Episode 6: Food & Beverage Manufacturing with David Gray (CEO of FedUp Foods)

David Gray shares his wealth of knowledge from his experience in Private Equity and Contract Packaging / Manufacturing with Greenseed and FedUp Foods. He is currently the CEO of FedUp Foods, a private label manufacturer for beverages, with specialization in prebiotic products such as Kombucha. This episode is packed with insightful discussion: 00:00 – 01:13 Introductions 01:14 – 02:05 FedUp Foods 02:06 – 03:38 David Gray’s journey from Private Equity to Food & Bev 03:39 – 06:38 Where should Food & Bev companies start when they’re thinking about automating for the first time 06:39 – 11:02 Barriers to automation 11:03 – 16:24 Investments during tough times 16:25 – 18:36 “Dupes” in the market (finding lower cost alternatives) 18:37 – 20:24 What most Americans don’t know about the Food & Beverage industry 20:25 – 25:31 The growth of private labels 25:32 – 28:20 Finding brands with aligned values 28:21 – 31:03 What does automation do for a Contract Manufacturer’s attractiveness from CPG clients? 31:04 – 34:43 How has the labor market changed over the last 3-5 years? 34:44 – 39:50 Product packaging and the top moving targets in Food & Beverage 39:51 – 42:02 International packaging trends 42:03 – 46:00 Tyson Foods’ labor oversight, temp labor agencies, and workforce development 46:01 – 49:36 Automation enables better work and career opportunities in Food & Bev organizations 49:37 – 53:38 Advice for F&B manufacturers that are considering robotic automation