Carol Ortenberg

Foodservice-focused Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI) announced today that it has closed its second fund at $332 million.

Pretzel and popcorn brand Quinn announced today that founder and CEO Kristy Lewis has stepped down from her current role and will transition to a new role as Chief Visionary Officer and chairwoman of the board at the company. She will be succeeded by Mike Keown, who most recently was the CEO of sports nutrition brand Honey Stinger.

The ice cream category may already be crowded, but two New England-based ice cream innovators believe there’s still white space in retail for a value-oriented, plant-based offering. Sweet Tree Creamery, once a food-service only partnership between the FoMu brand of plant-based ice cream and co-packer, New England Ice Cream (NEIC), is now launching in stores.

Colorado has long been a hotbed of innovation for better-for-you food and beverage brands. So when tragedy struck last week with the Marshall Fires destroying the homes of thousands in Boulder County, the CPG community responded.

Better Brand has a simple goal: to make classic bakery staples…better. The low-carb, high-protein brand hopes to expand into food service and launch into other categories in the coming year, and believes investment into its production and staffing can help make this a reality.

Building on its success with smoothies, bowls and bites, Daily Harvest is further expanding its offerings with the launch of Harvest Bakes, a new collection of bakeable meals made with vegetables, legumes and whole grains

The plant-based trend isn’t limited to nuggets and burgers, as over the past year confectionary brands have turned their eyes towards consumers’ rising interest in animal-free products.

Yesterday’s $67 million fundraise by baby brand Yumi caps off a year of acquisitions and investments in the category — attention that is reflective of both increased discussion of contaminants in baby food and growing interest in getting products to parents through newer distribution methods.

Today San Francisco Equity Partners (SFEP) announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Rustic Bakery, the organic food producer and cafe owner behind the Rustic Bakery line of crisps and cookies.

Salty snack brand The Good Crisp Company announced last week that it has closed what it described as its largest funding round to-date as it seeks to make the jump from natural retailers into conventional grocery.