the Joshua Schall Audio Experience

Joshua Schall
  • 4.8 (17)
  • Business
  • Updated Daily

Welcome to the Joshua Schall Audio Experience On my podcast, you’ll hear episodes of my popular short-form Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) news segment "Consumed", a long-form CPG entrepreneurship interview segment "Formula For:", deeper dive segments "Deep Dish CPG", public speaking engagements, and any of my new and current thoughts that I record specifically for this audio experience! Leave a review on iTunes and let me know what you think!

  1. 1d ago

    How cbdMD Bought Twinlab for Pennies on the Dollar

    How does a small, struggling hemp company pull off the "heist of the year" in the supplement industry? In this video, I'm breaking down the mind-blowing M&A transaction between cbdMD and the legendary legacy supplement brand Twinlab. Drowning in a staggering $148 million of debt, Twinlab was completely insolvent. But instead of entering a standard federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they used a rare, state-level legal maneuver called an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC). Enter cbdMD. Facing its own regulatory existential crisis in the hemp industry, cbdMD used this legal shield to scoop up Twinlab’s entire $30 million operating business for less than $4 million (completely leaving behind that massive mountain of liability). Is this a textbook distressed corporate raid masterclass that will save cbdMD, or will the cost of digesting a broken giant drag them under? Let's look under the hood of the deal.

  2. 2d ago

    [MONDAY MINUTE] Twisted Loop of SNAP and Medicaid Waste | Stop Funding Chronic Disease

    I generally hate overreaching regulations that unfairly target consumer choice. As an example, if you’re spending your own money, you should have absolute freedom to choose what you eat (or drink). But here’s my semi-controversial take…when it’s the taxpayer's dime, the rules change. If you’re receiving federal nutrition assistance (like SNAP), it’s hardly “overreach” to require that funds be spent on actual health-promoting foods and beverages. And you can stay ignorant, claiming I’m obviously whatever political party…yet I’m primarily focused on the double whammy of fiscal waste created by intersection between SNAP and Medicaid. If you weren’t aware, slightly over 75 percent of SNAP recipients are also enrolled in Medicaid. Also, over 40 cents of every American tax dollar collected is now spent on treating diet-related chronic diseases. Therefore, why are American taxpayers funding the purchase of chronic disease-linked foods with one hand, then funding the Medicaid treatments for those same diseases with the other?

  3. 4d ago

    Pat McAfee Has "Elite Grocery Store Knowledge" | CPG Brands Pat McAfee Should Invest Into Next

    From an early bet on Liquid Death to co-owning JAMS, here is why Pat McAfee needs to go all-in on investing into CPG brands. I mean this in the most endearing way possible, but Pat McAfee looks like the type of dude that has “elite grocery store knowledge.” And this is why I think he really needs to stop dabbling and start investing extensively in food and beverage CPG brands. If you weren’t aware, Pat McAfee was an early investor in Liquid Death…and more recently became a co-owner of JAMS (the frozen PB&J sandwich brand attempting to dethrone Uncrustables). Why would this work? Because Pat McAfee is the king of the everyday consumer. He’s relatable, authentic, and doesn’t shy away from indulging a bit. So, when Pat McAfee says a snack (or beverage) is elite…his massive, loyal audience would clear the grocery shelves. Thus, he should be backing brands like Yough frozen pizza, JaJu frozen perogies (since I’m sure he ate many perogies growing up in Alleghany County), and maybe whoever’s building a cool Jell-O shots brand. What CPG brand do you think he should target next?

  4. 6d ago

    Billion-Dollar CPG Playbook with OLIPOP Early Backer | Nathan Cooper (Barrel Ventures)

    Today, we are pulling back the curtain on CPG venture capital with Nathan Cooper, Founder and Managing Partner at Barrel Ventures. As an early backer of category-defining brands like OLIPOP, Nate shares his unique "Rules" of CPG investing in an era defined by rapid disruption. We kick things off by exploring how macroeconomic shifts, from GLP-1 lifestyle changes to wearables feedback loops, are redefining consumer habits. Nate and I explore the "Great Soda U-Turn," explaining how brands like OLIPOP successfully flipped the narrative to turn fizzy drinks from digestive villains into gut-health heroes. Although modern soda is just the beginning. In fact, we dive deep into the world of precision fermentation with pioneering companies like Helaina, analyzing how bioidentical lactoferrin bypasses traditional supply limits to disrupt the massive infant formula market (and beyond). Finally, Nate and I shed light on the explosive, high-stakes sectors of "Modern Oral" mouth pouches and the complex regulatory maze of hemp-derived functional beverages. Whether you’re an ambitious founder trying to build CPG brands that master the daily consumer ritual, an investor managing early-stage long-horizon fund economics, or industry stakeholder seeking fresh market insights, this conversation delivers!

  5. Sep 2

    Why Nestlé Just Abandoned a Billion-Dollar Dietary Supplements Empire 💊

    Why did Nestlé just walk away from a massive dietary supplement empire generating $1.2 billion in annual revenue? In this episode, I'm breaking down the major corporate shakeup in the global dietary supplements market: Nestlé's decision to divest its mainstream "Holistic Health" vitamin platform to private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners for $1.0 billion. If you have brands like Nature's Bounty, Osteo Bi-Flex, Puritan's Pride, or Nuun in your medicine cabinet, their parent company is about to change completely. I'll dive deep into the strategic playbooks of both giants to explain why this "corporate orphan" deal is a textbook win-win for everyone involved. What I'm Covering In This Episode: $1 Billion Carve-Out: The scope of the massive transaction closing in the first half of 2027.Why Nestlé Walked Away: How commoditization, fierce retail price wars, and logistics pushed Nestlé to drop its mainstream volume lines to focus entirely on premium, science-led nutrition.Yellow Wood’s Superpower: How the PE firm behind Suave, Q-Tips, and ChapStick nurses neglected consumer brands back to hyper-profitable health.3-Step Growth Strategy: How Yellow Wood plans to turn this massive bet into a giant payout using radical autonomy, extreme retail leverage, and emerging health micro-trends. What do you think about Nestlé's decision to sell off these household vitamin brands? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

  6. Aug 31

    The Ghost of Jet.com: How it Changed Walmart (& Online Shopping) Forever

    Why did Walmart spend a staggering $3.3 billion on a 13-month-old startup, only to shut it down four years later? In this video, we uncover the incredible untold story of Jet.com. While many critics on Wall Street called the massive acquisition a desperate, overpriced Hail Mary, Walmart wasn’t just buying an e-commerce website. They were acquiring a radical, highly proprietary tech stack and a startup brain trust that completely transformed the retail giant's culture forever. We break down the 10 forgotten proprietary inventions and strategies pioneered by Jet.com that changed online shopping...and explain why its digital DNA still lives on in the retail apps you use every single day. What you’ll learn in this video: How founder Marc Lore inverted Walmart’s corporate culture.The math behind the "Smart Cart" dynamic pricing engine.Why "Basket-Level Logistic Transparency" changed per-item margins.How Jet.com let shoppers bypass credit card interchange fees.The genius trick behind waiving returns for direct discounts.Why pausing your orders in a "digital waiting room" saves millions.

  7. Aug 31

    [MONDAY MINUTE] Next Big Functional Foods Boom 💸 | Women's Health Trend No One Is Talking About

    Think the next massive CPG boom only centers around protein? Think again! Type “postpartum snacks” into the magical Google machine right now…and you’ll get tons of results that are total b******t. My wife is a few weeks postpartum with our second child…and I was literally LOL’ing at these blogs providing exhausted moms with recipes that endless require scratch cooking. So instead, new moms generally survive on whatever easily accessible snacks can be eaten with one hand. And as someone with 15+ years of high-level experience within the CPG industry, it makes no sense how the “Age of the Endless Aisle” hasn’t fully reached postpartum healing. Although the “women’s health” market overall has been surging lately…which tells me that one day relatively soon, functional snacks designed to specifically support specific women’s health stages will mainstream.

  8. Aug 28

    New Trump Tariff Targets Your Whey Protein

    Breaking news: Politicians have officially found a way to tax your muscle gains. Because of course they did! The U.S. and Canada just nuked their trade talks, and Trump slapped a massive 50% tariff on Canadian whey and milk protein. Then, not to be outdone in the competition of economic self-sabotage, Canada clapped back with their own 50% retaliatory measures on American dairy. So, while they play their high-stakes game of trade-war chicken, dairy supply chains are getting completely shredded. U.S. suppliers were already completely sold out for the year. But hey, who needs logic when you have politics? Sorry gym bros, but it’s time you got ready to pay mortgage-level prices for a basic tub of vanilla whey.

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About

Welcome to the Joshua Schall Audio Experience On my podcast, you’ll hear episodes of my popular short-form Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) news segment "Consumed", a long-form CPG entrepreneurship interview segment "Formula For:", deeper dive segments "Deep Dish CPG", public speaking engagements, and any of my new and current thoughts that I record specifically for this audio experience! Leave a review on iTunes and let me know what you think!

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