BevNET is proud to announce that Jim Breen, the founder and CEO of fast-growing Way Better Snacks, will be on hand to discuss the role of differentiation in establishing and helping grow entrepreneurial brands during FBU (Food and Beverage University) on Sept. 11 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

The lesson will be of particular importance given the crowded, competitive nature of most categories. Way Better Snacks launched into the snack category in 2011, at a time when potato and tortilla chips, pretzels and popcorns were undergoing a renaissance in stores – and yet the product line has grown by executing behind its point of differentiation: a mix of sprouted whole grains, beans and seeds added to its tortilla chips, adding vitamins, minerals and other nutritional benefits.

As Way Better has continued to grow, maintaining and stressing differentiation while broadening product lines and joining new channels has continued to be the major focus for Mr. Breen, whose brand is now carried in more than 20,000 stores.

Mr. Breen’s talk will offer key advice to entrepreneurs who are going into the market with products that they feel are unique and important, explaining the best way to present their own difference and to use it as an advantage with gatekeepers who are used to tired propositions and me-too products. A veteran of the food and beverage industry, Mr. Breen will also be on hand to answer questions and offer advice that can be useful to entrepreneurial brands at a variety of stages in their lifecycles.

Attendees of BevNET’s educational event for startup food and beverage companies, FBU L.A., will have the opportunity to hear more than 20 different speakers on topics ranging from commercialization and co-packing to private equity and lean growth.

The preliminary agenda for the event, which takes place on Sept. 11, 2014 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 2701 N. Sepulveda Boulevard, has been posted. View the agenda for BevNET FBU LA.

For registration information, contact Jon Landis.

About Jim Breen

Jim founded Live Better Brands, LLC. in 2011 and is the creator of its successful Way Better Snacks brand. A CPG industry veteran, Jim began his career in Sales with Borden in 1989, then Best Foods, before moving to the Natural Products industry with Celestial Seasonings. Jim held the positions of VP Sales and then SVP Sales with The Hain Celestial Group from 2000-2010. A student of the industry, Jim has been fortunate to work closely with some the legendary brand builders in the Natural Products industry over the past 15 years. These experiences, along with his drive to offer healthful, clean snack alternatives to consumers, led him to create Live Better Brands and launch its innovative Way Better Snacks brand into the market in the fall of 2011. The brand has received rave reviews and has experienced meteoric growth in its first year, quickly gaining distribution in over 20,000 stores.

About BevNET Food and Beverage University (FBU)

With a carefully-curated lineup that offers experience and insights and a highly interactive format, Food and Beverage University aims to help entrepreneurs learn the best paths to growth in an efficient, inexpensive format. Alongside panelists and speaker presentations, FBU will also feature several networking opportunities for attendees to meet with speakers, BevNET’s own experts, and the system of retailers, distributors, investors and suppliers that form the primary contacts of the food and beverage entrepreneur. FBU is an expansion of the educational platform that BevNET first formed via Beverage School, a business development series that it has run for the benefit of new beverage entrepreneurs and their employees since 2009. BevNET’s track record in providing relevant business development content is evident through its video subscription service at Food & Beverage University (www.BevNETFBU.com), a collection of focused interviews with CPG experts that offer insight into all levels of strategy for food and beverage product entrepreneurs.