FMN 031: The American Food Revolution with Taylor West

On the show today, we have Taylor West, VP of Marketing for Kodiak Cakes. Taylor has a wealth of experience in the food industry - before making the move into the Natural Products space, he spent around seven years in marketing for General Mills learning how the big dogs roll. Taylor recently published an incredible article on the state of the food industry in America and what's driving the success behind natural food brands, which we're going to be discussing a little more today. From the world of cost cutting to make shareholders happy, to an environment where focusing the why behind the brand can be all the difference, Taylor offers some amazing insight into what makes natural brands like Kodiak grow 100% year over year. In today's interview, Taylor answers: DOES IT MAKE MORE SENSE FOR THE GIANTS IN BIG FOOD TO ACQUIRE, RATHER THAN COMPETE WITH NATURAL PRODUCTS COMPANIES? In short answer, yes. There's a reason big food companies aren't successfully knocking off smaller brands on a regular basis. Sure, there may be some instances, but Taylor discusses why brands like Justin's are pulling huge acquisition deals, rather than having to compete with large companies developing similar products. HOW DOES THE SWITCH FROM BIG TO SMALL FOOD IMPACT YOUR CAREER? Coming from General Mills, Taylor went from one of the largest food companies in the business to practically a startup. He discusses the impact on his career trajectory, along with what one should consider when thinking about a similar change. HOW CAN SMALL BRANDS MARKET THEIR PRODUCTS BETTER THAN BIG FOOD COMPANIES WITH HUGE BUDGETS? Taylor has first-hand experience with leveraging the benefit of being small in marketing, in a way no big can imitate. From sending out gifts to loyal clients, to direct and in-depth surveys, Kodiak Cakes sets the bar for agile, and thoughtful marketing. And so much more. For anyone in CPG marketing, whether in Big Food or the natural category, you may want to pause and grab a pen and paper before hitting the play button, because Taylor offers a ton of great advice thats actionable and practical.