Carol Ortenberg

Over the past two years, frozen dessert brand Pro-Yo has seen sales of its line of high protein, probiotic enhanced “smoothie tubes” grow rapidly into roughly 1,600 stores nationwide. But founder and President Nathan Carey knew the brand could go farther with a new line.

Last month, Whole Foods Market sparked a social media frenzy when the retailer announced it was launching self-serve freezer stations of bulk mochi ice cream in 10 regions. Now with a new CEO, My/Mo Mochi, the company behind the Whole Foods’ freezer program, is ready to step into the limelight with its own line of products.

Superfood snack brand Health Warrior is moving into its next phase of growth with the launch of a new line. But with this expansion, the brand is not forgetting its core mission. Simultaneously, the company is doubling down on the values that were intrinsic to its formation with a new flavor of its current chia bar.

A manufacturer brought a brand in house, and a brand house invested in a manufacturer today. Snack brand Snyder’s-Lance announced today that it made an investment in Natural Foodworks Group (NFG) while incubator Fresca Foods acquired Open Road Snacks.

Grain-free baking and snack brand Simple Mills has expanded its gluten-free, clean-ingredient line to include sprouted seed crackers and grain-free, low-sugar cookies.

Last week Miyoko’s Kitchen, a producer of non-dairy, plant-based, vegan cultured cheeses, announced it closed a Series B round of investment. The round was lead by JMK Consumer Growth Partners, with Obvious Ventures, Stray Dog Capital, and the CircleUp Growth Fund also taking part.

Late last month Whole Foods Market took aim at a class of products who position themselves as “healthier” options due to their use of the added functional ingredients GanedenBC30 and LactoSpore.

At this year’s Winter Fancy Food show, Project NOSH Editor, Carol Ortenberg, sat down with Blueberry Ventures Founder and Managing Director, Arif Fazal to discuss his thought on the natural food space and what the future looks like for the venture firm.

Foodworks, a platform that combines cooking and production facilities, a distribution network, and online software, launched this week in Brooklyn with the goal of helping food brands start and scale their businesses. The company is the most recent incarnation of what was formerly Brooklyn Foodworks, a coworking space, incubator kitchen and commissary space for food and beverage brands.

Call it a cooler convergence of the trendiest kind. Bone broth, cold soup, and HPP juices collided in the grab-and-go space today with the release of Bonafide Provisions’ “drinkable veggies” line, the first product to use bone broth as an ingredient in a cold, ready-to-drink beverage format.