George Goodwin

Family Owner Goodwins Organics

Founder of GroceryPulse by Innovar Marketing Agency

Founder Kōbu Kombucha

4th Generation Grocer

George Goodwin is a fourth-generation grocer, marketer, and entrepreneur whose career sits at the intersection of grocery retail, CPG innovation, and modern marketing.

Rooted in a century-old family business, Goodwin’s Market & Sons, George grew up immersed in grocery life — from working store aisles as “free labor” as a kid, to helping his father, Martin Goodwin, launch the first all-organic grocery store in the U.S. in 2008 — a store that still stands strong today, even after Whole Foods once said it wouldn’t last two weeks.

In high school, George turned the store’s slowest day of the week into its busiest by organizing a farmers market in the parking lot, which became so popular that the City of Riverside temporarily shut it down for not being registered. A year later, the city invited him back — this time offering full support to make it official.

At UC Riverside, George combined his love for athletics, entrepreneurship, and storytelling. As a Division I track and field athlete who set two school records in pole vault, he credits his performance partly to “organic food and good habits.” He earned degrees in English and Economics, later joining a faith-based postgraduate program, where he deepened his sense of leadership and purpose.

Soon after, George was recruited to IT Retail, a family-founded technology company his father had started a decade earlier. He helped lead business development and marketing, was promoted by executives Luke and Bob Henry, and ultimately became Marketing Director, helping scale the company until its acquisition for over $25 million.

During his tenure, he supported the parent company QwikSolutions and helped launch several successful vertical brands, including Market POS, Cigar POS, Pet POS, and POS Nation. His marketing campaigns drove record-breaking lead generation in just a few months — a milestone that confirmed his gift for connecting data, storytelling, and sales.

After IT Retail’s acquisition, George co-founded RetailMetrix, a data analytics and point-of-sale platform designed to empower independent grocers with real-time insights. He continued to attend major grocery trade shows like NGA, Expo West, and UNFI, where mentors such as Bob Reeves (VP, The Shelby Report) and Carl from Hawaii encouraged him to apply to the USC Food Industry Management Program.

Accepted on a full-ride scholarship to the USC Marshall School of Business — ranked top 10 globally — George studied under Cynthia McCloud, deepening his expertise in leadership, operations, strategy, finance, and innovation in the food industry.

After graduating, George was recruited by gener8tor, a nationally recognized accelerator, where he became CEO and Founder of Kōbu Kombucha Powder — a science-backed, clean-label beverage brand reimagining kombucha for the modern wellness consumer. Under his leadership, Kōbu is pioneering a new category by transforming kombucha from a $6–$8 bottled drink into an affordable, shelf-stable, and nutrient-forward powder format. His mission-driven approach emphasizes gut health, low sugar, and convenience, without the vinegar bite often associated with traditional kombucha.

A natural storyteller and content creator, George has also built a strong digital presence — with over 120,000 followers on TikTok — sharing insights on entrepreneurship, wellness, and the grocery industry. He is the host of the GroceryPulse Podcast, originally launched under RetailMetrix and now produced through his agency, Innovar Marketing. The show highlights the leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs shaping the future of retail and CPG, distributed across YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, with written features amplified through Innovar’s digital platform.

Beyond business, George is an Airbnb Superhost and real estate investor, managing multiple short-term rentals across California and Nevada. He combines digital strategy with hospitality design to create meaningful guest experiences that connect people with place.

Today, George is focused on pushing the grocery and retail industries forward through storytelling, technology, and collaboration. His talks explore the intersection of tradition and innovation, data and human connection, and how the next generation of grocers and founders can thrive in an ever-evolving retail landscape.