Real sugar is unapologetically back

Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! We're excited to kick off this week's show with an interview with Tara Bosch, the founder of SmartSweets (exited) and the new better-for-you potato chip brand, Snackish.We then get into some of the themes we saw at this week's Fancy Food Show (starting at minute 17), including real sugar/real indulgence, the continued premiumization of frozen food (and restaurant-to-CPG pipeline), Indian flavors, and flavor-packed sauces. Then, we run through some of the most interesting headlines in CPG this week: how Refresh is trying to make gum cool again, the intimate wellness brand that wants to bring sexual care products to Sephora, the real fridge cig, and more. The breakdown:0:00 - Interview with Tara Bosch, founder of SmartSweets and Snackish17:04 - The Fancy Food Show recap and themes34:11 - Can functions make gum cool again?38:38 - The wellnessification of intimate care44:04 - There's still room for a cool ready-to-drink vodka seltzer49:16 - Nutribolt IPOs 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected] :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe