deeply informed perspective to bottled water, from contamination risks to packaging tradeoffs. She explains why transparency matters, how comprehensive finished-goods testing can build trust, and why glass packaging requires just as much attention to caps, transit, and production systems. Clara's insights point to a larger shift: consumers are looking for proof, not just purity claims.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf talks with Clara Sieg, Co-founder and CEO of Loonen, about rethinking bottled water through purity, transparency, and plastic-free packaging. Clara shares how pregnancy shaped the brand's mission, why testing matters, and how thoughtful design improves the everyday experience. She also touches on founder lessons, retail growth, and future innovation.

Breezy Griffith is the Co-founder and CEO of SkinnyDipped, a better-for-you snack brand reinventing treats with big flavor, less sugar, and real ingredients. She and her mom launched the company from their kitchen table after a family tragedy inspired them to build something meaningful together. Breezy has guided SkinnyDipped from door-to-door sales to national retail growth and leads strategy, innovation, sales, marketing, and expansion while building a family-rooted team and philanthropic work supporting women entrepreneurs.

Building a food brand takes more than a good idea; it requires sharp instincts, constant problem-solving, and the willingness to keep moving even when the path is messy, expensive, or uncertain. How does a founder turn a simple unmet craving into a nationally recognized brand without losing the heart behind it?

The answer starts with staying close to the original reason for building in the first place. Breezy Griffith, a CPG founder and leader in better-for-you snacking, shares how food, family, and consumer needs shaped her approach to growth. Rather than overcomplicating early decisions, Breezy leaned into making something people genuinely want to eat, then used sampling, retail learning, and brand storytelling to create momentum. She also points to the importance of defined roles, trusted collaborators, and building a team that feels like an extension of the founding values. Her perspective offers a reminder that growth is often built through small, consistent decisions that stack into something much bigger.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf sits down with Breezy Griffith, Co-founder and CEO of SkinnyDipped, to discuss building a family-founded snack brand rooted in flavor, grit, and purpose. Breezy shares why sampling drove early traction, how Target became a turning point, and what guides innovation. She also touches on philanthropy, women founders, team culture, and telling the story behind the brand.

Taja Dockendorf is the Founder and Creative Director of Pulp+Wire, a female-founded, full-service CPG branding and marketing agency. With over 18 years of experience, she has helped build, launch, and scale hundreds of brands across the natural and organic foods, cannabis, hemp, and lifestyle categories. She has led brand strategy and creative campaigns for notable companies, including Ryan Snacks, Allagash Brewing, and Ocean Spray. A seasoned brand strategist, creative leader, and investor in emerging brands, Taja is known for blending strategy, storytelling, and design to create brands that stand out in competitive markets.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping creative work, leaving many creatives torn between excitement and anxiety. While AI promises speed and efficiency, it also raises concerns about originality, emotional depth, and the loss of human intuition in branding and storytelling. How can creatives embrace AI without sacrificing the soul of their work?

A brand strategist and creative director with deep expertise in CPG branding and storytelling, Taja Dockendorf explains that AI works best as a supportive tool rather than a creative replacement. She emphasizes the importance of intentional prompting, iteration, and leveraging AI as a thought partner to organize ideas and refine direction. Taja encourages creatives to protect their intuition, lived experience, and emotional intelligence — focusing on big ideas, cultural nuance, and human connection while letting AI handle efficiency and execution support.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf, Founder and Creative Director of Pulp+Wire, explores creative intelligence versus artificial intelligence. Taja discusses using AI as a junior assistant, why prompts shape outcomes, how human intuition drives great branding, and what AI still can't replicate in emotionally resonant creative work.

Camillo Franchi Scarselli is the Co-founder of Libellula, a collective supporting small family olive farms in Italy's Sabina region, north of Rome. Based near Montelibretti, he works closely with local growers to preserve traditional groves while connecting them to international markets. Through Libellula, Camillo helps farmers share resources, maintain sustainable agricultural practices, and bring high-quality extra-virgin olive oil to consumers around the world.

Pepper Gross is the Chief Marketing Officer for Libellula, the Italian olive oil collective connecting family farmers in the Sabina hills with customers in the United States and beyond. Originally from Brunswick, Maine, Pepper helped establish the company's first US distribution hub there and focuses on storytelling, partnerships, and community engagement that highlight Libellula's mission of supporting small farmers and sustainable agriculture.

The story behind many food brands begins with a place, a tradition, or a problem that needs solving. Long-standing agricultural practices are meeting modern environmental challenges and shifting markets. How do founders turn that tension between heritage and innovation into a brand that can grow while staying true to the land?

Camillo Scarselli and Pepper Gross say the answer begins with restoring value to what already exists. By bringing together small farmers and reviving neglected groves, they focus on regenerative methods that improve soil health and avoid chemical inputs. Camillo explains that long-term quality comes from patience — testing soil, adapting harvest timing, and letting nature lead the process. Pepper adds that emerging brands grow best through community by cultivating partnerships, building relationships with customers, and expanding thoughtfully rather than chasing scale too quickly. Together, their approach shows how transparency, collaboration, and respect for tradition can shape and grow a sustainable brand.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, host Taja Dockendorf sits down with Camillo Scarselli, Co-founder, and Pepper Gross, CMO of Libellula, to discuss building an emerging olive oil brand rooted in regenerative farming. Camillo and Pepper explore restoring abandoned groves, scaling a collective of farmers, and balancing artisanal production with brand growth. They also discuss biodiversity in olive varieties, community partnerships, and connecting Italian agriculture with US markets.

Brian Upton is Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Elevate Organic, a wellness brand focused on regenerative agriculture and science-backed organic supplements. He helps lead the company's commercial strategy and brings products with clinically studied ingredients like organic Shatavari and regenerative Ashwagandha to market. With over a century of combined natural products industry experience behind the company's founders, Brian has been instrumental in applying industry insight to building a sustainable brand that combines clinical research with regenerative sourcing.

Hank Ramsey is Co-founder and General Manager of Elevate Organic. He oversees operations and strategic execution and champions combining evidence-based nutrition with regenerative agriculture to create supplements that support both human vitality and planetary health. Prior to Elevate Organic, Hank built extensive experience in the natural products and wellness industry through senior sales and leadership roles at brands including Ancient Nutrition, Garden of Life, Gaia Herbs, and Arizona Nutritional Supplements, where he led retail strategy and key account growth across major channels.

Most supplement brands compete on trends, claims, and crowded shelves. But what does it take to build a mission-driven CPG brand that stands out in a mature category while staying rooted in science and integrity? And how do experienced operators turn conviction into a differentiated, scalable business?

The answers lie in pairing deep industry experience with disciplined brand execution. Drawing from decades of scaling major natural products brands, Brian Upton, a revenue leader shaped by digestive health transformation, and Hank Ramsey, a veteran sales and operations executive, share how a proven playbook can be applied to launch a purpose-driven supplement company. They explore how to identify white space in a crowded category without becoming overly dependent on data dashboards. Brian explains why experience and long-term category insight often outperform short-term trend chasing, while Hank emphasizes that clinically studied ingredients are critical for premium positioning and lasting consumer trust. Together, they frame regenerative sourcing not as a marketing tactic, but as a defensible, long-term brand moat. Their advice includes putting people first, protecting product efficacy at all costs, and building a culture resilient enough to withstand startup volatility.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf sits down with Brian Upton and Hank Ramsey, Co-founders of Elevate Organic, to discuss building a regenerative supplement brand in a competitive CPG market. They explore brand differentiation through clinical science, scaling with a proven playbook, and raising category standards with innovative protein, probiotic, and detox formulations. Brian and Hank also share startup lessons and their long-term vision for industry leadership.

Adam Deremo is the Co-founder and CEO of AWAKE Chocolate, a brand pioneering the fusion of delicious chocolate and functional benefits. With a strong background in CPG, Adam has played a pivotal role in growing the brand, and AWAKE Chocolate is now one of the leading functional chocolate brands in North America, with products now carried in thousands of retail locations. Before launching AWAKE Chocolate, Adam spent over a decade working with industry giants Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo, where he honed his expertise in business strategy, product development, and financial management.

Building a successful brand in a crowded market is challenging, especially when trying to bring something truly innovative to the table. But what makes some entrepreneurs stand out from the rest? What allows them to overcome obstacles and disrupt industries that have been around for decades?

With an extensive background in consumer packaged goods, Adam Deremo notes that the key to success lies in identifying gaps and creating solutions that address unmet consumer needs. He emphasizes the importance of moving quickly, especially when scaling a new business, and how taking calculated risks without over-analyzing decisions can lead to faster growth. Additionally, Adam highlights the significance of staying focused on quality and consumer feedback as the brand grows, rather than getting distracted by shiny new opportunities.

In this episode of the Brand Alchemist Podcast, Taja Dockendorf sits down with Adam Deremo, Co-founder and CEO of AWAKE Chocolate, to discuss how he launched a brand that blends innovation with taste. Adam talks about scaling a business in a competitive market, insights on functional foods, and lessons learned from navigating the challenges of the pandemic. He also shares advice on product trial strategies and hiring the right team.