Oliver Fuss × Tony Grinston — Dual Use: Agri-Food × Army (FoodFunder / AER)

Oliver Fuss (FoodFunder) sits down with Michael "Tony" Grinston — 16th Sergeant Major of the Army (2019–2023) and CEO of Army Emergency Relief — for Episode 1 of Dual Use: Agri-Food × Army.

The U.S. Army spends billions each year on food, materials, and biotech, yet most agri-food startups have no clear path in. This conversation opens that gap: what the Army actually needs from feeding and readiness, how change gets funded and scaled, and how founders can engage without wasting cycles on the wrong doors.

Topics include: • Why fuel (not just fitness) is the missing readiness piece — and how DFAC modernization became a signal of how far feeding ops had to move • Campus-style dining as a live garrison model (choice, quality, off-DFAC operators) • How Army initiatives actually scale: champion + POM budget + accountable leadership • What soldiers adopt in the field: taste first, then performance, then emergency rations — and why weight/cube matter in contested logistics • Practical founder engagement: AUSA/LANPAC and logistics/food shows, innovation labs on large posts, and bringing real problem data

Guest: Michael "Tony" Grinston — 16th SMA; CEO, Army Emergency Relief (from Jan 2024); first former NCO to lead AER. Signature feeding/readiness pushes include campus-style dining, DFAC modernization, Go for Green, and Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F).

Host: Oliver · FoodFunder Series: Dual Use — Agri-Food × Army Distribution: Food Tech Weekly / Investment Climate Podcast

Links: • Army Emergency Relief: https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/ • FoodFunder: https://foodfunder.com/ • Food Tech Weekly: https://news.foodtechweekly.com/