It’s the middle of calving season for ranchers, and if you don’t know what that means, you’re not alone. Tyler and Angela McCann fifth generation ranchers and owners of Wyoming Cowboy Cuts can tell you. It’s when the cows are giving birth to their baby calves and as Tyler says, averages about three a day. That’s intense work and Tyler admits he’s r…

Today, we welcome a fifth generation farmer, Sara Woods of Wyoming Heritage Grains. Wyoming is great for spreading out and having lots of elbow room to be a farmer, as the population is not huge nor all that concentrated. The family came out to Wyoming in the early 1900s as homesteaders and their current farm, located in Northwest Wyoming, 70 miles…

As the Meaningful Marketplace Podcast Show continues its mission connecting food entrepreneurs with resources for success, we explore the six-state Regional Food Business Center one state at a time. Having spent the first two months of this year with Oregon foodpreneurs, we begin learning from Wyoming’s best by joining with co-co host Melissa Hemke…

In this episode, our hosts interview yet another Oregon State University, Food Innovation Center “graduate”, Iliana Maura, Founder of the company that bears her name, Iliana Maura. The company produces dairy-free products for those who wish to or need to avoid dairy. From the start of the show Iliana credits the FIC, for which Sarah Masoni is the D…

We interviewed Donna Parker, founder of Blondy’s Baked Goods, back in March of 202l - episode 66 for all you baking enthusiasts. A quick background on Donna: Living with allergies for over a decade and always having to compromise on foods, Donna made up her mind to create and share delicious treats that cater to everyone, regardless of dietary rest…

It’s been since 2021, episode number 76, that we interviewed Stacey Givens, Farmer/Chef/ and Owner of The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen, Portland, Oregon. The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen is a 1-acre plot of land located in a mixed business/residential core area of the city. This urban farm’s philosophy is seed-to-plate, meaning they grow and create meals a…

Amza. Say it. Now say it slowly with your eyes closed. It hums, it’s peaceful and rhythmic, isn’t it? It’s a beautiful word. It also is a region in Tibet and the birthplace of The Dalai Lama. And fittingly it is the name of Amza Superfoods a company founded by Jolma who is from Amza. Born and raised in Rebbong (རེབ་གོང་།), Amdo region of Tibet and …

"Why can’t you have all the good wind-down and relaxed feeling alcohol gives you without the alcohol? That’s the question Thomas Angel had in 2020 along with his partner, Laura Melgarejo Silva. It started the quest for the Bend, Oregon founders to discover a truly delicious taste married with the wholesome ingredients that would offer that relaxed …

In episode 171, our hosts reviewed the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas. They will be attending the Summer Show in New York and so will this show’s guest, Laura Dadap, co-founder of Djablo Sauce. Laura and company will be in the Incubator Alley section and the trip to the show won’t be a long one; Laura was born and raised in Queens. For the gen…

Officially a business since 2019, Brittany Futrell, founder of Angel Wing Sauce, started years earlier experimenting in the kitchen making sauces. At the time, it was for a guy she was dating and she enjoyed cooking for him. Because her mother was an enthusiastic cook, Brittany got started creating recipes early in her life. She enjoyed using her d…

For the third straight year, our hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall attended the Winter Fancy Food Show in that magic town, Las Vegas. For a brief explanation of the show and the organization behind it, the show is where foodpreneurs connect with leading buyers, distributors, and retailers, network with peers and enjoy world-class educational pr…

It’s the Sarah trifecta again on this episode. Sarah Marshall and Sarah Masoni interview Sarah Marcus, founder of Briar Rose Creamery, Dundee, Oregon. This is another check-in show, as Sarah was interviewed previously on episode #68, released in March, 2021. For background, Proprietor and Cheesemaker Sarah Marcus is a Bay Area native and started ma…

Welcome to the new, expanded format for The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast Shows. Starting with this show, we will be interviewing foodpreneurs from Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, thanks to the NW and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center, https://nwrockymountainregionalfoodbusiness.com/ . This regional effort offe…

It was almost exactly 100 episodes ago we first interviewed Andrea Ludlow, founder of Showstopper Cookies; episode 69 released March of 2021 to be precise. She had started her business about six months prior to the show. Cookie companies are everywhere and they come and go like streetcars. So how has Andrea’s company endured and what makes her cook…

Today we reconnect with Hannah Crum, founder of Kombucha Kamp, with whom we had the pleasure of interviewing on episode #84, released in May of 2021. For a quick refresher, Kombucha is fermented tea, an ancient elixir consumed for hundreds or maybe thousands of years by civilizations all over the planet. The most commonly attributed Kombucha Benefi…

Organ meats are nature’s multi-vitamin, according to James Barry, founder of Pluck. Pluck is seasoning for foods, but not just for taste and it’s not just any seasoning. Freeze-dried organ meats are mixed with spices and salts to not only increase the taste of the dish, but to provide a supercharge of nutrients. The flavor Pluck seasoning adds is m…

As we continue to check in with guests from previous shows, we circle back to Carrie Solomon, co-founder of Greater Goods and, as we learn in this podcast, Microjoy as well. Microjoy is new since our last show with Carrie, episode #67, released in March of 2021. For a quick background recap, Carrie and her husband started a medical cannabis company…

We first interviewed Lisa and Maly Douangphoumy, sisters in the family business Sao Noi, on episode number 54, released September, 2020. Their company produces flavored chili oils and flavored beef jerky, all originated from the family’s restaurant business in Hood River, Oregon. Their mother, Marnie and father, Tom started the restaurant and quick…

This show is another check-in with a former guest to see what’s changed since our last interview. Today we talk with Kelly Calabria, founder of Kelly’s Jelly. We last chatted with Kelly on episode #46, released in June of 2020. A quick background: Kelly’s Great Aunt Danny had a special recipe for peppery jelly that was irresistible and downright ad…

Boba has been a highly popular addition to tea drinks worldwide for some decades now. Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, it has taken the US by storm, served in restaurants, tea bars and sold in grocery stores. The popularity encouraged mass production. Enter Allison Sodha, founder of Better Boba, because Allison believes people deserve the best b…

We first interviewed Robin Rosenberg, CEO of Bobbie’s Boat Sauce on episode 64, released November, 2020. Actually created at sea on a sailboat, Bobbie’s Boat Sauce borrows its name from a repair concoction used by boaters, but not the kind of “sauce” you want to eat. While cleaning out the refrigerator on the boat and with some jazz playing in the …

It was three years ago we interviewed Allison “Alli” Ball, founder of Retail Ready and Food Biz Wiz Podcast. It was episode 59 for those of you who want to listen again, or if you missed it the first time. Alli is a former grocery buyer who shares her insider secrets to help packaged food entrepreneurs scale up their sales. She knows what buyers ar…

Back in May, 2020, we interviewed Nafy Flatley founder of Teranga Foods; the show was released in July, 2020. In this episode, Sarah Masoni talks with Nafy to see what’s changed in her business since then. As a refresher, Teranga literally means hospitality in Wolof, the Senegalese national language. It is the spirit of camaraderie and acceptance o…

This show is definitely authentic, complete with real tractor noise in the background. Yes, we’re coming to you live from the Ellis family’s farm in Mollala, Oregon where they operate their farm-to-consumer business and live a very full life. We had Laura Ellis on our 58th show released back on September 11th, 2020 and our hosts are very interested…

Following the growth of our past guests and seeing their success has been a truly inspirational experience, and checking in with Julie Sullivan and Carolyn Cesario, co-founders of Ground Up, is another uplifting show. Our last interview was show number 19 which was released January 22nd, 2020 and for your background, Ground Up is a company that del…

Back on May 13th, 2020, we released show episode 39, an interview with Genevieve Brazelton, self-proclaimed “Bitter Housewife” and founder of The Bitter Housewife cocktail bitters. You realize very quickly there is absolutely nothing bitter about her, but her products certainly are. Quick background reminder: The Bitter Housewife products are cockt…

This show is a repeat of the “hottest” episode in Meaningful Marketplace’s series. Our own Sarah Marshall of Marshall’s Haute Sauce, interviews Catherine and Matt Kuerbis, Founders of Heat You Can Handle (HYCH) makers of another great hot sauce. They were first interviewed February 5, 2020 (episode #25) when the company was called Hoss Soss and we’…

Continuing our check in with previous show guests, Sarah Marshall talks today with Katie McCarron Founder of Portland Pet Food. Our last show with Katie was January 8, 2020 (episode #14) and to refresh our audience on her background story, Portland Pet Food began with the family Poodle, Rosie. At 14 years, Rosie had lost her appetite and her health…

As we continue to look back and interview previous guests to learn how they are doing currently, our host Sarah Marshall talks with Tessa Koch of TMK Creamery. Our first interview with Tessa was November 20, 2019 (episode #6). They had just released their first dairy alcohol product, Cowcohol Vodka. And then the lockdown hit. The facility that was …

In 2000, three families got together to open a neighborhood market, a place where local communities could come together to connect with where their food came from. They wanted a friendly, inviting place that honored its region’s farmers, ranchers, growers and makers—helping them – and their customers – prosper for generations to come. They called i…

Yvonne Finde, founder of Portland, Oregon based Momo Coco was the very first guest in our show series. This interview is a great opportunity for aspiring food entrepreneurs to hear not only how a fellow founder has survived and grown over the last years, but also managed to navigate the challenges of the COVID lockdown. She is the maker of a variet…

A Florida native now living in Portland, Oregon, Margalaxy founder Margaux (no last name apparently; you know, Cher, Sting, Madonna) always had a passion for creating healthy bodies by feeding them healthy food. She also had a love of baking pastries since the age of 14. So with that as the background, here’s the story. Margaux got her degree in In…

Sitting in her apartment, Clare McLeod took stock of her relationship with food. Like many young women, she had been addicted to “healthy eating”, restricting added sugar, calories, processed foods, etc. Because of those restrictions to only eat "clean" foods, she intensely craved "unclean" foods. That swing between restriction and indulgence was e…

Sena Seafoods (pronounced see’ nuh) has a long, long history of fishing. As Sena Wheeler of Sena Seafoods recounts, her grandfather immigrated to the Ballard, Washington from Norway with his brothers and became a commercial fisherman in 1938. They fished using traditional Norwegian longlines, and passed the knowledge to their children, who passed i…

"Inspiration is always the key to the startup, and Richa Gupta, Founder of Good Food For Good, got that inspiration in 2015. Growing up in India, her mother cooked three fresh meals each day – every day – for her family. Using only fresh and natural ingredients, Richa got to experience a nutritious childhood bathed in goodness. But upon moving to N…

Founder, CEO, Mom and Baker, Joanna Strahm takes on all the challenges of a female food entrepreneur and keeps moving forward. She is every inch the baker, beginning with her Mom in the family kitchen, side-by-side. The passion continued, and she chose to formalize her hobby into a profession, receiving a pastry certificate from Tante Marie’s in Sa…

In the late 1980’s Mahsa Darabi’s family made the big immigration jump from Iran to Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA. That’s the real beginning of her company, The Moody Persian, because it was Mahsa’s heritage from Iran that she learned to fall back on and from which to draw both strength and happiness. As a Middle Easterner dropped into a very Western cu…

Always looking for that REALLY unique gift? Lots of people, and lots of companies, are looking all the time. To dazzle the recipient, brighten their day, or make a memorable impression. That’s the business of Founder Leigh Griffith who owns Bella Vino Gifts. Bella Vino is a hyper-local gift procureing company that puts a dazzling touch on the cornu…

Dtocs Founder and Mompreneur Pallavi Pande explains the company name “Dtocs” comes from the obvious word that means “a cleansing journey”. And this is what inspires her mission to collect fallen palm leaves and use them for beneficial purposes before they deteriorate beyond usefulness. The slight variation in spelling is to catch a person’s interes…

There are wheat farms, corn farms, even fish farms, but not a lot of thimbleberry farms. In fact, we only know of one and that’s the Thimbleberry Collaborative Farm located in east Multnomah County, Oregon. So what is a thimbleberry anyway? It fits on the end of your finger as does a thimble and is similar to a raspberry with a bit more tartness. I…

Shelley Elkovich and husband Jeff were always entertaining people, with Shelley taking the role of bartender. Then, the couple took a whale watching trip on the Salish Sea where Shelley developed an extremely rare neurological reaction to the boat trip. It affected her equilibrium and cause her “break up with booze”, as she puts it. Shelley soon be…

It’s Fancy Foods Show time again, the big industry show of the Specialty Foods Association. SFA is a membership-based trade association in the United States representing 3,000+ member companies. The SFA was established in 1952 to foster trade, commerce and interest in the specialty food industry in the U.S., worth $148 billion as of May 2020. Our v…

Guest number nine on our podcast show in late 2019, Jacoba Gundle was just getting ready to launch their new product a protein beverage. That, of course was the beginning of the COVID lockdown and a lot of commerce came to a screeching halt, including their targeted marketplace. The company had been readying packaging, fine tuning its recipes and h…

2007 Was the birthday party for Montavilla Famers Market of Portland, Oregon, when the local residents and business people decided to get together, raise some money and provide a community resource. It has remained a staple for the neighborhood and indeed the city and is still located on the same grounds. In 2020, Lisa Hall joined as the Marketing …

In 2011, Liz Albeth started Portland Creamery, a goat cheese (ch’evre if you are in the know) and whey producer. Not just any goat cheese mind you, but the best quality from a single herd of prized goats and cheese made on the farm using traditional practices. This herd is internationally ranked and considered one of the finest in the US. In 2018, …

It was tummy troubles for founder Julia Baker in the summer of 2018 that created the impetus for the company to be called Brothy. Or to put it far, far less delicately as Julia says, she spent a lot of 2018 “on the toilet”. The issue of gut health has been the inspiration and desperation that has caused the birth of many a new food product, and Bro…

It’s definitely a journey from working in the farm fields that provide the restaurant food to owning the restaurant itself, but that’s what the De Leon family of Portland, Oregon has done. The journey started in 1973, and this interview marks the grand opening of Lucy De Leon’s newest restaurant, Salsas Locas. They operated their first restaurant f…

You might say Eryn Domeyer and her husband got “hooked” on fishing originally as a hobby, then as a sport, before it became a business for them. After getting married, they moved back to the Pacific Northwest and were invited by friends to do some Albacore tuna fishing. They loved the excitement. Soon, they were keeping score with their friends in …

How do you spell CAT? Wrong. It’s CATT, at least when you’re talking about Catt Fields White, the high-powered organizer, teacher, consultant, author, podcaster and believer in connecting farmers and those who believe in nutritious, creative foods through 21st century farmers’ markets. Her background prepared her well for this path, starting out as…

A Pacific Northwest camper, hiker, fisher, and ocean swimmer. That’s the growing-up bio of Aiyesha Christian. And being the super outdoors person, Aiyesha also was obviously a big consumer of trail mix to keep her nutrition gauge from going empty. But the trail mix she found was just too dull; either too much salt or too much sugar, always the same…