Erin Cabrey

Vermont Smoke & Cure CEO Tara Murphy has announced she will depart the meat snack maker to lead Vermont-based sustainable food storage brand Bee’s Wraps, effective June 1. Murphy’s successor has yet to be named.

In this week’s Checkout, Terviva raises $54 million and announces a partnership with Danone; Bodega Latina acquires Smart & Final; and the National Grocers Association rebrands.

The push to regulate plant-based food and beverage brands’ use of terms associated with animal-based products is continuing this month with a new bill in Texas. The Texas House of Representatives last week passed a bill that would ban the use of meat terms such as “beef,” “chicken,” and “pork” by plant-based meat companies on their food labels and advertisements in the state.

Acai food and beverage brand Sambazon announced yesterday it had secured a $45 million investment from NextWorld LLC through its growth equity fund NextWorld Evergreen LP. The company will use the new funding to grow its omnichannel presence, expanding across retail and ecommerce while also growing its cafe business.

Despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the plant-based food industry continued to gain momentum in 2020 with increased sales, a strong interest in investment and manufacturing advancements. The Good Food Institute’s (GFI) 2020 Plant-Based State of the Industry report highlighted some of these major achievements in the space last year, while also offering plant-based companies actionable insights for the future. Although the category is buzzy and crowded, there’s still opportunity for companies to innovate and bring new consumers into the category, according to GFI research analyst Kyle Gaan.

In this week’s Checkout, Memphis Meats rebrands to UPSIDE Foods with plans to launch chicken this year; B&G names its new CEO and reports a strong first quarter; Kroger announces a new Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator Program; and Target launches a plant-based line from its Good & Gather brand.

Massachusetts-based meat and vegetable burger blend maker Grateful Market has secured several retail placements in the Northeast, hitting the freezer section at Hannaford, Shaw’s and Whole Foods, following a channel strategy pivot as a result of the pandemic.

As consumer interest in plant-based eating continues to grow, GW Chew, founder and CEO of plant-based protein maker Something Better Foods, is working to ensure that meat alternative products are created for, and accessible to, everyone who wants them. With new funding from nonprofit venture capital firm ICA, the California-based company hopes to expand availability of its plant-based proteins to minority communities by focusing both on affordable pricing and by developing a portfolio of products that cater to a wide range of cuisines.

In this week’s Checkout, Renewal Mill closes a $1 million funding round; Impossible Foods clears a legal battle over FDA approval of its heme; and Kellogg’s and Hain Celestial report quarterly earning results.

With a sudden pandemic-driven shift in consumer shopping habits leading to declining category sales, natural gum and mint maker Simply Gum saw last year as the perfect time to begin testing the extensibility of its brand through expansion into new categories and use occasions. With Smoothie Bites, a candy offering, the brand hopes to begin to establish itself as a confection platform.