How food brands overcome business struggles and connect with consumers

I LOVE listening to podcasts. I often listen to them while working, exercising, driving, doing yard work or dishes, etc. Some of my favorite podcasts are—not surprisingly—focused on specialty food! They’re not only about the food itself though. The food podcasts I enjoy most give new understandings on our relationship with food as humans and consumers. Or they detail obstacles specialty and gourmet brands have had to overcome as they got started. Some discuss the impact packaging design has on the gourmet food consumer, while others give insight into the emotional connection between specialty food consumers and brands.

I thought I’d share my top 5 picks for best food podcasts. Here they are:

The Best Food Industry Podcasts

How I Built This—a sometimes food podcast

Though this podcast is not specifically about food, it oftens spotlights food brands, which I find helpful and inspiring. There is a great amount of value hearing about how consumer brands we know got started in their garage, almost didn’t make it or sold their business for millions after only a few years. Even when the episodes aren’t about food brands, I find that the story of and entrepreneur launching a brand is valuable and insightful for anyone starting or running a business. Guy Raz is the host, and the format is very engaging.

The Sporkful—a food podcast

It’s not for foodies, it’s for eaters.” I like this food podcast for its surprising aspects about how people relate to food. The stories about specialty food are amusing and quirky. There’s not always something overtly to glean from listening to it. However, I find I often develop a lot of my own connections and insight that I can then incorporate into the strategic packaging design and brand strategy work that we do at Jenn David Design for specialty/gourmet/artisan food brands. Dan Pashman is the host of this entertaining podcast.

Inside Trader Joe’s—a food podcast

Who doesn’t love TJs?! When I heard that this iconic brand came out with a food podcast, I started listening right away. Trader Joe’s is very selective in the products they choose to feature in their stores. For that reason, it’s interesting to hear how they run from an insider’s point of view. We learn about ethos of the brand and its incredibly strong and admirable relationship with its consumer base. The recordings from the Trader Joe’s tasting room—where employees taste new products and decide which ones to carry in their assortment—are fascinating! Give it a listen.

Eat Well, Travel Better—a food tourism podcast

This food podcast about food tourism may seem like a little outside the realm of food we’re used to. However, I really enjoy hearing an entirely different take on food in terms of people traveling for food. Whether it’s a short destination trip or international food tourism, there are a lot of surprising nuggets to glean. This food podcast features people from different parts of the food industry. (Psst: Check out my episode here!) Erik Wolf and Aashi Vel host.

Household Name—a sometimes food podcast

I’m new to this one, but have really enjoyed hearing the backstories and tangents of iconic brand name companies. I make a lot of connections about brands’ influences on consumers that are applicable to my own work. It’s not always about food brands but often is. Dan Bobkoff is the host.

Are there any food podcasts you love that I didn’t list here? Let me know in the comments!

The beverage/drink packaging design shown in this article is a collaboration between Jenn David Design and printmaker/illustrator Joan P Bogart – www.joanpbogart.com. Check out her incredible work on Instagram: art_by_joanpbogart