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
Bitchin’ Sauce Adds Bean Dip As Part of Portfolio Expansion
The California-based brand is debuting a refrigerated Smoky Chipotle Bean Dip in Kroger banners across the country.
Baba’s Eyes Siete Foods Playbook With Target Expansion, Capital Raise
Baba’s is betting it can break through the crowded hummus category with authentic positioning, passed-through-generations Palestinian family recipes, bold flavor innovation and a broad ambition that reaches beyond dips.
How GLP-1s Are Rewriting The Rules of Wellness
GLP-1 drugs aren’t just changing how consumers eat – they’re reshaping how they engage with wellness overall, creating meaningful opportunities for packaged food brands.
Snacks Back on Track? PepsiCo Sees Volume Growth Return in North America
In its first-quarter earnings call last week, the company pointed to a broad, “holistic” reset across the business: slashing prices, adding value in core brands, expanding shelf space, ramping up innovation and shifting more resources into away-from-home channels.
Walmart Announces Redesign For Largest Private Brand
Walmart unveiled this week redesigned packaging across its Great Value private brand that introduces a more “modern visual identity” and consistent placement of nutritional claims.
BEHAVE Goes Big-Box, Turning Social Hype Into Shelf Space
After a brush with bankruptcy and a last-ditch bet on TikTok that flipped its trajectory overnight, low-sugar gummy brand BEHAVE is rolling into nearly 2,000 Target stores this week.
Ithaca Hummus Leans Into Flavor, Olive Oil and Story as It Eyes No. 1 Spot
Fourteen years in, Ithaca Hummus is rolling out its first major brand campaign, transitioning to olive oil formulations and refreshing its packaging – all as part of a broader push toward sustained category leadership.
More Slurp, Less Sacrifice: KYUNU Reimagines Better-For-You Ramen
A Las Vegas-based startup is betting that better-for-you noodles shouldn’t have to sacrifice slurpability.
The Future of Cottage Cheese Is Here – And It Has Even More Protein
Dairy Farmers of America this week launched a new cottage cheese brand that packs a third more protein than the leading brand. MULU features a proprietary two-layer formulation that combines slow-digesting casein with fast-acting whey.
Kicking The Can: GateDrop Bets on Gummies as Next Wave in Energy
The New Hampshire-based startup is launching a line of energy gummies designed as a precise, portable alternative to traditional caffeinated drinks – dialing in functionality without the bulk of a beverage.