Accelerating R&D with AI and Selling Rivalz Snacks Into School Districts | Victoria Foster, Rivalz

On this episode, we’re joined by Victoria Foster, the Senior Director of Marketing at Rivalz™, a plant-based snack brand pioneering a new era of better-for-you salty snacks.Before joining Rivalz as the second employee, Victoria led growth and innovation at Hometown Foods and ConAgra for iconic brands like PF Chang’s, Bertolli, and Frontera. Now at Rivalz, she’s helping build a brand around a one-of-a-kind “stuffed snack” format that combines a crunchy shell with a savory filling, offering the joy of traditional snacking with 8g of protein, 4g of fiber, and a low glycemic index.In this episode, Victoria unpacks how Rivalz is using AI to transform the manufacturing process, why the team chose to launch DTC first before expanding into retail, and how they’ve carved out space in competitive channels like grocery and K-12 schools.We dive into smart go-to-market strategy, lessons from launching into Sprouts and Wegmans, and the brand’s mission to deliver truly satisfying nutrition in a fun, craveable format.—---------------Episode Highlights: 🥨 Why Rivalz launched with a “stuffed snack” form factor 🤖 Using AI to simulate 100,000+ R&D experiments + save $4M 📦 Rivalz’ omni-channel packaging strategy 🏫 Cracking the K-12 school channel (LAUSD and beyond) 🚀 Retail launch strategy: from 14 Sprouts stores to 100+ 💡 Velocity > Distribution: how to grow without overextending 🌱 Why Rivalz resonates with GLP-1 users—even without trying—---------------Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro & Victoria’s Background 01:00 – Rivalz Origin & Mission 04:00 – AI-Powered Manufacturing  07:00 – DTC vs Retail Launch Strategy 10:00 – Building Velocity Before Expanding Distribution 14:00 – Breaking into K-12 School Systems 18:00 – Packaging Strategy for Omni-Channel Success 21:00 – Lessons from Frozen & Emerging CPG Trends 23:00 – GLP-1, Satiating Snacks & Purposeful Nutrition 24:45 – Where to Follow Victoria & Rivalz—---------------Links:Victoria on LinkedIn – Victoria FosterRivalz – https://rivalzsnacks.com Follow Rivalz on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/eat.rivalz/Follow Adam on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.