a taste of brandweek experiences are sold out.

Need a moment to wind down and digest everything you’ve been learning? Whatever your taste may be — food, beverages, toys, beauty products — A Taste of Brandweek brings the Challenger Brands experience to your doorstep. Unpack your gift box, sign into one of our intimate virtual gatherings and prepare for a fun and interactive introduction to groundbreaking products, presented by the founders and brand leaders themselves.

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Claire's

Kristin Patrick, Claire’s Global CMO shares a vision for brand evolution and the future growth for a much beloved brand. Join the transformation journey as she takes Claire’s from legacy to longevity with one of the most savvy, creative & connected generations ever.

 

Kristin Patrick
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Express

Join Express CMO Sara Tervo and SVP of eCommerce Brian Seewald who will speak to the transformation of Express to a brand with a purpose powered by a styling community. They will share how a brand that has always been known for setting and reflecting fashion trends has embraced its “of the now” heritage in new and innovative ways.

Brian Seewald Sara Tervo
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Taste of brandweek: russell athletic

Every brand has a story. This is ours. Join Senior Marketing Director, Greg Galbraith, and Marketing & Brand Communications Manager, Beth Adams, as they discuss the evolution of the heritage brand, importance of navigating today’s retail landscape, and power of collaboration, as well as the secrets to maintaining credibility on and off the field.

Greg Galbraith Beth Adams
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Topicals

Topicals Founder and CEO, Olamide Olowe, created the company with the vision to transform the way all people feel about their skin by developing a brand identity that connects shared skin experiences and fosters inclusive and diverse voices in all aspects of the organization. Topicals highlights the importance of creating awareness and solutions to chronic skin conditions through its products, marketing model and social media strategy by showcasing individuals with skin conditions and models whom society may consider “unconventional.” The company utilizes its platform to glamorize and normalize real skin, real bodies and real people. Join Olamide as she breaks down the significance and effectiveness of these initiatives and learn how Topicals is paving the way for the next phase of beauty.

Olamide Olowe
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Crafthouse Cocktails

RTD cocktails are surging in popularity now, but in 2013, Matt Lindner and Charles Joly’s idea to create a bar-quality canned tipple was groundbreaking in the nascent category. There were a few other RTDs around at the time, but they were all commercial cocktail simulacrums, created by large companies whose primary concern was their bottom line. Joly and Lindner instead focused on replicating the drinks they were making for discerning bar patrons, using small-batch craft spirits in place of malt base, nixing the excess sugar and sticking to all-natural ingredients. They essentially moved the Craft Cocktail Revival off-premise. Crafthouse Co-Founder & CEO, Matt Lindner, will talk about building an RTD from the ground up including how the brand plans to stay relevant, grow its share in the marketplace and show up in new ways in 2022. 

Matt Lindner
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Kosterina

Katerina (Katina) Mountanos founded Kosterina to connect consumers with powerful but simple, flavorful ingredients - starting with the humble pantry staple, extra virgin olive oil. Join Katina to see why you don't need a groundbreaking new invention to gain the trust and loyalty of consumers. Hear how Katina harnessed the power of storytelling, consumer education and clear brand pillars - vital to the brand’s identity, from packaging to hiring - to win over new customers while strengthening a loyal fan base.

Katerina Mountanos
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Oatly

How Oatly, the world’s original and largest oatmilk company, opens emotional doors, breaks marketing rules and gets consumers psyched about products that are good for the planet.

Heidi Hackemer
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
taste of brandweek: corkcicle

Corkcicle CEO, Chris McDonough, shares a wealth of expertise, having inspired, and led teams across a wide range of business disciplines. Join Chris to discover the power of partnerships and innovation to unlock growth in the dynamic world of omnichannel retail.

Chris McDonough
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Taste of Brandweek: Flax Home

What began as launching a linen bedding company amongst three friends who shared a deep appreciation for a good night's rest has led to becoming a home goods DTC brand. Vivian McCormick, CEO & co-founder shares what it's like to leave your corporate job, jump into the entrepreneur seat, start a business and brand from square one. From start-up life to bringing on first employees, cultivating truly customer-centric relationships and taking a brand through expansion for growth into new markets, you'll hear how to build a brand that stands out in an ever-changing eCommerce space while staying true to your origin story.

Vivian McCormick
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
taste of brandweek: kencko

9 in 10 Americans don’t get their five-a-day: the minimum servings of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet. At the same time, 40-50% of fresh produce ends up in landfill. Join CEO Tomás Froes and Head of Nutrition, Mallory Gonzales to learn how fast-growing food tech startup kencko is tackling both these problems with the promise of maximum nutrition, minimum waste. We’ll talk B-Corp, global sourcing, overcoming scale-up challenges, building healthy habits, and nutrition as a service - all fuelled by some of kencko’s delicious, additive-free organic smoothies.

Tomás Froes Mallory Gonzalez
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Taste of Brandweek: LAKE Pajamas

LAKE is rooted in finding comfort in the everyday, and sharing that comfort with those you love. From Valentine’s Day to the Fourth of July, LAKE provides gifting-friendly limited edition prints, and Instagramable matching sets that create excitement in their community - often leading to rapid sellouts! Learn from co-founders Anne Read Lattimore and Cassandra Cannon about how they have built LAKE as the go-to brand for life's coziest moments, helping families to celebrate holidays big and small year round, all while building brand loyalty and driving repeat purchases.

Anne Read Lattimore and Cassandra Cannon
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Taste of Brandweek: SHESPOKE

SHESPOKE Co-Founder and CEO Kelsey Groome joins us to speak about the power that personalization holds when cultivating community. Through their digital platform, the SheSpeaker, SHESPOKE is the first beauty brand to fully scale customizable lipstick and lipgloss. Founded upon the premise that makeup should be an inclusive, fun tool of self-expression, the SheSpeaker platform has played a significant role in scaling their community-driven brand.

Kelsey Groome
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
taste of brandweek: babylist

As a seasoned software engineer and expecting parent herself, CEO Natalie Gordon founded Babylist after noticing a lack of guidance in the world of baby-commerce. A decade later, she’s now built a profitable, sustainable business based on long-standing trust with parents as well as the friends and family that form a community around each baby. Join Natalie and learn how to create a destination that captures a high-intent audience.

Natalie Gordon
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
taste of Brandweek: häagen-dazs

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, home to iconic brands like Häagen-Dazs Drumstick, Outshine, Edy’s/Dreyer’s and others, has 100+ years of winning experience in the ice cream industry. Since joining forces in 2020 with the leading global ice cream company, Froneri, several brands in the portfolio, like Häagen-Dazs, have started to think differently about every aspect of branding. From creativity to purpose, Häagen-Dazs has reflected on its brand heritage and engaged a diverse array of tastemakers to showcase new passions and uplift underrepresented communities. Chief Marketing Officer for Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Elizabell Marquez, joins us on behalf of Häagen-Dazs and the portfolio to discuss the implications of marketing for a brand that spans many generations, and demonstrate how its 2021 campaign “That's Dazs” attracted new audiences and platforms for the first time in brand history.

Elizabell Marquez
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
taste of brandweek: immi

immi is tackling the $46bn stale instant ramen industry that has seen no product innovation in decades by inventing the world’s first low-carb, high-protein, and 100% plant-based instant ramen. Learn how immi built a private community with thousands of members to validate demand for their new ramen innovation and how they leverage their community to rapidly collect taste feedback at a fraction of time and cost, generate tens of thousands of waitlist customers, and create evangelists that have helped them scale to a multi-million dollar run rate in their first year of launch.

Kevin Lee Kevin Chan
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
taste of brandweek: kiwico

Hear how KiwiCo is on a mission to inspire the next generation of innovators by disrupting traditional playtime, reinforcing critical thinking skills and asking questions that spark engaging conversations between parents and kids. So far, 35 million KiwiCo crates have been delivered around the world - offering hands-on activities that enrich young minds and inspire a lifetime love of learning. Discover how KiwiCo has the experience, thoughtfulness, products and most importantly the science, to equip children with the creative confidence today and empower them to take on the challenges of tomorrow.

Katie Soo
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Taste of Brandweek: APL

Co-Founders, Co-CEOs and twin brothers Adam and Ryan Goldston launched APL in 2010 as a DTC brand with the first shoe ever banned by the NBA for performance enhancement reasons. Today APL is the world leader in the category they’ve created, luxury performance, and the Goldston’s have profitably bootstrapped APL to billions with innovative products and a deep connection with their customer. Join them as they discuss their journey and where APL is headed.

Adam and Ryan Goldston
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Framebridge

Why is it such a hassle to frame the things we love? What would you display if framing were easy and affordable? Framebridge blends ecommerce, retail, logistics, and an intense focus on the customer experience to make custom framing easy. Frambridge is expanding the category by balancing commercial scale with an intense focus on hand-crafted quality to make framing faster, more affordable, and more enjoyable for everyone. Join Matt Sutton, Head of Marketing at Framebridge, to discuss how the brand is balancing D2C ecommerce growth with an expanding retail footprint (15+ stores) as they inspire people to live life and frame more. 

Matt Sutton
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Taste of Brandweek: OffLimits

OffLimits' offensively delicious cereal is here to give people permission to eat cereal again. Founder Emily Miller will share the company's brand story and talk about building a disruptive cult following through TikTok, cultural activations like partnerships with artists, and more. Emily will also give insight into how she is thinking about web3 and why DTC brands should be looking to the metaverse for expansion.

Emily Miller
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Taste of Brandweek: calirosa

Join Calirosa’s CCO, David Gimpelson, as he shares the brand’s disruptive approach to marketing and distribution by leveraging authenticity, unique product, and the power of celebrity to break through a crowded market.

David Gimpelson
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Taste of Brandweek: CAVA

CAVA’s ethos have always been rooted in the Mediterranean Way, bringing heart, health and humanity to food. As a multi-pronged and multi-dimensional brand, CAVA is not defined by format but by cuisine – Mediterranean. CAVA was founded with the goal of serving uncommonly delicious and effortlessly nutritious Mediterranean cuisine in a variety of ways that fulfills the needs of our customers. In doing so, CAVA has successfully grown as a brand, trusted for its culinary authority showcased through bold, vibrant flavors available to guests in a variety of formats.

Brett Schulman
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Taste of Brandweek: Feel Good Foods

Feel Good Foods was co-founded by entrepreneur, Vanessa Phillips, who after being diagnosed Celiac, began her career in the culinary industry running and developing the gluten-free menu at popular NYC restaurant, Friedman’s. She eventually shifted to the CPG space to make her gluten-free comfort food creations accessible to all. Today, Feel Good Foods offers a wide array of globally inspired, nostalgic, comfort foods with chef-developed recipes that use fewer and better-for-you ingredients. Learn from Vanessa on how to lead with innovation, and taste new snacks!.

Vanessa Phillips
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
taste of brandweek: luna bay booch

In the multi-billion dollar craft beer industry, only 23% of owners are women. That percentage gets even lower when you look at the small slice of the pie that is hard kombucha. When Bridget Connelly co-founded Luna Bay Booch in 2018, she knew the journey would be challenging but she saw her window of opportunity and took it. As the country's only female-founded and operated hard kombucha company on the market, Connelly will take us through an honest and candid discussion of the hurdles and defining moments for Luna Bay Booch.

Bridget Connelly
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Move with Linds

Learn how Lindsay Arnold leveraged her successful career on Dancing With The Stars to build a highly engaged and trusting community on social media. By finding her authentic self on the ever-changing platform, she's paved her own way and with that has increased her income over 5x in the past year and a half, built a successful on-demand fitness program, and has worked with brands to co-create products. 

Lindsay Arnold
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
taste of brandweek: Panera Bread

Taking months of product development and the expertise of trained chefs, and condensing it down into 15 seconds of eye-catching, enticing content is an art. Panera VP of brand building Drayton Martin talks about the importance of communicating key differentiators in the restaurant space – how to ensure brand comms remain eye catching while infusing them with quite literally, flavor.

Drayton Martin
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
taste of brandweek: the knot worldwide

The world around us has shifted these past 2 years and couples have continued and adapted to declare their love, get engaged and get married. Some went on Zoom, others hosted minimonies and most postponed plans. Having helped over 25 million couples plan a wedding that’s uniquely their own - through the rise of the internet, the legalization of same-sex marriages, the necessary progression of diversity and inclusion, and a global pandemic - The Knot understands the power of innovation to remain the leading resource for all things wedding, for all couples. As Gen Z is up next to plan their weddings, The Knot is tapping into personalization through its Marketplace, leveraging key influencers, and promoting relationship, financial and mental health and wellness to continually establish its brand relevance and authority to the next generation of engaged couples.

Kiara Kempski
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Taste of Brandweek: Boxycharm

BoxyCharm is a leader in full-size beauty box subscriptions praised by some of the most influential names in beauty. Its secret sauce? A community-first merchandising strategy informed by the brand's incredibly passionate and engaged community of Charmers. Kristy Westrup, BFA (Beauty For All) Industries' SVP of Brand Partnerships & New Business Development, discusses how BoxyCharm enrolls its community to drive merchandising decisions and co-create an interactive, multi-platform experience.

Kristy Westrup
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
taste of brandweek: california olive ranch

Join California Olive Ranch CEO, Michael Fox, as he shares the story of how his company grew from a small olive orchard in California to one of the largest and strongest brands in the multibillion-dollar cooking oil market. He will share what he's learned in challenging incumbents in one industry, how he plans to challenge others, and how the company has evolved to support its growth while sustainably continuing to celebrate its original mission.

Michael Fox