Vegan Business Talk

In this episode I interview Clare Mann, a vegan psychologist and communications trainer from Communicate31 in Sydney, Australia. Clare consults with a range of clients all over the world to enhance their communication mastery. She runs public and in-house training programs for corporations, large SMEs and non-profit organizations in communication, team-building and ethical leadership, and is editor-in-chief of the digital business magazine Ethical Futures: Conversations that Matter, which champions initiatives that are profitable and successful without abusing people, the environment or animals. The author of several best-selling books, including Communicate: How to Say What Needs to be Said, When it Needs to be Said, in the Way it Needs to be Said, Clare has worked in 15 countries including the Middle East throughout her decades-long career. Through a range of face-to-face and online skills training and programs, she also helps other vegans address the personal and social challenges of being vegan and liv

In this episode I interview Tracye McQuirter, a public health nutritionist and plant-based educator in Washington DC. Tracye is a real trailblazer. A vegan of 30 years, she co-created the first vegan website by and for African Americans nearly 20 years ago with her sister, historian Marya McQuirter. She directed the country’s first federally funded and community-based vegan nutrition program, the Vegetarian Society of DC Eat Smart Program, launched with funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services. The course taught low-income DC residents about the health benefits of plant-based foods, and how to shop for and prepare healthy vegan meals. It was so popular that it became a national model. Tracye, who has a master’s degree in public health nutrition and is a popular international speaker, is the bestselling author of By Any Greens Necessary: A Revolutionary Guide for Black Women Who Want to Eat Great, Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and Look Phat and she’s been featured in more than 150 media outle

In this episode I interview Doron Petersan, founder of Sticky Fingers bakery and café, and the newly launched Fare Well diner in Washington DC. Doron started Sticky Fingers in 1999 in her home kitchen before moving to a small basement storefront where she teamed up with Kirsten Rosenberg to create a vegan baking empire that included a chain of stores in South Korea. After Kirsten moved on to pursue her other passion of music, Doron went on to win the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars twice and expanded Sticky Fingers into a café popular with both vegans and health-conscious consumers. With a degree in nutrition and food science, Doron is passionate about introducing people to creative and delicious animal-free foods. To that end, she opened Fare Well, a diner, bakery and bar serving an array of tasty savoury comfort dishes and sweet treats in the Atlas District in 2016. Being in the heart of DC, Doron has been providing catering services to several senators. Vegan senator Cory Booker has been a customer of Sti

In this episode I interview Stephanie Redcross from marketing and training consultancy Vegan Mainstream in Florida. Stephanie is a pioneer in providing services to vegan business owners. She started Vegan Mainstream in 2009 after leaving the corporate world where she worked for many years for Fortune 500 companies such as GE so she could meld her passion for entrepreneurship with her love for the vegan lifestyle. She formed many of the vegan professional groups on Facebook, Google Plus and LinkedIn, which still flourish today, many with several thousand members, such as Vegan Professional Network on Facebook. Along with her live events and one-on-one coaching services, Stephanie runs webinars and online classes for vegan entrepreneurs in different aspects of running a business. Stephanie is a genuine collaborator. She’s been working in this field for several years and is always keen to share her expertise. As well as the Vegan Mainstream blog, Stephanie is also collaborating with Vegan Business Media on a

In this episode I interview Susan Carskadon, a natural food and products consultant in Denver, Colorado. For decades, Susan has been identifying innovations and categories ahead of trend while creating demand and effective streams of commerce for numerous companies in the natural and organic industries. Over the past 35 years Susan has been instrumental in advancing many consumer products and new concepts. This included spearheading consumer acceptance of Tetra Pak in North America in 1985, which resulted in top sales of products packaged in what was a category disruptor at that time. Susan draws on her unique childhood in the untouched environment of the bayous of Louisiana, as well as living and working in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe and the Middle East to manifest successful, disruptive new concepts and products. Her focus is to identify and create trends and demand for conscious concepts and products while making them viable and successful in today's marketplace. In this intervie

In this episode I interview Eugene Wang, founder of Sophie’s Kitchen vegan seafood company in Sebastopol, California. Eugene started the business in 2010 in response to his daughter Sophie’s severe allergic reaction to shellfish, along with learning about the devastating impact of overfishing. Currently available in more than 2m000 retailers across the US and Canada, Sophie’s Kitchen products are unique in that they use konjac (also known as elephant yam) to create the seafood taste, are soy-free, GMO-free, gluten-free, and contain no cholesterol, trans fats, preservatives, colors, MSG or sugar. Eugene has been involved in his family’s business, which manufactured and distributed vegetarian foods throughout Asia and North America for more than 30 years and he has extensive experience launching and developing growing businesses. This includes acquiring national distribution for the top US natural distributor, UNFI, and developing sales in the natural and specialty marketplace in Asia for leading US natural

In this episode I interview Chef AJ, an educator on plant-based eating and living. An ethical vegan for almost 40 years, AJ is driven by her passion to end animal exploitation and consumption. With a background in comedy, she has appeared on several high-profile popular TV shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman. A chef, culinary instructor and professional speaker, AJ is author of the popular book Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight, which chronicles her journey from a junk-food vegan faced with a diagnosis of pre-cancerous polyps, to learning how to create foods that nourish and heal the body. Based in Los Angeles, AJ teaches people how to create meals to transform their health, how to deal with cravings and food addiction and addresses the emotional side of eating. She is the creator of The Ultimate Weight Loss Program, was the Executive Pastry Chef at Sante La Brea Restaurant in Los Ang

In this episode I interview Meg and Komie Vora from fashion brand Delikate Rayne in Los Angeles. The sisters grew up with a cruelty-free ethic – their father was raised Jain and their mother Hindi – and they’ve never eaten meat. As they searched for an animal-friendly wardrobe, they identified a gap in the market for high-quality vegan, ethically manufactured, sustainable clothing in the contemporary space and launched Delikate Rayne in December 2013. As the first generation of their family to be born in the US, they are keen to incorporate their east Indian roots into the brand. The company’s name is what both their names mean in Hindi and the brand represents an effortlessness, nonchalant coolness with components of luxury. The sisters aim to provide clothing with a purpose and for the garments to hold meaning. They want their customers – who are predominantly women aged 18 to 35 – to feel good internally as well as externally. All their clothing is made locally in LA, and they sell their garments in c

In this episode I interview Cale Drouin from Plant Based Foods, a distribution company in Brisbane, Australia. With a background in sales, Cale has worked for variety of organizations. He ran a vegan café and grocery store for three years, before moving into distribution three years ago. Through Plant Based Foods he imports US products including Gardein, Tofurky and Match Meats, as well as working with local Australian brands such as Herbisaurus to get them into retailers. In this interview, Cale talks about: •    The advantages for US product manufacturers of launching their products in Australia •    What US product manufacturers need to know when considering distribution in Australia •    The amount of capital a vegan business owner needs to get their products into retailers •    The realities of trading terms and profit margins •    Why you should not become dependent on large supermarket chains to stock your products •    The major mistake a retailer won’t put up with, which can destroy a food m

In this episode I interview Kristin Lajeunesse, freelance marketing consultant, owner of Kale Media and founder of Will Travel for Vegan Food. After graduating from Emerson College with a Master’s Degree in Integrated Marketing Communication, Kristin landed a dream 9-5 office job with an animal rights non-profit organization in Boston. In 2011 she felt herself drawn to an entrepreneurism and launched various businesses including Vegan Weddings (which she recently sold) and Kale Media, while still working full time. One day she got the idea to quit her job, sell her stuff and move into a van to travel across the US and eat at every vegan restaurant. This passion project, which lasted two years, led to a book and website Will Travel for Vegan Food. During this time, Kristin amassed a large social media following, including more than 100,000 followers on Facebook alone. Since then she’s traveled across the globe, earning income from freelance marketing, lifestyle design coaching and consulting, as well as he

In this episode I interview Nicole Sopko and Dan Staackmann from Upton’s Naturals, an independently-owned natural foods company in Chicago that creates meat alternatives using simple, recognizable ingredients. Dan founded the company in 2005, pioneering flavored, wheat-based seitan. Nicole, his life partner, who also owns two yoga studios, came on board in 2010 and now serves as vice-president. The business started off small, operating out of a shared kitchen, and has grown to the point where its products are sold in around 2,000 outlets across the US. Three years ago it moved into a new building and opened Upton’s Breakroom, a café for staff and the public. In 2015, Upton’s launched the first-to-market, seasoned and ready-to-eat jackfruit in the US. Five years ago the company took off the word ‘vegetarian’ from its packaging, leaving ‘vegan’ to do the job of explaining the products’ animal-free status. As well as helping to run Upton’s, along with her yoga studios, Nicole is a founding board member of t

In this episode, I interview Leigh-Chantelle from Epicentre Equilibrium, a social media and content creation specialist from Brisbane, Australia. Leigh-Chantelle has run the online vegan community Viva la Vegan! since 2005, bringing positive education, information and vegan outreach to a worldwide audience through her blogs and videos. She’s the author of several books including Expert Tips from Vegan Athletes, Fitness Fanatics & Exercise Enthusiasts; There's a Vegan in the Kitchen: Viva la Vegan’s Easy and Tasty Plant-Based Recipes and What Do Vegans Eat? She’s also produced three recipe calendars, a plant-based Detox Diet eBook and a collection of other recipe eBooks. For four years she ran the not-for-profit environmental awareness Green Earth Group which put on two successful all-vegan environmental festivals, and many smaller events, in Brisbane. An accredited, although no longer practising, naturopath, nutritionist and western herbalist, speaker and consultant, Leigh-Chantelle brings together her di

In this episode I interview Allison Rivers Samson, founder of Allison’s Gourmet, the first online vegan bakery in the US, established in 1997, and now co-creator of The Dairy Detox online wellness program. Allison – aka the Maven of Mmm – is a born entrepreneur, buying her first business at the age of 17. She grew Allison’s Gourmet to the point where it was featured in high-profile media including the Wall Street Journal and delivered her treats to some of Hollywood’s most prestigious addresses. For six years Allison wrote the award-winning column Veganize It! in VegNews magazine and she’s the author of the ebook Comfortably Yum: 10 Whole-Food Vegan Recipes from the Maven of Mmmm... She recently closed down Allison’s Gourmet after nearly 20 years to focus on The Dairy Detox and her new health and wellness coaching. In this interview she shares her experiences and insights as a pioneer in online food products, including: •    Recognizing you have way more competitors than you think you do – and why that’s

In this episode I interview Elizabeth Olsen, founder of Olsenhaus Pure Vegan, a footwear company that was launched in New York in 2008. Just two years later in 2010, the line was sold in 16 countries in prominent retailers including Barneys and Nordstrom as well as eco-boutique stores. Both the brand and Elizabeth have been featured in a ton of high-profile media including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Olsenhaus shoes have captured the attention of celebrities including Emily Deschanel, Alicia Silverstone, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz and have even been displayed in museums. Before launching Olsenhaus, Elizabeth held a number of prestigious positions at renowned brands including Creative Director for Tommy Hilfiger handbags, and in Creative Direction and Design for Calvin Klein, Nine West and many others. She also had a career as a wardrobe and prop stylist in film, commercials and print for clients including Nike, IBM, Nissan and Universal Studios and was Producer and Head of Wardrobe

In this episode I interview Eric Lindstrom from ThankTank Creative, a consulting, design, and marketing agency in New York. Eric has more than 20 years of experience as a senior-level administrator, entrepreneur, and consultant in communications, marketing, brand management, and design for various organizations across several industries including higher education, government, facilities, financial, retail, and entertainment, picking up a slew of awards along the way. In 2014 he founded ThankTank Creative to focus on working with vegan, socially-just and environmentally-conscious businesses and non-profits. His clients include Miyoko’s Kitchen, PlantPure Nation, The Vegan Food Truck and many more. Eric also runs the popular blog The Meaty Vegan and his first book, a memoir and cookbook, The Skeptical Vegan will be published next year. In this interview Eric talks about: •    The first thing you need to do before developing your branding materials •    A major misconception many vegan business owners hav

In this episode I interview Liza Braude-Glidden, co-founder and Executive Vice President of Culture and Sustainability at Beanfields Snacks in Los Angeles, which produces bean and rice chips. Beanfields is a family-owned business that was founded in 2011 by Reed Glidden, along with Liza, his wife, and Reed’s brother, Roy Glidden with the aim of creating delicious, plant-based, non-GMO snacks, with beans as the primary ingredient. The company’s products are sold across the US, Canada, Australia and other countries and in 2013 it became certified as a B Corp, cementing its commitment to business for good. While Reed and Roy Glidden brought more than 20 years’ experience in the natural foods sector to the table, Liza was new to the business – although she’s a natural entrepreneur with previous experience as part owner of a construction firm as well as having been active in a number of non-profits, including the Social Venture Network and the American Sustainable Business Association. Liza rolled out the firs

In this episode I interview Jessica Bailey from The Cruelty Free Shop in Sydney, Australia, a speciality retail and online store carrying more than 1,500 vegan products, ranging from food and skincare to fashion, books and accessories. Jessica started the business as an online store in 2001 after going vegan while still working full time as an IT project manager.  Her aim was to provide a one-stop-shop where people could buy hard-to-find vegan foods without having to do the time-consuming label reading themselves. In 2012 Jessica opened the first physical store in the inner-west suburb of Glebe in Sydney, followed two years later by a store in Melbourne. Just a couple of weeks ago, she opened a brand new store in Brisbane, Queensland and is currently scouting out premises for a branch in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. A passionate animal rights advocate, Jessica ran the Cruelty Free Festival for three years as a fundraiser for charity Animal Liberation NSW, which now draws crowds of around 5

In this episode I interview Kezia Jauron of Evolotus PR, a public relations agency that works with animal rights nonprofits and campaigns, documentary films, books, and vegan companies. She and her husband, Evolotus co-founder Gary Smith are a whizz at generating positive media coverage, helping organizations gain visibility, increase their followings, and generate revenues. Evolotus has promoted animal rights and veganism in the mainstream for nearly 10 years. Their clients include Mercy for Animals, Veganuary and Tofurky, among many others. Kezia and Gary also run the popular blog The Thinking Vegan, through which they have mentored hundreds of new and transitioning vegans, and developed a comprehensive guide of Frequently Asked Questions and resources for people motivated to go vegan for ethical reasons. The couple have each contributed to several published books, including Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business; Circles of Compassion; Publicity to the Rescue; Plant-Powered Women; Plant-Pow

In this episode I interview Joshua Katcher from Brave GentleMan, a disruptive vegan menswear label in New York. Joshua previously worked in creative media, including roles as director, editor, producer and director of photography for PBS and MTV. In 2008 he discovered an appreciation for fashion and launched men’s lifestyle website The Discerning Brute, which focused on “fashion, food and etiquette for the ethically handsome man”. The blog quickly established Joshua as a pioneer in the field of ethical, sustainable fashion and two years later in 2010 he launched the Brave GentleMan label and online store. Brave GentleMan fuses future-textiles with centuries-old production methodology. Utilizing what he calls “future suede”, “future leather” and “future wool”, which are superior to animal-fibers, Joshua has created a high-end, sustainable and ethically-made Men’s Collection. The company offers luxury New York made suiting, premium footwear produced in Portugal and hats made in Los Angeles, along with acce

In this episode I interview Wanda Malhotra from Surya Brasil, a natural beauty company in Brazil. Wanda, who founded the business with her mother Clelia Angelon in 1995, moved to New York from Brazil in 2012 to help grow Surya Brasil’s business in the US, Canada and major markets around the world. The company’s products, which include henna cream and powder and skincare solutions are now sold in 40 countries. Wanda and Clelia are dedicated to sustainability and creating the healthiest, natural, organic and vegan products possible. They’ve been immersed in the world of ayurvedic and organic living their entire lives. Ingredients used in their products are sustainably harvested from the Amazon rainforest and natural botanicals from around the world. Wanda and Clelia are determined to build a brand that not only creates natural, healthy products but one that gives back to society and the environment. To this end, they created Surya Solidarity, the brand’s social division that focuses on animal protection,