Farm to Fame - Conversations with Ali Cox

Ali Cox
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Ali Cox is a fifth-generation farmer and Founder & CEO of Noble West who bridges the gap between agriculture and mainstream brand-building. As one of the only voices with a deep understanding of both sides, Ali knows what it takes to make food and beverage brands that matter.

  1. 4d ago

    EP 20: Is Wine Losing Its Seat at the Table? | Courtney O’Brien

    Courtney O'Brien has led brand portfolios and innovation at Coca-Cola, Gallo and Danone, working on household names like Coke Zero, Apothic, Dark Horse and Evian. Now she runs her own consultancy, The Outlier Initiative, helping brands build themselves into a demand engine. Courtney joins Ali to unpack why so much of the wine industry has slipped into commodity territory, what's pulling wine out of everyday American drinking occasions, and what the brands getting it right are doing differently. In this episode: • Why Courtney estimates at least 80% of wine is commoditized, and what real brand pull looks like • Why picking a lane feels so risky for brand builders, and why it pays off • How shifting demographics and more casual occasions are costing wine its default seat at the table • Whether seltzers and hemp beverages are really taking share from wine • Why putting wine in a can is a format, not a strategy • Why Courtney is still an optimist, even while launching five brands into a contracting market Learn more about The Outlier Initiative: https://theoutlierinitiative.com/ Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. --- Keywords: Courtney O'Brien, The Outlier Initiative, wine marketing, wine industry, wine industry decline, wine brands, beverage marketing, beverage industry trends, beverage consultant, brand strategy, brand building, demand engine, commodity vs brand, consumer insights, hard seltzer, High Noon, hemp beverages, canned wine, Coca-Cola, Gallo, Apothic, Barefoot wine, WERK House of Fermentation, Tablas Creek, Gen Z drinking trends, female founder, female entrepreneur, female CEO, women-owned business, women in business, women in agriculture #FarmToFame #WineIndustry #BrandStrategy #BeverageMarketing #NobleWest

  2. Oct 23

    EP 19: Do You Really Need a Celebrity Influencer? | Danielle Wiley

    Danielle Wiley has been in influencer marketing since before anyone called it that. A former cheesemonger, food critic, and 2005-era food blogger, she built her career at Food Network and Edelman, rising to senior vice president of strategy, before founding Sway Group 15 years ago. Today she leads one of the most respected specialty influencer agencies in the country and hosts the Art of Sway podcast. In this conversation, Ali and Danielle dig into how food and beverage brands can get the most out of creators at every budget level. In this episode: How influencer marketing evolved from mom blogs to short-form video and review cultureWhy Gen Z is making purchase decisions based on creators, not searchNano, micro, macro, elite macro, and celebrity tiers, explainedDanielle's hot take: most brands can accomplish everything they want with micro influencersBehind the scenes of the Ocean Mist Farms artichoke programWhy challenger brands benefit from an agency partner instead of going it alone Learn more about Sway Group: https://swaygroup.com Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. --- Keywords: Danielle Wiley, Sway Group, Art of Sway, influencer marketing, food influencer marketing, food and beverage marketing, micro influencers, nano influencers, macro influencers, elite macro influencers, celebrity endorsements, influencer marketing agency, influencer pricing, creator content, food bloggers, mom bloggers, short-form video, Gen Z purchase decisions, Ocean Mist Farms, artichokes, Worldwide Partners, paid amplification, challenger brands, female founder, female entrepreneur, female CEO, women-owned business, women in business, women in agriculture #FarmToFame #InfluencerMarketing #FoodMarketing #MicroInfluencers #NobleWest

  3. Oct 21

    EP 18: Why Aren't More Women Reaching the C-Suite? | Angela Dodd

    Angela Dodd brings a bakery degree and 20 years in the food and beverage industry to one of its most important conversations. Seven years ago, she founded Females in Food, the first and only leadership development and connection platform for women across every sector of food and beverage, with a mission to advance women into the C-suite. Her 2026 State of Women in Food & Beverage report doubled its sample size from the first edition and puts hard data behind what's holding women back, and what companies can do about it. In this episode: • Why only 12% of women surveyed are working in the career paths that lead to the C-suite • How P&L ownership and experience in operations, supply chain and procurement shape who gets chosen for leadership • Sponsorship vs. mentorship, and why only 8% of companies offer sponsorship even though women rank it above mentorship for impact • Why 38% of women cite recognition and visibility as a barrier to advancement • The case for treating mid-career retention as a board-level metric • How the "messy middle" of a career collides with caregiving years • Why flexible work policies exist on paper, but women feel penalized for using them • Why showing up for your network is an investment in yourself Learn more about Females in Food and download the full report: https://www.femalesinfood.community/ Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. https://wearenoblewest.com/ --- Keywords: Angela Dodd, Females in Food, Females in Food Community, State of Women in Food and Beverage, 2026 State of Women in Food and Beverage report, women in food, women in food and beverage, women in leadership, women in the C-suite, food industry leadership, food and beverage industry, gender gap in leadership, sponsorship vs mentorship, workplace sponsorship, career visibility, mid-career retention, messy middle, caregiving, working moms, workplace flexibility, hybrid work, P&L leadership, supply chain careers, leadership development, networking for women, food industry careers, female founder, female entrepreneur, female CEO, women-owned business, women in business, women in agriculture #FarmToFame #WomenInFood #WomenInLeadership #FoodIndustry #NobleWest

  4. Oct 13

    EP 17: There's No Such Thing as a Communications Crisis | Alexandra Trower

    In Episode 17 of Farm to Fame, Ali Cox sits down with Alexandra Trower, a communications powerhouse whose career spans JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and The Estée Lauder Companies, where she served as Executive Vice President of Global Communications. A Noble West advisory board member and Ali's friend and mentor of 25 years, Alex shares a crisis communications playbook that food and ag businesses can put to work before trouble ever hits. We're honored to welcome her to the show. 💄 In this episode: Why someone else's crisis is your greatest gift, and how to "murder board" your own brand before anyone else canCommunications is not the caboose: why comms needs a seat at the table when decisions get madeThe Bank of America tagline that showed her the danger of overpromising on a brandHow to vet supply chain partners like you're marrying them, plus the recall question to ask every one of themHow to prepare before a crisis hits: a "what keeps us up at night" session, a clear decision tree and a one-page playbookWhat Leonard Lauder taught her about learning from frontline employees and younger team membersWhy crisis management has gotten harder, and how social listening turns real-time chatter into "news you can use" Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. --- Keywords: Alexandra Trower, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis communications plan, crisis playbook, public relations, PR strategy, corporate communications, reputation management, brand reputation, brand values, consumer trust, food safety, food recalls, product recall, supply chain, supplier vetting, decision tree, social listening, social media monitoring, Estée Lauder Companies, Leonard Lauder, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Costco, Walmart, female founder, female entrepreneur, female CEO, women-owned business, women in business, women in agriculture, farming podcast, food marketing podcast #FarmToFame #CrisisCommunications #PublicRelations #FoodSafety #NobleWest

  5. Sep 24

    EP 16: What Your Cotton Label Isn’t Telling You | Cannon Michael

    In Episode 16 of Farm to Fame, Ali Cox sits down with Cannon Michael — sixth-generation farmer and the leader of Bowles Farming Company in Los Banos, one of California's most storied specialty crop regions. Since taking over in 2014, Cannon has grown Bowles from three crops to more than 20, earned Regenagri certification across 100% of the farm, and became the first farm certified in California under the Better Cotton Initiative's pilot program. He's also a leading voice on California water, serving on a number of water boards, and one of agriculture's most candid advocates for transparency with consumers. We're honored to welcome him to the show. 🌾 In this episode: Why Cannon still has beef with Patagonia over its 1980s campaign against California cotton growers — and what brands give up when they source elsewhereHow transparency and education became a brand strategy for a farm with no product on the shelfWhy California's long, strong cotton fiber can't be grown anywhere else, and the high-end brands that want itThe ag tech math: drip irrigation, weeding robots, and fewer but higher-paying jobs on the farmHow brand and market signals drive certification decisions — and why he wouldn't make the switch to organic again todayWhy farmers still have little say on price, and how the loss of seasonality keeps food cheap Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. --- Keywords: California cotton, cotton farming, Bowles Farming Company, regenerative agriculture, Regenagri, Better Cotton Initiative, organic farming, sustainable fashion, supply chain transparency, ag tech, farm automation, agricultural robotics, drip irrigation, California water, specialty crops, California agriculture, Central Valley farming, farm labor, sustainability certifications, brand sourcing, food and fiber, agribusiness, farming podcast, food marketing podcast #FarmToFame #CaliforniaCotton #RegenerativeAgriculture #CaliforniaAgriculture #NobleWest

  6. Sep 21

    EP 15: Why Is So Much of Your Produce From Peru? | Walt Duflock

    In Episode 15 of Farm to Fame, Ali Cox kicks off season two with Walt Duflock — Senior Vice President of Innovation at Western Growers and one of the most widely followed voices in global ag technology. A fifth-generation Monterey County farmer, Walt leads the team that vets, validates, and stress-tests the startups building automation and chemistry alternatives for specialty crop growers. He's also become the industry's go-to analyst on what's happening in Peru — and why California growers should be paying very close attention. 🫐 In this episode: Why Western Growers doesn't act like a typical trade group — and what that frees its innovation team to doThe real math behind H-2A labor, and what it's doing to the cost of farming in CaliforniaWalt's USDA census projection for where California acreage and farmer counts land by 2052The demand problem the industry created for itself — and what consumers will and won't pay extra forHow berries took the front table of the produce aisle away from applesWhat Peru's rise in ag exports should be telling California growers Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. --- Keywords: ag tech, agriculture technology, ag innovation, Western Growers, Walt Duflock, specialty crops, California agriculture, farm labor shortage, H-2A, farm automation, agricultural robotics, produce industry, fresh produce marketing, food and beverage marketing, organic produce, regenerative agriculture, grocery retail, produce aisle, berries, avocados, Peru agriculture, ag exports, food supply chain, agribusiness, water infrastructure, farming podcast, food marketing podcast #FarmToFame #AgTech #CaliforniaAgriculture #FreshProduce #NobleWest

  7. Jul 30

    EP 14: What 'Real Food' Means at Massive Scale | Alison Patt

    Alison Patt is the CEO of Thomas Cuisine, the Boise-based food service company celebrating its fortieth year and serving tens of millions of meals annually across more than a dozen states — in hospitals, senior living communities, schools, corporate dining, and professional sports kitchens. Since joining in 2020, she has taken a real food ethos that had been in the company's DNA for decades and turned it into something operational: a shared definition, hard standards, and a published list of ingredients the company will no longer serve. Her conviction on this is personal, rooted in what changed for her son Joey when her family cut processed food from their home. Ali sits down with one of the most dynamic executives she's worked with in twenty-five years for a conversation about what it actually takes to mean what you market. 🥗 In this episode: The family story that turned Alison into a real food advocate, and the founder's own health scare that put the same conviction at the center of Thomas Cuisine forty years agoWhy food service is the least understood bridge between agriculture and consumers — and what it means to serve millions of meals to the most vulnerable people in the countryInside the scrap list: how the company built a shared definition of real food without outpricing the clients it servesFood as part of the care team in a hospital, and as performance fuel in a pro sports kitchen — the same standard doing two very different jobsWhy Alison wants marketing to be operations, not aspiration, and what she means by companies that "teach you how to tap dance"What farmers, growers, and food brands can do to become better partners to food service — and why prioritizing quality ingredients sends a market signal all the way back to the farm Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. --- Keywords: Alison Patt, Thomas Cuisine, food service, foodservice industry, real food, real food movement, scratch cooking, hospital food, senior living dining, school food, feeding pro athletes, San Jose Earthquakes, Simplot, Boise, chefs, dietitians, ingredient standards, healthy food at scale, food service marketing, mission-driven company, food industry, women in leadership, female founder, female entrepreneur, female CEO, women-owned business, women in business, women in agriculture, food podcast #FarmToFame #RealFood #FoodService #ThomasCuisine #NobleWest

  8. Jul 29

    EP 13: How Sumo Citrus Built a Cult Following | CJ Bruce

    CJ Bruce is the founder and CEO of The Missing Ingredient, the food and beverage marketing agency he launched in 2016 and has built into a growth partner for some of the most talked-about brands in the category. He started out studying film and television, moved to LA to break into entertainment, and discovered he was better at getting people to watch things than making them — a realization that led to viral video work for brands like IKEA, Gatorade, and Ford before he brought that expertise to an industry he actually cared about. Six seasons into leading digital strategy for Sumo Citrus, CJ has become one of the sharpest voices on what it takes to build a beloved brand around a whole food. In this episode: How CJ went from film school to food marketing, and why translating technical work for non-technical people became his sweet spotThe real difference between a food trend and a diet trend, and which one you can actually build a long-term strategy aroundInside six seasons of Sumo Citrus: how built-in seasonality became the brand's single biggest assetDefending a premium price point on a piece of fruit through education and farm-level storytelling (yes, including the sunscreen)Why CJ thinks the next ten years in ag marketing will bring exponentially more change than the last ten, and where AI fits inThe underrated case for owning your audience through email, even if you don't sell direct to consumer Farm to Fame explores how farming operations and food producers evolve from commodities into culturally relevant, beloved brands. Hosted by Ali Cox, CEO of Noble West and fifth-generation farmer. --- Keywords: CJ Bruce, The Missing Ingredient, Sumo Citrus, mandarins, citrus, specialty fruit, premium produce, produce marketing, seasonality, seasonal produce, food trends, diet trends, TikTok food trends, yuzu, real food, grocery delivery, Instacart, food and beverage marketing, brand storytelling, creative agency, food agency, female founder, female entrepreneur, female CEO, women-owned business, women in business, women in agriculture, marketing podcast #FarmToFame #SumoCitrus #FoodTrends #ProduceMarketing #NobleWest

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Ali Cox is a fifth-generation farmer and Founder & CEO of Noble West who bridges the gap between agriculture and mainstream brand-building. As one of the only voices with a deep understanding of both sides, Ali knows what it takes to make food and beverage brands that matter.

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