Carol Ortenberg

It seems that summer vacation doesn’t apply to the CPG industry, which has seen a flood of capital raises and acquisitions. Here’s a look at some the deals of the past few weeks.

Last week, produce-centric brand Veggie Noodle Co. announced a minority investment from Encore Consumer Capital. Today, the Austin, Texas-based company released more details surrounding the deal, which was revealed to be a $14 million investment closed in May.

Earlier this morning, Whole Foods Market shareholders voted to advance the proposal for e-commerce pioneer Amazon to acquire the natural and organic grocer. While the business community was eagerly awaiting the merger’s approval, consumers are just as excited for what this union may bring to their pantry shelves, according to market research firm GfK.

Boulder, Colorado-based venture capital group Range Light is ready to climb to new heights under a new moniker, Ridgeline Ventures.

With several recently disclosed investments in prominent food-related companies, activist investors are turning up the heat on CPG brands, retailers and related companies. In keeping with the tradition of activist investors, the message is clear: fix your issues, or else we will.

While Steve Savage has been bringing environmentally friendly brands to the table for decades, it wasn’t until recently that they were the kind you could eat. The former CEO and founder of Eco-Products, Savage recently focused his attention on consumer products, backing better-for you brands under the corporate name 1908 Brands. But cleaning up in the food aisle has been more arduous than Savage expected, and as a result, 1908 has decided to take some time to digest.

When trying to establish and grow a brand, entrepreneurs have to think about product, people and persistence. Jason Cohen, the CEO and co-founder of Halen Brands, has all three top of mind. At NOSH Live this past June, Cohen sat down with Project NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg for an inside look at his success in the industry.

Now under new — albeit temporary — leadership, a plant-based dairy leader is launching a new product set. Almond-based cheese and yogurt brand Kite Hill announced this week the launch of three new products to expand the brand’s presence in the dairy set.

Today pulse-based pasta brand Banza announced the close of a $7.5 million series A financing round lead by Beechwood Capital. At Project NOSH Live this past June, Project NOSH Editor, Carol Ortenberg, sat down with Beechwood and Banza to discuss the round.

In a letter posted to business networking website LinkedIn, Annie’s President John Foraker announced he was stepping down from his post at the organic food brand.