Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor in chief, Zack Miller. I like to say that it takes a village to raise a fintech firm. You can really see the power of the ecosystem when it comes to successful companies in our space like Square and Plaid. 

Lloyed Lobo has seen first hand the power of having an audience. Launched in a spare bedroom with pizza nights, the community he co-founded, Traction, now numbers 100,000 people building companies. Lloyed’s company, Boast AI, has seen the fruits of this community. It helps companies apply for R&D tax credits. With a newly formed fund of $100 million, it also helps tech firms finance their credits. 

We talk about the power of community and how it can help find early fans and customers for a novel concept. Lloyed shares his experience building Boast and how smaller firms are now able to tap these credits that previously were accessible by some of the largest tech companies. Boast uses a hybrid tech and human delivery model – Lloyed talks about that, too.

Lloyed Lobo is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast.

‘If you build a community, you won't become a commodity’: Boast AI’s Lloyed Lobo

i mastered this on ssoundcloud how does it sound

toothpick

There are a few hot and spicy flavor companies out there certainly. But Althea Potter’s company combines crunchy, hot, spicy and tasty like no one else. Her love for spicy flavors began early. As a mere baby, her parents gave her pepperoncini peppers as snacks and Althea never lost her craving. Whether you call the taste chili oil or chili crisp, it’s all those things and more with a crunch. Taking from the world’s table from China, Mexico, Central America, Japan and Thailand, Althea has created a flavor base to go in just about any dish to make it more special. Or, as many of her customers write on her website, eat it from the jar! During her career as a chef in Portland, Oregon she received accolades from Portland Monthly, Eater Portland, the Portland Mercury, Willamette Weekly, Imbibe, Time Out London, USA. That 10-year stint was cut short by the COVID lockdown, as the restaurant went the way of so many during that period. And entrepreneurs are borne of that necessity/desperation; Althea decided to pursue her passion in a way to make her own living via a food brand of her own. Like many of our guests, a huge help in getting launched was reaching out to the Food Innovation Center, headed by our host, Sarah Masoni. At the time, the class was offered by teleconference and the lessons learned by Althea saved her much time, heartache and money in getting launched. The instructors were awesome and inspired Althea with confidence. In 2018, with her local press as credentials, she was contacted by The Food Network to apply for Guy's Grocery Games while working in the restaurant. Althea applied, got on the show, filmed it in California and won! That prize money bootstrapped her new venture, The Flavor Society. She is doing it right; packaging is in jars with art-deco like labels that are supremely designed. The jars are clear, so you see the ingredients that are hand crafted in Portland. The Flavor Society website sells Bagel Crunchy Sauce and Pizza Crunchy Sauce jars in combinations online.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#104 Some Like it Hotter - Althea Potter, The Flavor Society

Lots of food entrepreneurs start in their kitchen and then go commercial. But Stefania (please note the spelling) got her start in her mother’s kitchen. A stay at home Mom in Perugia, Italy, Stefania’s Mom along with Stefania’s aunts cooked homemade pasta. Stefania’s Dad worked with farmers and would bring home fresh produce and the family had absolutely delectable dinners. They sat around the table and talked and laughed. Of course, friends and other family members would join in the feasts and at the tender age of four, Stefania was hooked on cooking fresh and authentic. Stefanie, her husband and two boys moved to Portland, Oregon around 2008 and Stefanie was rather shocked to discover grocery shopping in the US. She would go to the store and see people filling their grocery carts with processed foods! Stefanie had learned the Italian way: You go to the baker for bread, the butcher for meat and so forth. You only buy fresh ingredients, take them home and spend a good portion of the day creating masterpieces that go far beyond simply “fueling” the body, you also fuel the soul. And as we have seen before, Stefanie decided to offer her talent to the public. She started a small operation in southeast Portland offering take out dishes including soups and frozen meals. She also sold her foods at a farmers’ market as more or less an experiment, but decided that venue was not the best way to showcase and sell. And now she operates Stefanie’s Kitchen, which is a fascinating case study in dealing with the COVID situation. Stefanie hangs her hat on homemade, fresh ingredients, authentic Italian meals, sauces and pastas. The pasta meals are made with fresh pasta and are available to either pick up or be delivered next day. So, no restaurant with employees and worries about being closed unilaterally, just cook and have meals ready. The magic of her business is her website. Check it out. It is easy to navigate, absolutely sizzles with mouth watering images, and makes it easy to choose and buy. And she has really merchandised well. She offers not only her own cooking, but also direct import Italian products for your pantry (she only offers the best; I have been to the Gentile pasta factory in Italy and it’s world famous). Plus, you can buy her custom napkins, utensils and other accessories. And don’t wait; every day Stefanie loads up the quantities of the different fresh dishes on the website. You will often see “sold out” on the popular dishes that day if you dally too long.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#105 New World Digital Marketing. Old World Meals - Stefania, Stefania's Kitchen

Chef, garden advisor, recipe writer and more! That’s the introduction to Shannon Feltus, owner of Urban Farm Foods, a real information center and shopping place for those who love fresh and inventive meals. Her career began learning from “Gram”, who taught her hearty and wholesome recipes from her secret stash. That evolved into canning foods as a hobby and her generosity evolved into sharing her canned treats with others. An unabashed food nerd, Shannon was herded into the cheffing profession by friends and family who worshipped her cooking. They asked her over and over again to cook for them professionally (meaning Shannon got paid) for dinner parties and special events. This made Shannon feel confident she could enter the chef’s world and that was the beginning of her entry into the commercial world. Around 2012, after gaining notoriety both on local television shows and nationally on the Food Network, she started working seriously on creating her own brand, which is basically her knowledge, passion and energy. Besides being a chef on TV and catering pop up dinners, Shannon puts on classes to teach others. She instructs on proper gardening so people can grow their own nutritious food, invents and shares custom recipes and points to books for background reading. She is so inventive; she is currently developing new seeds for a local seed company, going above and beyond the normal food preparer or even food grower. Shannon loves how she is involved in creating new plant varieties, test-tasing them, and creating even more new recipes to share. An admitted vegetable pusher, Shannon appreciates how her seed producer is creating seeds for plants that will continue to produce year after year, rather than the “one and done” seed production from most companies. And of course, COVID has changed her business model. Not feeling comfortable going into people’s houses to cook for special events as in the past, Shannon channeled her time and energy into more recipes and sharing them along with Urban Farm Foods merchandise to spice up the special meals you can serve. That’s where you’ll find procured book titles as well, and the superb food photography will really put you in the mood to cook. You would do well to check out urbanfarmfoods.co – NOT .com (somebody grabbed that one). You should also note Shannon’s high standards for more than food and seeds. She has eschewed becoming an influencer even though she has had multiple offers. Shannon doesn’t feel right pushing products, she prefers the path of being an honorable businessperson. Her business success is no surprise based on her moral success.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#106 Creating New Recipes and Even New Food - Shannon Feltus, Urban Farm Foods

A Veteran of the Marine Corps, Josh Emison is another Vet from a military family. With an Army Aircorps veteran grandfather and a Navy Veteran for a father, Josh grew up all over the world. In the mainland US, England, Puerto Rico…well, you get the idea. Josh knew early on he wanted to have a military career, and his father’s advice was, not surprisingly, go to the Naval Academy. Not really knowing what to expect, Josh applied and was accepted and met a bunch of terrific Marine officers. That directed him to the Marine Corps where he spent five years as an infantry officer. He had two non-combat deployments. First to Spain where he got to work with the Spanish military, then to Okinawa, where he trained with the Korean Marines. In Okinawa, he also got to do a lot of scuba diving, so not all work! He then went to Jordan for 13 months working at the embassy in charge of administration and logistics. Josh worked with the Jordanian military, but also got to interact with a lot of the civilians. The Jordanian culture and the people really appealed to Josh and remains one of his fondest memories. The biggest takeaway from all that travel? At the basic level, all people are the same. Yes, we may dress differently and eat different foods, but we are all going through the human experience together. And if you can embody that philosophy, you can be comfortable almost anywhere. As rich as his Marine experience was, Josh was wanting to do other things besides a military career. 

Interestingly enough, Josh also had a fascination with Jackie Chan Kung Fu movies, so spent 6 months in China once he got out of the Marine Corps so he could learn Mandarin and Kung Fu. After returning to the states, he still had 6 months before starting his teaching job so he decided he wanted to start a business. Not knowing what kind of business to start, he eventually landed as a franchise consultant, which meant if nobody bought a franchise, he didn't get paid. 
Despite starting the business during the period of strict Covid restrictions, he was able to make it work and successfully placed over a dozen people into franchise ownership.
During this time, he began learning more and more about real estate investing and realized many of the best investment opportunities were reserved for non-accredited investors. He also was learning about block chain at the time and wondering how this world-changing technology could work. So how could he help the non-accredited investor world participate in building wealth? Josh came up with the idea to use blockchain to offer fractional real estate ownership and own real estate debt. This gave high, stable returns to “regular” people, and that was the beginning of Sansbank. For as little as $100, many people can participate in real estate investments. You can sign up for early access to the app at sansbank.io or follow them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sansbank

#118 Power to the Little Investor - Josh Emison, Sans Bank

The Specialty Food Association puts on a show, a really big show, It is the largest U.S. event focused exclusively on the specialty food industry and although COVID slowed down the show schedule, our very own hosts, Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall, attended the first 2022 show, February 6th through 8th in Las Vegas (yes, it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it). In this episode, they talk about the things they did, the people they saw and the great foods they ate. The Association is comprised of specialty food manufacturers. Specialty foods are hand-crafted, of extremely high quality and this association helps protect their standards, build a community and keep promoting good eating of nutritious foods which are generally found in specialty food stores, certain sections of a grocery store or shops such as your favorite cheese shop. Twice each year, the association puts on their Fancy Food Show, essentially a trade show for their members to reconnect, share, grow their knowledge base and help promote each other’s wares, and to connect with Buyers!   Our hosts had a little time to enjoy the big art exhibit on tour and catch a few venues recommended by friends. Of particular interest was the art exhibit. To enter, you go through a door that feels like a minimart with real and not-real products. As you explore, you can go through a refrigerator door, look behind a meat case, open a file cabinet drawer and it opens a secret door – very Alice In Wonderland. Outside in the city, our hosts found a very clean, not crowded Las Vegas. And the food in the restaurants was wonderful; this episode contains a great list if you're interested. But back to the food show. Part of the value of a show is new connections for young company food entrepreneurs and Sarah Marshall gives us a case study in this episode. Tonia Farman, whose company is Queen of Hearts Hemp (episode #82), was personally introduced around by Sarah. Tonia met new food buyers and grocery buyers. These are buyers who would normally take weeks, months and years of door knocking to get an audience and even then might be impossible to see. But a person-to-person setting with a qualified introduction by a known quantity can make a huge difference in the growth trajectory of a budding food company. Queen of Hearts Hemp is one of a long list of Oregon food founders who got to meet and greet important people in the industry by our hosts. It’s great to see business is getting brighter and brighter. And stay tuned to more episodes! Our two hosts are working on a secret “new idea” which will probably be revealed over time…"

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#107 Specialty Food Association's Fancy Food Show Recap

We love to interview food founders who also listen to our show, and Ashley Chase is one of them. Ashley has just changed her company name to Bird Food For Humans (originally Bird Seed Food Co); but why? It’s been a big journey for Ashley. Celebrating five years in business, becoming a solo Mom and barely hanging on to her business, Ashley did something both creative and brave. She sent out an email to a select group laying out her situation plainly and honestly that she was looking to either sell her business or find a strategic partner. Lo and behold, she was introduced to a woman named Tessa who had been out of the workforce for some time but was looking for a project and the stars began to align. Tessa not only had a food product background, her husband also happened to be the CEO of a large dairy company. Tessa brought connections and knowledge to the table, but it was still a few months of back and forth to put together the deal. Tessa and husband invested in Ashley’s company and are now the majority owners, but they also brought in more friends who have wound up being strategic partners. So one of the early projects was to end the confusion of “is it bird seed for birds or bird food for humans?” with the name change. That’s the glowing situation today, but the back story provides the real impetus for Ashley’s achievement. Back in 2013, she was a healthy, active person outdoors hiking and indoors leading Zumba classes. Feeling like the vision of health, Ashley was shocked to find out she was actually a rather sick person after running a full blood panel at her doctor’s office. Hearing that she had half the amount of blood as a normal person, Ashley was told not to raise her heartbeat to high levels as she could be prone to a heart attack. Time to open a new chapter and that’s exactly what Ashley did. First was a blood transfusion to get her stable and then tests for all sorts of possibilities. Luckily, she saw a naturopathic doctor who identified gluten as the sole culprit for her woes. Her extreme allergy meant her blood was not being replenished effectively hence the drop in supply. After the change in diet, Ashely was a new person. The allergy had her body performing at half capacity and now at full capacity she was twice the person as before. Bursting with this new lease on life she ran a marathon and many other robust activities. But she got to thinking about all the other people in a similar situation; what could she do to help them? Become a naturopath? She was now a voracious reader and came across a passage saying that having a product was a way to be a microphone for a story and that passage stuck. While managing a coffee shop, Ashley always had a mason jar full of her homemade granola, which a co-worker called bird seed. Everybody loved it and suggested it go on the menu, which it did. Then Ashley got the idea that some attractive packaging would be more appealing and the snowball effect was in gear. They called it the obvious – bird seed granola – and sales took off. A food blogger friend suggested hosting a breakfast and so Ashley built a website by herself, finished it the day before the breakfast and sold $800 from that one event. More shows, more social media and listening to podcasts kept the momentum going and led to initial grocery store shelf space. That grew to 75 locations up until COVID. 2020 Was a tough year and Ashley as for many food founders and she is digging her way out. But it’s working as her loyal customers have stayed alive and kept ordering.

#108 No Bird Brain Here - Ashley Chase, Bird Seed for Humans

On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI features a talk by Sarah Tavel, General Partner at Benchmark from the IRL Traction Conference in Vancouver. Sarah started her career at Bessemer Venture Partners, and invested in Pinterest when it was a small five person company with about 30,000 registered users. She loved the company so much that she joined Pinterest to become their first product manager. Sarah led product at Pinterest through a period of hyper-growth, and when she left the company they had 100 million monthly active users.&nbsp;  In this session, Sarah shares the framework to build iconic businesses covering:  Hierarchy of engagement Growing engaged users Retaining users once you've brought them in Building mounting loss and accruing benefits into your product Making your product self-perpetuating with virtuous loops  Learn more about the Traction community at &nbsp; Connect with Sarah Tavel:   Learn more about Benchmark at  This episode is brought to you by: Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&amp;D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses, but the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at . Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to Seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 Billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa visit &nbsp; Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline their podcast production. Learn more at

The Fuel Powering Enduring, Multi-Billion Dollar Businesses with Sarah Tavel, Benchmark

Lee Hedgmon grew up in Portland, Oregon, there was a culture of craft so making sweet drinks came very naturally and there are plenty of bee keepers in the region and lots of honey. Making a great brew is one thing, selling it commercially is another. So Lee has partnered with other spirits producers, among them Freeland Spirits of Portland, for whom she also works as a distiller. Previously a distiller for McMenamin’s, a regional pub owner, Lee knew people in the business. She began asking around if people had barrels they were dumping anytime soon and when they did, they went to Lee! In exchange, the distillers got some bottles of Barreled Bee and go their names on the bottle tag for advertising and everybody was a winner! And since distillery barrels have more than one life, Lee also gives her barrels away after she uses them; it’s a great ecosystem and great community. Beyond the actual brewing regimen, Lee is an astute marketer. Her packaging is superb, with distinctive bottling and labeling. The label looks “sophisticated woodsy” and the lid is reminiscent of any fine liquor bottling. A master stroke: She has added the signature wax sealant on the top ala Maker’s Mark. And luckily during the lockdown, her production numbers were small enough she never experienced a shortage of bottles, so distribution was not disrupted. Growth plans are in the works and the challenges to overcome are basic. Lee needs space, the right kind of space. Barrels are large and when filled with honey, very heavy. And as mentioned, temperature and humidity control are crucial. If too cold, the honey can crystalize inside the barrel and it’s not a fun rescue, if rescue is even possible. Aging time is about four months, and the barrels are mixed and tested in between. Drinking the honey straight is probably for the very few, it’s best as part of a cocktail recipe. And here’s a good one (write it down): The Honey Drop. Geneva Gin (from Freeland, Lee makes it also), Barrel Aged Honey (of course), lemon juice, a bit of Cointreau and egg white. Yes, your mouth is watering, so go make one and enjoy.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#109 Nothing Sweeter - Lee Hedgmon, The Barreled Bee

When it’s dark, cloudy, rainy and depressing outside and you’re having trouble getting motivated, you need to RALLY yourself. That’s what Alan Maniscalco and Shan Wickham have done for, and to, each other since starting Rally Pizza in 2016 in Vancouver, Washington. And that’s how they feel about their customers, that they too should rally into their restaurant to celebrate, whether a birthday, an anniversary or just to get out of the house on a rainy Tuesday and shake the blues. The husband-wife duo has a great division of labor. Shan is Rally Pizza’s General Manager and Pastry Chef. She grew up baking with her mother and grandmother before attending California Culinary Academy, and now creates Rally Pizza’s incredible vanilla frozen custard sundaes, shakes and Midwest-style ‘concretes’ mixed with her house-baked goods. Alan serves as Executive Chef with more than 20 years' experience as a baker, cook and pizza maker. The two met while working at Restaurant Zibibbo in Palo Alto because Alan had hired Shan right out of culinary school. They went on to open Stone House Bread South in Michigan, consult for community supported bakery Avalon International Breads in Detroit, and redesign the Whole Foods Market artisan bread line - Shan managing the bakery and Alan running the bread program. From 2006-2016, Alan led the kitchen at Ken’s Artisan Pizza in Portland, when it was considered one of the city’s most respected restaurants and among America’s top pizzerias. When they struck out on their own, their mission was to provide an uplifting atmosphere along with authentic Sicilian dishes and local, fresh ingredients and that is clearly evident when you walk in. The dining room is open and bright, the location is easy to get to for the greater metro area residents and there is plenty of parking. The restaurant is family-friendly, specializing in ingredient-driven Neapolitan style pizzas, bountiful farm-fresh salads, handcrafted muffulettas, decadent frozen custard desserts, and tempting cocktails. And according to Shan, they hand make “darn near everything” including the custards and the hand-pulled mozzarella cheese, so it is truly a craft restaurant. The community has appreciated their effort and has been a terrific supporter. Known as one of the “Best Pizza Places in Vancouver” on TripAdvisor, Yelp and Slice Life, the community “rallied” around them with plenty of to-go orders during COVID restrictions. That allowed Shan and Alan to keep themselves in business and the local farmers and suppliers in business as well. The custards are knockout and the salads delicious, but pizza is the calling card here. Start with the dough; the experience at Ken’s Artisan Pizza is of course the main ingredient. Shan as the pastry expert uses the basics of flour, water, salt and yeast to begin the simple vegan dough they make every day. It’s left in the refrigerator up to a day-and-a-half to give it that tangy flavor. Then the sauce, vegan tomatoes, garlic, chili flakes and salt and as Shan says, “easy cheesy” cheese is next. Sourcing local meats, the couple makes their own lamb and beef meatballs. They offer many gluten-free dishes but sadly, there is no way to serve up a gluten-free pizza. And there are amazing drinks for the adults. Shan and Alan have concocted some incredible cocktails using their custards, handmade syrups and spirits. They make up some “boozy floats” like their Blackberry G & T Float, comprised of house blackberry sauce, frozen custard and a can of Freeland Spirits Gin & Rose Tonic. So rally on over when you’re in the area.

#110 Easy Cheesy - Shan Wickham, Rally Pizza

Chef at two trailblazing establishments, Renata Wood Fired Italian Restaurant and Nourish Mindful Meals, Sandra Arnerich is an amazing juggler of fine cuisines. Sandra’s journey started about as early as it can be done; she was, in her words, “…born a chef”. After a couple of years in a Texas school, she realized food was both her passion and her life’s dream and enrolled in culinary school in Canada. Her choice turned out to be a game changer. One day in class, the teacher gave everyone a library card to check out cookbooks. Not really knowing the restaurant scene of the world, Sandra picked up a cookbook from the world-famous The French Laundry in Nappa, California. She couldn’t put it down. Sandra went straight to her teacher and said she wanted an internship there, which was a huge ask considering it meant an international challenge. However, the school gave it a try and lo and behold, she landed it! As an intern Sandra became enthralled with the art of fresh ingredients and sourcing to create optimum dishes. The French Laundry has its own orchard and garden from which many of its dishes are created. As a real bonus, Sandra also met her husband there and the team worked successfully in restaurants around the Bay Area for some years. However, with two children now in the family, they decided to move to her husband’s home town, Portland, Oregon. Her husband’s family showed them the restaurant scene in Portland so the couple had a very clear idea of what they wanted to open. They felt Portland had great food but they wanted to integrate all that a great restaurant could be; a great wine list, cocktail list, impeccable service and great food. It was that detail-orientation the couple learned from The French Laundry that they wanted to bring to the area. And so the birth of Renata, wood fired Italian fare, including exceptional pizzas, pastas and meats. Their cocktail menu will drive you wild if you’re a cocktail lover like me. Currently, they’re only open Thursday through Saturday and if you look at their reservation list, they are booked. But don’t despair; if you love their pizza you can pick up their frozen pizzas at select grocery stores, including Market of Choice, one of this show’s sponsors. This endeavor has meant developing the strong partnerships with local farmers, partnerships that were tested during COVID and have stayed in tact. Sandra and her husband’s other venture, Nourish, started with, oddly enough, Sandra’s husband’s back surgery. While recovering and going through his rehabilitation, he found a trainer/coach who had a meal prep program that included a shopping list and recipes. However, the trainer’s big dream was to be able to deliver those nutritious and delicious meals to her clientele and more. So, one person’s dream meets those who can enable that dream and another great business idea was born. The challenge to put together both nutrition with caloric values plus great taste was exactly in Sandra’s wheelhouse and she went to work. Now her circle is complete and strong. She knows that food brings people together, forms fond memories and good, nutritious food is the most important thing people can do for their health. But to really, really spread that philosophy, Sandra and her team know they can’t depend on one restaurant location and meal delivery. That’s why they have increased their distribution into grocery stores, beginning with frozen pizzas, so that everyone can take their hand-crafted wares into their own home.

#111 Spreading the Word: Food Creates Memories - Sandra Arnerich, Renata PDX

Our show’s hosts, Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall, are well connected as you know, and today’s guest is connected with Sarah Masoni as a fellow committee member and attendee at the last Fancy Foods show in Las Vegas. Laura Briscoe of Laura’s Gourmet Granola and Sarah are mutual advocates for promoting crafted, artisan, healthy and delicious new foods and provide incredible support to the industry. After graduating from college as a Poli-Sci major, Laura went to work in the tech industry in sales. The crunch of 2001 convinced her to get away from the hectic tech pace and find a new avenue. It was a movie, “Eat Drink Man Woman” that was the epiphany for Laura. She identified with the daughter in the movie and was inspired to check out the best culinary school in the area. Laura then enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu in Arizona. It was during school she realized that she did not want a business partner to open a restaurant, she wanted to do it all by herself and began her business plan then. The school allowed her to do her externship to create her business so upon graduation she hit the ground running. Of course, she found out the entrepreneurial path is bumpy. She once cooked for a wedding party of 240 and the only equipment was a grill. Yes, learning to improvise is a mandatory skill. Around 2002-3, Laura began playing with a recipe that eventually became the granola for which she is now famous. But while she let that percolate her private chef and fine dining business really took off. She gained a reputation quickly that not only included running a great business, but led to local news and talk show cooking segments that grew her brand name. But the granola recipe lingered in the back of her mind. She became addicted to granola in college and would stuff herself right out of the box even in the classroom. Then she saw a recipe in a magazine to make granola and decided to make her own with exceptions. Those exceptions were butter, sugar and other ingredients she just would not eat. But she experimented with the recipe substituting ingredients acceptable to her and then one day, her original vanilla crunch granola was born (It is still the flagship flavor of the line).  When Laura baked, she baked a bunch and had so much she gave it away. Of course, the rest is a familiar story: Friends loved it, wanted more, gave it to their friends and suddenly Laura was beseeched with offers to pay her, trade her, any compensation to have some of her fabulous granola, and the light went on. A best friend said she should sell it so she started talking to stores but couldn’t get to the decision makers. Then, synchronicity and serendipity, as Laura likes to say, hit. She walked into a store to get some ingredients and noticed a bunch of men in suits holding court. When Laura asked the checker what was going on, she was told the store was going to be turned into a AJs Fine Foods store and pointed out the owner. As soon as the owner broke from the pack, Laura was there pitching him on her product and her plans. He told her he’d give the product a try and, true to his word, she got a call 10 days later saying they would stock the granola on their shelves. That was the start, as the store wanted more flavors and Laura began adding flavors and the line just kept growing from customer demand. Laura’s has grown tremendously and her granola in lots of stores – check out her website – sells online and has Laura’s Gourmet Granola on menus from Florida to Alaska in hotels, restaurants, corporate dining, professional and collegiate sports teams and healthcare food services.

#113 When Synchronicity Hits Serendipity - Laura Briscoe, Laura's Gourmet Granola

From her Norwalk, Connecticut headquarters Anne Grossman, founder of Rebel Daughter Cookies bakes up much more than cookies. She also bakes up, as her website says, “Women empowerment and giving yourself permission to indulge and savor every bite.” Here’s the story behind the cookie. Rebel Daughter was the nickname given to Anne by her Mother. Always pushing the boundaries, always doing what she was told she couldn’t do, Anne was really rebelling against any limitations put on her and always urging others to do the same. To not be pigeon-hold or stifled and to flourish as we were all born to do was her mission. She came from a rather conservative family who played by the rules and so asking questions and challenging the status quo made her stand out as rebellious, a trait that would carry through to her company. Started in November, 2019, Rebel Daughter Cookies was the perfect challenge for Anne. Mother of two with absolutely no official culinary background, this impossible, unachievable goal was the perfect ceiling for Anne to break through. And in addition to all those hurdles, COVID hit the company right away. Even though Anne had no formal culinary training, she did grow up in the kitchen cooking and baking with her Mother and Grandmother. It was her curiosity added to her determination that gave her a scientific approach to producing her amazing, indulgent and unique cookie product line. As she says, for some cookies she gets the recipe perfect in three tries, others take 20. Her chocolate chip walnut cookie, for example was born trying different ingredients, adding more of some, less of others and having her husband be the one-person taste panel. After testing cookies about every other day, he said, “This is it, you’ve got the recipe” and a new cookie was born. Naturally, her cookie recipes “rebel” against the status quo and if go to her website, you will see testimonial after testimonial saying her cookies are far and above the most famous brand names around. There are about 9 or so flavors currently and all sold online. The packaging also reflects the care, craftsmanship and quality of the cookies and is truly stunning. It wasn’t easy getting the packaging where it is now, either. Anne started with FedEx boxes, then wanted to improve the looks and searched around for a manufacturer. This was during COVID and of course, everyone had supply problems, delays, shutdowns and the whole story. But Anne persevered and found a west coast company that could produce the quality and quantity she needed in a reasonable timeframe. If you’re thinking of a unique gift, you should take a look at her site.  The cookies are large and creatively decorated. And for new mothers, there are even three special lactation cookies formulated just for them. Whether or not you are a rebel daughter or have one in your family, order some up and indulge without guilt.

#114 The Only Thing Forbidden Here Is Guilt - Anne F. Grossman, Rebel Daughter Cookies

It’s always great to be first, and Amana Gillies of House of Spain Olive Oil created the first. The first producer of Premium CBD infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. However, not JUST the first, but also the best. She uses only the highest quality, organically grown, Oregon hemp derived CBD. Their CBD contains zero heavy metal or heavy solvent residuals and completely non-detectable THC. And they use the purest CBD crystalline available worldwide. How did this all come about? The company name is a big clue. Amanda’s father is Spanish and immigrated to the US in his later 20s. No money, no English language but his background in furniture and indomitable spirit was the springboard to a real American success story. Amanda and her husband had spent their working lives in the service industry and had experience in hospitality and restaurants and then Amanda’s entrepreneurial father approached them with an idea. Since they had deep family connections living in Spain, would they be interested in importing the country’s premier olive oils? Her husband, Peter, and she had wanted to start their own business anyway, so the timing could not have been better. They received their first half-pallet of olive oil and before they had any business materials, even business cards, Amanda signed them up for the Northwest Food Service Show in 2018. Talk about fearlessness! There was one hitch; since they didn’t even have a legal entity, they had to sign up under Amanda’s father’s business name, House of Spain, in order to be in the show. The show was a huge success for them, and they had tons of names for follow up, but it was definitely too late to change the name of their business. So, it stuck. They did add on the phrase EVOO, which stands for Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but essentially they have kept the father’s namesake. A quick look at their website will show how their product offering has evolved and expanded since those first days. However, the company name really does reflect the authenticity and sourcing of the company’s products. Combining her family heritage along with the millennial-long history of Spain is an amazing story behind the product in the package. Beyond the romance of the story, however, is the practical matter of sales and competition. Olive oil is a saturated market and even with their early success, Amanda and Peter knew they needed to ladder on more products to grow the business. The idea of infusing the olive oil with premium CBD came about because they were both using CBD and in a brainstorming session, it seemed very natural to create something that differentiated itself and was also making people’s lives better. Beyond olive oil, they also have infused CBD into gummies, teas, pet products, tinctures, salves and honey. House of Spain products are available in select stores and online, where they ship from their headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

#115 Be the First AND the Best - Amanda Gillies, House of Spain Olive Oil

Oregon State University supports small farms and the people who run them. OSU’s small farms program offers workshops, online resources and site-specific gatherings that cover the entire state. Recognizing that farm soils, topography, weather and so forth vary greatly across Oregon, the program addresses the different regions and the different knowledge it takes to farm successfully. In-person individual farm tours are starting up again with the COVID lockdown behind us. Teagan Moran runs the south Willamette Valley program and got involved after her college education. Dissatisfied with what she felt was isolation brought on by the tight nuclear family, she searched for communities that were cohesive and working together for a common good. Her conclusion was that small farming communities, working together in the production of food for themselves and others were the communities where she wanted to spend her life. She marveled at finding people who nursed each other with both healthy food and healthy relationships. She spent the next years living and working in the communities that she loved, always tortured with the societal belief that farming was not a sustainable way of life, that economically it just didn’t work anymore. After traveling, learning and being part of these loving communities, Teagan came back to her native Oregon to do graduate work. She pursued community-based education, focusing on the adult population, the theory being communities had much of their destiny in their own hands and education was the best way to help guide good decision making. A side benefit of grad school, Teagan met her now-husband in the process, who also made farming his focus and passion. The two of them began working in the greater Portland, Oregon area, step by step debunking the myth that farming was not a viable path for people. After two years and much training, they went on to manage a farm, start a family and continue to solve the challenge of how to be a family in Oregon that wanted to farm with no access to land. They now have their farmland, but Teagan’s husband manages another farm while Teagan works for OSU’s small farm program, so the difficulty of sustainable small farm operation is reflected in their very lives. The Oregon Small Farm News is one of the program’s communication vehicles that pulls all the threads of the activities around the state, plus it contains the research findings of the program’s professors and keeps farmers up to date. In addition, it gives a voice to supporting organizations and individual farmers to keep the industry viable and relevant. There are three main areas of interest, small acreage stewardship, commercial small farms and community food systems. One of Teagan’s ongoing questions comes from the “newbies”; people who fell in love with the idea of farming, found acreage to buy, moved in and are asking the question, “Now what?” A good publication is “What can I do with my small farm?” to get started. It walks the reader through a series of questions that help them form a decision on the best way to manage their new venture. One of the toughest hurdles Teagan helps people get through is to understand that farming is more than the land and weather, it also depends upon the personality of the farmers and their family philosophy. Some of the great breakthroughs for the program have been laws that allow direct farm to consumer sales and assistance for farmers who want to create value-added foods. And the guidance from the program also includes navigating the complexities of Oregon law, especially in the area of water rights. Learn more by going to the website: smallfarms.oregonstate.edu. The online news publication can be found here. https://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/smallfarms/about/oregon-small-farm-news.

#116 Small Farms Think Big - Teagan Moran, OSU Small Farms Program

Cover photo by Florinel Gorgan on Unsplash.

Track photo by Kyrylo Kholopkinon on Unsplash.

Corner

Our show hosts are headed off to New York next week for the Fancy Food Show. Follow them on @masoniandmarshall . And now for a chocolate show, a fan favorite. Maureen Nikaido, is founder of Moku Chocolate a chocolate company with a great story. Since Maureen sponsored a Nicaraguan child and made a visit to the country, she has been dedicated to spotlighting cacao farmers around the world, Her chocolate handcrafts high-quality, bean-to-bar, single-origin chocolate from raw, direct trade cacao beans. Moku’s direct trade beans are sourced from farmers in Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican Republic, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and Colombia. This ensures socially responsible compensation to the cacao farmers and fosters prosperity among the farming communities with a focus on integrity, quality, and environmental sustainability. However, it’s the stories she shares with her customers about the farmers, their country and their lives that creates a bond far beyond eating a chocolate bar. Maureen and our host Sarah Masoni originally met at the Portland, Oregon Good Food Mercantile, sponsored by the Good Food Foundation. Its mission is to celebrate, connect, empower and leverage the passionate and engaged, yet often overlooked, players in the food system who are driving towards tasty, authentic and responsible food in order to humanize and reform our American food culture. Maureen started selling Moku Chocolate in February 2021, but the idea had begun on that Central America tour in 2013. She went to a chocolate museum in Granada. The story of cacao bean, the source of chocolate, the fact that it grew on trees, the natural beauty of the region and the care and craftsmanship that went into creating chocolate was so richly told that Maureen was hooked. There was another side to the story, however. The cacao bean was essentially a second crop for the farmers, to bring in some extra income. But the share of the global market value they received as incredibly small, and most families were barely subsisting. After a few years, Maureen jumped into researching the chocolate craft community and in 2019 things got serious business-wise. Luckily, she found a legion of people who wanted to make chocolate treats, but also support fair trade and a better life for the farmers. Maureen then took some online classes to learn how to make chocolate and since then the notoriety has been excellent. Her first big award was International Chocolate Awards for her goat milk chocolate. And the awards have been stacking up ever since. Maureen’s packaging is extremely sophisticated and consistent, so take a look on her website when you have a chance. Her distribution is currently online and about two dozen grocery stores down the central valley of Oregon. Where to find out more about Maureen and Moku Chocolate: Website - Moku Chocolate – moku chocolate
Instagram - Maureen Nikaido (@mokuchocolate) • Instagram photos and videos Twitter - Moku Chocolate (@MokuChocolate) / Twitter Good Food Mercantile - https://goodfoodfdn.org/event/good-food-mercantile-portland/  @masoniandmarshall on Instagram

#117 Maureen Nikaido - Good Food Mercantile

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