Brand New Blueprint by Smoketown

There's a new blueprint for building brands that matter. Let's learn from the most disruptive Founders & CEOs in consumer products while the ink is still wet. Their brands are mission-driven, with new business models and non-traditional paths to market. Brand New Blueprint is produced by Smoketown, a brand strategy and design consultancy that helps visionaries build bold, inspiring brands that are grounded in real consumer needs.

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Brand New Blueprint by Smoketown

Hodo: Minh Tsai, Founder & CEO

October 21, 2020 • Minh Tsai, Founder & CEO of Hodo Foods • Season 2 • Episode 8

How did a plant-based food brand expand from farmer's markets to every Chipotle and thousands of grocery stores by focusing on quality, innovation and empathy for its employees? Minh Tsai, Founder & CEO of Hodo Foods, quietly built one of the most influential food brands in the U.S. by channeling the empathy that he learned as a Vietnamese refugee. In this episode, Minh shares how his mission-driven company combined "old school" business fundamentals with artisanal craft, a commitment to justice and the environment, plus a healthy dose of luck to run the table in tofu.

BONUS: He also shares real-time evidence that restaurants -- many of whom have been Hodo's biggest customers -- are figuring out how to survive post-COVID-19.

See below for what you'll learn in this episode.

* How to apply lessons learned from iconic, "OG" brands like Blue Bottle Coffee, Cowgirl Creamery, Acme Bread and Niman Ranch -- all founded around the same time as Hodo

* How a commitment to worker safety & cross-training prepared the company for COVID-19

* How to develop & launch innovation using new platforms for connecting with retailers, like Spark Change by New Hope Network (learn more here)