The First Thing Chobanis Founder Told Me
- Jul 21
- 1 min read
Episode 115: Ricky Silver
Kyle Matthews sits down with Ricky Silver, CEO of Daily Harvest, to discuss how one of America's fastest-growing healthy food companies is changing the way people eat.
Ricky shares his unconventional journey from studying chemistry at Skidmore College and pursuing a PhD at NYU to becoming a personal chef, working in PepsiCo's research and development division, leading innovation at Vita Coco, and ultimately becoming CEO of Daily Harvest following its acquisition by Chobani.
The conversation explores what it takes to build a mission-driven food company, why healthier eating has become unnecessarily complicated, how Daily Harvest sources ingredients from around the world, and the leadership lessons Ricky has learned while scaling a rapidly growing business.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, leader, food industry professional, or simply someone looking to build healthier habits, this episode is packed with practical insights on leadership, innovation, nutrition, and building businesses that create lasting impact.
Show Notes:
00:00 Kind, Not Nice
01:14 Meet Ricky Silver
02:44 What Is Daily Harvest?
05:48 From Chemistry to Food
08:27 Inside PepsiCo R&D
12:32 Why Ricky Earned an MBA
14:03 Building Innovation at Vita Coco
16:40 The Work Ethic Behind Success
19:07 Simple Nutrition Advice
21:13 Innovation Lessons
24:49 Joining Daily Harvest
26:24 The Road to CEO
28:14 Inside the Supply Chain
29:06 Rescuing "Imperfect" Bananas
30:06 Building a Food Safety Culture
32:59 Becoming CEO
36:35 The Chobani Acquisition
40:50 Leading After the Deal
41:52 Leadership Lessons From Hockey
47:36 Staying Curious
51:54 Kind, Not Nice Leadership
55:00 Rapid Fire Questions
58:16 Final Thoughts
