Preview: Catalina Crunch’s Krishna Kaliannan on scale-up excitement and not tripping out the gate

Krishna Kaliannan’s keto cereal brand Catalina Crunch is right at the threshold of breaking out big in the retail world after success in e-commerce and local brands. It would be easy to predict the meteoric rise and risk of failure that we see in other food startup brands. Kaliannan recognizes that these are pitfalls that startups can trip on – scaling up so quickly that they can’t keep up with demand or that promises they made to their consumers might be compromised in order to be more cost or manufacturing efficient. In this preview, I didn’t shy from these questions, having lived some versions of the story in past roles, and it was refreshing to hear a brand founder recognize the risks and do what he can to mitigate them.

Food Edge is an annual conference that brings together the food industry’s largest brands, dynamic start-ups, disruptive leaders, and leading researchers to discuss  the future of food. Packed with 2 days of inspiring speakers, innovation workshops, and fireside chats, the summit explores trends, strategies, and capabilities that help food innovators and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Food Edge  explores food innovation with a focus on sustainable sourcing, recipe innovation, product design, customer experience, and social media.