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he natural products industry was built on disruption, the very idea of challenging the status quo to create a healthier future for people and the planet. Today, a new generation of disruptors are offering innovative solutions to real problems—and behind every passionate founder is a team that expertly navigates the space to ensure that cutting edge companies have a viable business model in an ever-evolving industry.
New Hope Network and The Giannuzzi Group have partnered to bring these “disruption-done-right” stories to life, providing both inspiration and tactical advice for becoming a success story in the natural products industry. During our session at Natural Products Expo West, we will highlight founder voices, unique case studies and practical insights for tackling legal challenges—from brand and infrastructure development and raising capital to market implementation, consumer acceptance and ultimately selling your business.
Jason Cohen
Founder & Co-CEO
Halen Brands
Nick Giannuzzi
Founder and Partner, The Giannuzzi Group
Nicholas Giannuzzi is the managing partner and founder of The Giannuzzi Group, LLP, the leading law firm in the high-growth food, beverage, and personal care industries. Founded in 2011, the firm currently represents over 1,000 consumer products companies, as well as some of the leading private equity funds, distributors and multinational companies operating in these sectors.
Although Nick is well-regarded in the health and wellness space generally, he has always been most passionate about helping founders. Under Nick’s direction, the firm has advised some of the most successful start-up companies in the world, including Glaceau (creator of VitaminWater and SmartWater), Pirate’s Booty, Pretzel Crisps, Vita Coco, Califia Farms, KRAVE, HappyBaby, Essentia, Vital Proteins, GT’s Kombucha, Kevita, Sir Kensington’s, WTRMLN WTR, Orgain, KOPARI, and many more.
In addition to providing a comprehensive range of day-to-day legal services, Nick also helps clients seek out, negotiate and consummate mergers, acquisitions and other major transactions. In the last two years, Nick has overseen transactions creating roughly $2 billion in exit value for the firm’s clients, including the acquisition of RXBar by Kellogg, the acquisition of Chameleon Cold Brew by Nestle, the acquisition of Sir Kensington’s by Unilever, the acquisition of Schmidt’s Naturals by Unilever, the acquisition of Siggi’s by Lactalis, the acquisition of a majority stake in Terrafertil by Nestle, the acquisition of a minority stake by Coke in BodyArmor, and the acquisition of Yucatan Foods by Landec.
The Giannuzzi Group was named The Deal’s 2018 “Food & Beverage Law Firm of the Year”, and accepted The M&A Advisors “Cross Border Deal of the Year” award at the 11th Annual M&A Awards in 2019 for its involvement in the acquisition of Yucatan Foods by Landec Corporation.
Nicholas attended Harvard University, New York University School of Law and currently resides in Greenwich, CT with his wife and family.
Ryan Lewendon
Partner, The Giannuzzi Group
Ryan Lewendon is an attorney focused on the representation of high-growth, innovative consumer products companies. Mr. Lewendon is a partner at The Giannuzzi Group LLP, a premiere boutique law firm that concentrates on the representation of privately-held, high-growth consumer products companies. Prior to joining The Giannuzzi Group in 2011, Mr. Lewendon was an associate at Donovan & Giannuzzi LLP.
Since 2007, Mr. Lewendon has focused his practice on helping consumer products entrepreneurs grow their companies – by navigating both the day-to-day hurdles and the tent-pole obstacles and opportunities a consumer products company must navigate on its way towards an acquisition. Mr. Lewendon has assisted hundreds of companies’ structure and negotiate their distributor, broker and supplier relationships, employee incentive programs and advisory networks, and celebrity/influencer endorsements and promotional partnerships.
Mr. Lewendon has advised clients through financing transactions at every stage of their growth cycle – from angel investments to rounds with institutional investors. Mr. Lewendon has recently assisted clients in exit transactions with acquirers such as Coke, Pepsi, General Mills, Boulder Brands, Group Danone, Bacardi, General Mills and others.
Mr. Lewendon grew up in Hamden, Connecticut. He received a M.S in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Tulane University and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where he was a member of the Moot Court Honors Society’s Sports Law team. When he isn’t busy helping bring emerging brands to the mainstream, Mr. Lewendon is an avid runner, reader and raconteur. Mr. Lewendon resides in Manhattan, New York.
Matt Cohen
Founder & CEO, Kidfresh
Born and raised in France, Matt graduated from the top European business school, Edhec, and went to London at the age of 23 to manage seven outposts of the French clothing outfitter, Rodier. He then joined Accenture, the world’s top management consulting organization that afforded him diverse professional opportunities - first in France then in the US where he moved in 1995. In 2000, after eight years at Accenture, Matt joined EZSize.com, an internet startup that used in-store and 3-D scan technology to provide consumers with size and fit recommendations on garments bought online.
When the internet bubble burst, he returned to consulting, this time as Chief Operating Officer of Stromberg Consulting. Under Matt’s tenure, Stromberg was turned around, sold to Omnicom Group and ultimately integrated into the group.
Soon thereafter, Matt left the corporate world to strike out on his own. Passionate about how brands connect with consumers, he was looking to develop a concept that would connect with people’s lives and be meaningful. Upset by the limited healthy food options available to children when he became parent, Matt envisioned a line of better-for-you kids meals to-go, made with the same quality ingredients enjoyed by parents – but for children; in the space of one morning, the idea of Kidfresh was born.
Fast forward, Kidfresh is now the fastest growing line of better-for-you frozen kids meals, distributed in over 10,000 stores at top retailers, enjoying the highest consumer loyalty rate and growing at double digit rates. More than a top product, Kidfresh has become a lifestyle brand that parents feel good about, poised to grow in multiple categories and become a staple in today’s homes.
Jason Cohen
Founder & Co-CEO, Halen Brands
Jason Cohen, founder and co-CEO, of Halen Brands grew up in northern New Jersey where his parents were prodigies of immigrant parents that came over to America seeking refuge. Jason attended the University of Maryland at College Park where he earned a B.S. in marketing and minor in finance. After college, Jason went on to work for Northwestern Mutual Life where he quickly became one of the top producing insurance salesmen in the country. Utilizing his interpersonal skills Jason networked with his clients in effort to find his true passion. Eventually leading him to create a better way to eat without sacrificing taste and style.
In 1999 Jason founded Mamma Says. Working insurance by night and plant by day, within a few years, the company was able to establish a national brand where Jason partnered with Kellogg’s to grow the brand even further. In 2005, the business was sold to NONNIS Inc.
In that same year, Jason co-founded World Gourmet Marketing, creating better-for-you snacks under the flagship brand Sensible Portions, which included snacks such as nationally recognized Veggie Straws. Under his management, the company achieved double-digit growth and became one of the fastest rising snack food industry purveyors. In 2010, the Sensible Portions brand sold for $210 million to The Hain Celestial Group, one of the leading providers of organic and natural foods. While at Hain Celestial, Jason served as president of the club and snack division.
In 2011, Jason founded Rickland Orchards, the first shelf stable Greek yogurt brand. In October 2013, after sales soared to $50 million in just 18 months, the company was sold for $57.5 million to B&G Foods, a public company.
In 2013, Jason partnered with the founders of SkinnyPop Popcorn an early stage better for you play on popcorn. In 2014, Jason received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Excellence in Emerging category in the New Jersey region. In 2015, after enormous success, SkinnyPop went public for $1.4 billion in shareholder value through Goldman Sachs and was recently acquired by Hershey’s. In January 2015, Jason co-founded Halen Brands, Inc., which quickly funded Chef’s Cut Real Jerky a premium jerky brand in March 2015. In July 2015 Halen Brands, Inc. partnered with Core and most recently was acquired by OWYN, which stands for ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. A simple clean approach to plant-based protein without compromising taste or style.
In 2015 Jason and his wife Jamie created an Entrepreneurship Endowment at the University of Maryland to assist the Dingman Center of Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. In 2017 Jason was nominated to the University of MD Smith School Advisory Board and Mass Eye & Ear Advisory Board. In addition, Jason set up a foundation for Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Research at the University of Miami in 2017.
In 2018, Halen Brands, Inc. launched REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP, utilizing cauliflower as its main ingredient to create a full line of snacks, crackers, and chips.
Jason currently resides in Northern New Jersey with his wife Jamie and two beautiful daughters Jordan and Hailey.
Siggi Hilmarsson
Founder & Chairman, siggi's
Siggi Hilmarsson was raised in Iceland on a traditional Icelandic diet. After moving to the United States to attend Columbia Business School, Siggi started to miss a staple of his childhood diet; skyr, the traditional Icelandic yogurt he grew up with. Yogurt here in the US had far too many ingredients and was much too sweet for his liking so he took matters into his own hands and started making yogurt in his apartment kitchen.
After months of experiments, the skyr showed enough promise and soon moved from Siggi’s kitchen to a local agricultural college in Upstate New York, where the first ‘professional’ batch of siggi’s was made. Within a year, Siggi quit his corporate job, set up formal yogurt production and started selling his products at an outdoor farmers market in New York City.
From kitchen to dairy plant, and from a local New York City market to Whole Foods as his first retail customer with national distribution, demand for siggi’s yogurt grew quickly.
From inception, simple ingredients and not a lot of sugar has been Siggi’s motto and that still holds true today. Siggi’s homegrown knowledge for yogurt and his passion for reducing sugar in our diets have made him a go-to expert with appearances on national TV such as ABC, CNN and CBS Sunday Morning. He has been recognized by Food & Wine Magazine’s 40 Under 40.
Join us at our Natural Products Expo West session
Meet the Panelists
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What: Disruption done right: Innovative natural products founders share how to navigate legal challenges
When: Thursday, March 5th, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Where: Marriott Marquis NW
Who: Meet the experts
Natural Products Expo West
Connect with the most
innovative founders at
“The exciting thing about this industry is that tomorrow, we’ll get a call from someone who says, ‘Hey, I have an idea.’ And a lot of those ideas that seemed out-there in the beginning have been the biggest successes.”
Nick Giannuzzi
Founder & Partner
The Giannuzzi Group
Nick Giannuzzi
Founder & Partner
The Giannuzzi Group
Ryan Lewendon
Partner
The Giannuzzi Group
Siggi Hilmarsson
Founder & Chairman
siggi's
Jon Sebastiani
Founder &
Managing Partner
Sonoma Brands
Jon Sebastiani
Founder & Managing Partner, Sonoma Brands
Jon founded Sonoma Brands in January 2016 to invest in high-growth, emerging consumer brands and selectively incubate new concepts. Jon currently leads all aspects of the firm’s investment strategy and portfolio company management.
Prior to founding Sonoma Brands, Jon was the founder & CEO of KRAVE Pure Foods (“KRAVE”). Jon has always been an avid runner, and when he was training for the New York City Marathon in 2009, he realized the opportunity to turn a commonly used training food into something truly special. With encouragement from his mentor and business school professor, Steve Blank, Jon founded KRAVE with the intent on making jerky that tastes good without chemicals and additives. KRAVE went on to become one of the fastest growing CPGs in the country, culminating in the acquisition by The Hershey Company in 2015. Prior to KRAVE, Jon was the President of Viansa, a successful destination winery in the Napa and Sonoma valleys.
Jon received his B.S. in Economics from Santa Clara University and his dual M.B.A from the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley and Columbia Business School.
Jordann
Windschauer-Amatea
Founder & CEO
Base Culture
Jordann Windschauer-Amatea
Founder & CEO, Base Culture
Jordann started Base Culture at the age of 22, after a paleo challenge left her feeling more energized and healthier, inspiring a new way of cleaner eating. Base Culture was born when Jordann saw a gap in the market that would satisfy her own love of bread and sweet baked goods, so she started making her own paleo baked goods in her kitchen. From the company’s start, it became Jordann’s mission to create products of the highest possible quality that were certified paleo, gluten free and grain free … and that were above all else, still delicious. She decided at an early point in the company’s life that it was vitally important to control the product quality from start to finish, so with the help of a small business loan and family money, she was able to build the company’s own state-of-the-art manufacturing plant to satisfy consumer demand and her own very high quality standards.
With two years at retail, Jordann and her small (but mighty) team were able to successfully launch a line of a paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, non-gmo and kosher certified breads, brownies, sweet breads and almond butters. Today, Base Culture is available in over 8,000 stores, including major retailers such as Whole Foods, Kroger, Albertsons/Safeway, Sprouts and Walmart. She continues to be dedicated to creating products that provide individuals with wholesome, simple ingredient options that are delicious and uncompromised in taste and texture.
A “never-give-up” attitude and passion to make this paleo baked goods dream a reality, has enabled Jordann to overcome numerous challenges. Jordan is a member of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), was selected by UPS as their scholarship recipient to attend an executive course at Tuck's School of Business at Dartmouth University and has her BA from University of Southern Florida in communications, with a minor in leadership.
Matt Cohen
Founder & CEO
Kidfresh
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