Eat For The Planet with Nil Zacharias

This episode features Rodd Willis, Director of Natural & Specialty at Dot Foods. His 25-year career at Dot Foods has included positions in sales, management, supply chain, and business development. He is based out of St. Louis, MO. He holds an MBA from the University of Missouri.

Dot Foods, Inc. carries 125,000 products from 1,020 food industry manufacturers making it the largest food industry redistributor in North America. Through Dot Transportation, Inc., an affiliate of Dot Foods, the company distributes foodservice, convenience, retail, and vending products to distributors in all 50 states and more than 55 countries.

Topics Covered

• Dot Foods’ role in the food industry.
• Macro trends in food service and retail as we emerge out of the pandemic.
• Current state of the plant-based food industry and why Rodd and Dot Foods are bullish about the future of this category.
• Why Rodd believes meat and dairy alternatives will continue to grow and learn which sub-categories have the most (and least) growth potential in the short term.
• What food service and retail buyers are looking for today and how brands and buyers can be best prepared for what’s going to be trending next.
• Why Rodd is excited about participating in Plant Based World Expo 2022.

Plant Based World Expo: The Only 100% Plant-Based B2B Show, Sept 8 -9, 2022, NYC.

SAVE 20% ON YOUR PASS WITH VIP CODE: EFTP20. TO REGISTER AND LEARN MORE VISIT PLANTBASEDWORLDEXPO.COM

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This episode is co-hosted by Ben Davis, Content Chair​ and Strategic Advisor of Plant Based World Expo and was produced in collaboration with Plant Based World Expo.

Palak Patel is a classically trained chef, Host, Atlanta restaurant owner, and two time food network champion winner of Food Network’s famed shows Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay. Her new cookbook INVITED: Recipes for Joy and Connection debuts (Spring 24) with Harper Collins. She was a finalist on Food Network Star season 14. Most recently Palak hosted and produced a 5 episode digital series with Food Network called The Diwali Menu and appeared as a guest judge on Food Network’s newest competition series, Money Hungry. A TEDx speaker and chef at the Institute of Culinary Education, Palak has partnered with many high-profile brands like Microsoft, Sakara, BMW, Barclays and Clif Bar. She’s made on-camera appearances on the TODAY show, Food52 digital and Good Day Atlanta. Chef Patel was featured in an article entitled “The Women Of The Restaurant Industry Speak Out About Their Pandemic Experience” in Forbes. She was also featured in Huffington Post, People, Women’s Health, Thrive Global, Mashable, Epicurious, Bon Appetit, Los Angeles Times, India Abroad, and made the cover of Atlanta’s Simply Buckhead magazine as a rising star to watch in 2021 and beyond.

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Serial social entrepreneur & trends forecaster Sonalie Figueiras is the founder & editor-in-chief of Green Queen, an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change through inspiring & empowering original content and one of the world's leading outlets for alternative protein news. Green Queen is APAC's largest sustainability media as counted by website views. She is also the founder & CEO of Ekowarehouse, the global sourcing platform for certified organic products and the co-founder & CEO of SourceGreenPackaging.com, the world's first global marketplace for sustainable packaging with a mission to fight single-use plastic waste (pre-seed funded in May 2021). With over a decade of experience in publishing, digital marketing, organic trade, sustainability, alternative proteins and green packaging, she is an eco wellness industry veteran with a keen eye for market trends and a sought-after international speaker and moderator, sharing her expertise on stages across Asia and beyond, including Harvard Business School and two times at TEDx. Further, Sonalie is a venture partner at APAC alt protein fund Better Bite Ventures and operating advisor at European food tech fund Trellis Road. She is a global advisor at Social Ventures Hong Kong, an Impact Purpose Organisation committed to re-imagining Hong Kong as a purpose-driven city, an advisor at The Remedy Project, which revolutionises access to justice for migrant workers globally, a cause close to her heart, and she is an avid home cook and published cookbook author.

Show Page: https://eftp.co/sonalie-figueiras

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In this episode of Eat for the Planet, Maisie Ganzler, former Chief Strategy and Brand Officer at Bon Appétit Management Company (BAMCO), reflects on her 30 years of leadership at the forefront of sustainability. She discusses BAMCO’s approach to balancing customer needs with supplier realities, lessons learned from the company’s early adoption of plant-based alternatives, and the critical role of storytelling in driving meaningful change. Drawing on her book, You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime, Maisie shares insights into the successes and missteps of the plant-based movement, the potential of ingredient-focused innovations, and the importance of defining clear sustainability values. With candid reflections, she offers lessons and hope for building a more resilient and sustainable food system.

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John Shegerian is the co-founder and CEO of SOM Sleep, a company that makes an all natural, vegan, non-GMO, allergen free, non-habit forming beverage that is formulated to help individuals achieve better sleep.

Show notes for this episode: https://eftp.co/john-shegerian

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