Carol Ortenberg

Roughly two years ago, Krave Jerky founder Jon Sebastiani declared his plan to transform Sonoma, Calif. into a CPG mecca with the launch of investment and incubation group Sonoma Brands. Today, with the announcement of a new fund and new capital invested in his snack brand Smashmallow, Sebastiani looks to be well on his way to fulfilling this goal.

Today Icelandic-style yogurt producer siggi’s announced its sale to global dairy company Lactalis. Siggi’s says its products, known as “skyr,” comprise the fastest growing yogurt in conventional grocery.

Seaweed-focused food brand Ocean’s Halo is ready to conquer another center store category with the debut of organic, gluten-free, soy-inspired, but soy-free sauces.

This year was filled with brand consolidations, new line creations and engaging conversations around how the natural products industry could continue to grow — and Project NOSH covered it all. Here are the most read stories on NOSH over the past year.

Yesterday, Canadian natural food company GreenSpace Brands announced it had acquired Galaxy Nutritional Foods, the producer of Go Veggie plant-based dairy products, from investment firm Mill Road Capital. The deal allows GreenSpace to bring their other Canadian brands to U.S. stores and enter the plant-based dairy category.

Today, two young companies operating in evolving routes to market, Daily Harvest and AxleHire, both found fuel to burn via multi-million dollar investment rounds. The raises are indicative of rising interest in direct-to-consumer sales and subscription models, both for millennial consumers and investors alike.

Today Campbell Soup Company announced the acquisition of snack food company Snyder’s-Lance for $50 per share in an all-cash transaction. For Campbell, acquiring Snyder’s represents a significant shift of their business from soups and meals to snacking — a move that echoes the eating habits of consumers.

Last week, Beyond Meat announced the close of a $55 million investment in its plant-based meat substitute platform. Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said the round was needed in order to set the company up for success in 2018, with the investment focused primarily on operations and R&D.

After over a decade and a half on U.S. store shelves, fair trade focused snack and chocolate brand Alter Eco has been acquired by strategic equity firm NextWorld Evergreen (NWE).

Yesterday, plant-protein powerhouse Beyond Meat announced the close of a $55 million round. Leading the round was Cleveland Avenue, LLC, the venture capital firm founded by Don Thompson, former CEO of McDonald’s Corporation.