Entrepreneurial Spirit / May 2, 2017

Jason Cohen ’96 Talks the Ins & Outs of Food Startups on Dingman Bootstrapped

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship produces Bootstrapped, a podcast featuring founders, investors and serial entrepreneurs. The podcast is hosted by Elana Fine, Managing Director of the Dingman Center, and Joe Bailey, Associate Research Professor at the Smith School. Each episode brings a different startup story to life with special guests offering advice and lessons learned on topics that range from fundraising and marketing to team formation and customer acquisition.

In this episode of Bootstrapped, we spoke with serial entrepreneur and CEO of Halen Brands, Jason Cohen. Cohen walks through his journey from being unable to pay his phone bill to selling 5 companies worth over $500 million, including brands like Sensible Portion Veggie Straws and SkinnyPop, the two fastest growing “better for you” snacks known today. Dubbed as the 'club king' of packaged foods, Cohen highlights the importance of targeting high quantity distribution channels such as Costco to augment your reach toward popular outlets like Whole Foods. Tips on how to hire top talent with no startup capital is also covered.

Three years after graduating from the University of Maryland in 1996, Cohen started his career as a serial entrepreneur when he co-founded Mamma Says, Inc., a food manufacturing company that produced biscotti. After selling the business in 2005, he co-founded World Gourmet Marketing, which created “better-for-you” snacks under the flagship brand Sensible Portions. In 2010, World Gourmet (and the Sensible Portions brand) sold for $110 million to The Hain Celestial Group, one of the leading providers of organic and natural foods. Cohen then founded Rickland Orchards and formed a successful partnership with the founders of Skinny Pop before selling the brand to TA Associates for $330 million. After winning the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2014, the following year he founded his most recent brand strategy company, Halen Brands, which has funded products such as Chef’s Cut Real Jerky and Road Crew Crunch.

His experience as a successful entrepreneur in the food industry has made Cohen a valuable member of the Dingman Center Board of Advisors. He is also a generous donor of the annual Jason ’96 & Jamie Cohen Entrepreneurship Fund Award for exemplary student entrepreneurs.

To listen to this episode and gain further insights into the startup world, subscribe to Dingman Bootstrapped on iTunes or download the episodes on the Dingman Center website.

Media Contact

Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
301-405-5283  
301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu 

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

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