CPG Week Podcast

In this episode: This week on the podcast, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard discuss trends and new products featured at the NACS Show held Oct. 14-17 in Chicago. The event drew thousands of convenience store operators to view the latest offerings from food and beverage brands seeking to expand within the channel. Show Highlights: 0:35 – Lukas dives into the latest trends in convenience store snacks, including protein bars with bonus benefits and new twists on meat sticks and jerky. 4:15 – Monica highlights new packaging formats and designs in the ready-to-drink coffee and bottled water categories seen on the show floor. 6:15 – What’s brewing in the iced tea segment? Lukas spills the details. 9:00 – PepsiCo showcased big bets and subtle tweaks at the event ranging from new high-protein and lower-sugar offerings to its take on a prebiotic cola. 11:00 – Coca-Cola featured less innovation than its top rival – aside from the notable comeback of Mr. Pibb. Lukas shares insights from his tour of the booth. About CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: This week on the podcast, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Avery dig into Whole Foods Market’s annual trends forecast and DayDayCook’s shift away from its recent brand acquisitions to focus on bitcoin. The podcasters also discuss the potential of a new food processing technology and the legal battle brewing between Liquid Death and Death Wish Coffee. Show Highlights: 0:15 – What trends are on tap for the year ahead? Whole Foods Market forecasts fiber, beef tallow and fine dining in the frozen aisle. 1:30 – DDC Enterprise Limited, which does business as DayDayCook, has raised a whopping $124 million in equity financing – but it doesn’t seem likely that much, if any, of it will be put into the Hong Kong-based company’s recent CPG acquisitions. 3:15 – The startup formerly known as Tender Food is expanding beyond plant-based meat alternatives into additional categories following a new $6.5 million funding round. Monica explains what’s next for the company now known as Lasso. 5:55 – Why is Death Wish Coffee suing Liquid Death? Brad breaks it down. 7:40 – Pop-Tarts jumps on the protein trend, and “Saturday Night Life” spoofs near beer. About CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: In this episode of CPG Week, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard discuss Keurig Dr Pepper’s post-acquisition plans for the JDE Peet’s business, new funding for yogurt maker Painterland Sisters and alt-protein producer The Better Meat Company, and the decision behind Spindrift’s exit from the beverage alcohol category. Show Highlights: 0:15 – Keurig Dr Pepper is buying Netherlands-based coffee conglomerate JDE Peet’s for $18 billion. Lukas digs into the details of the transaction. 4:00 – Yogurt maker Painterland Sisters has closed a seven-figure funding round to support retail expansion. Monica discusses the brand’s trajectory. 5:10 – Spindrift is discontinuing its spiked seltzer line. Is it a sign of the sober-curious times? 6:10 – The Better Meat Company cooked up an oversubscribed $31 million Series A round to scale its mycoprotein ingredient and expects to compete with commodity ground beef. 7:15 – Lukas channels Clark Griswold on his European vacation, and Monica reports on the top trends at Newtopia Now. About CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: In this episode of CPG Week, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Brad Avery dig into the dual trends of clean labels and dirty sodas. The hosts also discuss a new AI-driven solution for food and beverage manufacturers and the stalling of a Silicon Valley darling. Show Highlights: 0:15 – Saffron Road is introducing its “most ambitious brand refresh” in its 15-year history as it aims to align with today’s consumer trends, including the growing anti-seed oil sentiment and an insatiable appetite for protein. 3:20 – The Dirty Soda trend has officially broken TikTok containment and is now influencing restaurant and retail innovation. Brad highlights recent examples. 7:25 – Keychain has raised $30 million in Series B funding and is introducing an AI-powered operating system to streamline production for food and beverage manufacturers. Monica explains more. 8:45 – Soylent is struggling. Brad shares what the future may hold for the meal replacement brand. 10:15 – The hosts chat about protein-packed sauces, a decline in drinking and Newtopia Now. About CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: On this episode, the CPG Week podcast team embraces its inner sweet tooth and talks indulgent treats. From competitors of Nerds and JELL-O, better-for-you versions of sugary favorites are popping up all over. The team discusses some of the trends driving these new category options before hearing about a new fruit bar from the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Show Highlights: 0:30 – The team kicks off the podcast with a communal taste test of Rotten’s Gummy Cruncheez in honor of the upcoming Sweets & Snacks Expo next month. 4:30 – Senior reporter Lukas Southard talks about new plant-based jelly brand Oddball. The brand is attempting to seize market share from JELL-O by positioning as a low-sugar, better-for-you version of the jiggly fruit-based snack. 7:45 – Protein is one of the trends reporter Shauna Golden will be tracking when she heads to the Sweets & Snacks Expo. The team discusses how some of these trends are being incorporated into candy and indulgent treats. 10:45 – Freeze-dried candy is another category to watch with larger strategics starting to get into the set. 15:00 – From ice cream to fiber-rich fruit bars. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous shared what she learned from a conversation with Jeni Britton (founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams) about her new snack bar brand, Floura. About CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: On this episode, the CPG Week team discusses Bain & Company’s Insurgent Brands class of 2025. The group goes through similarities among new insurgent brands and how operators can derive successful growth strategies from Bain’s yearly list. Show Highlights: 0:30 – It’s March Madness, so the podcasters chat about college hoops and Kellogg’s bracket challenge where a lucky contestant could win a year’s supply of one of the company’s cereal brands. 3:30 – Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous introduces how Bain classifies its Insurgent Brands list and what a scaling insurgent brand means. 7:15 – In many ways, the Insurgent Brands list is a temperature gauge of certain CPG categories and can be a bellwether of successful growth strategies. 8:45 – Eighteen of the brands in this year’s class of insurgent brands were also part of Bain’s emerging brands category. In total, there were 103 emerging brands this year. 11:00 – Monica and senior reporter Brad Avery point out that this list has grown over the years, showing not only trendsetting but also the pace of growth in many categories. About CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode: Hot honey, hot pink totes and hot takes. The CPG Week team is back from Anaheim and ready to discuss all the new things they saw at the yearly Natural Products Expo West show. From bubbling trends to maturing categories, the podcast hosts discuss protein popping up in everything, meat snacks, a further distancing from seed oils, next-gen sodas and the surprising innovation tasted within the convention halls. Show Highlights: 0:30 – BevNET has launched its latest platform, Nombase, a centralized hub for the CPG industry with resources like a directory of over 10,000 brands and partners, job boards and a new place to post important company announcements. 2:15 – The team jumps into its Expo West recap discussing “Big Kefir,” protein snacks and surprising (and unsurprising) brand collaborations. 9:30 – Senior reporter Brad Avery talks about saturation of the better-for-you soda set and his impressions of Perfy’s Pepperoni Pizza and Cherry Cola flavors. 12:00 – The CPG Week hosts share what they heard from stakeholders about the impact of tariffs, supply chain issues and inflation they are expecting this year. 16:30 – One hot take being echoed in the wake of Expo West was a lack of innovation on the floor. The podcasters share the best innovations they tasted including candy-flavored dates, new bao buns and instant scrambled egg cups. About CPG Week CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage. New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts