Martín Caballero

KeVita co-founder and former CEO Bill Moses is teaming with private investment firm Clearlake Capital Group L.P. to launch Disruptive Brands, a new platform aimed at investing in and supporting innovative emerging brands across the consumer packaged goods spectrum.

Zoe Leavitt, Retail Food & Technology Analyst at strategic data analytics firm CB Insights, discussed yesterday the evolving relationship between the big and emerging brands during a webinar titled “Startups Shaping the Future of Food.”

At SupplySide West 2017, held in September in Las Vegas, Project NOSH’s sister site, BevNET, caught up with several ingredient suppliers seeking to build the market for these proteins through innovative solutions and products, such as ready-to-drink beverages and supplements.

Just like the brands they seek to partner with, investment banks working the food and beverage space need to stand out from the crowd. Within its consumer and retail practice, Cascadia, based in Seattle, focuses on emerging food and beverage brands and companies involved in contract manufacturing. The group has quietly brokered 50 deals since 2010.

At Supply Side West 2017, held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from Sept. 26 – 28, BevNET spoke to several companies working in the space about the state of the market for pea protein, what’s driving new innovation on a supplier level, and both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

There’s often a clear correlation between time and quality in coffee and tea preparation: in theory, the longer it takes to prepare, the more rewarding the drinking experience should be. But if that same artisan beverage craftsmanship can be replicated in a fast and convenient format, would that idea still hold true?

It didn’t take long for Andrew Buerger, co-founder of B’More Organic, to jump into the skyr business. In fact, it only took one taste.

Retail merchandising company Basemakers has merged with experiential marketing agency Phoodie, creating an integrated organization offering companies in-store visibility and sampling services together under one roof.

Last week, Danone cleared the final hurdle in announcing Stonyfield’s acquisition by its fellow French dairy company, Lactalis, for $875 million. After enjoying over a decade of growth under Danone, the New Hampshire-based company is beginning a new chapter. In discussing the deal with NOSH, analysts and experts in the organic grocery space noted that while the deal was ostensibly about freeing Danone to secure the bigger prize of acquiring WhiteWave, it also affirms the long-term value of a strong organic brand.

If you were at this year’s Institute of Food Technology (IFT) show, held this week at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, you likely caught a glimpse of the future. The venue hosted over 20,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors showcasing a range of ingredients, flavorings, colorings, sweeteners and everything in between, painting a broad portrait of the current state of the industry and pointing the way towards further developments and innovations that are only just beginning to emerge.