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
TRUBAR Goes Private In $173M Acquisition
Publicly traded TRUBAR was acquired by an affiliate of privately held, Turkey-based snack company ETi Gida for $173 million in cash.
Inside Red’s Leadership Transition and Growth Strategy
Following months of conversations with the board about its next phase of growth, Michael Adair, the founder of Red’s All Natural, described handing off the reins of his frozen foods company in January to an experienced operator as a “natural evolution.”
Encore Consumer Capital Closes $350M Oversubscribed Fund V
Private equity firm Encore Consumer Capital closed its oversubscribed Fund V with $350 million in commitments from limited partners.
Epstein Revelations Create ‘Nightmare’ for Peter Attia’s CPG Brand Ties
Peter Attia was, until Friday, a great name to have on your corporate cap table or advisory board. Over the weekend, things changed.
McGuinness Steps Down At Impossible Foods
After four years, Peter McGuinness is stepping down as chief executive of Impossible Foods, the company announced today. No reason was provided for his departure. He will remain on the company’s board.
Store Brands Take More of the Cart in 2025 as Retailers Invest in Innovation
Private label had another banner year in 2025. U.S. store brand sales hit a record $282.8 billion, growing by more than $9 billion year-over-year and clocking in at nearly three times the growth rate of national brands, according to the Private Label Manufacturers Association.
Milliways Raises $3 Million To Scale Plastic-Free Chewing Gum
Milliways, a brand of plastic-free chewing gum, has raised $3 million in new capital to fuel its U.S. expansion, bringing its total funding to-date to $10 million.
Grüns Unveils New Brand Platform As Gummy Supplements Surge
Grüns founder Chad Janis has announced the launch of Ü Snacks, a broader platform that encompasses additional functional gummy brands including Nütrops, Immün, Jüced and “the many additional innovations coming.”
Zing Bars Founder Buys Back Business From American Licorice Company
Zing Bars founder David Ingalls has reacquired his plant-based protein bar brand from the American Licorice Company with support from Dunedain Ventures, ending a multiyear strategic partnership with the maker of Red Vines and Sour Punch candy brands.
Little Sesame Opens New Plant to Fuel Next Phase of Growth
On the heels of a $8.5 million Series A funding round in July, premium hummus maker Little Sesame opened its new 23,600 sq. ft. facility in Capitol Heights, Md.