The Changeup

Denise Weale & Olivia Weale, Co-Founders of Dam Good English Muffins

This week's guests are the mother and daughter founders of Dam Good English Muffins, Denise and Olivia Weale. Dam Good English Muffins is a woman-owned, family-operated business in Peekskill, New York, making a variety of square-shaped sourdough English muffins. We talk about the unconventional way their business started, how they grew from making gifts for friends to producing at scale, and the importance of being a mission-driven company that supports the community.

John Anthony Gargiulo, Founder of Hudson Valley Brewery

This week's guest is the founder of Hudson Valley Brewery, John Anthony Gargiulo.  Hudson Valley Brewery is located in Beacon, New York, focusing on sour farmhouse ales and creating amazing beers with New York ingredients. We talk with John Anthony about his career change from being a grip in Hollywood to building a brewery, how he sees the entire business as an art project, and he found the building of his dreams after many, many years.

Chris Kirby, Founder of Ithaca Hummus

This week's guest is the founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus, Chris Kirby.Ithaca Hummus makes amazing hummus with minimal ingredients and maximum taste. We talk about his journey from selling at farm stands in upstate New York to being in over 9,000 doors (with the final boss coming in October), the diversification of flavors, the importance of steady growth versus exponential growth, and a little lesson on Beanie Baby sales.

Colin McGrath, Founder of McGrath Cheese Company

This week's guest is the founder, owner, and cheese maker at McGrath Cheese Company, Colin McGrath. McGrath Cheese Company is an artisan producer based in New York's Hudson Valley. They make some of the most incredible cheese, sourced from local dairies. We discussed Colin's remarkable path into the cheese business from the CIA (that's the Culinary Institute of America) to apprenticing, to making his own. He brings his unbridled passion for the product into every batch.

Ali & Jeremy Rhodes, Founders of Moonrise Bagels

This week's guests are the founders of Moonrise Bagels, Jeremy and Ali Rhodes. Moonrise Bagels are award-winning stuffed bagels that are ridiculously good and are taking over upstate New York. We talk about how a party invention and Jeremy's obsession with finding the perfect way to stuff a bagel turned into a full-scale business with three locations, how Ali is able to leverage her sharp PR skills to grow awareness and engagement with the business, and how setting up their business in their hometown (and mine), Woodstock, New York, has led them to grow their roots.