Brad Avery

Family-owned food manufacturer King’s Hawaiian has acquired Hawaii-based beverage brand Shaka Tea, the company announced today. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal comes less than two years after the baked goods and restaurant company invested in Shaka as part of a $2.3 million funding round. According to a press release, Shaka Tea… Read more »

Pioneering chia beverage maker Mamma Chia is looking to emphasize diversity and empowerment with a comprehensive rebrand, set to begin rolling out to stores this month.

Health and wellness ecommerce brand Athletic Greens announced today that it has raised $115 million in a funding round led by venture capital firm Alpha Wave Global, which also has investments in companies like Alibaba, Uber and Atai Life Sciences. The deal, which raises the powdered beverage maker’s valuation to over $1 billion, is expected… Read more »

As sugar reduction continues to be a top priority for food and beverage manufacturers, seven low- and zero-sugar brands are banding together to form the Alliance to Control Excessive Sugar (ACES), a new business group dedicated to promoting better-for-you products. The group was conceived by its chairman, Super Coffee CEO Jimmy DeCicco, and includes his… Read more »

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact consumer attitudes towards shopping and eating this year, according to a new 2022 trend outlook report by sales and marketing firm Acosta. Even before the current surge of the omicron variant caused infections to skyrocket, consumers surveyed by Acosta in July and October said they were continuing to… Read more »

Stryve Begins 2022 Expansion with Costco, 7-Eleven Meat snacks brand Stryve Foods is set to add thousands of new doors to its nationwide footprint this year, including chains like Costco and 7-Eleven, bringing the brand’s total distribution to over 30,000 retail locations in the U.S. According to the company, Stryve Biltong and Vacadillos products are… Read more »

In 2018, fermented dairy brand Lifeway announced the beginning of “Lifeway 2.0,” a strategic revitalization plan to invigorate growth and expand. Now, speaking today at the 2022 ICR Conference, CEO Julie Smolyansky said the goals of the plan have been achieved and the company is now beginning a new phase: “Lifeway 3.0.”

Imperfect Foods Brings On Dan Park as CEO Online grocery shopping platform Imperfect Foods announced this month it has named Dan Park as CEO. Park, who began in the role on January 3, comes to the company from a four-year tenure as CEO at BuildDirect Technologies, a Canadian ecommerce platform specializing in building materials. During… Read more »

Green Circle Capital Partners announced yesterday it has raised $13 million for its first fund in a new venture capital division, Green Circle Foodtech Ventures (GCFV), with an anchor investment from Hormel Foods’ VC arm 199 Ventures.

David Segal loves tea too much to stay away from the industry. Best known as the co-founder of Canadian loose leaf tea brand DAVIDsTEA, Segal announced today the launch of his latest project, Firebelly Tea, an ecommerce premium tea and accessories brand. Co-founded with Shopify president Harley Finkelstein, Firebelly specializes in high quality teas in sustainable packaging, made without artificial ingredients or flavors.