Author Archives for Keith Seiz

Trends and New Products from Natural Products Expo West

March 22, 2022 1:55 pm Published by Comments Off on Trends and New Products from Natural Products Expo West

Natural Products Expo West was terrifyingly crowded. It was a welcome sign for the food industry, but I’ll be honest, it had me worried. After two years of either no trade shows or poorly attended trade shows, being shoulder to shoulder with so many strangers from around the world gave

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Becoming a More Productive Keith

July 13, 2021 8:45 pm Published by Comments Off on Becoming a More Productive Keith

I’ve completely changed the way I work based on two books I read from Cal Newport:  Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload In the span of about a month, I consumed these books, threw

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The Shelf Life of Fake Meat?

April 15, 2021 9:02 pm Published by Comments Off on The Shelf Life of Fake Meat?

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but are they correct? I recently attended the Future Food-Tech virtual conference, and there was a lot of talk about fake meat — whether it was coming from plant-based ingredients or grown in a petri dish. During one roundtable I participated

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A Professional Life Tethered

February 5, 2021 10:00 am Published by Comments Off on A Professional Life Tethered

I just hit the one-year anniversary of my last business trip. On Jan. 30, 2020, I arrived back in St. Louis from Portland, Ore., at 11:50 p.m. I checked bags because it was a long trip on the West Coast. I left the prior Monday and spent a great couple

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Finding the positives in a dismal year

December 30, 2020 10:00 am Published by Comments Off on Finding the positives in a dismal year

Everyone has a post-mortem on 2020, and so do I. It stunk. For Brightly Creative, the stench was less than for others, and we count ourselves as very fortunate compared to many of our friends and colleagues in the food and beverage industry. But I don’t want to end the

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I Don’t Believe Your Trend Report

September 15, 2020 3:33 pm Published by Comments Off on I Don’t Believe Your Trend Report

At the end of every year, I eagerly await the mountain of trend reports to hit my inbox, predicting what ingredients and diets will be impacting food and beverage new product development in the coming year. It’s like Christmas morning for someone like me who spends their days making decisions

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Are you going to eat that?

August 4, 2020 7:09 pm Published by Comments Off on Are you going to eat that?

I’ve eaten a lot of weird things in my life: chicken liver ice cream, cricket tacos, fish eyes and 12 Jack In The Box tacos (no lettuce). I love food; I love weird food and I’ll try anything at least once. However, I’m struggling with the concept of lab grown

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Lessons on Evolution, Empathy and Running a Business

June 18, 2020 1:47 pm Published by Comments Off on Lessons on Evolution, Empathy and Running a Business

I just finished reading the book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s a great book that forces you to think about humans’ existence on earth and how we’ve evolved over time. One passage in the beginning of the book had a particularly profound impact on

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The Last ‘Meat’ Standing

February 18, 2020 3:26 pm Published by Comments Off on The Last ‘Meat’ Standing

When the dust settles from the current new product development mania around plant-based “meats,” which products will survive and which will join New Coke and the McDLT in the halls of failed product launches? Seems like a challenging question, but I think the answer is pretty simple to come by,

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Smaller is Better. The Food Industry is Getting the Message.

July 23, 2019 8:00 am Published by Comments Off on Smaller is Better. The Food Industry is Getting the Message.

I’m an unabashed fan of tasting menus. Give me 12 courses of small bites over a massive plate of fried “food” any day of the week. It’s not only that I enjoy tasting multiple things during a meal, it’s also that food waste gives me anxiety. Yes, of all the

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Of Food and Beverages in Italy

June 25, 2019 3:00 pm Published by Comments Off on Of Food and Beverages in Italy

If you read this blog regularly, you know I’m a foodie. I write about food extensively, love to cook and I get paid to talk about the food industry. I spend a better part of my personal and professional life thinking about food. So, when the family decided to vacation

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Around Chautauqua County in 72 Hours

May 21, 2019 8:00 am Published by Comments Off on Around Chautauqua County in 72 Hours

When Jonathan and I decided to step away from the growing agency we founded and start all over again, the idea was to: Stop being business people and return to being creative people Only work with clients, products or services we truly believed in We also wanted to focus as

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3 Reasons to Celebrate National Walnut Day on May 17

May 14, 2019 10:00 am Published by Comments Off on 3 Reasons to Celebrate National Walnut Day on May 17

Working in the food industry, we love a good food holiday. Taco and pizza day…we’re all in and have lunch plans settled early. Cupcake day? Let’s have them for breakfast. Even healthy foods like Kale will receive our dedication to finding foods or making a meal as long as it’s

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10 Travel Tips to Make Business Travel Tolerable

April 23, 2019 2:36 pm Published by Comments Off on 10 Travel Tips to Make Business Travel Tolerable

This is a short blog, but hopefully an educational one. I spend quite a bit of time on the road, and have for the last 15 years. With a wife and two young kids at home, this can sometimes be a tough gig. However, here are five bits of advice

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Clif Bar and KIND Bars Squabble Over Organic Ingredients

April 9, 2019 8:00 am Published by Comments Off on Clif Bar and KIND Bars Squabble Over Organic Ingredients

Finally, the food bar category has some excitement outside of the countless new entries that seem to appear daily.  Here’s the scoop. Clif Bar uses organic ingredients, KIND Snacks does not. In a clever marketing ploy designed to appear as a “let’s do better together” moment, Clif Bar took a

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5 Takeaways from the Craft Spirits Conference

March 26, 2019 2:00 pm Published by Comments Off on 5 Takeaways from the Craft Spirits Conference

I’d normally welcome two consecutive weeks in Denver, but after experiencing the bomb cyclone snow storm, I was dreading heading back to the Mile High City just three days after said snowstorm forced me to drive home 13 hours from Denver to St. Louis. But, the American Distiller’s Institute was

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Off Color Improves Experience Through Packaging Innovations

March 5, 2019 10:00 am Published by Comments Off on Off Color Improves Experience Through Packaging Innovations

There are two types of packaging innovations. The first: gimmicks designed to increase product sales. Think Coca-Cola putting people’s names on cans. Super cheesy, but also super effective. The second: structural or graphical enhancements designed to improve the flavor, freshness or experience of a product. Think tuna being sold in

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Formulation: The Real Challenge of Using Cannabis in Foods and Beverages

February 19, 2019 9:00 am Published by Comments Off on Formulation: The Real Challenge of Using Cannabis in Foods and Beverages

Let’s talk about cannabis and food product development. It’s inevitable and already happening, so no need to debate whether it’s a good or bad thing. It’s going to happen. The conversation now needs to move to formulation challenges and obstacles. I recently read a really smart Q&A on BakingBusiness.com with

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How Botanical Trends Will Impact Your Next Gin Martini

January 22, 2019 9:10 am Published by Comments Off on How Botanical Trends Will Impact Your Next Gin Martini

In the December issue of Prepared Foods magazine, “botanicals” were pegged as a top trend. It makes sense. Consumers are trying to eat healthier, and for years, healthy food has been branded, rightly or wrongly, as flavorless. Unlike sugar, botanicals have the ability to bring flavor to food while still

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On the Road: My First Global Marketing Meeting

January 15, 2019 5:52 pm Published by Comments Off on On the Road: My First Global Marketing Meeting

What do 50+ agency people from all over the world have in common? Hellacious travel tales, nightmare client stories and thankfully, a shared language, which fortunately is my native tongue. However, once you got past the awkward introductions, expected conversation topics and shared experience of a singular client, I discovered

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Food and Beverage Trends in 2019: Snacking on Fats While Drinking Cactus Water

December 13, 2018 6:03 pm Published by Comments Off on Food and Beverage Trends in 2019: Snacking on Fats While Drinking Cactus Water

It’s next to impossible to narrow down the food and beverage industry to three trends. I could have easily listed 15 things that will influence what you eat next year. In paring my first large list to three items, I eliminated quite a few sure things. However, the list below

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Distilled Spirit Trends in 2019: Growth, White Whales and Expensive Distillates

December 12, 2018 9:00 pm Published by Comments Off on Distilled Spirit Trends in 2019: Growth, White Whales and Expensive Distillates

If I had the money to invest in a brewery, distillery or winery, I would throw all-in on the distillery. The craft spirits market is still in its infancy and all demographics point positively toward spirits being the preferred alcoholic beverage for the generations that matter most. I took a

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Beer Trends in 2019: Lower ABVs, Smaller Formats and Listed Calories

December 12, 2018 2:51 pm Published by Comments Off on Beer Trends in 2019: Lower ABVs, Smaller Formats and Listed Calories

Winter is stout season. Big, barrel-aged monsters with high ABVs, syrupy viscosities and hints of chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and chilis. I’m a seasonal beer drinking, shifting styles as the weather turns. I’m knee-deep in stout season and loving it, but duty calls and I’m obliged to set my stout aside

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Calories Before Beer?! Oh Dear.

December 7, 2018 4:20 pm Published by Comments Off on Calories Before Beer?! Oh Dear.

This isn’t a humblebrag. I promise I’m making a point here. I’m an ultramarathoner. In fact, I just completed a 50-mile race a couple weeks ago and was the fifth fastest male at doing so. I also eat really healthy. I read labels, avoid processed foods where possible and am

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Keith’s Favorite Things from 2018

December 5, 2018 1:42 pm Published by Comments Off on Keith’s Favorite Things from 2018

2018 was a banner year for Brightly Creative. We’re fortunate to be blessed with great clients, great partners and interesting, rewarding and fun work. Our jobs take us to all pockets of the United States and even around the world. Here’s my list of my favorite things from 2018. Favorite Beer:

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What’s More Terrifying: Clean Meat or Cannabinoids as Functional Ingredients?

November 14, 2018 10:35 pm Published by Comments Off on What’s More Terrifying: Clean Meat or Cannabinoids as Functional Ingredients?

Featured image courtesy of cleanmeat.org. In my role at Brightly Creative, I have the pleasure of attending and speaking at quite a few food industry conferences every year. The Food Evolution Summit in San Diego was one of my favorite events this year. Why? First, I had the opportunity to

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A Summer of Summits

September 4, 2018 8:34 pm Published by Comments Off on A Summer of Summits

What did you do for your summer vacation? I used to hate writing those essays in school. Now, I’m kind of excited to write this blog post detailing what the Brightly Creative team has been up to this summer. It was packed to say the least. We had meetings, conferences,

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Mission Accomplished? Honey Beer Summit Austin Recap

June 18, 2018 2:37 pm Published by Comments Off on Mission Accomplished? Honey Beer Summit Austin Recap

Beards, bees, brewing science and a lot of honey. Those elements are standard of any Honey Beer Summit. But what was unique about our recent Austin event, the sixth Honey Beer Summit we have hosted? Barrel-aging honey, honey sours, hops and honey, increased honey usage, goats, and countless chigger bites.

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On the Road: Denver, Colorado

March 15, 2018 3:06 pm Published by Comments Off on On the Road: Denver, Colorado

Dates: February 20-22, 2018 Purpose: Client meetings I go to Denver quite a bit. My business partner and creative director lives in the Mile High City, as well as some of our key clients. It’s a city I’ve grown to love. Great food, great breweries, great distilleries, close to mountains and

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Day Three at #ExpoWest: These are a Few of My Favorite Things

March 10, 2018 4:18 pm Published by Comments Off on Day Three at #ExpoWest: These are a Few of My Favorite Things

I’m exhausted. Long show hours plus less than accommodating accommodations have left me empty and headed to the airport early Saturday. Before a long day of travel ahead and a much needed break on Sunday, I leave you with a final report of a few of my favorite products from

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Day Two at #ExpoWest: One Too Many Drinks

March 9, 2018 10:49 am Published by Comments Off on Day Two at #ExpoWest: One Too Many Drinks

No, this isn’t a blog post about what you’re thinking. Shows like the Natural Products Expo West are too tiring to go out much at night. In fact, since I’ve been in Anaheim, I’ve had to patiently wait until the noise dies down from the 9pm Disney extravaganza before I

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Day One at #ExpoWest: Keith’s Got a Brand New Bag

March 8, 2018 12:15 am Published by Comments Off on Day One at #ExpoWest: Keith’s Got a Brand New Bag

The Brightly Creative Team is on the scene at Natural Products Expo West, and Keith will be filing reports about what he’s seen, ate and drank. For the first report, Keith analyzes the two snacks in the bag given to each attendee at registration. The show hasn’t even started and

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Good Food + Good Advice and The Perfect Lunch Date

March 2, 2018 9:49 pm Published by Comments Off on Good Food + Good Advice and The Perfect Lunch Date

I love food. I love cooking it, reading about it and eating it. When I moved back to St. Louis from Chicago, I was terrified of the culinary situation I was entering into. I hadn’t lived in St. Louis for 10 years and knew nothing about the food scene. So,

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What Boston Beer’s Volume Declines Tell Us About Craft Beer

February 23, 2018 10:07 pm Published by Comments Off on What Boston Beer’s Volume Declines Tell Us About Craft Beer

As expected, Boston Beer Company’s 2017 financial results failed to impress analysts and continued to spotlight some fundamental flaws in the beer industry. In my opinion, the most foreboding number from the company’s 2017 results: 3.8 million barrels shipped. That may seem like a lot of beer, but it’s actually

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Beard Awards Recognizes Friends and Colleagues

February 19, 2018 9:45 pm Published by Comments Off on Beard Awards Recognizes Friends and Colleagues

One of the best parts about my job is the daily interaction I have with true artisans of the food and beverage industry. From chefs to bakers to brewers, I’m fortunate to have met, and in some cases, worked with, people that inspire me. Many of these people were recently

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Defining What “Healthy” Means For Consumers and Product Developers

February 12, 2018 4:05 pm Published by Comments Off on Defining What “Healthy” Means For Consumers and Product Developers

An interesting segment ran on the Today Show recently naming the top 50 healthy foods and snacks. The website, Eat This, Not That!, was responsible for the list, and they did a great job. Not necessarily in determining the 50 snacks and beverages, but in setting the criteria for what

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Finding Balance in Foods and Beverages Developed for Kids

February 7, 2018 12:17 pm Published by Comments Off on Finding Balance in Foods and Beverages Developed for Kids

I took my kids to McDonald’s for breakfast before school yesterday. It’s a rare occurrence, as I love providing my family with three home-cooked meals a day when possible, and I’m a bit of a health nut. However, the girls were being sweet, mom had an early morning conference call

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In Beverage Category, The Big Get Bigger But the Little Companies Have All the Fun

January 31, 2018 3:42 pm Published by Comments Off on In Beverage Category, The Big Get Bigger But the Little Companies Have All the Fun

Keurig Dr Pepper. The name just rolls off your tongue, right? Not really, but those three words were uttered or printed by thousands of newscasters, newspapers and bloggers analyzing the latest mega merger in the food and beverage industry. But before we get into that, did you know that there

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Case Study: How to Break a Client into a New Market

January 24, 2018 5:38 pm Published by Comments Off on Case Study: How to Break a Client into a New Market

Client: National Honey Board Breaking into a new market is always a challenge, regardless of the product or service. In 2017, Brightly Creative was tasked with breaking the National Honey Board into the craft spirits market. The goal was to replicate the success we had three years earlier breaking honey

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