Drawing upon my deep love for the health and wellness industry and the inspiration I gain from the Blue Zones, on Rooted I'm interviewing those with companies and/or personal experience that are helping our society get back to living according to our roots in terms of our food system, movement, social connections, purpose, passions, and fulfillment.
But this is more than just a podcast- this is a vessel for a community of like minded individuals who are founders, consumers, independent thinkers, and game changers, who all are apart of this movement in some way or another.
Founder of Cob, Jess Brondo Davidoff: Creating a Healthy Snack Brand With Novak Djokovic
In this episode of Rooted, I had on Jess Brondo Davidoff, founder of Cob (https://cobfoods.com/), a snack brand going “retro,” as Jess describes, tapping into sorghum, an ancient grain, and an ancient way of processing their products.
What started with Jess trying to find a snack her sons could eat because of their corn allergy turned into a much bigger opportunity to bring sorghum, an ancient grain, to the mainstream. From her extensive startup background, to bringing Novak Djokovic on as a co-founder, to hitting $400K in sales in their first month, Cob is a company to be watching.
In the episode, we get into:
The genesis of Cob and how Jess’s sons’ corn allergy sparked the idea
Why sorghum, an ancient grain, is at the center of the brand
How Jess’s previous startup experience and the way she was raised is shaping the way she is building Cob
What drove $400K in sales in month one
Bringing Novak Djokovic on as a co-founder and what he unlocked beyond awareness
Convincing consumers to switch from something familiar like popcorn to something completely new
Who is actually buying Cob and how they think about their consumer
Building community around a CPG brand
Jess’s perspective on wellness and how it shows up in her life
What’s next for Cob + the long-term vision
Trends she’s seeing in food, wellness, and CPG
If you haven’t tried Cob yet, definitely check them out and follow along with what Jess and Novak are building!!
26 May 2026
Co-Founders of Sourmilk, Kiki & Elan: Doing Everything Differently to Change the Dairy Aisle
In this episode of Rooted, I had on Kiki and Elan, best friends and co-founders of Sourmilk (https://www.sourmilk.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com), a brand rethinking one of the most established categories in the grocery store: yogurt.
From selling out of bright blue backpacks, hand delivering until being in retailers, to building in public, Sourmilk is taking a very different, community-first approach to creating a food brand.
Today we get into:
The genesis of Sourmilk and both of their backgrounds
Why they believe the yogurt aisle needs to change
What actually makes Sourmilk different (and why consumers will switch)
Their “do things that don’t scale” approach to distribution
Building in public: benefits, tradeoffs, and lessons
Community-first distribution and ambassador programs
What’s next for Sourmilk + long-term vision
Trends they’re seeing in food, wellness, and CPG
Highly recommend checking them out if you are in NYC (and as they expand) and following along with their content!!
2 Apr 2026
Co-Founder of Ancient Crunch (MASA Chips & Vandy), Steven Rofrano: Building the LVMH of Real Food
In this episode of Rooted, I sat down with Steven Rofrano, Co-Founder of Ancient Crunch (parent company of MASA Chips and Vandy Crisp). Ancient Crunch focuses on bringing back traditional ingredients and methods to everyday snacks using real food and a more ancestral approach.
Steven shares how what started as a bet in Miami led him to make a chip himself made from tallow and corn and how that quickly turned into building out production from scratch. We also get into how his vision has expanded beyond one product into a portfolio of brands, and what it looks like to build what he calls the “LVMH of food” and the FritoLay of Real Food
In just three years, they’ve scaled to over 400,000 bags per month, and are projected to continue on this growth path.
We also discuss:
What gave them the conviction to go all in early
Why they’re building multiple brands instead of one
How they’re making ancestral eating feel modern and aspirational
What’s next for Ancient Crunch and the future of food
I hope you enjoy this episode. If you haven’t tried either MASA Chips or Vandy Crisps, go check them out! They're sold
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 12 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
10
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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