Crossover Episode with Brands for a Better World: Haven’s Kitchen
Season 4: Episode 6
Our third crossover episode with Brands for a Better World Podcast!
Beyond simply being delicious, food can be a means to start conversations, cross cultural divides, and even inspire social change. In this episode of Brands for a Better World, you’ll hear from Alison Cayne, Founder of NYC-based Haven’s Kitchen, about how she combined her passion for cooking with her desire to change people’s lives for the better and turned it into a purpose-driven career. Join us as we delve into the social impacts of our food systems, why home cooking is good for our health, the health of our communities, and the health of the planet, and the immense power that everyday consumers hold to drive meaningful policy change. We also discuss how Alison’s podcast, In the Sauce, helped her speed up her CPG learning curve, the ways that Haven’s Kitchen has evolved based on customers’ needs and in response to the world at large, why the best marketing strategies are common sense, and so much more! To learn about the many compelling ways that food can transform communities and encourage people to create a better world through cooking, be sure to tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode
The important role that cooking plays in supporting the local economy and agriculture.
An understanding of the correlation between home cooking and better food systems.
Why we shouldn’t underestimate the power that consumers have to drive policy change.
What led Alison to start a cooking school in the middle of her Master’s program.
From urban planning and policy to food studies: how Alison’s interests have evolved.
The story behind Alison’s cookbook and Haven’s Kitchen’s range of sauces.
How the In the Sauce Podcast helped Alison accelerate her CPG learning curve.
The personal satisfaction that Alison gets from being a connector in her industry.
Insight into Alison’s unique CPG product strategy, supply chain, and packaging.
Common barriers to feel-good home cooking that Haven’s Kitchen seeks to simplify.
Theory versus practice: why the best marketing strategies are usually common sense.
The Haven’s Kitchen initiative that donates 1% of gross profit to community-based organizations that fight inequity and hunger.
New products, new channels, and more: what the future holds for Haven’s Kitchen.
Alison’s favorite non-food hobby, best piece of advice, and more in the lightning round!
About our guest
Alison Cayne is the founder and CEO of Haven's Kitchen, a cooking company that makes boldly-flavored, better for you, flavor shortcuts for modern home cooks.
Alison has been teaching people how to cook for over 25 years, and in 2012 opened the Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School in NYC. In 2018, Haven’s Kitchen launched its first product — a line of fresh, squeezable sauces, now available online, and in over 2000 stores across the U.S. Haven’s Kitchen new product line — plant-based, big flavor, aioli in squeezable pouches — is launching this summer at Target, Whole Foods, and other natural retailers across the country.
Alison is the author of the critically acclaimed Haven’s Kitchen cook book (Artisan 2017) and has contributed to publications such as The New York Post, Forbes, Architectural Digest, Food52 and Goop. She is also the host of In the Sauce, a podcast with over 200k downloads for early-stage founders and operators about building consumer brands.
Links mentioned in this episode
Brands for a Better World Podcast
Music in this episode
Nature sound effect by bbc.co.uk – ©2023 BBC
Climify Theme Song by Casual Motive
The Season 4 Climify Team
Eric Benson (Host)
Cam Burkins (Producer)
Bhavna Bhavanishankar (Experience Researcher and Multisensory Educator)
Adam Dziaba (Designer)
Jacqui Himmel (Multimedia Journalist and Scriptwriter)
Abigail Zhuk (Design Researcher)
Climate Design Assignments
At the end of each episode, we ask our guests what their ideal climate design project would be. They have four weeks with a class full of design students. We translated their response into a project brief that you can use for your class.
