Martín Caballero

Fair Trade USA and Chobani announced yesterday the formal launch of a certification program for dairy farms and cooperatives “that provides financial premiums to dairy farmers and workers, which will help protect and empower them while raising sustainability standards,” according to a press release.

Oat-based product maker Oatly (Oatly Group AB) has officially filed for an initial public offering. The much-heralded Swedish company, which entered the U.S. in 2017, has emerged as leader in the $2.5 billion plant-based milk space, which now represents 15% of the milk category according to data from the Plant Based Foods Association and the Good Food Institute.

PepsiCo reported net revenue growth of 6.8% in Q1 of this year, a figure that “reflects the benefits of (its) highly strategic acquisition activity” and “continued investment in our brands, manufacturing capacity, supply chain and go-to-market systems,” the company reported this morning.

Target is committing over $2 billion towards supporting Black-owned businesses through the end of 2025, the retailer announced today, as part of a broader effort to use its “size, scale and resources to create opportunity” for those companies

Recess Mood takes the New York-based brand into a different state of mind. While the flagship product offered a sense of “calm, cool and collected” through a combination of hemp extract and adaptogenic herbs, Mood is positioned as a caffeine and CBD-free “uplift” delivered via a proprietary blend of magnesium L-theorate.

This month, Evolve, Cytosport’s plant-based protein platform brand, will debut a new brand identity and reformulated products across its range, beginning with its core shake line. With dairy-based Muscle Milk experiencing double-digit sales declines, according to Nielsen data, Evolve is positioned to be Pepsi’s primary growth driver in plant-based protein, a space that includes players like OWYN, Koia, Orgain and Aloha.

Chobani has teamed with PepsiCo to further its ambitions in the refrigerated space through a pilot distribution program that will take the yogurt maker’s products into convenience retailers, colleges and universities across the Northeast starting this month.

Botanical tonic brand Sunwink is expanding its plant-based platform outside of ready-to-drink beverages with the launch of Superfood Powder Mixes.

Best known for its broad spectrum hemp CBD-infused sparkling waters and energy drinks, the brand further expanded its growing platform with the launch of infused gummies in January.

Americans are closer to seeing what a federally regulated hemp industry looks like today, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its finalized regulations.