The Hospopreneurs Podcast
by Hospopreneurs
The Hospopreneurs Podcast explores creativity and innovation in the hospitality industry by interviewing influential people across the food and beverage ecosystem – from agriculture and distilling to retail, entertainment and technology.Host, James Henderson, blends Q&A, anecdotes and other resources into an informative program that educates and inspires.Learn why we do what we do from successful minds behind the business of hospitality.
Episodes
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183: Brewing A Sustainable Coffee Future with Saxon Wright
Today, we're joined by a guest who has spent two decades shaping the coffee industry. Saxon Wright, as founder of Pablo & Rusty's and co-founder of Huskee, is pioneering circular economy solutions in hospitality. In this episode, he shares insights on coffee sustainability, the impact of reusable...
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182: Heaven Can Wait: Angel's Envy with Owen Martin
The story of Angel's Envy reflects bourbon's evolution in modern America. Master Distiller, Owen Martin, sits down to discuss the practical challenges and rewards of pushing the boundaries of bourbon through secondary finishing. This interview with Owen is about challenging traditions and finding...
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181: Grand Slam for Grey Goose with Joe McCanta and François Thibault
Grey Goose Master Distiller, François Thibault, and Global Director of Brand Experience, Joe McCanta, share how the iconic brand came into existence and it's evolution into the household name it is today. In partnership with the Australian Open, Joe shares his process of developing the Lemon Ace...
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180: Ending Single-Use Plastic In Sport and Entertainment Venues with Martin Salter
Martin Salter is the Co-Founder and CEO of social impact enterprise, WOSUP (War On Single Use Plastic) - a business replacing single-use plastic cups in large-scale sport and entertainment venues with reusable and infinitely recyclable aluminium cups. Martin's media and advertising career has…
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179: Non-Alcoholic Spirits and Neurodivergence: Seedlip, SEASN and Pollen Projects with Ben Branson
Ben Branson founded the world's first and best-selling distilled non-alcoholic spirit, Seedlip. Since completing the sale of the business to Diageo in 2019, he has maintained an interest in the growing non-alc industry, recently launching Pollen Projects - an independent venture studio. Their...
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178: Food Ethics and Frontier with Dr Simon Eassom
Dr Simon Eassom is an experienced leader, business executive and strategic thinker and today, joins me as the CEO and Executive Director of Food Frontier. Simon has had a distinguished multidisciplinary career as a university professor with a PhD in applied ethics, freelance investigative...
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177: Pinot Palooza, Festival Innovation and Cheese with Dan Sims
Dan Sims, award-winning sommelier and CEO of Revel - the brand behind Pinot Palooza and Mould Cheese Festival - joins the program today. From his early days working in some of Melbourne's top restaurants to creating international wine and cheese events across 14 cities and 6 countries, Dan has…
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176: Brunetti, Family and Heritage with Fabio Angele
Fabio Angele - owner and director of iconic Melbourne institution, Brunetti Classico - joins the program today. Drawing on 50 years of hospitality experience learned under his father's mentorship, Fabio rises at 1:30am everyday to oversee operations. We explore why he does that, look at some of…
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175: Korean Fried Chicken and An MBA: Building Gami with Jun Lee
Jun Lee is the founder of Korean Fried Chicken QSR, Gami Chicken and Beer. Leveraging a career in sales and strategy with multinational giants like Samsung SDS and BMC Software, Jun rekindled an old promise to his undergraduate mates after completing his MBA to form Gami - a business that…
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174: Behind Mr Black: Design to Distilling with Tom Baker
Founder of Mr Black Spirits, Tom Baker, joins the program today. Until the brand was acquired by Diageo in 2022, Tom led the business as CEO, alongside Master Distiller, Philip Moore. The bittersweet Australian liqueur's iconic bottle was created by Tom - a designer by trade - and is now known…
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173: Making Sense of Customer Data with David Shukri
Making sense of customer data can be unbelievably difficult. Today, David Shukri - Client Service Director at Shopper Intelligence - joins the program to discuss exactly this. With over a decade of experience helping retailers and manufacturers navigate data to innovate, David has found himself...
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172: NON Brings Taste To Temperance with Aaron Trotman
Aaron Trotman - the Founder of zero percent alcohol, alternative-wine brand, NON - joins the program today and shares a window to his philosophy and experience in business. While globetrotting through Europe and Asia with his partner, they noticed that the option to exercise temperance with...
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171: Sparing No Broccoli Stump with Paul Cooper
Paul Cooper earned an early restaurant education in Australia before hitting his stride in world-class European kitchens - Barcelona's ABaC, London's iconic Pied a Terre (under Shane Osborn) and Michel Bras' acclaimed French restaurant, Bras. Returning home with incredible Michelin-star…
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170: The Craft of The Cocktail and A Fancy Goose with Dale DeGroff
You'd be hard-pressed to find a bartender that doesn't know the guest today - Imbibe Magazine has even called him, 'the most famous cocktail bartender in the world'. Dale DeGroff humbly deflects it to Joe Baum but is credited with transforming cocktail culture while working at the Rainbow Room in...
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169: Single O: Coffee Innovation and Japanese Expansion with Mike Brabant
Mike Brabant - CEO of Australian independent coffee company, Single O - joins the program today. The company was called Single O before single origin really became a thing, so they've always seemed to be a step ahead. We talk about that focus on innovation, its link with sustainability and the...
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168: Early Bird Gets The Squid: Charting Growth In Dining Tech with Chris Bradley
After their recent $3.6 million dollar capital raise - backed by Invest South and Mainland Angel Investors - the New Zealand based, First Table, is armed to rapidly expand. The guest today, Chris Bradley - known to many as 'Squid' - is the brand's Australasian Business Development Manager and...
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167: Brands Are Communities: On The Pass with Gabriel Ornelas
With an impressive client portfolio including Mercedes-Benz, Moët Hennessy and more, today's guest today crafts unforgettable brand experiences. Gabriel Ornelas is a seasoned strategist in hospitality, food and lifestyle and host of 'On The Pass', another Top 100 podcast featuring industry…
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166: Negronis to Nietzsche: Cocktails and Philosophy with Elena Urbani
For long-time listeners, the name 'Mancino ' might sound familiar. Giancarlo Mancino, the company's founder, was one of the earliest guests on the program - at Episode 11, back in 2017. Now, a key player in the world of vermouth and aperitivos, Mancino is collaborating with EcoSpirits on a brand...
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165: Ottolenghi to Tommy Collins - Quality and Commerce with Ben Avramides
After working at Ottolenghi, in London, Ben Avramides co-founded the Tommy Collins Group in 2007 - with the intention of providing end to end catering. Now, over 16 years later, he leads the group as Managing Director and has contributed to countless Victorian venues - from iconic Melbourne pubs...
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164: Transforming Sports Entertainment with James Sinclair
James Sinclair, CEO & Principal of Signature Hospitality Group (SHG), joins the program today. SHG is the company behind The Sporting Globe Bar & Grill, TGI Fridays and Varsity. Over a decade ago, James saw an opportunity to double down on the American sports bar concept in Australia and has…
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163: Leading Sidekicker to Success Through SEEK Investment with Tom Amos
Tom Amos is the CEO and co-founder of Sidekicker - a casual and temporary staff recruitment company. He drives Sidekicker's vision and strategy to build a market-leading platform where businesses can access the best skilled hourly workers in Australia and New Zealand – they call them, Sidekicks....
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162: The Rise of Dark Kitchens and Chef Collective with Arin Aghazarian
Dark kitchens, ghost kitchens, smart kitchens - maybe you've heard these terms before, maybe you haven't. This episode opens a conversation on what they are - and what they're not. Arin is the General Manager of Chef Collective - a leading Smart Kitchen operator in Australia - and oversees the...
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161: Pathway to Partnership and The Speakeasy Group with Sven Almenning
Sven has long been considered one the most influential people in the Australian Bar industry. He's the owner of multiple award-winning venues under The Speakeasy Group, founded a hospitality dedicated training platform and a bar-industry consultancy (called Behind Bars). He often writes for...
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160: Sprout Organic and Plant-Based Baby Formula with Selasi Berdie
Selasi Berdie is often recognised as an Australian professional rugby league player. Since playing for the Gold Coast Titans, however, he's also become a successful marketer, owner of a popular Gold Coast cafe and food brand and led R&D for Australian supplement store, Body Science. Most…
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159: Guest Experience Data and General Management of SevenRooms with Paul Hadida
Paul Hadida is the APAC General Manager of SevenRooms - a guest experience and retention platform for the hospitality industry. You may remember the interview with Founder, Joel Montaniel, back at Episode 131. Paul followed his passion from real estate into hospitality, acquiring and growing a...
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158: The Hottest Trending Global Gin Brands: Never Never Distilling Co with Sean Baxter
James first met Sean as the Australian National Brand Ambassador for Johnnie Walker and the Classic Malts, during the second industry event he'd ever attended (coincidentally that was at Malt Dining, owned by another guest of the program, Nick Pinn) but his career has spanned every role…
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157: Australia's Oldest Distillery and The Bickford's Group of Companies with Chris Illman
Chris Illman has spent over 20 years in the FMCG and Liquor industries, working in senior Sales and Marketing roles at blue chip global companies including Kraft Foods International, Fosters Group, Southcorp and most recently as Head of Sales & Marketing at the Bickford's Group of Companies.…
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156: DoorDash and Delivery with Rebecca Burrows
Rebecca Burrows is the General Manager of DoorDash Australia. Her leadership has seen the business employ a sports-focused approach to develop a diversified audience and grow brand awareness and engagement - working with the NBL, Touch Football Australia and having maintained their official...
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155: Vodka By A Polish Prince, Kavka with Jan Woroniecki
Founded by Polish Prince, restauranteur, and photographer - Jan Woroniecki - Kavka is a unique vodka produced using classic methods from the 19th century - the distillery has in fact been making vodka for over 200 years. With pot distillation at its heart, Kavka's flavour is strikingly different…
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154: Saltsmith, Charcuterie and Streaky Bacon with Simon Lawry and David Ball
Saltsmith is the brainchild of Simon Lawry and David Ball, two friends with a vision to show Australian consumers what's possible with a rasher of bacon. While working full time jobs, the two have harnessed Simon's hobby of making charcuterie to commercially produce bacon - chosen out of personal...
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153: Tequila Tromba with Jimmy Sherry
James 'Jimmy' Sherry met his business partners in Guadalajara - back in 2005 - where they made a pact to no longer live conventional lives or work typical jobs. They partnered with Master Distiller, Marco Cedano, and his son Rodrigo and vowed to make extraordinary tequila with Tequila Tromba.…
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152: Sweet and Chilli Global Drinks Agency with Cameron Northway
Founder and Managing Director of the Australian, New Zealand and Los Angeles arms of UK-based premier drinks consultancy, Sweet & Chilli - Cameron Northway - has worked for VIP clients like The Rolling Stones, Kanye West and Prince Harry over a two-decade long career in the beverage industry.…
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151: Deliverect and Lightspeed Hospitality with Zhong Xu
Zhong Xu created the first iPad Point-of-Sale (POS) in the EMEA region, ten years ago. This SaaS product has since evolved into the company known today as Lightspeed and is now available in over 100 countries. Zhong was Global Director of Lightspeed Hospitality until 2018, when he co-founded...
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150: Hey You, Ordermentum and Food Tech with Adam Theobald
Building on his success as the Founder of Hey You (a consumer ordering and payments app), Adam Theobald continues to forge hospitality industry change with Ordermentum - a B2B ordering platform for the food and beverage sector. Driven by a passion for technology and its ability to create a more...
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149: Restless Children No More - Grub Lab with Mick Carr
Born from foodservice industry disruptor, The Village Co. - Grub Lab is a childrens' entertainment solution for hospitality venues. Founder - of both of those entities - Mick Carr, the program shortly after the announcement of Grub Lab's collaboration with the NRL. Designed to engage and…
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148: BlueRock and Business Advice with Peter Lalor
Based in Melbourne, where he is the founding director of BlueRock - a multidisciplinary, entrepreneurial advisory firm - Pete Lalor applies his passion for automation and innovation to do things differently. Overseeing 13 service divisions in this company alone, Pete is also a Chairman of the 100...
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147: Table Booking Tech and ResDiary with Colin Winning
From Senior Software Developer to CEO, Colin Winning has worked his way up the ranks at ResDiary for the past 10 years. Already having acquired a decade of experience before joining the company, his strong technical foundation and hard work have allowed him to flourish and now lead the Glaswegian...
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146: Immersive Hospitality and Viral Ventures with Aden Levin
Co-Founder of Viral Ventures - Aden Levin - has over 15 years' experience in the events industry. Prior to his current business, he exited a successful UK travel and festival company called Mainstage Festivals - which featured on Dragon's Den and was the most highly-valued company on the hit…
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145: Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS) Sydney 2022
As you know, Hospopreneurs+ is a little different - the episode today includes four separate interviews from GABS in Sydney. Pete Brennan - the Founder of non-alcoholic brewery, Heaps Normal. Clay and Monty from One Drop - we tried their glitter beer and beer ice cream. Dave Ward - Sales Manager…
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144: FELLR and The Seltzer Market with Will Morgan and Andy Skora
Co-Founders of FELLR, Andy Skora and Will Morgan join the program and share a fresh angle on the beverage world. In the highly competitive space that is seltzers, these two are doing incredible work to stand out. Both bring global experience from iconic beverage brands - like Red Bull, Jameson…
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143: Modus Operandi and Non-Alcoholic Beer with Jaz Wearin
After touring the US in an old motorhome, Jaz Wearin and her husband Grant have together built Modus Operandi - a 100% green-energy powered, Sydney-based brewery, with several accolades to its name - in just over 7 years. The leader in what is now a family of brands, Modus champions quality and a...
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142: Sustainable Investment Ethos: Botanical Water Technologies and Vegan BioCheese with Terry Paule
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Australia's fifth-largest accounting firm - Findex - Terry Paule, has a proven track record of building businesses. Over the past 35 years, he's held directorships with various business groups and sporting organisations but more recently, Terry has...
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141: Lark Distillery and The Origin of Australian Craft Whisky with Bill Lark
Just shy of three decades since he became the first Tasmanian to be granted a distilling licence in over 150 years, Bill Lark - the Founder of Lark Distillery - joins the program for an insightful and inspiring episode on the Australian whisky revolution and how one man on a fishing trip started…
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140: Australia's Fastest Growing QSR, Fishbowl with Nic Pestalozzi
Today, Nic Pestalozzi, Co-Founder of Sydney salad group, Fishbowl shares the story of his growing brand and two more, with Side Room and Fish Shop. Five years since starting the business, Nic and Nathan have self-funded over 30 venues for Fishbowl alone and been awarded as Australia's fastest...
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139: Project Development and The People with Andrew Taylor and Paul Schulte
Andrew Taylor and Paul Schulte, Co-founders of 'thepeople_' join the program today. With over 18 years in hotel development, design, investment and operations, Andrew is responsible for leading the company and overseeing capital raises. He's a trained lawyer, the Founder & Managing Director of...
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138: AgriFood Tech Accelerators and Rocket Seeder with Emma Coath
Emma Coath is the Managing Director of Rocket Seeder Limited in Australia and a Co-Founder and Director of GROW Agrifood Tech Accelerator in Singapore. She is driven to build a sustainable food system, through supporting innovative entrepreneurs. Emma has worked in the food and agriculture…
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137: Deputy and Global Workforce Management with Ashik Ahmed
Ashik Ahmed's career is devoted to building technologies that create better, more efficient organisations. In 2008, along with co-founder Steve Shelley, he started Deputy, a global workforce management platform for employee scheduling, timesheets and communication. Today, Deputy services more…
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136: Urban List with Susannah George
Susannah George is the award winning CEO & Founder of Urban List - Australia and New Zealand's largest independent lifestyle publisher. Identifying a gap in the Australian market for an independently curated city guide, Susannah built the brand from her bedroom in 2011, and has since established…
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135: Delivery Through Downturn with Shane Delia and Jason Wyatt
Today's guests are partnered on the food delivery marketplace, Providoor. Shane Delia - director of Delia Group Restaurants - and Jason Wyatt, the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Marketplacer - a global technology company. Shane - author, TV host and Brand Ambassador (Mercedes-Benz and...
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134: Italian Liqueurs, Marketing and Distribution with Trent Russell
Trent Russell is the Regional Director of APAC for the Italian business, Illva Saronno - the company behind leading liquor brands, Disaronno and Tia Maria. Responsible for growth and strategy, Trent applies tertiary knowledge in psychology, law and commerce, a Masters-level education (acquired…
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About this show
The Hospopreneurs Podcast explores creativity and innovation in the hospitality industry by interviewing influential people across the food and beverage ecosystem – from agriculture and distilling to retail, entertainment and technology.Host, James Henderson, blends Q&A, anecdotes and other resources into an informative program that educates and inspires.Learn why we do what we do from successful minds behind the business of hospitality.
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Hospopreneurs
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