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
Flowers Foods To Acquire Simple Mills For $795 Million
Flowers Foods, Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Simple Mills from company management, Vestar Capital Partners and initial angel investors for $795 million in a cash transaction. The deal is subject to customary regulatory approval and closing conditions and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025…. Read more »
A Bite With… Mez Foods Co-Founder Ben Schultz
Mesquite may be best known for barbecue, but the plant also produces nutritious pods that can stand in for cocoa beans in chocolate recipes. Enter Mez Foods, a Chicago-based startup that is championing the ingredient in a line of premium tablet bars that are made with mesquite bean flour, plus illipe butter, chufa flour, pea and rice protein fermented by shiitake mycelium, sugar, carob powder and oat fiber.
Kroger, Albertsons Terminate Megamerger Agreement
The Kroger Company and Albertsons Companies this week terminated the proposed $24.6 billion merger agreement that was initially announced more than two years ago, after a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission suing to block the deal and Washington and Oregon state courts put permanent injunctions in place to halt the transaction.
No Deal (Yet): Kroger-Albertsons Merger Denied
The proposed $24.6 billion Kroger-Albertsons megamerger was temporarily blocked today by a federal judge, who ruled in favor of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suing to block the deal.
Mondelēz Reportedly Exploring Hershey Takeover
Mondelēz International is exploring a possible acquisition of candy and snack rival Hershey, according to a Bloomberg News report citing private sources familiar with the matter. The combination would bring together such brands as Oreo, Ritz, Reese’s and SkinnyPop and generate annual sales of almost $50 billion.
Stryve Makes Strides In Margin Improvement, Closes $2.9M Equity Raise
Stryve Foods achieved continued revenue growth and improved gross margins, along with reduced operating expenses, in the third quarter.
Marco Sweets & Spices Ceases Operations
Marco Sweets & Spices is ceasing operations after four years on the market, citing financial difficulties following a widespread product recall earlier this summer by the company’s sole manufacturer.
Daily Crunch, Fly By Jing Launch Co-Branded Snack
Daily Crunch Sweet & Spicy Sichuan Sprouted Cashews & Edamame is debuting at Whole Foods Market. The snack mix features sprouted cashews and crispy edamame seasoned with Fly By Jing Mala Spice Mix, which has Sichuan chili pepper, coconut sugar, salt, garlic, mushroom powder and spices.
Chubby Snacks Hit With Class Action Lawsuit
Chubby Snacks has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the company mislabeled the amount of sugar in its frozen sandwiches.
Bad Bread? BetterBrand Claims ‘No Truth’ To Shutdown Rumors
BetterBrand rode the rumor roller coaster this week, and it’s only Thursday. The company was said by some media outlets to be in the process of shutting down, but the story that has unraveled is even more complex.