Increasing demand for healthy, sustainable and personalized food is dramatically transforming the CPG industry. Startups are rethinking the status quo to make food more nutritious, delicious and accessible. Join us at Rethinking CPG SF to learn about the business models, technologies and strategies of some of the game-changers who are rethinking CPG.

John Foraker, co-founder and CEO of Once Upon A Farm, will be doing a deep dive into how the company achieved WIC approval for its organic, cold-press baby food bowls. Larissa Russell, co-founder and CEO of Pod Foods, will talk about creating a B2B marketplace and distribution network to connect emerging food and beverage brands to retail stores. And Livio Bisterzo, founder and CEO of Green Park Brands and co-founder of Buddy Nutrition, will talk about Buddy Nutrition’s approach to building a D2C personalized nutrition brand.

We will also have networking with the community and lots of great food and drinks to sample from AKUA, Blue Evolution, Burlap & Barrel, Kaibae, Kuli Kuli, The Teff Company, Eclipse Foods, Labra and more.

Interested in sampling your food, beverage or technology product at the event? Apply here.

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SCHEDULE:

6 – 7:15pm: Networking, tech demos and food and beverage sampling

7:30 – 9:30pm: Presentations + Q&A

PRESENTERS:

John Foraker, Co-Founder & CEO of Once Upon A Farm

John is the co-founder and CEO of Once Upon A Farm, a company with the mission of providing yummy and nutritious “farm-to-family” foods to kids of all ages. Prior to his new start-up, John spent more than 30 years in the natural and organic food industry running businesses with a sharp focus on sustainability and social responsibility. John was the longtime leader of Annie’s, Inc., a leading natural & organic food brand, in the US from 1999 to 2017. As CEO of Annie’s, he took the company public in 2012 under the symbol BNNY before General Mills acquired the business in 2014 for $820 million. Foraker received a B.S. in agricultural economics from UC Davis and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Larissa Russell, Co-Founder & CEO of Pod Foods

Larissa Russell is the co-founder and CEO of Pod Foods, a B2B marketplace and distribution network connecting emerging food and beverage brands to retail stores. Prior to co-founding Pod Foods, Russell had a cookie business called Green Pea Cookie, which produced cookies out of peas. She and her cofounder Fiona Lee experienced the challenges of the grocery supply chain first-hand. Russell graduated from Dartmouth in 2013, where she was a Senior Fellow and studied Government. She is excited about the impact of Pod Foods as a pathway for emerging brands to succeed and for consumers to access high quality food and beverage products.

Livio Bisterzo, CEO and Founder of Green Park Brands, Co-Founder Buddy Nutrition

Livio Bisterzo started his first venture in college when he launched an events business. Since then, Bisterzo has a proven track record of starting successful businesses. Over the last 12 years, he has built consumer brands globally. In 2015 Bisterzo created Green Park, a startup incubating platform. In 2016, Green Park launched its first brand, HIPPEAS. Their current portfolio includes other brands like UGLY DRINKS, MAVERICKS SNACKS, BUDDY NUTRITION, and REEL PAPER.

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WeWork Food Labs is building a community of entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors to fix food, now and for the future. A workspace and global platform, Food Labs is dedicated to startups impacting the future of sustainable food.