Monica Watrous
For more than a decade, Monica Watrous has covered the latest trends, innovations and developments in the food and beverage industry and has organized and hosted multiple events featuring emerging brands and cutting-edge concepts. She is a lifelong foodie and a champion of startups and disruptors in the consumer packaged goods landscape.
Posts by Monica Watrous
General Mills Revives La Tiara Brand
General Mills has revived the La Tiara line of thin, crispy corn taco shells and taco seasonings, bringing more than 100 jobs to the Kansas City area, where the brand originated.
Small Brands, Big Bite: Insurgent Food Companies Power Category Growth
Challenger brands have accounted for the lion’s share of packaged food category growth for the past decade-plus, and last year was no exception.
Why Bachan’s Sold to Marzetti – and What Comes Next for the Japanese BBQ Brand
After six and a half years building distribution and refining its product lineup, Japanese barbecue sauce brand Bachan’s was ready to find a strategic partner that could help it go “further faster,” said founder and CEO Justin Gill.
David Protein Sued Over Macro Claims
A class action lawsuit filed in New York federal court claims David Protein significantly understates the calories and fat content in its protein bars. David maintains the accuracy of its labeling.
Sprouts Announces Executive Leadership Changes
Sprouts Farmers Market has announced several changes to its leadership team, naming experienced retail hands Don Clark as chief merchandising officer and Amanda Rassi as chief customer officer. Clark succeeds Scott Neal, who will be retiring from the company.
Hidden Veggies Pop Up In Breakfast Launches at Expo West
While protein-packed breakfast items flooded the show floor at Natural Products Expo West, a quieter trend was hiding in plain sight: vegetables. A handful of brands at the show debuted morning staples – from pancakes to toaster pastries to oat bars – that sneak produce into the first meal of the day.
Bachan’s Partners With Top Ramen, SPAM on Limited Launches
Recently acquired Japanese-style condiment brand Bachan’s has partnered with two legacy companies with deep roots in Asian cuisine for a pair of special releases.
Tangy, Tart and Fermented Flavors Pop at Expo West
Tart, tangy and unapologetically sour flavors abounded at Natural Products Expo West, where exhibiting companies leaned into puckery profiles and fermented twists across a number of categories.
Where’s the Beef? Tallow Is Trending At Expo West
The growing backlash against processed seed oils has fueled a resurgence in traditional cooking fats. Fatworks, a family-owned operation in Colorado and longtime defender of rendered fat, has been waiting for this for well over a decade.
David Protein Teases Ice Cream Launch at Expo West
Attendees at Natural Products Expo West spotted white box trucks encircling the Anaheim Convention Center on Tuesday featuring the protein bar purveyor’s branding and a cartoonishly muscular cow alongside an image of an ice cream pint and its nutritional highlights: 30 grams of protein, 260 calories and 2 grams of sugar. (Unclear if that’s for the pint or one serving.)