- 4 minutes ago
Michael Palmer, CEO of McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, oversees the evolution of a historic California brand. As a brand builder and operator, he’s focused on alignment, patience, and protecting what made the product special.
Watch now to learn about taking over a legacy ice cream brand, building partnerships rooted in shared values, and growing nationally without sacrificing quality.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
Watch now to learn about taking over a legacy ice cream brand, building partnerships rooted in shared values, and growing nationally without sacrificing quality.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
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NewsTranscript
00:00In ice cream, you might have guessed, everyone's always looking for free ice cream.
00:05I think it's free to me.
00:06It's not free to me.
00:07It's okay.
00:08It's on the house.
00:10Really?
00:11Oh my god.
00:12Oh my god.
00:15Who's gonna pay for that, asshole?
00:20Oh my god.
00:21Oh my god.
00:25For Restaurant Influencers, presented by Entrepreneur, I'm your host, Sean Walchef.
00:28This is the Cali BBQ meat.
00:30We are coming to you from the Santa Barbara polo fields.
00:35And I'm sitting down with the CEO of McConnell's, Michael Palmer.
00:39Hello, Sean.
00:40It's so great to see you again.
00:42We've had you on the show previously.
00:44Yeah.
00:45Great.
00:45McConnell's is here at the Palm Tree Music Festival.
00:49Thanks to Eero.
00:50who has brought us in to do some behind-the-scenes content about Wi-Fi.
00:55About big brands like McConnell's.
00:57About music.
00:58We've got John Mayer here.
01:00We created this show because we wanted to talk about storytelling.
01:03In life, in the restaurant business.
01:05And now in the new creator economy, we learn through lessons and stories.
01:08Michael, can you share?
01:10Set the stage.
01:11Let us know about the brand McConnell's.
01:13Why did you take it over?
01:15And what are you guys doing right now?
01:17Well, McConnell's is a 76-year-old.
01:20Family-owned and operated brand that was started here in Santa Barbara.
01:25Just a few miles away.
01:27And, you know, I kind of grew up with it.
01:30And it was always this, like, hyper-regional, like, beloved.
01:35And it was kind of down on its legs.
01:39Maybe.
01:4013 and a half years ago or so.
01:41And I came out of the branding business, right?
01:43So I ran branding programs.
01:45For big companies.
01:46And I was kind of trying to figure out what my next stage was going to be.
01:50And I was flying around the country about three weeks a month for the better part of 15 years.
01:55And...
01:55And then, out of nowhere, our house burns down in this huge fire.
01:59Oh.
02:00In this huge fire.
02:00Called the T-Fire.
02:01End of 2008, 2009.
02:04And...
02:05I think sometimes in life, you get to a certain age or whatever, and you're on that train.
02:09Maybe you've got a mortgage.
02:10And kids in private school or whatever.
02:12And...
02:13And...
02:14You're on that train.
02:15You're like, do I jump?
02:15Yeah.
02:16And then, sometimes you get pushed.
02:17Yeah.
02:18And so, you know, the house burning down was...
02:20That was a big thing for me and Eva.
02:21And I got pushed.
02:23And...
02:24So I segwayed out of my old job.
02:25And right around the same time, McConnell's looked like it was shaky.
02:29And...
02:30And...
02:31So I talked to the then owner.
02:33It had always been, again, a family owned and operated.
02:35And...
02:36And...
02:37We just had a lot of mindshare about what we thought it could be.
02:39To them, it was...
02:40It was always like a great product from...
02:42This...
02:43You know, this little area in Central Coast of California.
02:45And...
02:46For me, I thought it could be something bigger.
02:47But, you know, it's hard to...
02:48It's hard to take something...
02:50That's been chugging along for, at that point, about 60 years.
02:52And...
02:53You know, do a 90 degree or a 180 degree.
02:55It's a lot easier sometimes to originate something.
02:57Yep.
02:58So that was scary.
02:59But I just...
03:00There was...
03:00There was so much love in this area for it that I just felt...
03:03We felt like we could do something...
03:05More with it.
03:06And so...
03:07You know, 14 years later, we're still trying.
03:10You know...
03:11You have an incredible brand.
03:12Yeah.
03:13Can you share how many locations, not just...
03:15Retail locations, but also...
03:17Supermarket, grocery locations throughout the country?
03:19Yeah.
03:20So...
03:20You know, at this point, we have eight locations.
03:23They're all in...
03:25Southern to Central California.
03:27We really are restricting a lot of those.
03:29The...
03:30Scoop shop.
03:31Yep.
03:32To California for the most part.
03:33Um...
03:34Because we really look at it as we...
03:35We want to...
03:36We kind of...
03:37I wouldn't say own, but we really want to, like, buy into our roots.
03:40Mm-hmm.
03:40The finest product in the business from this really special place.
03:43And...
03:44And then, of course...
03:45That helps to promote and create pull into retail grocery.
03:49And on that level...
03:50You know, we really want to be known as the finest in the business and national brand.
03:53So...
03:54And we are national at this point.
03:55So...
03:55You know, whether it's...
03:56Whether it's...
03:57Whether you shop at some of the bigger retailers.
03:58The Whole Foods of the world.
03:59And people like that.
04:00Um...
04:01You know, we're now sold coast to coast.
04:03You know, wherever people like to buy expensive ice cream.
04:05What did...
04:06What did...
04:07What did you learn about the CPG space?
04:08Obviously, you had previous...
04:09What did you learn about the CPG space?
04:10Obviously, you had previous...
04:10I don't know, the...
04:11That's how you learn about the CPG space.
04:12Like...
04:13not the experience in it, but, like, doing it yourself.
04:14And getting those into the...
04:15Whole Foods of...
04:16I think that's...
04:17I think that's not huge.
04:18Yeah.
04:19That's...
04:20What is...
04:21And...
04:22I don't think that's...
04:23The...
04:24That's why that's...
04:25That's the...
04:26I think it's like...
04:27But I think that's...
04:28It's like the gray...
04:29It's like...
04:30I think it's like...
04:31I think it's like the...
04:32I think it's like the...
04:34I think that the...
04:35That's like...
04:37I don't know.
04:38But it's like the...
04:39been invested in by private equity, like so many other businesses, and all of our major
04:43competitors.
04:44I think there's four, if you include us, they're all owned by private equity.
04:49And so their goals are maybe a little bit different than ours, like our stated goal.
04:54From day one was let's make the finest product in the business, which is a different goal
04:58than let's.
04:59Let's make a really good product and then sell it for a bunch of money in seven years.
05:02I mean, sometimes they're the same.
05:04Same goal, and that would be amazing, but we knew that our road would be longer because
05:08I have no.
05:09Nothing against private equity investment or going and playing with the big boys like
05:12the Whole Foods again of the world.
05:14But I think that you have to be aligned on goals.
05:17And for us.
05:19Um, you know, I want to make the finest product and, and private equity is great for certain
05:23cash.
05:24And there's other businesses and categories that demand it and can really scale, right?
05:27And there's other businesses and.
05:29categories that, that they were never meant to scale, they were just meant to be really
05:33good versions of what.
05:34they are or slightly bigger or, or way bigger, but maybe not huge.
05:37And I just.
05:39I felt that, you know, we were playing a different ball game, a longer ball game, kind of nurturing
05:43this brand.
05:44And I also feel like in doing so, we have a 76 year old story to tell.
05:49Yeah.
05:50That none of those other brands didn't.
05:51So that really helped us go into grocery, but also it's challenging.
05:54It's a.
05:54It's a dog eat dog world.
05:55Can you share, you shared about.
05:59Collaboration.
06:00Collaboration and storytelling.
06:01Obviously is why we, we started this show.
06:03Um, you.
06:04We shared a dinner last night about the sea's candy.
06:07Oh yeah.
06:08Connell's collaboration.
06:09Can you.
06:09Share that story with.
06:10Yeah.
06:11It's been, it's been amazing.
06:12You know, there's so many brands that collaborate with.
06:14Other brands and hope.
06:15And I never thought that hope was such a great strategy.
06:18Um, although I hope.
06:19A lot at Mcconnell's.
06:20Um.
06:21But.
06:22You know, one of the things.
06:24That we try to.
06:25Trade on is, you know, the things that we can own.
06:29That other brands can't own.
06:30Yeah.
06:31We'll never have their capital.
06:32Right.
06:33So you got to kind of find those things that make you.
06:34Unique.
06:35Yep.
06:36And so.
06:37We knew some people at sea's from way back.
06:39And that's a brand with this incredible ethos and belief, you know, in.
06:44making a quality product.
06:45And it's been around for 122 years.
06:48It's California.
06:49Born and raised.
06:50Still.
06:51It's produced here.
06:52Still.
06:53Still.
06:54They're still headquartered in California.
06:54Both north and south.
06:55And so we started looking at them and they started looking at us.
06:59And there was a little bit of kind of tiptoeing around each other for a while.
07:02Yeah.
07:03But when you find.
07:04Like-minded brands who really operate with the same goal.
07:09And the same sort of set of values relative to quality.
07:13And also what they will.
07:14And won't do.
07:15Where they will and won't compromise.
07:17You.
07:18You know you got.
07:19Something.
07:20And it's been an amazing collaboration.
07:21Took about a year to knock it out.
07:22And we incubated these.
07:24These flavors we developed using seized candies as inclusions.
07:27Um.
07:29In our stores.
07:30So we got some customer data for what it's worth.
07:33And then about.
07:34I don't know.
07:35Maybe six months ago.
07:36Yeah.
07:37We pushed it.
07:38You know gently.
07:39Into retail.
07:39Grocery.
07:40And it's just done really really well.
07:42And the companies over time.
07:43Though it started slow.
07:44And hopefully have gotten really close.
07:45Yeah.
07:46It's been.
07:47It's been.
07:48When collaborations work.
07:49It really is.
07:49Not one plus one equals two.
07:50You know it's one plus one equals seven.
07:52Yeah.
07:53And I think this is.
07:54It's been one of those.
07:55Where.
07:56There was so many.
07:57So many complimentary interests.
07:58And.
07:59They really got what they.
07:59wanted out of it.
08:00And getting what they want out of it.
08:01And.
08:02And us too.
08:03So.
08:04It's rare to find.
08:04In that.
08:05Particularly with a company.
08:06That's so much larger than ours.
08:07Yeah.
08:08Where we can really add value.
08:09For sure.
08:10And.
08:11And I really think we have.
08:12And I think they've obviously.
08:13Added huge value to us as well.
08:14Can you share a little bit.
08:15About the flavors.
08:16How.
08:17Sure.
08:18How they came to be.
08:19Yeah.
08:20So.
08:21We have a really talented.
08:19Team.
08:20Internally.
08:21And we also have a really.
08:22Democratized process.
08:23For what we do.
08:24We sit.
08:24Around the table.
08:25And we.
08:26Kind of.
08:27You know.
08:28We're.
08:29We're.
08:30We're food people.
08:31We knock the ball.
08:32Back and forth.
08:33And.
08:29And so Eva and her team started looking at the, we knew that we wanted to use
08:34the candies as inclusions.
08:35I mean, of course, so, um, so we started.
08:39And looking at their, some of their bestsellers and then some of the ones that she thought
08:42would really function well.
08:44And then it took, you know, we worked with their people to make sure that we had mindshare.
08:49And, um, we used again, some of their bestsellers and some of their ones that were just perfect.
08:54For our products and we developed flavors to sort of compliment those products.
08:59And they're selling great.
09:00And now based upon the performance thus far, we're, we've developed.
09:04Three mores because it, because the, the typical shelf in a retail grocer is seven.
09:08Yeah.
09:09So we started with four to be conservative and now we're going to go to seven and I
09:13think everywhere that.
09:14that we're marketing them, they're doing really, really well.
09:15So knock on, knock on wood.
09:18How's it.
09:19look at the other house that responded on social.
09:20Really, really well.
09:22I mean, I think we're, I mean, ideally with some.
09:24like that you're grabbing their reach there they're grabbing your are you guys collaborating
09:27like on instagram yeah
09:29yeah yeah the teams have gotten really close we hold weekly meetings and and
09:34you know we're really good i think thus far at separating what each of us
09:39own and also coming together and kind of finding that common ground and trying to milk that
09:44so yeah i'm really happy and i talked to the the ceo sees pretty
09:49frequently and i think he's really happy and it's it's been again one of those partnerships that's uh
09:53that
09:54is so much more than the sum of its parts
09:56you know did you know that toast powers
09:59over 140 000 restaurants across the united states canada and
10:04uk it's an incredible company i'm on the toast customer advisory board they are proud
10:09sponsors of this show restaurant influencers we couldn't do it without their support they power
10:13our
10:14barbecue restaurants in san diego if you have questions about toast if you're thinking about
10:19bringing toast on to be your primary technology partner at your restaurants please
10:24reach out to me i'm happy to get a local toast representative to take care of you you can reach
10:29me at sean p welcha on instagram once again thank you to toast for believing
10:34being in the power of the technology the power of storytelling the power of hospitality
10:39back to the show can you share a little bit about the story of vanilla
10:44sure you mean our vanilla yes yeah i could i could i could share that story so
10:49one of the things one of the great benefits and we knew this early on with mcconnell's we
10:53did we weren't originate
10:54originating you know a brand or a product we were we were you know taking the
10:59the sort of nascent elements that made it special and then just turning up the volume
11:04um and you have to be choosy right and one of those elements was a partnership
11:09at mcconnell's that goes back got the better part of 50 plus years maybe almost
11:1460 years and there's two families in the in the country that kind of own
11:19the vanilla businesses there's there's the nielson massey family and there's the lockhead family and
11:24the scion of the lockhead family back in the 50s was a guy named ray lockhead and he he came out to cal
11:29tech here in pasadena to become a rocket scientist and after college uh he called his parents said hey
11:34i don't think i'm into the rocket thing i'm going to come back and work with you at the at the vanilla
11:37company the flavor
11:39company and i think at that point his cousins were taking it over another arm of the family so he was fresh
11:44out of luck so he he ends up moving from la from pasadena where caltech is up to the central
11:49coast here just north of us in paso robles and starting his own started his own
11:54vanilla company called rr lockhead after his family's lockhead vanilla and he was the
11:59revolutionary guy who did some of the first chemical tests on vanilla he used to have this little plane
12:04he would fly around between like madagascar and indonesia and tahiti planted some of the first vanilla
12:09orchids on tahiti and he was just a revolutionary in that in that business
12:14and just a genius and we've been partners with lockhead now for like i said the better
12:19part of 50 60 years his daughter and and son-in-law now run the company still out of paso
12:24and that's one of the really special things about our brand is you have these multi-decade
12:29collaborations we have the same thing with guitar chocolate yeah out of northern california i mean
12:32it's the oldest family
12:34the oldest family run chocolatier in the country 1868 wow and they're in like their fifth generation i think about
12:39ownership of and they operate it as well um and they become you know we become really tight
12:44with that with these people and so that's one of the pleasures of of and you know there's
12:49so many challenges right with building a brand um and one of the pleasures is having this
12:54heritage and authenticity and quality that you can lean into that you know other brands
12:59you know they can't because they don't have that right and and again that's trying to own the thing
13:04things that you can own that other people can't yeah so we really lean into california and heritage
13:09and certainly quality that's where we differentiate share a little bit about you know palm tree music not just
13:14this festival but events in general you have a beautiful ice cream food truck yeah i know it's
13:19very popular it's hard to book because people want to see you guys on site activating i know you don't
13:24have a lot of charity work we do share a little bit about why why the food truck because food truck businesses
13:29are you already have enough going on yeah it's another business in and of itself we knew early
13:34early on that we that you know event marketing would be a part of what we were trying to do
13:39and so we really invested in what we call the nuclear bomb of ice cream
13:44trucks we call it big blue is her name she's outside right now um and
13:49and you know ice cream is this really special product in that you know it taps into nostalgia
13:54yeah and when you see it at a venue like this or a concert like this or at any event um
13:59you know it you know people hook into it and and so it's a special part
14:04of what we do and we do we obviously do weddings with tabletop along with the truck and other
14:16you
14:09you
14:10you
14:12you
14:14you
14:19you
14:20you
14:22you
14:24you
14:24you
14:25you
14:41you
14:45you
14:47you
14:49you
14:51you
14:53you
14:53We bring Big Blue out there, and it's just a really special part.
14:56I mean, it's a way to give back.
14:58We think it's an important thing.
15:00In ice cream, you might have guessed, everyone's always looking.
15:03They're looking for free ice cream.
15:04They think it's free to make.
15:05It's not free to make.
15:06I assure you, it's not.
15:07Not quality ice cream.
15:08Yeah.
15:09And yet, and so you really have to focus, or we've had to focus.
15:13Certainly, from the beginning, when we were like, you want some free ice cream?
15:16Sure.
15:17To, oh, God, we're going out of business.
15:18We have to kind of think twice about this.
15:20And so we really focus on, you know.
15:23On children's health, and education, kind of things, and the environment.
15:26Things that we really, you know.
15:28We're part of us long before McConnell's.
15:30And really, you know, that's the other thing about being .
15:33a brand from Santa Barbara.
15:34I don't know if you know, and I'll try not to digress.
15:36But Earth Day was founded in Santa Barbara.
15:38You did not know that.
15:39Because in 1969, there was a massive oil spill off the coast of here, and it just blanked
15:43these speeches in oil, and off the back of that, a senator.
15:48You know, went to Washington, and the name escapes me right now.
15:53But, you know, he kind of lobbied for this, you know, this idea of Earth Day.
15:58And it really, it started in our hometown.
16:00So the environment is another really big thing for us, as it is for our .
16:03our neighbors right down here in Ventura, Patagonia.
16:05And, you know, it's a big thing here.
16:07So that's a big .
16:08a big thing for us.
16:09So what's the big vision for McConnell's?
16:11The next time that I have you on the show.
16:13Yeah.
16:14We're going to be updating the viewers, the audience, on what you guys are building.
16:18Yeah.
16:18What's the plan?
16:19Try to stay in business.
16:20That's goal number one.
16:21That would be number one.
16:22That's goal number one.
16:23Two, three, and four.
16:24And five.
16:25Yes.
16:26And six, and seven, eight, and nine, ten.
16:27Yes.
16:28And six, and seven, eight, and nine, ten.
16:28So, you know, we want to continue to differentiate our product and .
16:33slowly and surely take over the world as we know it.
16:36Yeah.
16:37Now, we .
16:38Look, we want to be known as the finest product in the business.
16:40And, again, it's a slower crawl.
16:43We both fall for us because we're not spending the marketing budgets of some of our closest
16:47competitors.
16:48but we believe there's a veracity there
16:50and people know when they know.
16:52And so for us,
16:53the future is like,
16:54just keep playing the tortoise roll.
16:57Yeah. Keep.
16:58Keep going.
16:59I mean, we always want it to move faster
17:01because that's the nature of being human.
17:02Everyone wants to be there.
17:02Yeah. The unicorn.
17:03I don't want to be at the end,
17:04but it is about the means and the journey
17:06and the journey can be painful at times.
17:09But but we're armed with a product
17:11that we really believe in.
17:13And and the people that work with McConnell's
17:16and work with me down at the dairy.
17:18I mean, Oxnard,
17:19they all sort of drank the proverbial Kool-Aid.
17:22They know what they.
17:23what they who they work for
17:24and what they what they're producing down there.
17:26And so it's just a it's a.
17:28Slow move.
17:29I mean, on any given day,
17:31there can be big news.
17:32So hopefully the next time I come on.
17:33show I can give you the big news.
17:34Oh, I want the big news.
17:35Yeah.
17:36Yeah.
17:37But for us, it's like just keep.
17:38It's like a violent ground acquisition game.
17:40Yeah.
17:40It's like football.
17:41Yeah.
17:42It's like football without the torn.
17:43ACLs, hopefully one of the coolest things
17:46for me about this show, you know.
17:48We believe in storytelling
17:49when we started podcasting back in 2017
17:52and told people were turning.
17:53our barbecue restaurant into a media business.
17:56People laughed.
17:57No one listened to our show.
17:58And.
17:58Now we have incredible partners, you know,
18:00thank you to toast who sponsors the show.
18:02Thank you to hero for.
18:03bringing us out here, which is an Amazon company.
18:05We did an unboxing at an Amazon facility in San.
18:08Barbara.
18:09Yeah, totally cool.
18:10And to be able to talk about connectivity.
18:12And we're here with F3, but.
18:13You and I, we connected over a virtual podcast.
18:16Yeah.
18:17And, you know, we hit it off.
18:18Two years ago.
18:18Or something, you know, I feel like you're a friend, a mentor.
18:20I can't wait for you to come down to San Diego.
18:22I can't wait to.
18:23Continue to support the McConnell's brand.
18:25Yeah.
18:26I mean, look, we again, we're a small brand.
18:28We need the support and obviously we want to support you and, and, and by the way, not.
18:33To pitch them, but you know, I've already solved a problem we have down at the dairy with Eros.
18:36I know.
18:37Crazily enough.
18:38I know.
18:39Oh, it's, I mean, that, that's, that's the magic of collaboration.
18:42That's the magic.
18:43The magic of being in the right rooms.
18:44Yeah.
18:45I think.
18:46Yeah.
18:47But you have to put yourself in the right rooms.
18:48You do.
18:49You do.
18:50You have.
18:48You have to stay in the game.
18:49Yeah.
18:50That's half the battle in business, right?
18:51Yeah.
18:52And I'm sure you felt and I felt it, feel it too.
18:53Every.
18:53Yeah.
18:54So we just got to keep going, keep pushing forward.
18:56Any mantras that you live by?
18:58Any mentors give you something that you think about?
19:01Um.
19:02Yeah.
19:03Focus.
19:04Focus.
19:05Yeah.
19:06I think you gotta, you gotta kinda know what you want and then focus.
19:08And then also, you know, if you're an entrepreneur, we were talking about it last night.
19:13Yeah.
19:13You know, there's no, like the whole life balance, life work balance.
19:17Yeah.
19:18You try.
19:18Yeah.
19:19But it's hard.
19:20You know, so.
19:21My family was at dinner.
19:22Yeah.
19:23They were.
19:23My, my Wolfpack, my wife, my son, my daughter.
19:25And like, I try to bring them to as many events as possible because.
19:28Yeah.
19:28I know that I'm gonna blink and they're gonna be teenagers and out of the house.
19:31Yeah.
19:32Yeah.
19:33There's no doubt about it.
19:33And so you try to focus on the business, but you also try to realize that there's other
19:36things.
19:37And that's, that's been a hard.
19:38Hard thing for me in the past.
19:39And, uh, it continues to be a challenge every day when I try.
19:43Get a little bit better.
19:44Yeah.
19:45As time goes on.
19:46So I think those are the two things and, you know, try to keep making.
19:48The best products you can.
19:49Amazing.
19:50Yeah.
19:51Well, we, uh, we appreciate you guys for watching, for listening.
19:53Please check out the McConnell's brand.
19:54You can order ice cream, like literally from your house.
19:57No matter.
19:58www.mcconnells.com.
19:59There it is.
20:00Yeah.
20:01We, we unbox some McConnell's in Eastland.
20:03California with my, my family.
20:04We, we've been enjoying it every day.
20:06We're going to enjoy it at the festival.
20:07Don't enjoy too much.
20:08Sean.
20:09I won't.
20:10It's phenomenal ice cream, but we appreciate you guys for watching.
20:13Thank you for listening.
20:14As always, stay curious, get involved, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
20:17We'll catch you guys next episode.
20:18Thanks a lot.
20:23Thank you for listening.
20:24If you've made it this long, you are part of the community.
20:26You're part of the tribe.
20:27We can.
20:28We can't do this alone.
20:29We started.
20:30No one was listening.
20:31Now we have a community of digital hospitality.
20:33Leaders all over the globe.
20:34Please check out our new series called Restaurant Technology.
20:38Substack.
20:39It's a Substack newsletter.
20:40It's free.
20:41It's some of our deep work on the best technology.
20:43For restaurants.
20:44Also, go to YouTube and subscribe to Cali BBQ Meat.
20:48We've been putting out a lot of new original content.
20:52Hopefully, you can.
20:53You guys like that content.
20:54If you want to work with us, go to BeTheShow.Media.
20:58We show up all over the United States, some international countries.
21:01We would love to work with you and your growing.
21:03You can reach out to me anytime at Sean P. Welchef on Instagram.
21:08I'm weirdly available.
21:09Stay curious.
21:10Get involved.
21:11Don't be afraid to ask for help.
21:13We'll catch you next episode.
21:14We'll catch you next episode.
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