Vegan Business Talk

In this episode I interview Damien Clarkson from The Growing Box, a creative agency in London, UK, providing content creation solutions for ethical brands. A longtime and passionate storyteller, Damien has written for The Huffington Post and The Guardian on vegan and environmental issues. He recently co-created the short film SWINE in partnership with renowned UK animal charity Viva! and launched a new vegan education festival Vevolution. Damien and his team have worked on some of the UK’s biggest commercial and social good campaigns and he has a strong background in marketing. He describes himself as a ‘multi-potentialite’ with a diverse range of interests and a desire to helping both non-profits and vegan business owners to tell the world about the ideas and products that matter. In this interview Damien talks about: •    The importance of storytelling for vegan brands •    How service providers can manage the ‘feast or famine’ aspect of client work •    The one thing your content needs to have abov

In this episode I interview Donna Zeigfinger from Green Earth Travel, a travel agency in Maryland, specializing in ethical and eco-friendly vacations. Travel has been in Donna’s blood for decades and she’s combined her passion with business, working for various travel companies since the 1980s before launching Green Earth Travel in 1997. Since then it’s become a leading vegetarian, vegan and eco-travel agency in the US, featuring in several prominent media including the New York Times and Washington Post. The company focuses predominantly on volunteer vacation packages and adventure travel. Whether it’s a weekend or several weeks, Donna works closely with clients to deliver a customized trip. These range from individual packages to group tours and services include booking airline tickets and hotels, along with advice and support if there are any problems. Green Earth Travel's mission is to make it easier for vegetarians and vegans to eat while traveling to their dream destinations and to enable people to

In this episode I interview Alicia Lai, founder of luxury shoe brand Bourgeois Boheme in London, UK. After a career as a podiatrist, Alicia, who’s originally from Australia, moved to London 10 years ago to start a vegan footwear company. Originally selling a range of lower-priced shoe brands, along with accessories, she took a break from the business and relaunched it as a high-end, luxury, aspirational brand, focusing solely on her own shoe designs. The company has built up loyal fans among the vegan and vegetarian communities for its quality, bespoke products and is currently expanding to attract conscious consumers interested in fairly made and sustainable fashion. In response to its popularity with American customers, Bourgeois Boheme launched a US website earlier this year. In this interview Alicia talks about: •    The importance of doing research before launching a business and not rushing into it •    Giving yourself permission to rebrand and relaunch if necessary •    Ensuring you don’t under

In this episode I interview Nil Zacharias, co-founder and editor-in-chief of independent publishing platform One Green Planet in New York. After more than a decade working in the digital media space, at companies including Yahoo!, DoubleClick (which was acquired by Google), PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory, and as an attorney specializing in privacy and intellectual property law, Nil decided to take his passion for the environment into building a purpose-driven media company. Since its inception in 2013, One Green Planet has become one of the fastest growing media outlets in the food sustainability space. With a team of just two people at the beginning, within a year of its launch, its audience of largely millenials had grown from 300,000 to 3 million. It currently stands at more than 6 million and the company now employs a team of staff in a dedicated office. Interestingly, despite the liberal use of the term ‘vegan’ in its content, the majority of One Green Planet’s audience are not vegan. In April 2016

In this episode I interview Liz Dee, co-owner and executive vice-president of her family’s business Smarties Candy Company in the US and CEO of impact investment firm Baleine & Bjorn Capital. Liz has worked with the Smarties Candy Company – which is a completely separate entity to Smarties in the UK, Australia and elsewhere – for many years. In 2011, while doing research on veganism for the business (the American company’s products are vegan), Liz became aware of the cruelty and environmental devastation involved in animal agriculture and the fashion industry and became an ethical vegan. Through her extensive experience as a food company executive and recent venture capitalist, Liz is changing the conversation about food production and sustainable business. Based in New York, she’s been featured in The New York Times, CNN Money, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, among many other publications. Liz is also a popular public speaker on the topics of the future of food, impact investing, and the move t

In this episode I interview Ilsa Hess from Love & Joy Foods, producers of Nacheez sauce, in Sacramento, California. Five years ago Ilsa was working in a government job as an IT consultant for the City of Sacramento. Before that she had professional experience in web design, graphic design, photography, product demonstration and customer service. All these skills came in handy when she decided to launch her business. One day she found herself craving some nacho cheese from a pump, so she decided to make her own. After literally bottling her cashew-based recipe, local stores began stocking jars of Nacheez. The product is currently available in over 50 retail outlets across the US. This is particularly impressive in that, for the most part, Ilsa deals direct with retailers herself. She also packs and ships online sales to customers, along with her parents who are the only additional staff. Last year the company launched Nacheez in pouches, making it easy for customers to slip into their bags or lunch boxes.

In this episode I interview David Benzaquen from PlantBased Solutions, an award-winning brand management and marketing agency for plant-based consumer product companies, headquartered in New York. After more than a decade working in the government and non-profit sectors with a focus on education and grassroots advocacy, David immersed himself in the plant-based business sector, working for a time as a natural products broker before evolving PlantBased Solutions into its current incarnation. With a team of people who collectively have hundreds of years’ experience in marketing, branding, product development, finance, operations and more, the company offers a range of services for pre-market startups through to huge global brands, including opportunity assessments, business planning and forecasting, new product development, market research, brand creation and a full range of marketing planning and execution. David has also brought together a large network of angel investors keen to support plant-based busine

In this episode I interview Justin Mead, owner of Vegan Style footwear and accessories store in Melbourne, Australia. Starting out with humble beginnings in two small rooms sharing with a vegan cafe and only open two days a week, to opening a flagship retail store in the vegan-friendly hub on Brunswick Street, the company has grown to become a market leader in the provision of high-quality, fashionable and stylish products that are made without harming animals and minimizing impact on the environment. Vegan Style carries a diverse range of brands in women’s and men’s styles from across the globe, including its house brand Zette. Among the innovative eco-friendly materials used in some products are recycled PET bottles and laser-cut wood from ethically managed forests. Also, Vegan Style recently became the first retailer in Australia to carry sneakers made from Pinatex, a leather-alternative made from pineapple leaves. Justin started Vegan Style in 2010 while still working full time in web development for

In this episode, I interview Julieanna Hever aka The Plant Based Dietitian in Los Angeles. Julieanna has been in private practice in Los Angeles since 2005, specializing in weight management, disease prevention and management, and sports nutrition. She’s the host of the wellness talk show series What Would Julieanna Do? on Z Living Network and nutrition columnist for VegNews magazine. As well as being published in prominent journals, she features regularly in the media, with appearances including The Dr. Oz Show and E! News. Julieanna is the author of The Vegiterranean Diet and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition. She co-authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking and is a recipe contributor to both New York Time Best-Selling Forks Over Knives books. She received her Bachelors degree from UCLA and Masters of Science in Nutrition at California State University, Northridge, where she also completed her Dietetic Internship. She has taught as part of Dr. T. Colin Campbel

In this episode I interview Kevin Newell, owner of Humane Wildlife Solutions, a humane, non-lethal and ethical alternative to ‘pest’ control in Scotland in the UK. The business uses methods to repel and deter so-called ‘pests’ rather than the current methods offered by traditional pest control services of trapping and killing. Kevin and his team are currently researching a plant-based, non-lethal, non-toxic wasp nest repellent that encourages wasps to take their young and go elsewhere. They’ve also discovered what may be world’s first plant-based pesticide that is likely to be cheaper, as well as good for people, animals and planet and are currently seeking funds to continue this research and testing. In this interview Kevin discusses: •    The importance of solving a problem, servicing a demand in the market and finding a niche that is craving your product or service •    The ‘downside’ to creating a unique and revolutionary product or service – and how to overcome this •    How passion and belief in t

In this episode I interview Fran Costigan – aka The Queen of Vegan Desserts! The native New Yorker is an internationally renowned chef, culinary instructor and cookbook author. Professionally trained, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. Since then she’s instructed home cooks and professionals in the art of transforming traditional desserts into luscious cholesterol-free vegan versions that satisfy all dietary preferences. Her lively classes include the unique in the world, Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive in New York and Fran recently joined Rouxbe Cooking School as Director of Vegan Baking and Pastry where she’s able to reach even bigger audiences through her online classes with the school. An advisory board member of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods, Vegan Trade Council and Main Street Vegan Academy, Fran is a professional member of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, International Association of Culinar

In this episode I interview Pana Barbounis of Pana Chocolate in Melbourne, Australia. Four years ago when he launched the raw, vegan, organic brand, he filled the first few orders himself. He wrapped them and delivered them on the back of his motorbike. Now the business takes over $5 million a year and products are sold in over 3,000 stockists in 24 countries. The company employs over 80 staff and recently opened a London office to service the European market. Pana plans to expand into the US later this year, with a vision to be the world’s number one raw chocolate company by 2017. In August 2013 the company opened one of the first raw, standalone dessert stores in the world that wasn’t attached to a café and in April this year it achieved another major coup: Knocking multinational chocolate brand Cadbury off the shelves at Etihad sports stadium in Melbourne. Pana has managed to achieve all this while still owning 100 per cent of his company. In this interview he talks about: •    Why he deliberately a

In this episode I interview Giacomo Marchese, the co-founder with his partner Dani Taylor of Vegan Proteins, an online store selling a range of vegan supplements. The couple also co-founded PlantBuilt, a non-profit organization of strength-based vegan athletes who compete together to raise awareness of vegan living, as well as funds to help farm animal sanctuaries. A fitness aficionado for over 20 years, Giacomo has been vegan for more than 10 of those. He actively competes in bodybuilding and powerlifting, and holds a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. In addition to running the Vegan Proteins online store, he also coaches clients online. This interview is one that I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. In this interview, Giacomo discusses: •    The signature strategy he and Dani use to provide highly personalized customer service to differentiate themselves from bigger brands •    Embracing being a small- or a medium-sized business and not for

In this episode I interview Karen Knowler, founder of The High Vibrational Woman and The Raw Food Coach. Karen is an award-winning international business coach, and a world-renowned raw food expert of almost two decades. Based in Hertfordshire, England, Karen’s biggest passion is helping other women to go after their desires and to create and live the life that they truly dream of. A spiritual awakening in her early 20s in 1998 led to Karen leaving behind a high-flying career in publishing to work in a meditation centre. That same year she took over the UK’s first raw food organisation – The Fresh Network – which she expanded significantly over the next eight and a half years. She’s the author of Raw Food Made Simple, which she self-published and Eat Right for Your Personality Type, which was picked up by Hay House and has trained thousands of people to become professional raw food coaches and teachers via her live, virtual and home study trainings. In 2014 Karen launched The High Vibrational Woman, a ser

In this episode I interview Florian and Shannon Radke from Cinnaholic, a vegan bakery franchise offering hand-made vegan cinnamon rolls with more than 30 different flavors and toppings. The couple, who are both animal activists and ethical vegans, met through the Couchsurfing.com website in 2008 in a group for vegans and vegetarians where Shannon offered to take like-minded travelers on a tour of San Francisco. Florian was planning a trip from his native Germany to couch-surf around California. Shortly after meeting in person they fell in love. Shannon – who’d worked in various administrative jobs and copywriting – also discovered another passion: Baking. With Florian’s vast experience in brand marketing through his successful creative agency in Berlin, Cinnaholic was born, with the first location opening in 2010 in Berkeley, California. Another five locations, including Nevada, Texas and Georgia followed. In 2014 the couple appeared on the TV show Shark Tank and pitched their venture. They received an in

In this episode I interview Renia Pruchnicki, owner of Truth Belts in Canada. After graduating from her studies in fashion design at Ryerson University in Toronto, Renia worked for various companies, designing skiwear, backpacks, and soft-sided coolers, gaining an extensive knowledge of human-made, technical materials. She started Truth Belts in 2001 from her apartment in downtown Toronto, with a desire to create a life she loved while doing something positive for the planet. Having no experience with leather as a material, her belts could be called ‘accidentally’ vegan or as she likes to call them ‘Genuine Non-Leather’! As her business progressed, she connected with the vegan and animal rights communities and shifted her lifestyle accordingly. Her newest belt styles are made from recycled car tires. In this interview Renia discusses: •    How being laid off from your job can sometimes be a blessing in disguise for budding entrepreneurs •    Why it’s ok – and not a failure – to go back to a regular part

In this episode I interview Ginger Burr from Total Image Consultants in Massachusetts. Ginger’s been running her image consulting and fashion styling business for 29 years, although it wasn’t until 2005 that she became vegan and incorporated these ethics into her brand. A music major at college, Ginger did a stint at modelling school and as a typist at MIT before finding her calling at the age of 30 to empower women to feel good about who they are, both inside and out and launched Total Image Consultants. As well as working one-on-one with private clients, which include both cis and transgender women, helping them to shop and express themselves in a way that’s right for them, Ginger also has a flagship virtual coaching program Who Taught You How to Dress and is about to launch a new online program Dress to Impress—Yourself! A DIY guide to a wardrobe YOU love. Ginger directs corporate seminars and community education programs for some of Boston’s most prestigious organizations including Harvard Law School,

In this episode, I interview Jennifer Pardoe, owner of Zest Plant Based Food Consulting, the UK’s first food consultancy to work exclusively on plant-based products in the raw, vegan and free-from markets. Zest is the UK’s go-to agency for plant-based product development, branding, marketing, business plans and scaling. The company works with a diverse range of clientele, from early stage businesses, through to large corporations in both the consumer product and food service sectors. Jennifer launched Zest in 2014 after a wealth of experience in the food and retail sector starting in 1996, working in startups, small to medium businesses and large corporations all over the world. Originally from Australia, Jennifer’s owned three cafes in London and won a British Sandwich Association award. Her mission is to create more and better plant-based choices and availability for consumers. Zest is currently designing a vegan pale ale can, a vegan cheese range, a quick service restaurant concept, working on new produ

In this episode I interview Miyoko Schinner of Miyoko’s Kitchen in California Miyoko’s Kitchen is an award-winning producer of cultured nut products – including a range of fantastic vegan cheeses and a new vegan butter product. The company is only 18 months old, but has seen massive growth in this time and its founder Miyoko Schinner has been working in the plant-based foods arena for several decades. She started her first business in Tokyo when she was in her 20s, lugging heavy pound cakes on her back on public transport to deliver them to customers. Since then she’s run successful businesses including Now and Zen vegan restaurant in San Francisco and a natural products company that manufactured a range of items from meat substitutes to pastries for United Airlines, before taking time out to raise a family. The author of five books, including Artisan Vegan Cheese and her latest The Home Made Vegan Pantry, Miyoko’s mission is to replace the dairy cases in stores worldwide with delicious plant-based alterna

In this episode I interview Maz Valcorza, owner of Sadhana Kitchen organic, raw vegan wholefoods cafe in Sydney, Australia. Maz studied nursing at university and then embarked on a high-flying corporate sales career in the pharmaceuticals industry, living a life of constant parties, chain-smoking and eating whatever she wanted, without considering the repercussions of her actions. Stepping onto a yoga mat in 2010 – initially with the intention of just toning her butt – propelled her in a whole different direction, towards mindful and purposeful living. Recognising that what we eat affects both our health and the world around us, Maz became an ethical vegan and adopted a plant-based foods diet. As she continued to research health, she discovered raw foods and in 2012 opened Sydney’s first organic, raw, vegan wholefoods café, Sadhana Kitchen, in the trendy inner-west suburb of Newtown. Just a couple of weeks ago, Maz opened another Sadhana Kitchen outlet in Sydney’s renowned Bondi Beach. Her new book The Na