Carol Ortenberg

For many food brands, legitimacy comes with access to a national or regional chain, either a Target or Whole Foods, an HEB or a Gelson’s. But could the Italian marketplace Eataly become a similar proving ground? As a high-profile specialty foods location that is growing nationally, it just might.

In a move into the meal space, family-focused natural foods brand Revolution foods is expanding their retail product line to include new Breakfast Hero and Dinner Hero lines.

When thinking about natural, organic or better for you brands, sometimes it can be hard to avoid getting swept up in a tidal wave of green juice, HPP hummus, and non-dairy cheese. But it’s the brands that are able to cross the divide between “health conscious” and “health aspiring” consumers that are finding some of the greatest traction in the marketplace. Jerry Bello, the CEO and founder of his current gig, Pasta Chips, is a master at crossing that divide, be it through discovery, investment, or a straight-up startup.

At Project NOSH LA last week, a continuing theme was how brands can engage with millennials. Although this demographic is influencing purchasing decisions across categories, they also are more adept at filtering out marketing. Some companies create a millennial focused brand for monetary reasons. For Tom Bilyeu, the Co-Founder & President of Quest Nutrition, the reason was personal.

For years the convenience store evoked the image of a place to fill up your tank, grab some chips or Slim Jims, and perhaps hazard a trip to the restroom. But times are changing and consumers are looking for healthier options, as well as showing an openness to including these stores as part of their regular shopping rotation. As a result, retailers have had to adjust their mix in order to capture these dollars.

Baby food brand Once Upon a Farm is growing up, with a spate of new retailers, a new product line and an investment round to fuel that growth.

Just a few short months after launching in Gelson’s and regions of Whole Foods Market, once online-only baking mix and kit brand Foodstirs has announced two milestone developments to facilitate its growth. Not only has the company closed its first major round of funding, but it has also added CPG veteran Greg Fleishman as COO and co-founder.

After a September quarterly earnings call in which it reported a decline in overall soup sales of 3.8 percent, The Campbell Soup Company — and in particular its fresh focused C-Fresh direction — has a new, premium arrow in its quiver: refrigerated, ready to serve soups. This month Campbell’s announced that its brand Garden Fresh Gourmet, which operates under C-Fresh, would launch four new refrigerated soups.

In the fall of 2015, Hain Celestial-owned Celestial Seasonings tea altered its familiar packaging. Now, just over a year later, the brand has announced that due in part to consumer feedback, it’s going back to “new” packaging that’s virtually the same as its older packaging.

A growing number of entrepreneurs with condiment and plant-based food brands are turning to crowdfunding for their startup capital. Project NOSH recently sat down with CircleUp, a crowdfunding platform for consumer brands looking to raise money from accredited investors, to discuss what trends they are seeing on the platform.