Adrianne DeLuca

In this weeks checkout: Cox Enterprises acquires Brightfarms, Apeel Sciences closes another $250 million funding round, TRUFF teams up with Taco Bell and Brave Robot launches cryptocurrency payment options.

Over the past several weeks, plant-based brands have seen distribution gains with Wholly Veggie and Daring Foods joining the shelves of Whole Foods Markets and Impossible launching its new sausage line in retail.

This year’s Forbes list of the top wealthiest self-made women featured four founders, leaders and executives behind some of CPG’s most notable brands. Released this week, the full list includes 100 of the top female entrepreneurs and executives, two-thirds of which either founded or cofounded their company and 26 who have served as CEOs.

In this week’s Checkout, Tyson Foods mandates vaccines for all U.S.-based employees; Kroger partners with Kitchen United; Danone and Brightseed expand their partnership and Modern Meat launches in the U.S.

As the final step to complete a merger with European fresh produce company Total Produce that began in February, this week Dole Packaged Foods intends to raise $559 million from an initial public offering. The merger forms the world’s largest fresh produce provider, joining Dole’s 109,000 acres of land, 162 distribution and manufacturing facilities, 75 picking houses and 12 cold storage facilities with Total Produce’s global import and distribution network.

North Carolina-based grocer The Fresh Market filed for an initial public offering this month for the second time in the company’s almost 40-year history. This second IPO could bring significant changes to the grocer’s position in the retail landscape, forcing them to optimize operations at the expense of local and emerging brands.

Montreal-based food and beverage maker Buddha Brands has raised $3 million from a funding round led by capital investment corporations BDC Capital and Investissement Quebec, the company announced Tuesday, July 7. The capital will help to fuel further expansion into the U.S. market, as the brand pivots its American business away from beverages to focus on nutritional bars.

The growth of the specialty food industry over the past year was primarily driven by products used for at-home cooking and baking as consumers looked to make easy meals and indulgent treats as lockdowns carried into the new year. In a recent report published by the Specialty Food Association (SFA) with research from SPINS and IRI, the SFA predicts that these categories will continue to lead growth in the industry as cooking at home becomes more habitual to consumers.

Six startup food brands in categories ranging from snacking to international were selected from a field of 12 to compete in Wednesday’s final round of NOSH’s Virtual Pitch Slam 10, presented by 301 Inc. The five judge-selected finalists are Beyond the Equator, COCINA 54, Honey Child Artisan Pops, Singing Pastures and Down to Cook and the sixth, audience-voted finalist is Daily Crunch Snacks.

Leveraging supply chains, UNSTUCK is on a mission to support refugees. An extension of nonprofit The Tent Partnership for Refugees, the initiative has developed brand partnerships which it believes can create sustainable change, and it’s demonstrating this power through a new launch with yogurt brand Chobani.