Elevating healthy snacking: Meeting demand for function, flavor, format

Peter Grant Barrick is the CEO of Rivalz, a disruptive startup in the savory snack category, on a mission to create nutrient-packed snacks that taste better, feel better and do better for people and the planet. With over two decades of leadership experience, Peter has a proven track record of driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence in diverse and challenging environments. He is passionate about building and empowering high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, integrity, and ownership, and delivering value to customers, partners and stakeholders. His leadership journey began as a Marine Officer and Jet Aviator, where he flew combat missions in Afghanistan, served as a Forward Air Controller with the infantry, and led logistics and operations for multiple squadrons. Then, he transitioned to the CPG space, where he held key roles in finance, operations and strategy at Sonoma Brands, launching and scaling brands and multiple product lines across 20,000+ retail stores. He also leveraged his analytical and consulting skills at Mars and Wells Fargo, advising on new product development, market-entry, and credit facilities. He holds an MBA and a BA from the University of California, Davis.

As Director at Emil Capital Partners (ECP), Melissa oversees a number of existing portfolio companies in addition to sourcing new investments for the firm. Prior to joining ECP in 2020, Melissa spent several years in brand management at General Mills and Danone. She started her career in finance with roles at Ares Management in the Private Debt group and Wells Fargo Securities on the Leveraged Finance team. Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Outside of work she enjoys anything in the mountains. Additionally, her passion for the food and beverage industry extends to a love of craft beer, good wine, and new (or undiscovered) restaurants.

Sherry Frey brings more than two decades of industry experience to her role as Vice President, Total Wellness at NielsenIQ. With a background in market research, innovation and consulting, she has elevated clients across the fresh, CPG and wellness industries, providing forward-thinking insights, combined with practical strategies. In addition to leading NielsenIQ’s Total Wellness team and industry engagement, Sherry has been a featured speaker at many national and international industry events and is often sought as a media and analyst resource on topics related to consumer health, wellness and environmental issues. Sherry’s view of health and wellness spans beyond personal health and wellness, encompassing how we collectively think about the health of the planet.

Samil Ozavar has been at the forefront of developing healthier food products for over 30 years. In 1996, he established a food ingredients distribution business, followed by a research center at the ITU-Kosgeb Technopark in Istanbul, Turkey. There, he developed numerous blockbuster products for major clients such as Unilever, Ulker, and ETI among others. In 2013, Samil moved to the United States and joined Cibo Vita Inc. as the SVP of Strategy & Innovation. Founded in 2009, Cibo Vita quickly became a leading snack manufacturer in the US, renowned for its award-winning functional snacks that promote immune health, heart health, weight management, and digestive wellness. This success is largely due to the emphasis on advanced technologies, including micro-encapsulation to incorporate targeted bioactives such as probiotics, prebiotic fibers, nutrients, and omega-3 fatty acids in everyday snack items without adversely affecting their taste and texture. Samil is deeply involved in the development of prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, sugar replacement systems, and nutrient enrichment using cutting-edge technologies. He holds several patents and continues to innovate, creating healthy yet delicious snacks that address key consumer concerns.

Marc Washington is Founder/CEO of Supergut. Marc has dedicated his career to helping people lead healthier lives through convenient & efficacious products. Prior to Supergut, Marc spent his career building household brands, including Irwin Naturals, Beachbody, and The Wonderful Company. Inspired by the memory of his sister, Marc founded Supergut to empower people to regain control of their health by harnessing the science of the gut microbiome in clinically-validated functional foods. A health & fitness devotee, Marc graduated from Princeton, where he was Co-Captain of the football team and an Academic All American, and holds an M.B.A. from Harvard.

Ryan Daily is a B2B journalist who has served niche and diverse audiences for nearly seven years and has covered the food and beverage, flavor and fragrance, skincare, communications and collaboration technology industries. In her role as a senior correspondent with FoodNavigator-USA, she focuses her writing on consumer insight and trends, innovative food and beverage ingredients, CPG startups, and omnichannel grocery shopping experiences. She holds a Master's from DePaul University in Writing and Publishing and a Bachelor's in English from Northern Illinois University.