323. Functional Foods and AI: Why This Is The Next Big Retail Trend With Suzie Yorke, The Little Cacao Co.

323. The brands that win long term are rarely the brands chasing short-term trends. They are the brands that understand: • changing shopper behavior • emerging category shifts • evolving health priorities • and how to position products before the market fully catches up In this episode, I sit down with Suzie Yorke to discuss: • functional foods • healthier chocolate • category evolution • founder-led innovation • brand positioning • scaling mission-based brands • emerging health trends • and what smaller brands can learn from large CPG experience Suzie shares her journey from: • Procter & Gamble • Heinz • Weight Watchers • and other major CPG leadership roles… …to launching mission-driven brands focused on solving real consumer needs. We also discuss: • why positioning matters more than most founders realize • how category trends evolve • why healthier chocolate is becoming a major opportunity • what founders still misunderstand about the first 3 Ps • how mission-based brands build stronger loyalty • and why founder conviction matters during uncertainty One of the biggest takeaways: The brands that deeply understand where the shopper is going gain an enormous advantage before competitors fully react. Download the free 15-Minute CPG Runway Leak Finder™ at RetailSolved.com/findleaks ⏰ Timecodes  04:43 Why Love Good Fats 06:30 New trend shifts To watch 08:23 The move to fractional opportunities  09:59 The lead up to the The Little Cacao Co 12:37 Cacao beans are full or health flavanols  15:54 About the healthier chocolate that comes from the land 17:58 My superpower - building a brand. I got the 3P's 20:05 The line of great tasting vitamins   20:47 Developing the proof of concept 21:04 The added benefit of better absorption  21:24 The magic behind our sleep 21:52 Our functional chocolate with protein 26:17 Major changes in the cacao landscape  30:44 My mission to help entrepreneurial brands - how I help 36:10 How to leverage AI in your CPG business 42:20 Were to find The Little Cacao Co