Carol Ortenberg

Sometimes, consumers want a vegan, high-protein, hemp-based, collagen-enhanced superfood snack. And sometimes they just want a better version of a familiar favorite. That’s what Sherbrooke Capital-backed snack brand Halfpops is betting on with the launch of a new brand, Off The Trail.

As emerging food brands continue to take more market share away from some of food’s biggest players, they also are luring away some of their top talent. Here’s the latest in natural food hiring news.

Today, snack and breakfast brand Purely Elizabeth announced new, unicorn-inspired Vibrant Oat cups in bright pink, yellow and blue colors — giving the company a Pinterest-ready play to captivate consumers. The brand also is keeping its feet squarely in the earth with the launch of grain-free superfood bars enhanced with reishi mushrooms.

The expression may be “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” but for manuka honey producer Wedderspoon, vinegar isn’t too bad either. The brand announced today the launch of three new lines of products as well as a complete rebrand.

Today, bone broth company Bonafide Provisions unveiled a new brand identity, including a rebrand of its bone broth and “drinkable veggies” lines, and a new line of frozen soups. The goal is to create a unified look that better captures the company’s voice and that can better support line extensions.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, some of the country’s biggest retailers are showing a lot of love for natural brands by adding innovative new products to store shelves.

In this week of The Checkout, retail competitors try to find new ways to cater to their customers’ needs and a “nutty” acquisition.

This week, two up and coming natural food brands — chilled bar brand Perfect Bar and baking mix company Foodstirs — announced they are launching at Starbucks cafes nationwide. The retail addition is just one piece of each brands’ marketing strategy for product innovation and capturing new consumers.

Seafood brand Safe Catch hopes to bring millennials back to the canned seafood category and investors believe they can. Yesterday the brand announced a $5 million raise.

Popped snack brand PopCorners has reverted to an earlier brand strategy, tossing aside last year’s pivot to a brand hierarchy governed by the name “Our Little Rebellion.” The new look returns to an emphasis on the PopCorners brand.