Headlines

When trying to establish and grow a brand, entrepreneurs have to think about product, people and persistence. Jason Cohen, the CEO and co-founder of Halen Brands, has all three top of mind. At NOSH Live this past June, Cohen sat down with Project NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg for an inside look at his success in the industry.

The company announced Wednesday that it had received $2 million from previous investor Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners, which will be used to help the brand move beyond the baby aisle with other “tummy friendly,” shelf-stable products that can appeal to older children.

Now under new — albeit temporary — leadership, a plant-based dairy leader is launching a new product set. Almond-based cheese and yogurt brand Kite Hill announced this week the launch of three new products to expand the brand’s presence in the dairy set.

The acquisition will bring Innophos deeper into the branded, functional ingredient space, and help the company launch a new health and nutrition platform of ingredients for brands.

Sprouts Farmers Markets, Natural Grocers, Kellogg’s and B&G all held quarterly earnings calls for investors last week. Here are three areas all four companies will be focusing on to fuel future growth.

Recently obtained documents from the FDA by The New York Times and the ETC Group, a consumer advocacy group that monitors the effects of new technologies on food and agriculture, reveal that in 2015 FDA officials questioned Impossible Foods about its use of soy leghemoglobin.

IRI’s Channel Performance Report released last month evaluates consumer shopping patterns across retail channels from conventional to convenience, and lays out a picture of the largest growth opportunities in retail for CPG brands.

Taste Radio is getting to the meat of Krave Jerky with the brand’s founder Jon Sebastiani. Recorded during the 2017 Summer Fancy Food Show, Sebastiani delved into his 20-year background in the food and beverage industry, and what spurred him to strike out on his own with Krave.

Brian Strom, cofounder of Crapola, launched the Minnesota-based artisanal granola company as “simply a joke.” Now, the company is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and Strom is reflecting on the pun-forward brand’s history while in pursuit of a different kind of throne: major retailers’ shelves.

Both The Hershey Company and Mondelez International announced they will be investing more in retailers’ click-and-collect programs and third party e-commerce channels during their quarterly earnings calls this week.