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00:00that we've seen thus far.
00:01Just talk to us about the last seven weeks
00:03and how you've adjusted to higher energy costs
00:07and potential other supply chain disruptions.
00:09Well, since our business is now national,
00:11we have to ship product from one part of the United States
00:14to another part of the United States,
00:16and sending products in trucks becomes more expensive
00:20when fuel prices are higher.
00:22You know, Marla, come on in on this,
00:23because I do think we wanted to start macro
00:26because every business owner, CEO, head of an institution
00:31has had to kind of grapple with what's been going on in the macro.
00:34What of the macro does most concern you?
00:36You guys talked about transportation.
00:38That's certainly one of them.
00:39Yeah, transportation, but also because of our products
00:42are made with real ingredients.
00:45Almond flour, almonds are the base of our cookies,
00:48and we use maple syrup.
00:51So these are real foods.
00:54They're not chemicals, right?
00:56A lot of foods out there, a lot of processed foods,
00:59if you look at the back of the...
01:02Terrifies me.
01:03It's frightening, right?
01:04And if you look at our ingredient list,
01:06and we have a yes, no on the back there,
01:08you can see on the real cookies,
01:11we have a very short list of ingredients.
01:14So we always have to have redundancy, right?
01:17So we have multiple suppliers.
01:19We have to make sure that we can get our product,
01:23something like maple syrup.
01:24If there's weather issues, right?
01:27In Vermont, we have to...
01:28Or we have maple syrup if we're coming from Canada, right?
01:32Tariffs.
01:33Tariffs, yeah.
01:33So there's always challenges in thinking about
01:37how we are going to produce these cookies.
01:39All right, so I'm just showing for everybody.
01:40So here's the ingredients on the cookies
01:42as our guys push in.
01:43I mean, it's not...
01:44But there's the list to the other side, too,
01:46the green part and the red part.
01:48So yes, almond and coconut.
01:49So look at this, guys.
01:50Oh, okay.
01:51Yes, almond flour.
01:52Yes, real vanilla.
01:53Yes, maple syrup.
01:54Yes, premium chocolate.
01:55Yes, natural peanut butter.
01:56No gluten, no grain, no dairy, no eggs,
01:58no corn, no soy, no artificial sweeteners.
02:01But it's really funny.
02:01And you've got some other products
02:03that we're going to talk about.
02:04I mean, it's just a couple of ingredients.
02:07How much more difficult?
02:08Tim and I talk about food a lot.
02:10We both care.
02:10I eat food a lot, too.
02:13Talk about it.
02:14There's a banana here.
02:15There's other stuff.
02:16There's other stuff.
02:16But how difficult is it
02:18to really get healthier products?
02:21Talk about that supply chain.
02:23Talk about the costs
02:24and talk about that process.
02:26Well, we're always managing costs
02:27and our costs of goods
02:28are continuously increasing.
02:30But we want to give products
02:32to consumers that are made out of real food.
02:34So our goal is to keep
02:35our ingredient list very short
02:37and get as much real food
02:39to as many people as possible.
02:41But is it tough?
02:42Is it a tougher nut?
02:43Because I think there are reasons
02:45that people throw a lot
02:46of other different ingredients
02:47when you're doing something like this.
02:49So is it tougher to kind of restrict it?
02:52And what are those supply chains like?
02:53It is, again,
02:55because there literally can be
02:56a shortage of almonds
02:58or a shortage of maple syrup.
03:00And so you're not getting it.
03:01But I think that today,
03:03people are really caring
03:05about what they're eating.
03:07There's a lot more awareness
03:09of how food is not just to feed you,
03:12but it's to feed your body.
03:13It's for health.
03:15So I think even though prices can rise
03:19and products can be more expensive
03:22than some of the mass market foods,
03:25I think that people are willing
03:27to pay a little bit more
03:30for better quality real food
03:32and to know that they're feeding
03:33their family something
03:34that's good for them.
03:35You guys have obviously seen it.
03:36The business has grown.
03:38And maybe talk about that.
03:39Tell us about over the last time
03:41we talked was three years ago, right?
03:43Like, what have you guys seen since then?
03:45Well, we've had some exciting news
03:47with our merger.
03:48So we did merge with another company,
03:50Creations Foods.
03:51And this merger has really created
03:53a vertically integrated platform for us.
03:55So we have greater resources
03:58to do ingredients,
03:59supply chain synergies,
04:01to do R&D development,
04:03to move and get new products
04:06to the market quicker.
04:08What are you doing with R&D?
04:10I mean, if you think about
04:11the portfolio of snacks
04:12that you have as a result
04:14of this merger,
04:15where do you see the opportunity
04:17for white space
04:19or like, you know,
04:20what is out there
04:20that's not there yet?
04:22Because this is an incredibly
04:24competitive landscape.
04:25Yeah, well, with the increase
04:27of GLP-1 usage,
04:29the way we snack
04:30and the way we eat
04:31is changing dramatically.
04:32Meaning high protein.
04:33High protein, low sugar, fiber.
04:36So we are formulating
04:37with all of that in mind.
04:39Are you reformulating
04:39existing things as a result?
04:41We are looking at
04:42reformulating existing things,
04:44but we're also,
04:44we have a very long
04:46innovation plan
04:47of products
04:48that we want to bring
04:48to market
04:49that are just better
04:50and improved
04:51on what we have.
04:52Like?
04:54Well, we're actually,
04:55we have a whole breadth
04:57of items
04:57from sweet
04:58to more savory.
05:00When would we expect
05:01to see those?
05:02By this time next year.
05:04Okay.
05:04We'd love to be back
05:05to talk about.
05:05It takes a long time.
05:06It takes a long time
05:07to develop products.
05:08So it sounds like
05:09also broadening,
05:10like I am curious
05:11in terms of the cookies.
05:12Now, Matt Miller
05:12was here last time
05:13and he was like,
05:14I love them.
05:15And I know already
05:15somebody in the newsroom,
05:17our Sebastian,
05:18I think,
05:18who also loves them
05:19has like swiped a bag
05:20and is sampling them.
05:22These are adults.
05:23How much of your,
05:24what you guys are doing
05:25has been really for kids,
05:27how much of it increasingly,
05:29even adults
05:30who do care about
05:31what they are eating
05:32is,
05:33they're consuming them
05:34and then how much of
05:35when you think about expanding,
05:37is it going to an older population,
05:38or an adult population?
05:39I'm just curious about that mix.
05:41Well, for the real brand
05:42in particular,
05:43we're focusing
05:43on the whole family.
05:44Yeah.
05:44And so parents,
05:46parents with children,
05:47thinking about feeding
05:48everyone in the family
05:49from young children
05:50through adults
05:51and actually this is something
05:52that's very important to us
05:53and Marla and I
05:54created a program
05:55called Real Food is Fuel
05:57and we actually go
05:58into elementary schools
06:00and teach young people
06:01how to read nutrition labels
06:03so they know
06:04when they pick up a package
06:05how to find out
06:06what's in it
06:06and how to think about
06:07where each ingredient
06:08has come from.
06:09I love that.
06:10I mean,
06:11I've talked often on air,
06:12my daughter has been
06:13like that for years
06:13and part of that is us
06:15and it's taken,
06:15you know,
06:16you kind of,
06:16it wasn't that way
06:17and maybe it was
06:18as we started
06:19to put up calories,
06:20you know,
06:21in terms of when you go
06:22to order food
06:22but I know she's done
06:24that for a long time
06:25and I think it's part of it
06:26is because we've
06:26increasingly done that.
06:27Yeah,
06:27I also,
06:28I mean,
06:28I personally also think
06:29it has to do
06:29with getting older
06:30and,
06:31you know,
06:32understanding that
06:32when you're in your 20s,
06:34you,
06:34although your daughter
06:35is in her 20s,
06:36but,
06:36you know,
06:36you can't kind of get away
06:37with what you were doing
06:38in your 20s
06:39when you're in your 30s.
06:41Marla,
06:41I want to go back
06:42to what you said
06:42about maple syrup
06:43and the rising cost
06:45as a result of tariffs.
06:45Our conversation started
06:46with the macroeconomic backdrop
06:48of supply crunches
06:50as a result of the war.
06:52When it comes to something
06:53like maple syrup
06:54or other of these ingredients
06:55that could be subject
06:56to tariffs,
06:57what have you had to do
06:58from a pricing perspective
06:59over the last year
07:00and price adjustments?
07:02Like,
07:03have you had to raise prices?
07:05Tell us what you've done
07:06or hit margins.
07:06What has happened?
07:07I mean,
07:08we have planned
07:09for larger margins.
07:11So,
07:11So you ate a lot of this.
07:13We ate a lot of it
07:14when that happened.
07:15However,
07:16we aim for 50% margin.
07:18So when something
07:19like that happens,
07:20it brings it down.
07:22But we're still okay.
07:23Does it cause you
07:24to say,
07:25okay,
07:25well,
07:25maybe we're not
07:26going to be able
07:26to get maple syrup
07:27from Canada.
07:28We're going to have
07:29to get it from Maine
07:29or Vermont.
07:31Does it do that?
07:31Like,
07:32that's the whole idea
07:32with tariffs.
07:33Absolutely.
07:34And I think
07:34it also broadens
07:36our thought.
07:36Like,
07:37we've had a lot
07:37of conversation
07:38about maple syrup.
07:39I think we're probably
07:40one of the only cookie
07:41brands that uses
07:42maple syrup.
07:43And part of that
07:44is because
07:44Because it's expensive.
07:46It's expensive,
07:47but it has
07:47a low glycemic index.
07:49And then when you
07:49match maple syrup
07:51with a protein,
07:52like almond,
07:54it does not spike
07:55your sugars,
07:56your insulins,
07:57right?
07:57So it's much better
07:58for you.
07:58So we love maple syrup.
08:00But we are being creative
08:02and we're looking
08:03for other ways
08:05that we can sweeten
08:06our products naturally.
08:07We are not a fan
08:09of a lot of,
08:10you know,
08:10a lot of gluten-free
08:13products put a lot
08:14of stuff in there
08:15that shouldn't be in there.
08:17And a lot of people
08:18use fake sugars,
08:19right?
08:19Sugar alcohols.
08:21Things that don't feel
08:22good on your body.
08:23So I think that people
08:25also are realizing,
08:27you know,
08:27you can say,
08:28well,
08:28something doesn't
08:29have sugar,
08:30but sometimes
08:31a little bit
08:32of something
08:32is better than
08:33something that's fake
08:34or can do harm
08:35to your body.
08:36And one thing,
08:37when we came here,
08:38it was during,
08:39right, you know,
08:40after the pandemic.
08:41And I have to say
08:42another thing
08:42is that post-pandemic,
08:44we have learned
08:45a lot more about health.
08:47So we both come
08:48from families
08:48who have health issues.
08:49My daughter had
08:50a significant health issue
08:51for most of her life,
08:53still has a chronic
08:54health issue.
08:54But what we've learned
08:56because of all the research
08:57that has come post-COVID
08:59is that there's so much
09:01inflammation in our body
09:02and the processed foods
09:05and these,
09:06you know,
09:06fake ingredients
09:07that we're eating
09:08are making us sick.
09:09And so if we can eat
09:11with maple syrup,
09:12so I think we're
09:13experimenting,
09:14how can we bring
09:15the amount of maple syrup
09:16down and maybe add
09:17a little bit
09:18something else natural
09:19to keep it sweet?
09:21I made a pecan pie
09:22for Thanksgiving
09:23and no sugar,
09:24but you used maple syrup.
09:25And it was really great.
09:26So it's interesting
09:27how recipes and things
09:29are substituting.
09:30You make a lot of cookies,
09:31too, around the holidays.
09:32I do,
09:32there's a lot of sugar
09:33I think those have sugar
09:34in them,
09:34the ones that I've tried.
09:35There's a lot of sugar
09:36and butter.
09:37She brings them
09:37into everybody there.
09:38But there's only
09:39like a handful of ingredients,
09:40but yeah,
09:41yeah,
09:41no,
09:41fair.
09:43What do you make
09:43of an administration,
09:45I'm not looking for politics,
09:48but whether it's the FDA
09:52or our health
09:53and human services secretary
09:56in terms of what they're saying
09:57about health
09:58and what to eat,
10:00from what you guys
10:01are seeing,
10:02I feel like
10:03what you see
10:04in terms of consumer trends
10:05tells you a lot.
10:06You are telling me
10:07that consumers care.
10:09It doesn't matter
10:10what they're hearing
10:11elsewise
10:11or from an administration,
10:13they care.
10:13And you've seen it
10:14in the uptick
10:14in your goods.
10:16Is that fair?
10:16Yes, absolutely.
10:17And I think
10:18I've also worked
10:20a bunch in the
10:20patient advocacy space
10:22just because of our
10:22health challenges
10:24in our family.
10:25And I think
10:26parents especially
10:27and people
10:28who have chronic
10:29illness themselves
10:30know what they need
10:32to do.
10:32And I think
10:33the most important
10:34and Lauren and I
10:35are both big researchers
10:36so we read everything
10:38and when we're sourcing
10:39our ingredients
10:40everything is really
10:42well thought.
10:43But I think
10:44that my message
10:46to all consumers
10:47is read as much
10:48as you can,
10:49right?
10:50Agreed.
10:50And you have to look
10:51at different sources.
10:53You have to go
10:53and when you're reading
10:55go and look
10:56at the scientific
10:57research yourself
10:58and look at how
10:59the studies were set up.
11:01So don't take
11:02someone else's word
11:03for what is healthy,
11:05what is good for you,
11:06what is bad for you.
11:08Really read
11:08and do your own research.
11:10Lauren,
11:10have you changed
11:10the way that you
11:11eat as a result
11:12of starting this company?
11:14I think I've always
11:15kind of eaten
11:16on the healthier side.
11:18I was an athlete
11:18after college
11:19and I know directly
11:21that when I eat
11:22something that isn't
11:24made with good ingredients
11:24I just don't feel good.
11:25Yeah.
11:27That's what I was saying.
11:28I mean it's like
11:29you can do it
11:30in your 20s but...
11:31All right.
11:31I just got to ask you
11:32about this before we leave.
11:33First of all,
11:33I love that it's called
11:34Moon Cheese.
11:35This is your collaboration,
11:37right?
11:38And the result
11:38of what?
11:39This big deal.
11:40Yes.
11:40This is part of our,
11:41one of our brands
11:42that's part of our merger,
11:43Moon Cheese.
11:43And it's a cheese-based product.
11:45It has one ingredient,
11:47100% cheese.
11:47That's what I was looking at.
11:48Yeah.
11:49And it basically
11:51retains the flavor
11:52of cheese
11:52made in a special
11:54oven that we have
11:55the patent for.
11:57And it's really delicious.
11:59It's very easy
11:59on-the-go snack.
12:00I'll take the night cheese.
12:01I'll take the night cheese.
12:02I'll take the night cheese.
12:02I'll take the night cheese.
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