Carol Ortenberg

CPG-focused investment group Sunrise Strategic announced late last week that it would bring aboard more food and beverage veterans, notably ex-ONE Brands CEO Peter Burns, to help the firm diversify its capabilities. The news comes as the firm also announced it has raised more capital from its financial partner, Trilantic North America.

D2C condiment brand Fly By Jing announced late last week that it had raised $5 million from investment firm Prelude Growth Partners. Over the next few months the company will debut in Sprouts stores nationwide along with launches in some regions of Target, Whole Foods Market and Costco.

If The New Primal was started to help consumers eat like cavemen, then the company has certainly evolved. To help fund this growth, the condiment, sauce and snack company announced today it has raised $15 million from investor Manna Tree.

As a leader, there are always hard decisions to be made — sometimes unpopular or even risky calls. So how do you learn to lean into the fear and uncertainty that can surround these choices in a way that can help your company or your own career? How do you empower and engage your team to move companies forward?
Jolie Weber, the CEO of snack brand Lenny & Larry’s, will delve into these questions, and more, during this episode of Market Share, with host Carol Ortenberg, the editor of NOSH.

Ultra-fresh meal, snack and beverage producer Urban Remedy is doubling down on a strategy to grow sales via its branded kiosks. It’s a move that CEO Paul Coletta says allows the company to achieve better margins, grow faster with less capital investment and puts the company on “path to profitability.” To support this strategy, the company last week announced it had raised an additional $18 million in funding.

We’re featuring innovative cereal brands during the Product Showcase portion of this month’s Category Close-Up, examining the trends and news — as well as evolving product strategies — that are currently shaping the category.

In this month’s Category Closeup Cereal: Expert Analysis, we’ll hear from a group of industry leaders about the tactics, trends and efforts successful cereal brands must embrace, exploring both the unique dynamics of the set as well as the opportunities for growth and innovation.

Beaten into bankruptcy by the Covid-19 pandemic, Peeled snacks is getting a second bite of the dried apple. The fruit and vegetable snack producer, which had declared bankruptcy in March, has been sold to Jim Goldberg, the founder of tortilla and potato chip company Deep River Snacks. The purchase is just part of the jocular Connecticut resident’s larger plan to build a mission-based portfolio of companies, backed by his own firm, ESM Capital.

Fresh baby and toddler meal company Little Spoon announced today that it had raised $44 million from investors. The round was led by Valor Equity Partners, with participation from previous investor Kairos HQ.

After seeing success in the U.K. and bringing aboard CPG veteran Pete Speranza as CEO, plant-based food brand Wicked Kitchen announced today the closing of a $14 million funding round to fuel its global expansion.