Why A Financial Windfall Won't Fulfill Caulipower's Gail Becker… or Anyone Else

0:10Hello, friends. I'm Ray Lateef, and you're listening to the number one podcast for anyone building a business in food or beverage, Taste Radio. In this episode, we sit down with Gail Becker, the founder of trailblazing cauliflower-centric frozen brand, Caulipower. Gail Becker has a bold message for CPG entrepreneurs. If your brand isn't built to truly improve the lives of your consumers, quote, you should stay the hell out. As the founder of groundbreaking frozen food brand Caulipower, Gale has changed the way that millions of Americans think about comfort food. Caulipower offers gluten-free, better-for-you versions of traditional favorites, including its flagship cauliflower-based pizza crust, as well as chicken tenders, frozen pizzas, and pizza bites.

0:59With$100 million in annual sales and a presence in tens of thousands of retailers nationwide, including Target, Walmart, Kroger, and Whole Foods, Caulipower has made an indelible mark in the freezer aisle. In this candid interview, Gail shares the most rewarding aspect of her entrepreneurial journey, the personal connection that she's built with consumers. For Gail, it's never been about the financial gain. It's about making a difference. She also opens up about the guiding principles behind Kali Power's product development and how staying true to those values has fueled innovation, allowing her to meet real consumer needs while daring to break industry norms.

1:37She also dives deep into how her leadership style has evolved as the company scales and why staying grounded in core values is crucial, no matter how big the business gets.

1:51Hey folks, it's Ray with Taste Radio. Right now, I am supremely honored to be sitting down with the one and only Gail Becker, who is the founder of Kali Power. Gail, great to see you. Great to see you too. Thanks so much for having me. Your booth is bustling. It's busy. It's crazy. It's It's lunchtime here at Expo West 2025. Everyone wants your pizza. I could think of much worse places to be. Absolutely. What is your pizza? What's everyone going crazy about? Well, I think they're coming for all of our products, but definitely I've heard the best bite of the show is our new dill pickle pizza. It's the first frozen dill pickle pizza.

2:25We actually put the brine in the sauce so that you get that dill pickle taste in every bite. We put roasted garlic and dill on top. I wish your listeners could smell it because it smells amazing. Well, dill is definitely on trend. Yes. People seem to want that, what would you call it, vinegary, but just sort of... Kind of like a briny, salty, tangy, dill-liciousness, if I could say. Yeah. Did you ever think you'd have a dill pickle pizza when you started out? I didn't even think I'd have pizza, to be honest with you. I mean, cauliflower is not that old. So, yeah, it's all kind of crazy. This one was tough, I will tell you.

3:05This took about two years to bring to market. Really? Yeah. I always wonder about the pipeline for new products and innovation and why it takes longer for some companies. Obviously, Kali Power has been around for a bit longer than an upstart. Upstarts can typically come out with a new product within a matter of months. Why two years? This one took a long time because we couldn't figure out a good way to deliver on that dill pickle taste without putting frozen dill pickle slices on top that honestly don't hold up that well in the freezing and cooking process. So we tried all kinds of ways. And then finally, we figured out, let's put the dill pickle brine in the sauce.

3:48And by the way, this is real dill pickle brine. It's not like dill flavoring. flavoring. It is the real brine that is actually in the sauce. And it just took a long time to perfect, but we did it. And I'm so thrilled to bring it to market. Well, you know, plant-based foods have come a long way. I got to tell you, there was a, well, it wasn't that long ago, maybe 15 years ago, where we're like, oh yeah, it's not going to taste good. It's better for you. And I think that was the origins or that were, those were the origins of the plant-based food industry where it was okay if taste wasn't necessarily there yet, but the ingredients were important.

4:22And I'd love to hear from you about the evolution of this plant-based food movement and how it has impacted the development of cauliflower. Sure. Well, I wouldn't call ourselves a plant-based brand because obviously we do have meat, but we certainly have a lot of vegetarian dishes. And obviously we celebrate the vegetable, right? Boy, we celebrated so much, we even put it in our name. But, you know, when I started Cauliflower, what I would say was so interesting to me is that the industry wasn't giving people what they wanted, so much so that they resorted to spending 90 minutes to making a cauliflower pizza crust just online.

5:07And I thought that was such an interesting insight. So since the very beginning, you know, I always thought, why can't you offer people better for you foods that taste great? And honestly, there wasn't a lot in market. I know because I struggled to find things for my two sons who had celiac disease. Gluten-free food just, you know, it only ticked the box of being gluten-free. Didn't have to taste good. Certainly didn't have to be good for you. It just needed to be gluten-free. And I noticed that the industry was putting more fat, sugar, salt, and calories in it. And so, you know, I waited for someone to do something and no one ever did.

5:48So I guess you could say that, you know, cauliflower was born out of a frustration for waiting, but also so that everybody could eat the same thing, no matter how you eat. If you want something that is lighter in calories, if you want something that's gluten-free, if you want something with less sugar, if you just want a great tasting pizza, you don't have to cook seven different things. We can all eat the same food. And in a world that is divided, that seems like a pretty, pretty great idea. World is divided, but I think great taste can get us beyond a lot. And food has always been that place where people can sit down, share a meal, and hopefully talk.

6:34Yes. Yes. Yes. But I think there is still some divisiveness when it comes to plant-based foods. And again, as you mentioned, Caulipower, you wouldn't necessarily define it as a plant-based brand. Actually, how would you define Caulipower? We make great tasting food that's better for you and happens to be gluten-free. Okay. So gluten-free is the key. Gluten-free is not the key. It's the add-on. Okay. It's great tasting is definitely the key. Better for you is definitely the key. It happens to be gluten-free because everybody should be able to share from the same plate. That is really the point of the brand.

7:10We are an all-inclusive brand. We don't shame anyone. We celebrate everyone. We have foods for everyone, no matter how you eat. You know, people really like to eat a flexitarian lifestyle. that is really at the core of our brand. You want to eat vegetarian? We have something for you. You want to eat gluten-free? We have something for you. You want to eat meat? We have something for you. And that is really the spirit and the ethos of the brand. What aspect of Kali Power is bringing new consumers to the brand? I would say, look, we definitely attract a lot of consumers who are looking for something better, right?

7:49Either better ingredients, more quality ingredients, lower calories. That is definitely a big attraction to the brand. But I think people are also attracted to the fact that we're a very relatable brand. We, you know, we're a little self-deprecating. We bring people joy. You know, heck, we even put a meme on the front of our boxes. When I started Collie Bauer, I believed that when was the last time anyone smiled when they went through the freezer section of the grocery store. I think food should bring you joy. You started with something that absolutely warmed my heart when you said, you know, so that people could be around the table together so that we can be a brand that gives people more time to do what they love.

8:35And that is really the core and the essence of the brand. The name, Caulipower, people know what it's all about almost from the get-go. Caulipower, cauliflower. And the mainstreaming, I think, of cauliflower over the past few years has been really interesting. Your brand has had a lot to do with that. I think people are more inclined to and more willing to try products made with cauliflower. But this is just me. I feel like it might be limiting for where you can go with the brand. Has it been? And what has been your strategy for getting people even more interested in this ingredient? It's a great question.

9:13And if you listen to how I answered your question about to define cauliflower, we make great tasting food that's better for you and happens to be gluten-free. Using vegetables is a wonderful way to do that. Of course, you know, cauliflower is our heart and soul, but we use a lot of vegetables and that's really what we're celebrating, right? So I think that is really what draws people to the brand because it's very relatable food, right? It's like we're not offering people green pizza. We're not offering people orange pizza. Cauliflower is an amazing vegetable because it's malleable. It takes on a lot of different flavors.

9:54It's white and it's recognizable. But really, we celebrate all vegetables at Cauliflower, anything that allows us to make healthier versions of your favorite comfort foods. Is that something that you thought would happen with the company in terms of its evolution, that cauliflower would be one component versus the center of everything that you do, which it is. But I mean, it sounds like vegetables is now you're a vegetable centric brand as much as you are a cauliflower brand. I honestly thought that from the beginning. And, you know, more important than what I thought, more important than what, you know, investors thought or anyone else.

10:33That's what consumers thought. For consumers, when we have offered items that host a variety of vegetables, they get it. They're not expecting cauliflower. They're expecting better versions of their favorite comfort foods, and that's what we give them. Whatever vegetables we use and celebrate to help us get there is great, and that's a win. And I love when people come up to me and say, I feel so good about giving this pizza to my kid. And that's what it's about. I think the point of reference is really important as well. And you've touched on this a number of times, which is you're not selling something that is really esoteric.

11:12You're not selling something that's difficult to understand or requires a high level of education. And I encounter entrepreneurs all the time who come out with really, really innovative products, but it's going to take them going over a mountain to get people to understand what they're doing. How do you advise and talk to early stage entrepreneurs about reducing the amount of education that it requires for someone to understand what they're selling? Well, you know, look, we've all learned the hard way, right? And so a few things I like better than talking to entrepreneurs that are just starting out.

11:45I wish more had talked to me when I was just starting out. But money's tight when you're a small company and you don't have the marketing budget that's necessary to educate consumers. What's interesting about Caulipower is the day I made my first and only cauliflower crust pizza from scratch, there were 569 ,000 recipes online, right? 569. 569 ,000 recipes. I picked one. I couldn't even tell you which one I picked. It was fine, by the way. wasn't great, wasn't horrible, it was fine. But that was 569 ,000 recipes hiding in plain sight for people who just wanted a better pizza crust. It's not rocket science, and it shouldn't have to be.

12:32But that's not to say that we don't think the consumer is highly educated. We do. I think that there is a lot of like big food, I will say, who bets against the consumer, right? Who thinks the consumer isn't going to know any better. At Caulipower, we absolutely think the consumer knows better. In fact, we're betting on it. At the end of the day, it really is a consumer-driven industry. Yes. If the consumer wants it, they'll typically buy it. I mean, I think this is something that I'm always referencing Ollipop and Poppy these days, because I remember when I first encountered, Olipop in particular, I saw it as a natural channel brand.

13:15You know, they were in Erewhon, looks good there. I just didn't see where it was going to be today. And I think I might have thought the same thing about Kali Power. Not that I wasn't giving it a chance. I just saw a ceiling. And it seems like you grew so fast, so quickly that there is still much more runway to go. Yeah. But it's happening at a slightly slower pace than it did when you first started. How do you think about your growth and your growth rate, your growth trajectory, now that you've had a number of years under your belt and the brand is where it is today? Yeah. Kali Power certainly grew faster than I then.

13:52And just for context, it was, I mean, you hit a hundred million in sales. In about a little, just under four years. Incredible. It is. That's why my hair looks as curly as it does. When I started, I had straight here, right? But that's another, that's probably a different podcast. It all fits into taste radio. Okay. It all fits into taste radio. But, you know, when I started, I had a pretty good gig in corporate America, right? And I left it for a reason. And I left it because I really wanted to make a difference for people. I wanted to help people. I wanted to have some tiny impact on, on people's lives.

14:28I knew I couldn't do that if I were just going to build something for the natural channel. I wanted it bigger. I wanted it broader. I wanted to make better for you foods available in places where they probably weren't available. And so that was my entire mission. So to your question on founders, I would say never forget the reason you started, because ultimately that is going to help you deliver the best strategy or at least be successful at it. I think in terms of growth, we're in a really good position right now because now we have the type of data and insights and team that can really drive us forward and really hit on the strategy that we have put forth.

15:16In the early days, we didn't have that. We didn't have those insights. We didn't have that data. We couldn't afford it, but now we do. And so that is what's going to help us create a company and continue to grow the company that continues on that growth trajectory. What's the most important data that you can acquire? Look, we're really lucky. You used a word at the beginning. You said privileged, which is such a nice word. I feel privileged all the time. One of the reasons I consider myself privileged is because our consumers are so generous. They tell us what they like. They tell us what they don't like.

15:50They tell us what's missing. So yes, we do pay a lot of money to have a lot of different data and insights on what consumers are looking for. And that's great. But we are a brand that was started on the notion of listening to people. And we actually listened to those 569 ,000 people who said, hey, I don't want to spend 90 minutes making a pizza crust. So that very same listening ability is now what's going to drive us forward and help us create products and disrupt categories that are ripe for innovation, just like the frozen pizza category was when we hit store shelves in 2017. When you are developing new products and thinking about innovation for the future, how do you determine what is going to be right for the brand and your core consumers versus what may bring new consumers to the brand?

16:51I'm going to answer the question by telling you and talking about innovations that we haven't brought to market. Because when you understand the innovation of a company, you have to understand what didn't make it, what was left on the cutting room floor. For us to bring products to market, they have to have three core tenets. They have to taste great. They have to be better for you. And they have to be convenient and affordable. We've developed a lot of products that hit one of those or two of those, but not all three. And we left all those on the cutting room floor because it just wasn't right for the brand.

17:38we have like all young brands we developed products that you know some people loved and still miss but we got out of because it just to your point we just didn't have the money to market it the way that we and educate people what's an example an example i would say was our pasta. People loved our pasta. It was frozen pasta. Buying frozen pasta is not an inherent consumer habit. It's not intuitive. It's not intuitive. No. Maybe one day it will be. And that's great. But there is so much other areas that are ripe for innovation that we want to focus our efforts on that. I love that you brought up affordability.

18:28And this is something that's near and dear to my heart because we're here at Expo West and a lot of the products that are going to be sold at retailers across the country are going to be sold at your Whole Foods and your Sprouts and just some retailers that aren't necessarily accessible to or available to mainstream consumers because of location or price. And it's important for people to eat better. As a country, we need to be eating better. Yes. But people need to access those foods. Yes. We've developed some great products that we never brought to market because honestly, it would be too expensive on shelf.

19:02And so everything we look at, you know, before we would introduce anything, we see how much the consumer would need to pay for it. And we know based on data and insights and things that our consumers tell us that that's not going to be feasible. So we innovate with that in mind. It's harder. It's harder to do that. By the way, that dill pickle pizza that everyone's coming to taste. That took two years to bring to market. Two years. Now, we're fortunate that we are able to spend that long in getting something just right. It would have been easy to introduce it sooner. Would have been great. Might have been more expensive.

19:42Might not have tasted as great. Who knows? But we waited until we hit on all of those elements that are important to us. It's interesting because, you know, like I said, I left corporate America for a reason. Most people don't know this about Kali Power. We launched in 30 whole food stores in the Sopac region, which was great and amazing. We're in Walmart by October of that same year. That was pretty different and unique and some would say inadvisable. And I was told all of those things. But that's kind of the great thing about being an entrepreneur and coming into this industry, which is so incredibly welcoming and disrupting a category.

20:28because you get to decide which rules are you going to follow. Like some rules you just have to follow. But which rules are you going to break? What are you going to do differently? And to me, that was so core to my mission. It was something that I knew I just had to do. And so, you know, look, Walmart took a big bet on us and vice versa. And I think it worked out well for everyone. and Whole Foods is an incredibly important retailer for us, as all the natural channel is. But it's pretty remarkable that Kali Power is a brand that can do well anywhere. That's one of my favorite things about the brand.

21:14Oh, I think great taste and affordability are the two keys, right? I mean, people love good tasting food and they love when they can afford it. Yeah. Going back to breaking rules for a sec, I mentioned Olipop, and they're in the same portfolio as an investor of yours, Boulder Food Group, or excuse me, BFG Partners. Do investors like or respect when you break rules? Some do. Depends on the rules. Some do. Some encourage it. Some dissuade it. Some don't understand it. I mean, look, let's just take Caulibau, for instance. It was hard to get initial investment. was hard to find someone who would even make the pizza because no one believed it.

21:56Even that you're talking about a company and a brand that was built on rule breaking, because I can't tell you how many times I heard, lady, you can't make a frozen pizza crust out of cauliflower. Which made you more angry, the lady or the frozen pizza crust? I got a long list, right? I got a long, long list. Speak your mind, Gail. So it was interesting to me. Here we're talking about the natural food industry, right? An industry that was built on innovation, that was built on pushing boundaries, that was built on improving people's lives. And yet there was a little bit more reticence toward rule breaking than I thought there would be.

22:40Even our packaging. I mean, oh my goodness, I can't tell you how many times people said, you can't put big black letters on the front of your box. Well, clearly, you know what our box looks like. Yeah, it worked out. Worked out. Okay. In research, we found out that consumers actually love it. So if I'm hearing you correctly, you've just got to find the right investors. You've got to find the investors that are going to believe in what you're doing and trust that you're going to break the right rules. Yes, I would say that definitely. But I would also say it's really important for entrepreneurs and founders to hire people who have been around the business and can help guide you.

23:24That's why it's so important to have that list of rules and list of rule breaking. And you need both. And it's okay. hey, I've been so surprised by how many founders feel like they can't say, I don't know, or I need advice, or what should I do about this? I think there's a tendency with some to feel like because it's your vision, it's your company, it's your money, it's your heart and soul that you should have all the answers. Well, guess what? You don't and you shouldn't, and that's okay. And you should hire smarter people around you to help fill in the gaps. But some things you just have to hold true.

24:10And, you know, for me, that was it. Can I say something or ask a question that's going to be maybe a little controversial? Okay. He wouldn't be the first, Ray. So go for it. Is it about my hair? No. Definitely not. I asked this last year in an episode of our podcast. and I kind of stood in a soapbox and said, you know what? I'm kind of mad at big food and, you know, everyone has their own beef to pick with. What's the term? Anyway, they have their own bone to pick. Bone to pick. Everyone has their own beef or bone to pick with big food. You made a pun. There you go. Their beef to pick. Oh, gosh.

24:49I'm never going to live that one down. But it was that big food didn't seem to be interested in acquiring or aligning with really amazing, innovative, better for you, entrepreneurial run brands. And I think at this point and at this stage of development, I may have thought that Kali Power would have been acquired by Big Food, a big food company and say, you know what, this is great for everyone because you're going to get Kali Power and more points of distribution. You'll have more of an opportunity to expand the team, perhaps more marketing dollars committed to the brand. But obviously, you know, you're still independently run.

25:29Was there an opportunity? I mean, do you think about that opportunity? Or is it very much, look, when it happens, it happens? I'm very much a when it happens, it happens type of person. And I say that because I think if you do focus too much on that, you start to lose your way. You stumble. You know, look, where Kali Power is today couldn't have been in my wildest dreams. Where Kali Power is tomorrow, I could only imagine. But what we can do for consumers and the industry, that's what gets me out of bed every day. Who knows what the future holds? Okay, fair enough. It's not like Kali Power was an overnight success just by accident.

26:13you put in the work. Before we hopped in the mics, you had said that you used to work 18 hour days as the founder and CEO. You have a new CEO, Tyler Rips, who's a very well seasoned executive, someone who seems to vibe. You're smiling right now. You love Tyler. I do love Tyler. There you go. But yeah, I mean, hard work is tough. And I mentioned Peter Rahal, who I had a conversation with. He's the founder of RxBar and also of David, which is a new protein bar out there. And he's talked about the importance of hard work as an entrepreneur to the point where you don't necessarily love what you're doing, but you do it because that's what entrepreneurship requires.

26:49I don't know what your take is. And we sort of talked a little bit about this before we hopped on the mics, but when entrepreneurs hear this and they say, well, you know, Kali Power, they did everything right. They got lucky. I mean, but I think they didn't see the hard work behind it. I mean, how do you think about, how do you advise people about hard work and entrepreneurship? Yeah. You know, it's so funny because no one really warns you. And if they do warn you, you don't get it. You're warning them right now, though. Yes. Believe me, I warn people all the time, but I cannot articulate. You can't really explain it unless you go through it.