Building Food Brands Consumers Trust and Remember With Nicole Rogers

Nicole Rogers is the Founder of GriffJack, a marketing consultancy for food, beverage, agriculture, and retail brands, and CMO of True Origin Foods, a pantry-staples brand focused on flavor and quality. With 25-plus years in marketing across food, beverage, lifestyle, and the arts industries, Nicole brings big-picture strategy, creative direction, and trusted specialist teams together to build clear, memorable brands that connect with consumers and create long-term value. She also helped shape Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork identity and held leadership roles with Chipotle Mexican Grill and Nugget Market.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:00] Nicole Rogers’ career path, personality, and approach to authentic storytelling
[6:56] How early experiences shaped Nicole’s views on listening, research, and consumer behavior
[13:29] Nicole’s lessons from working closely with food brands, growers, and sourcing stories
[17:53] Why taste, value, convenience, and emotional connection matter to consumers
[22:16] What authenticity and real-world connection look like in an increasingly digital culture
[26:35] Building a strong brand identity through community, listening, and shared values
[34:25] Nicole’s perspective on coaching, curiosity, and becoming a stronger leader
[36:28] How brands can build stronger relationships with retail partners
[42:02] Using product quality, trial, and storytelling to create differentiation in crowded categories
[45:13] Nicole’s approach to strategy, creative teams, cultural relevance, and brand confidence

In this episode…

Food brands are remembered for more than a clever campaign or polished package. Trust grows when the product delivers, the brand knows what it stands for, and the story feels relevant to the people it hopes to reach. So how can brands create that kind of connection without losing sight of what actually drives consumers to buy?

According to food and beverage brand strategist Nicole Rogers, it starts with delivering a product people genuinely want, then using storytelling to deepen the relationship. Taste remains the strongest driver in food, with price and convenience close behind, so brands should avoid expecting sourcing, sustainability, or founder stories to carry a product that does not first earn trial and repeat purchase. Nicole stresses the importance of listening closely to consumers, defining a clear brand identity, and resisting the urge to be everything to everyone. When brands understand both their own convictions and what their audience values, they can make smarter decisions, build credibility, and create connections that last.

In this episode of The Missing Ingredient, CJ Bruce joins Nicole Rogers, Founder of GriffJack and CMO of True Origin Foods, to talk about building food brands consumers trust and remember. Nicole explains why taste drives trial, how clear brand identity builds confidence, and why authentic storytelling creates stronger consumer connection. She also touches on retail partnerships and staying relevant without chasing every cultural moment.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

“It’s my job to help tell stories, to help them connect with why they’re buying something or not.”
“A lot of it was just knowing to ask questions and listen.”
“There’s this shift in consumer desire for things that feel real.”
“You have to remember that you’re serving them, not just serving your own brand.”
“Not every cultural moment is for every single brand or every single voice.”

Action Steps:

Lead with taste before telling the bigger brand story: A strong product experience creates the trust that makes sourcing, sustainability, and founder stories more meaningful afterward.
Listen closely to consumers before shaping your message: Understanding what people actually want helps brands find the overlap between their story and genuine customer needs.
Define your brand identity and protect its integrity: Knowing who you are gives your team the confidence to make decisions without trying to appeal to everyone.
Make it easier for retailers to sell your product: Providing clear merchandising ideas, concise stories, and relevant promotions helps retailers see how your brand strengthens the entire category.
Stay nimble enough to respond to cultural moments: Brands that trust their teams and move quickly can participate authentically instead of arriving after the opportunity has passed.

This episode is sponsored by The Missing Ingredient, a food and beverage marketing agency that believes a better future starts with food. They partner with purpose-driven brands to drive growth through smart, results-focused marketing — without the “set it and forget it” approach.

From brand awareness and paid media to content, influencer partnerships, and loyalty programs, they act as true strategic partners invested in your long-term success.

To learn more about how they help food and beverage brands grow with impact, visit themissingingredient.com today.

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Full Transcript

Introduction and Guest Background

Intro: 00:01

Welcome to The Missing Ingredient podcast with CJ Bruce, where food and beverage founders, operators and experts share the real strategies behind building successful brands. Let’s jump into today’s show.

CJ Bruce: 00:15

Hey, I’m CJ Bruce and welcome to the show. This is the podcast where founders and leaders of high impact food and beverage brands who are serious about scaling. Each episode, I sit down with the people who power the food and beverage industry, brand operators, agencies, vendors, creators, and retailers to uncomplicate the strategies that take brands from early traction to serious scale.

This episode is sponsored by The Missing Ingredient, a food and beverage marketing agency with over a decade in the industry. We take a different approach, starting with your business goals, looking at the full picture and building a marketing strategy that actually ties back to growth. From content performance marketing to influencer partnerships and AI powered workflows. We’re an extension of your team, not just another vendor. Learn more at themissingingredient.com.

Now, before I introduce today’s guest, I want to give a big thank you to Mike Bosworth from True Origin Foods who introduced us. And we’ll definitely get into True Origin today. You can check them out at True Origin foods.com. Now for today’s guest. Nicole Rogers has spent 25 years building standout brands across food, beverage, lifestyle, and the arts. With a career spanning agency work, regional brand building, and a long tenure at Chipotle Mexican Grill. As the founder of GriffJack and a partner in True Origin Foods, she brings campaign strategy, creative direction and clarity to brands at moments of growth and reinvention. She sees the whole picture, holds the line on quality, and brings the right people together. Welcome to the show, Nicole.

Nicole Rogers: 01:34

Hi. Thanks. I’m happy to see you.

CJ Bruce: 01:36

Yeah, happy to see you, too. we were joking before I did some research before we hopped on, so I’m gonna dive right into it. You were in the past. You’ve been called Hurricane Nicole. for the energy that you bring.

But you’ve also, you know, talked about how you’re more, more peaceful or quiet in your, in your home life. So you talk a little bit about that energy and how you balance those two.

Nicole Rogers: 02:00

Sure. Yeah. I, I, it just makes me giggle to hear that because like I said, I feel like these days I’m more of just like a real gusty wind. But, the hurricane Nicole I think really came about since I was a small person since I was a little kid. My folks would make jokes about how like, I could sell anything.

I could get anybody excited about anything. If you had a raffle and you needed to sell tickets, if you were a Girl Scout and you needed to sell cookies like I was your gal. And it really is that I tend to, you don’t have to wonder what I’m thinking. I tend to be pretty emotive and, and I have this energy around things that I get really excited about. And if I’m not excited about it, I’m not, I can’t fake it.

It’s not something I’m going to like put on. And so when I’m really enthused about a brand, about a story, about an experience, I do want to share it. I get asked sometimes, like, how did I create this path in my career. And I was like, well, I really just was a good eater and talked about it. And so that’s kind of how the hurricane started is just I am emotive and I often say what I think, and it generally is excitable and excited and, and people tend to respond to that.

And so how that marries against my actual real life is I am, I know exactly the life I created for myself. I am, an introvert who wears extrovert clothes. I know I did this to myself, but, yeah, my time is, my alone time. My time that is just Nicole’s is, much quieter. It’s much more, in solitude.

I have a really peaceful home and I have a really peaceful place where I live. And so if I get to pick and choose how I spend my time, it’s on my own. It’s doing things like being outdoors. I’m hiking, I’m reading, I’m studying. I am a pretty hungry learner.

And so I spend a lot of time studying. And so yeah, the, the way it balances out is at least, you know, when I’m excited about something, it’s real and that there’s some validity to my excitement as opposed to, you know, being some kind of put on.

Storytelling, Brand Building, and Creating Connection

CJ Bruce: 04:11

Yeah. That’s great. so shifting to your, you know, more of your professional career, you’ve worn a lot of hats, across food and beverage, PR, restaurant marketing, tourism, premium grocery agency. So when you, when somebody just asked you, you know, what, what is it that you do? How do you answer that question?

Nicole Rogers: 04:30

Now really it is, like I said, I, I eat really well and I talk about it, but it kind of depends on kind of who I’m talking with. If they have some sort of context for what, strategy and brand building actually means. And usually they understand that part of it is that it’s not just this one linear or this one tactical checkbox. And therefore you’ve done marketing or therefore you’ve done branding. and so the conversations can usually grow from there if they have an understanding, if they have no context for what marketing is, they’re really, consumers who just think it’s just by accident.

They find new things and just by accident, they try new brands just by accident, things land in their cupboards. that’s usually when I share that, like it’s my job to help tell stories, to help them connect with why they’re buying something or not. So yeah, what I do is I tell stories, I work with brands and tell stories is so, superficial. Like honestly, like my real purpose and what it is that I do is I want to spark connection that brings perspective so that others are doing more and being greater together than they could on their own. And so if that is telling a story and bringing certain brands together to tell a larger one, if that is creating campaigns, that helps bring a product to market in a different way, if that is just helping a brand To have a better visual story and bring a rebrand to to market, then it really spans in a lot of different ways.

I used to joke that if you could eat it, drink it, use it, play it, touch it. I probably had my hands on it.

Early Career Lessons in Consumer Motivation

CJ Bruce: 06:06

So, well, let’s, yeah, let’s get into some of these, you know, these tactics and your approach that you’ve taken over the years, I think going, you know, going way back, when you were working at wine country.com.

Nicole Rogers: 06:18

Oh my gosh.

CJ Bruce: 06:20

We’re going way back. We’re starting way back. we talk about research. So market research, I’m going to bring it to the present. Don’t worry.

We’re not.

Nicole Rogers: 06:27

No, no, no, I just I, this is, this is amazing.

CJ Bruce: 06:32

So, you know, one of the things I, like I said, did some homework, but you talked about, you know, why people buy food, which is just what you’re just getting into. Like, why do they actually buy it versus just how to sell it? And so I’m curious, even going back to that, you could take this, you know, through your career, however you’d like, you know, what did you learn about consumer motivation. That maybe still applies today. Or how has that evolved over your career?

Nicole Rogers: 06:56

I mean, that is you’re really pulling like a hot one’s on me. This is great. I, and that’s a great question. And that was such a formative time. So wine country.com, which doesn’t exist, I don’t think anymore.

Or if it has, it’s changed hands a million times. But it was at the beginning part of the internet and I, had joined right out of college. And so it was, I’m leaving college with all of these big ideas of what PR, but what I would be doing in public relations and seeing all of my friends who graduated ahead of me have these really fancy gigs, especially in tech. I was like, I am on that same road. And the first like tech bubble burst right about the time I graduated.

So I graduated, I moved to California, ten days after and the job like interviews and I had an offer at all, like was rescinded. all in a hot second, all in tech And then I meet the folks over at wine country.com, which then was run by a company called Free Run Technologies. And, and they really took a gamble on a 22 year old, 21 year old and was like, you, you need to write like, we want this media support, but we also need a writer. And so that is where I started to find my sea legs in telling stories. I mean, God bless them for trusting a 22 year old to talk about wine.

So yeah, they trusted a 22 year old who, thought, you know, Killian’s red was like premium. And, I mean, it’s not. It’s great. Everyone should drink it. but I did not have a palate.

I did not have a vocabulary. And so I had to do a lot of real fast learning. And that also happened at the same time as I started that job three months before nine over 11. And, being in a tourist destination and having to create conversation and story around the the wine country experience. Not only was I learning a whole new language and learning a whole new way of research and understanding about what this food and beverage experience is, but I’m having to do that in a time where our country hadn’t experienced that kind of fear in at least our generation.

And so having that impact, the logistics of travel and tourism, never mind consumer trust and behaviors, we had to completely change tack. So this was, this was a department of me and like a, I reported into like a sales director. So whatever idea I had, it was like, okay, let’s see if this works. And so I would say that was probably one of the earliest pieces around understanding consumer behaviors and figuring out how to tell stories in a different way that will help gain their trust, that will help speak to them exactly where they are. I didn’t have words or language for that when I was 22 or whatever, but I.

That’s exactly what had to happen. You know, we had to change how we talked about inviting people to wine country. We had to change the way we talked about, the travel experience into wine country. And so I, yeah, I think that, that really informed so much of the rest of my career. So yes, I moved into other PR agencies, mostly in consumer, mostly in food and beverage.

And it was a really tricky times, you know, I remember having to support, I worked for, moved on from wine country.com and was in a small boutique agency that was, headquartered in the UK. I was like the only American working for them. And they had a small office that was here in Marin County and we were launching a video game, a first player shooter video game, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, like one of the iterations. And we had this massive media event that we planned at the Presidio because that’s part of where the game was set. And it was the day George W.

, George W Bush I’m sorry, I should be more respectful. declared war. And so it was, it was remarkable, like what that meant for us to support the brand, support the client, communicate with the media and be hosting a game that was very war centric at a time that the president just declared. And so it really forced me to be a good observer. It forced me to listen closely, listen to the journalists, listen to the client, listen to my leaders, within the agency and make sure that I was I think that was probably the time in my life where I think some of what is best served to brands is to have a team that’s anticipatory.

And I’m not saying like, you need to be this, you know, magic eight ball and be able to, you know, tell what’s going to happen in the future. But I mean, the sense of that was one of the earliest times of learning how to ask questions. Be smarter about my research. Be smarter about listening. Because there are things that aren’t necessarily going to be told directly to you of like, here, go do these seven things and everything will be fine.

And so it was really set the stage for the rest of my career of paying attention, listening to consumers, listening to the client, figuring out where those two can actually intersect in some sort of real way. And hopefully you’ll be able to weather whatever storm that you’re in. But yeah, that was the earliest times and some of the hardest lessons. I won’t lie, I was just a young little baby possum who had no idea what I was doing, but I had enough. I had enough good leaders around me who kind of pulled me under and was like, okay, you have no idea what you’re doing.

So I’m going to help you figure this out a little bit. And a lot of it was just knowing to ask questions and listen.

CJ Bruce: 12:36

Yeah. That’s great and timeless, timeless lessons to learn there.

Nicole Rogers: 12:41

, brutal is what it is. So brutal.

CJ Bruce: 12:43

Brutal. Yeah. You go. But you know, you go through those types of times and you make it the other side. And there’s a lot that you learn that you never forget.

Nicole Rogers: 12:49

So yeah.

Chipotle, In-House Marketing, and Food With Integrity

CJ Bruce: 12:50

You have, you know, these mentors that can help you along. It’s really, it’s great. so I want to skip ahead to Chipotle. And so you talked about Chipotle being, and correct me if I’m wrong on any of this research, but.

Nicole Rogers: 13:03

You’re solid, you’re, I’m here for it.

CJ Bruce: 13:06

So the heart and soul of why you care about food. So you got this where you get to spend time on farms, you know, learning about, you know, cilantro dairy. So I’m curious, like when, when you’re in that, was there something because you said you’ve been in food and beverage for a while, was there something that really like solidified that connection or like changed that connection for you? when you got to be closer to where the product was sourced?

Nicole Rogers: 13:29

Yeah, I think it was going in house. So I had, worked for another small, PR agency that was then based out of Seattle and we covered, at the time, media relations for the northwest, for Chipotle. And they just so happen to have had an opportunity for an in-house marketing person that covered the region that I was living in, and they asked if I was interested in making a changeover. They felt that I had some transferable skills. And, you know, it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made, to be totally honest.

, you know, I, I think going in-house and it’s like, I’m not telling someone else’s story per se. It was where I will say, like I was in some of the most golden years at Chipotle. It was I joined shortly after they went public. they were incredible. They were so brave.

And they were relentless in what it is they wanted to do in the way of their values on fast casual food, their values in agriculture. They were so strong in their convictions. And so the team that I got to work with, I joked that we were all like swimming in the adobo. Like we were just we were all in. And so it felt in a lot of ways, like I was telling my own story, which is very different than when you’re an agency hired to tell the story for someone else.

And I think that is really what shifted how I think about marketing and branding forever and working with other brands now today is that I can really easily and really quickly I will joke with clients where I’m like, well, I’ll put on your branded vest and you can pretend that I’m in-house for you. And because that’s how a lot of times how it feels, it’s not just like, oh, I have this client who does this thing and it’s detached from me. And so really that time with Chipotle, we had such freedom and such autonomy to develop marketing plans that were really specific to our markets. So I had about 118 restaurants that were in my like territory of support. And it’s not, it wasn’t then it’s still not a franchise.

So these are all corporate owned. These are all, designed to feel like its own unique neighborhood, Chipotle. And so having to develop a dedicated marketing plans, understanding everything from traffic patterns to potential drivers to ways to be involved in the community, ways to share in some of the community responsibility with multiple restaurants. It really felt like this was one of my own. And so it gave us a lot of autonomy.

They gave us a lot of trust, and I think that had shifted in some big ways. So that meant that the unique thing in the market that I was serving was that we were so close to the growers and providers. So being able to put together media tours and be on the other side of the table. So I’m not, the agency person working with the media, bringing it in for a client, but rather I am the client, I am the brand. And I’m bringing in all of this media to come in and tour different, farms and meet the growers and hear the story and get a sense of what Chipotle really was at the time.

People had a lot of, misunderstanding that they thought it was owned by McDonald’s. And so being able to clear up like how that came to be and why and what this reality was, was just awesome. So yeah, being able to work with the farmers and growers and tell that story, that really changed everything for me. To be honest, being in-house, understanding how to intimately tell a story that makes you feel like it’s yours, and being able to do that in a space that just is really natural. Always been in food and Bev always been related to agriculture.

I grew up a mile from Idaho on the Washington side. And, and it just the agriculture just is. And so being able to have, have those relationships and do it in a way that you get to feel really proud of, like you get to show it off. That felt awesome.

Taste, Price, Convenience, and Consumer Connection

CJ Bruce: 17:20

Yeah. It’s really cool. I’m curious going from, you know, thinking about Chipotle and there was like the, the, the face to face, you know, people serving people food. You had the direct, you know, experience of having the food and being, you know, in the restaurant and having that environment. Curious if there’s how do you think about that with, you know, brands that’s e-commerce or DTC or they never have that direct connection with people that are consuming the products.

And how does that, does that connect like thinking about that, that act of like service or, you know, the connection? Is there any, any connections you draw with those two?

Nicole Rogers: 17:53

I think they’re, I think they are very different. It’s not impossible like to create being a DTC or a, or a brand that is like purely e-com. Like I think that it still is requiring you to do the fundamental, which is have some sort of emotional connection with the consumer. And I know I think we’ve talked about this before that, when it comes to food in particular, I have pretty strong feelings that people tend to purchase food based on taste first. And then the next two factors are always duking it out, which is price and convenience.

And so that was one of the things we learned. You know, it was a real sobering thing. But at the time, it was something that was so like, you could feel so righteous in your beliefs with Chipotle. And there at the time, they’re praised for their commitment for purchasing, with food, with integrity. And they would do really elaborate and detailed surveys of guests that would be coming in and wanting to understand what was driving them, what were they looking for?

And almost always it was, this is delicious and I can get so much for at the time, it was like six bucks. This was many years ago now. so it was still always taste than price. And so I think, and like, you know, the value they felt they were getting for that price. And so I think with Chipotle, they used to say like, that’s what food with integrity is, is that we’ll always care more about your food than you do.

And they were totally okay. I mean, at the time, you know, with this notion that doing the right thing by the farmers and growers doing the right thing by their staff, doing the right thing, by the guest and offering this, what they felt was the best quality of fill in the blank was the right thing to do, and it was okay if the guest still felt as though like, well, it’s just delicious, right? And it’s got a ton of food and it’s six bucks. This is great, right? Chipotle was fine with that.

And at that time, I speak zero on behalf of the brand. I know nothing now. It’s been many, many, many years since I’ve been part of that, but like over a decade. But, those were some of the things that I think really helped shape how I think about guiding other brands. Now it’s that understanding, what that value is and how are you going to create that connection.

So yes, I think anytime how you find that connection or how you create that is very different. You know, we are far less, I think maybe this pendulum might be shifting back to what this kind of like analog culture could be. But I think that for most brands, that first like experience or trial is still always going to be king and creating some sort of connection, some way that the consumer can identify that, yes, this is just exactly what I want. Or they are just like me, or this is solving the problem, or this is the most delicious thing I’ve ever had, is still having to create that connection with the human. It’s just being done really differently.

It’s not in line with Chipotle, where you’re having at the time, you know, the commitment that they had to training their teams on how to interact with people in the public was really special. And that was part of why people wanted to try it in the first place.

Why Taste Comes Before the Brand Story

CJ Bruce: 20:59

Yeah, yeah. Interesting. I mean, I think the it’s a theme that’s I mean, we’ve had the conversation, like you said, and theme on the podcast and taste leading with taste. Taste is everything. Even if you have this amazing story, even if whatever, whatever that story is, it could be the founder story, it could be the sourcing story, sustainability.

No, that’s all you know. Footnotes.

Nicole Rogers: 21:17

So, I mean, I don’t mean to be flip about it, but like, it’s, it’s true in so many ways. Like nobody’s walking down the grocery aisle and it’s like, you know what? I’m so hungry for some sustainability.

CJ Bruce: 21:27

Yeah.

Nicole Rogers: 21:27

You know, nobody is like, oh my God, I am just ready to eat my own hand. What I need is recycled packaging immediately. Yeah, these cookies taste like it comes from a great, great guy, am I right? Never gonna happen. So it’s always about taste first and then deciding what as a brand, where you are in your own convictions and how comfortable you are with staying true to who you are.

And you don’t care whether or not it influences somebody else. It’s about how you, the brand, are presenting yourself to the world.

CJ Bruce: 21:56

And that’s great.

CJ Bruce: 21:59

I want to just take a turn for a second because I pick up on the analog piece you mentioned, because it’s something that we’ve been talking about too. I’m just curious if you could expand on that a little more like seeing the pendulum swing more analog with everything being digital everywhere. And yeah, I’d love to hear your thoughts on that.

Nicole Rogers: 22:16

I think it’s more than even just like digital everywhere and folks are looking for, you know, soft, a softer life or they’re looking for things that they can be making or building with their hands. You know, there was even, I think it was in the San Francisco Standard this morning was, how they are seeing this major upswing of young people who work in AI attending church like church is super analog. so it’s an interesting cultural shift, I think. I don’t know, it’s not, I don’t think it’s ever going to be this like extreme either or, but I do think there is this shift in consumer desire for things that feel real. There’s this hunger and this like, attraction to what this kind of digital or, agentic life can look like and feel like.

And I think that desire to see things in their lives become easier. And at the same time, there’s this, it comes with all of the messy slop as well. And so there becomes distrust of what are their eyes actually seeing? What are they? What story are they actually reading?

Is it is what they’re being sold even remotely true? And so that then I think, leads back to a little bit of this. How do we connect with actual humans in real life? My husband’s a fine artist. He is an oil painter.

And, he and I talk about this a lot. He had a previous 25 year career in tech. And there’s such amazing interest and desire for original oil paintings. And I think some of it is that because it can’t be replicated truly. And so there’s a different soul that exists in that.

So I think like in that swing and how that relates to like our work within food and beverage is that yes, I still think that fundamentally taste is going to be the thing that will drive folks. I think that connecting as real humans will still fundamentally, you know, drive people. It just may be a different way of how they are feeling that connection. But I do think there’s that, that shift that’s happening. Like there’s a desire for authenticity that I think that is lacking right now.

Influencer Marketing and Consumer Distrust

CJ Bruce: 24:24

Yeah, it’s really interesting. I think we’re definitely seeing that in like multiple ways. I think like on the like, the influencer side is one example where just like more looking for more in real life, you know, whether it’s like showing up at something or having that experience or that connection, obviously with food and beverage to taste, you’ve got to try it. You have to be in, you know, really there to try it and have it. and I think a lot about just with, with social in general and the flood of slop and, but even as, as that gets better and it’s harder to tell what’s AI then I think you get this, this loss of trust, which then I think people, yeah, like you’re saying, leads more people to be, have the face to face experience, both personally and professionally.

Nicole Rogers: 25:04

I think so for sure. Especially like, even as you’re just saying, like in influencer marketing, I think there is such, this layer of distrust of the trends of influencers all tasting in the space of food, all tasting things the same way, all, overly emotive about something in the same way that if they’re all excited about everything, then they’re not actually excited about anything. And so it’s just all very formulaic. And I think that consumers see it and feel it. And, you know, it can go from everything from like an eye roll to complete rejection.

CJ Bruce: 25:41

Yeah, absolutely.. All right. Detour accomplished so.

Nicole Rogers: 25:49

Much. Yes, it was great.

CJ Bruce: 25:51

Touch base on this. The farm to fork work. Okay. So building this, so Sacramento, now known as the farm to fork. So a couple of things here, I think just, you know, talk a little bit about building it was a concept, right?

And then turning it into like the actual, you know, framing of the city. So can you just talk through like a little bit about, yeah, that, that process. And I think in the context of, you know, coming up with how does it come to life? And, maybe also touch on some of the, you know, the push back in there of like it was had a different name and people, you know, criticism around it, which I think can connect to brands in the, you know, you’re making brand decisions and you’re not going to make everybody happy. And, some learnings that came from that.

Nicole Rogers: 26:35

Yeah, that was, gosh, that’s so well, so, let’s see here, I, I attended, I was with Chipotle and I attended a press conference that then Sacramento Mayor Johnson held in 2012, where they made the official proclamation that Sacramento was America’s farm to fork Capital. And I was invited to a lunch, afterwards with Mary Kimball, who is, the executive director of the center for Land Based Learning. And I’m sitting at this table of like unbelievably powerful and influential people in EG. Karen Ross, California secretary of AG, and other folks that work in economic development. And I somehow was like, yeah, come join us.

So I did, and that was probably where it really resonated with me, where I was like, oh, this is this is going to be a thing. Like this is I would make the joke. Living in Sacramento, when I joined a leadership program in 2010, and one of the questions on the application was, you know, what do you think is Sacramento’s biggest opportunity or biggest struggle? And I had said low self-esteem and that I felt like Sacramento apologized all the time for being what it wasn’t like that apologized that it was only two hours from everything else. And instead of feeling really great about being what it is.

And so this identity around America’s farm to Fork Capital gave language to something people had known for generations. People had felt, people dismissed and took for granted for generations. So having language for that was something really exciting. So they held their first festival maybe a year later, and Chipotle was one of the sponsors. And, you know, we had an amazing turnout.

I joked that I sold a whole lot of tacos. And, and then I later on was asked if I would consider applying for this director position and helping build this regional brand. So I joined their team, in 2014, I think it was, and, 13, 14 something like that. So it was brand new concept really. And so yes, everybody had very strong opinions about what qualified as farm to fork.

, is it as the crow flies, is it 150 miles on Google maps. Is it only organic. Is it only small farmers. Does commercial farming. Does production farming count?

Does ranching count specialty crops only. So it was nonstop. we joked in the early months that I spent like three months on a listening tour. And so I traveled to six counties and spoke with all kinds of folks and listened, spent so much time listening and asking questions and trying to serve all of the, Entities that I was responsible to. And it was, it was an amazing experience to be able to help others have that same language that they could feel some pride in that that region is America’s farm to fork capital.

And so it, it was really tricky though. There was absolutely, you know, folks that were like, why do we need to rename ourselves? Aren’t we the city of trees? Why do we have to change? And it’s not that they had to change.

They didn’t have to do anything. It just was, you know, the, that region was, you know, folks were drawn to that region originally looking for gold. They just didn’t realize that it was in the soil under their feet for a little while. And so the, the agriculture that exists out in that region is absolutely incredible. And how it feeds so much of the country and the world is absolutely incredible.

And we get to take that for granted, and we get to fly into Smif and be like, oh, yeah, look at all these farmlands. And you’re like, no, no, no. Like, look at all of the people that get to be fed. So it’s super special when we’re able to help turn around some of the naysayers and it becomes less about us having these very rigid lines of, you can only be considered this if you are whatever mileage percentage on your menu, type of organic or not size, whatever. it became a really exciting thing to create a very open door to give people ways to define it for themselves, ways for them to find their own identity in the space, ways for them to take pride, whether it’s somebody who’s not in food at all, but they have visitors coming in to, Sacramento, and they’re really proud to have this massive itinerary of like all the coffee and the beer and the restaurants and the specialty food and like culturally interesting food that they can take all of their guests to.

Sacramento is really rich. I don’t live in the area now. And it’s one of the things I am really proud of being able to have folks that might be traveling into Sacramento for business. And I’ll get a text from friends as being like, hey, where do I eat? And I was like, how much time do you have?

And so I feel really proud being able to show that Sacramento has this beautiful food scene that I think was, just undervalued for a really long time. And now it’s in a completely different place and how it’s being talked about and the pride people have and the way that that region is now, so attractive for innovation around food and ag and new business around food and ag. I think it’s awesome. I think that when folks want to dismiss like business growth in California, they sometimes kind of forget to think about the role of ag tech and the role of food. But yeah, the, the resistance that we had definitely helped me gain a lot thicker skin.

I went from a brand like Chipotle where I had to like not wear Chipotle gear on airplanes because people would be like, oh my God, my son loves barbacoa. Or, you know, having somebody want to ask me every question ever about Chipotle to joining a brand and creating a brand that didn’t exist before me, really. And it had a festival a time. And so having to create a brand, and create a purpose and to have a lot of strong opinions, having to coalesce a community like that was really, it was wonderful. And absolutely the hardest thing having committees of leaders in all factors of food and ag, having committees that were driven around educating our young people on food and AG having committees that were just our restaurant leaders.

Yeah. It was, it was herding cats, my friend. But, but it was wonderful in terms of like, it helped me think through what is it that we actually believe in? What do we actually care about? Can we hold to that?

And can we hold that while keeping this door very open for others to be able to, create their identity or create their definition of that identity for themselves? And it’s a tricky thing to do. I can’t control how someone else will feel about the brand or how they will describe it or identify with it or not. But what I can do is try and hold, our integrity very precious and still allow that door to be open for others to say, yeah, I want to stand next to that.

CJ Bruce: 33:38

That’s really interesting. Yeah. the, what makes me do a couple of well, one nice job. I, I moved to Sacramento five years ago and one of the things I was seeing at Department for capital and that piqued my interest for sure as a person who’s very interested in food and beverage.

Nicole Rogers: 33:52

Oh, I love hearing that. Be sure to tell.

Nicole Rogers: 33:54

Everyone in economic.

Nicole Rogers: 33:55

Development.

CJ Bruce: 33:55

Nicole Rogers: 33:56

Will. I,.

CJ Bruce: 33:59

I can see, you know, it’s in any situation, marketing situation, like there’s always, there’s so many different stakeholders and figuring out how to navigate the stakeholders and you know, what to take from each of those to then kind of come to that, that core piece that not everybody’s going to agree with, but gives you the platform to like tell the story. And, and then like you were saying, keep it open so that other people can make it their own and it can grow and live on organically is, you know, really interesting.

Executive Coaching, Listening, and Leadership Growth

Nicole Rogers: 34:25

One of the things that you had mentioned around like those early parts of my career, what were the threads that may have like continued on into other parts? And like I said, the ability to listen, ask questions and try and find that overlap between that story and what the consumer actually wants or needs. But also, I think the piece that made Farm to Fork feel successful for me is, I had a great coach. And so I’ve almost always invested in a executive coach. I started working with someone early aughts, when I was really hungry to be growing.

And then it had shifted into how do I be a better leader? How do I be a better manager? How do I be a better facilitator? And having coaches like at different times throughout my career has been tremendous. And this is a pretty I make a pretty clear distinction is this is not a life coach.

This is truly an executive coach who understood the nuances of my, professional space and where I wanted to be growing and also really held me accountable. And so having a coach early in, I think really has made, I mean, I still work with coaches today. And I think that is what’s helped. The success is I’m curious, I ask questions, I try and connect the dots. And I have people way smarter than me there to support me.

CJ Bruce: 35:45

Well that’s great. Yeah, I love that. I want to get shift into kind of more today, a little bit of a bridge with, you know, looking at at nugget and you worked at Nugget Markets marketing director and nugget as a kind of a call it like a premium retailer, grocer, grocery retailer in the Northern California. And then you’re at true origin, right? You’re selling into retail.

, I’m curious the, you know, your perspective on the retail side and then also brands selling into retail and, you know, any, any nuggets that you’ve learned from their nuggets from nugget?

Nicole Rogers: 36:21

, like no pun intended. Yeah, exactly.

CJ Bruce: 36:23

Going into retail or, you know, challenges or how brands maybe think about that in the wrong way.

Nicole Rogers: 36:28

Well, I love all the old stuff.

Nicole Rogers: 36:29

This is the stuff I’m most excited about..

Nicole Rogers: 36:32

We got there.

Nicole Rogers: 36:33

So yes, my time at nugget, while fairly brief, was about four years. I left right, at Covid, I had to leave in 2020. My husband was, going through some pretty significant health, changes and so needed to prioritize our family and, and so I left Chipotle. I left Chipotle, I left nugget, and at that same time, I’d been good friends with Mike Bosworth of Trojan Foods for, I don’t know, maybe close to ten years at that point. And, I don’t know, eight, ten years.

And he had. Been looking to take what he was already doing for 15 plus years of selling into wholesale and restaurants. He wanted to move that into retail. We were seeing like that through Covid. The retail shelves were really empty.

And he was like, I don’t have a supply chain problem. He’s like, what I need is a £2 bag to be able to put it on a retail shelf. And so he and Andrew Brutlag, his other partner, they were incredibly generous and, invited me to be part of the conversation. And so I got to come in as, a small partner and help create an identity and a story for the brand and then think through how we go through the necessary logistic steps of getting into retail, but also how we are really creating a beautiful offering for retail. So when you’re saying kind of what is my perspective from my time at nugget to working now with a brand wanting to get into nugget, which you can find us there.

Thank you. is I think what I learned is a premium grocer like nugget markets. they really do walk the walk in terms of how invested they are in the story of their products. So bringing something in, they really do prioritize a quality. They really do prioritize story.

They really do prioritize local. And so because of that, we were able to like feel really comfortable in those kinds of conversations. for the way that I think it has helped me with other retailers is I get to hopefully, present the brand in a way that is ticking the boxes that are non-negotiables on logistics, right? In terms of, distributor, in terms of, their price to play, whether it’s the promotions that are quarterly, whether it is, free fills, whatever. And so understanding, like those things that happens for every brand anywhere.

And we can be able to take those, you know, working with our brokers, retailer by retailer, however it’s done. but we also get to give those retailers a really tidy package around how to sell the product in a way that’s really interesting, whether it is, how it can be merchandised, which is the thing that I’m very excited about, to like where it is on shelf to how it complements that four foot set as opposed to we can’t wait to be on shelf and we’re going to decimate everything else. Grocers don’t care that way. Grocers need their entire set to perform well. And so if you’re bringing in a product in that particular category, they need that category as a whole to do well, of course they want you to do great.

And but your measurement as a brand is going to be great or is going to be different than their measurement of great. And so knowing how to be able to present to a particular Retailer, things that I think would be useful for them in terms of how it benefits the set, how they can merchandise it, how it can go on sale, how it could go on add, what other items could complement, the add like being able to partner up with complementary items, I think is also a really smart thing to do. And that was one of the things that I really learned within nuggets is that they are so deliberate about who they’re bringing in, and they are so specific about how they communicate their stories, how they share it on the ad, how they share it in their newsletters, how they share it in social. And so being able to figure out what those mediums of communication are for any particular retailer, knowing that you’re going to have to have your checklist of non-negotiables, like you’re going to have to have your, financials meet theirs and you know, whether whatever price is coming in, like I said, or whatever, free fill or quarterly promotion, those things are just usually set. The rest of it is really what can help set you apart.

And that is making their job a whole lot easier. Here’s a short story. They don’t need 12 paragraphs. They need like three lines. Here is how this could look on shelf.

Here is how this could be merchandised quarterly for the. Or if you’re running this kind of promotion for Father’s Day, or you’re doing this for Lunar New Year, or you’re doing this for the holiday like season, like being able to have things that are relevant and not kitschy, but relevant for that retailer. Making their job easier is going to go a long way. You have to remember that you’re serving them, not just serving your own brand.

Premiumizing Commodity Products Through Trial and Taste

CJ Bruce: 41:34

Yeah, those are, I mean, a lot of great takeaways in that for sure. Brands thinking about selling into retail and, how they do that in the best way. I’m curious, kind of shifting to the keeping with true origin, but thinking about consumer marketing and so true origin for those who don’t know, it’s mostly what people think of as commodity products, right? So rice, beans, popcorn. So how do you build that premiumness.

And like the storytelling aspect in a commodity category like that.

Nicole Rogers: 42:01

I think it still goes.

Nicole Rogers: 42:02

Back to trial and taste. And so some of it is helping give language to not all rice is created equal. So not all rice on the shelf is the same. And when someone is willing to try, because we have also done the rest of that formula with that retailer around, the right price and the right set, you know, the right set of SKUs on that four foot set. maybe it is on promotion.

So it’s making trial that much easier. But I do think that the story does resonate. There’s not I mean, of course they’re packaging the copy that’s on your packaging or the copy that’s on your site or in your social. Of course, it’s going to have some relevance. But most folks that are walking down a grocery aisle, they’re not stopping reading.

No one’s like, again, oh my gosh, I just really wish I had something good to read. Let’s go down the rice aisle. Not going to happen. So it’s, making sure that like you are hitting whatever it is like, whether, like I said, it’s price variety, how attractive the actual packaging is something that’s actually going to catch somebody’s attention. that will, I think really improve the potential for trial, but it’s when someone tries it that they are like, oh, when I open this bag, like the aromatics of this jasmine, or if they are making, you know, basmati for the first time, our basmati for the first time and realizing just how beautifully fragrant it is, how beautiful it elongates, how it isn’t like the others, they may have tried.

I think that’s really how you can start to separate yourself and realize that, yes, this is a commodity category and you are winning people over by how good it tastes, and then when they ask more questions, they get to feel real validated where they’re like, oh, this is a fifth generation farmer. Oh, they’re growing the only basmati that that properly elongates in the US. Oh, this has grown 25 minutes from where I live or oh, this is not shipped on a barge. This is not sitting somewhere for 6 or 9 months before it reaches a bag. So like then they get to start asking questions, right?

But like, really it comes down to you’ve hit whatever particular driver it is that makes someone want to buy a thing. And when they try it, they realize it’s hard to tell somebody, oh my gosh, you need to trust me. But my sushi rice way better. Michael Rose so good. Yeah, it actually is.

But no one’s going to believe that. Like you have to actually try it. I would say that’s one of the things that I’ve been awesome when we have had some samples at food shows is how, just the smell of the rice cooking brings people over because it is just so aromatic. It’s so fresh, it’s so beautiful. But folks don’t necessarily think that when they’re thinking about like, they just buy rice because it’s right.

Or white rice or brown rice, right? That’s all there is.

CJ Bruce: 44:54

I want to talk about GriffJack also. So you’re already describing GriffJack as a general contractor rather than an agency. So senior marketing brain, who then directs specialists. And so can you talk a little bit about the, you know, the structure and then also how you, you know, how you work with founders and brands.

Nicole Rogers: 45:13

Yeah. so GriffJack and Origin Foods really started right about the same time. I just had these kind of like two prongs to my life. And so, GriffJack started a little by accident and that when I had left nugget markets, I wasn’t quite sure what I would do. I just needed to prioritize my family’s health.

And I had, you know, I mean, let’s be real food people are the best people. And so I, had some friends and colleagues who were working on some other things at times and they’d be like, hey, will you read this? Or, hey, would you proof this? Or what do you think of this, concept? And I was like, is this consulting?

And then I decided it was. So I went through the process. I had a, I said it out loud to a friend who was like, okay, time to put on your big girl pants. And she was like, here’s how you register your business. Here’s how you’re going to have this accountant, get this insurance broker, get this business affairs attorney, have this financial advisor.

She’s like, get your stuff dialed and got speed. And so having somebody like out of the gates, really, coach me on the business affairs side made setting up Griff really easy. So GriffJack, is a marketing consultancy or I don’t run as a traditional agency. I think of it a little bit like the Hollywood model. So depending on what a client is needing, whether it is a campaign that is like specific for product launch or it is a brand that’s looking to sell and needs to be able to tidy up all of its, identity and be able to build a handful of other creative assets and presentation for that sale.

Or it is, a brand that is a legacy or has a massive history and really dated visuals. So I bring some of the best folks together. So I’ll have great copywriters, photographers, food stylists, videographers bring together, media and ad buyers. I’ve got amazing humans in my network. I often joke that GriffJack’s greatest asset is our contact list.

And so I bring folks together, whatever the project may be, with whatever skill set is really needed. We work on the thing. And then, I make sure everyone gets paid and tell them I see them on the next one. And so it’s been really great that way, honestly. Like it has been awesome to see other colleagues develop relationships with past projects and see them continue to hire the same photographer for the next, like X number of projects, or work with the same videographer for X number of future things.

That isn’t needed for me, but it’s killer for being able to develop creative. So the role that I end up playing is generally, providing large strategy, which is a little tricky because I will say like, as of right now, I should say it’s tricky currently. And that traditional strategy is not, it’s not what’s reigning supreme right now. I think a lot of marketing is very, the best marketing is a little bit reactive and I know how that sounds, but what I mean by that is that it is being influenced by a team that has, like their ears so finely tuned to a cultural moment. And it’s brands that are able to intersect with what’s happening within a particular culture or particular experience or time that are really doing some of the greatest marketing as opposed to, let’s develop this campaign and win all of these hearts by creating this thing that happens.

It’s like, those that are responding really smartly to what’s happening in culture currently. And I think that is it requires a lot of, trust like the brand within the team, requires a lot of trust, and it requires to be nimble. There’s a there’s a certain degree of like, risk comfort that is needed with a, with a brand right now. But I think our traditional, probably like how we came up with like, there’s a campaign brief first and then there is budget and then there is the team that has to be assembled. And then there’s a series of approvals.

And I’ve worked with a handful of brands where I watch that the complete just miss like it just screamed right by them, where the creative for that cultural moment was literally just still sitting in an inbox waiting for approval. And they miss. And then they just look like a me too and not a positive way. And so it is. yeah, I would say it’s a tricky thing to be in a strategic position right now where it’s a matter of having to tell clients, like you have to be in a place where you’re okay with a little bit of risk and you have to trust like that, you are bringing in a team together that has really fine tuned ears to be paying attention to figure out where you actually fit.

That means something, as opposed to having to tell everyone I’ve arrived. So now you should be really excited I’m here.

Brand Confidence, Risk, and Knowing Who You Are

CJ Bruce: 49:58

Yeah. It’s interesting. I mean, we definitely see parallels there with with just what you mentioned on the strategy side and, you know, people, you know, not wanting to pay or not valuing it as much or how does that fit in? And I think trying to find that balance with you need some level of planning and, you know, strategic alignment and all of that. But then at the same time, you don’t know what you don’t know until you really get it out in the world.

And so having that built into the plan. So we’re, we’re going to take these risks and here’s how we’re going to see if it works or not measure success and iterate from there is.

Nicole Rogers: 50:27

Totally not every cultural moment is for every single brand or every single voice, but rather it’s, you know, like I said, kind of in the beginning where it’s like, if you can feel very confident in knowing who you are as this brand and you are very confident in your brand integrity, your, you know, your story, you’re not trying to be all things to all people. It’s okay that you know who you are. And that then allows, I think, for a lot of freedom of when, those cultural moments do present themselves where you’re like, I could really be in on this. But yeah, it does require a degree of it does trust and confidence, trust into your team. Confidence is a brand that you know who you are.

So often, especially small and midsize brands are so, scattered. They’re like a marble in a shoebox. They are just so desperate for everyone to like them and to be everywhere. And why am I not in Trader Joe’s? And it is so sobering sometimes to have to sit down and really get honest with helping them articulate and feel really confident in who they are as opposed to like, well, sure, like everyone should love you.

I’m relevant for everything and everywhere, right?

CJ Bruce: 51:38

Yeah, it’s.

CJ Bruce: 51:38

Something for everybody in here. All right, I’ve got one last question before we wrap up. before I ask, I do want to point people to connect with you, so I’ll point our website at griffjack.com. Perfect and trueoriginfoods.com.

Nicole Rogers: 51:53

Perfect.

CJ Bruce: 51:54

And is there anywhere else that you want people to be know to connect with you or anything you’re working on?

Nicole Rogers: 52:00

That is a dream. I super appreciate that. I, yeah, those are exactly the best ways to find me. Like my, my social space is generally more client focused. So most folks finding @nicoleproof is going to give them like, well, she’s alive.

So, I’m alive, but I, tell a lot of coffee stories. No one drinks more coffee than I do. So you’ll find you’ll find a whole lot of coffee on there.

CJ Bruce: 52:26

Challenge accepted. On the coffee drink.

Nicole Rogers: 52:28

I mean, I did go. There’s a new one that opened up this morning down the street from me, and I was really excited to walk over. I live in the country, so I was like, there’s a new coffee shop in the country, I was thrilled.

Mentors Who Shaped Nicole’s Career

CJ Bruce: 52:40

That is exciting. So the last question I was asked was just about, you know, the kind of giving back that you mentioned earlier, right? People that you’ve worked with over the years and mentors and people who helped you. So before we wrap up, I just want to ask if there’s anybody who you want to give a shout out to. you know, from your career that kind of helped shape you.

Nicole Rogers: 52:59

Oh, that is. That is so, so kind. man, that list is long. How much time do you have? I would say in terms of favorites. Right.

Okay. Okay. Okay. So in no particular order. Right.

No. I would say when I talked about working with coaches, there’s two women that I’ve worked with, Judy Isaacson, who she is an executive coach who just is a gift of a human. And she really held me accountable and she helped nurture me through virtually every transition I’ve had, like since maybe 2012, something like that, 2010. And then, and then I would say locally, in the Sacramento area, Trish Kelly, who is with Valley Vision, She has also been someone who took me under her wing and during, especially during my farm to fork years, and she made every room I walk into easier. So much so that like when she would help me have a meeting with fill in the blank any government organization, agency team.

And if she even wasn’t with me, the ease of me being able to walk into this room and have them be like, oh, you’re friends with Trish? And she would speak my name in very crowded rooms. She would put together amazing dinners with incredible women leaders from all over the country, in all different kinds of sectors. And she would coach me on, here’s who you need to talk to, and here’s how these can connect. And if this person is doing this, this can also help this brand.

She helped me think how to find those overlaps in ways that really provided meaning for everyone involved, not just because they were self-serving. And also, as I mentioned earlier, Mary Kimball with the center for Land Based Learning. She and I are good friends. In addition to. I got to serve on her board for many years.

Met her during my Chipotle years and she is another who I don’t think I would have.. The perspective I do about farming and agriculture without Mary. she absolutely has been an advocate. She’s another who will say my name in crowded rooms and help me feel like I absolutely belong and give me all of the backstory to make me smarter when I walk in.

CJ Bruce: 55:10

I love this, it’s great. Great way to end it.

We’ve been talking to Nicole Rogers, leader at GriffJack, and True Origin Foods. Be sure to check her out. griffjack.com and trueoriginfoods.com. Nicole, thanks so much for being on the show.

Nicole Rogers: 55:24

You’re a dream. Thank you for having me.

Outro: 55:27

Thanks for listening to The Missing Ingredient podcast. We’ll see you again next time. And be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.