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Although Natural Products Expo West, which ended on Sunday, has swelled to an amazing 3,000 exhibitors, Project NOSH spotted three macro trends (insect based protein, full-fat dairy and single origin products) that spanned numerous categories. In the following video, Project NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg and BevNET Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman discuss these trends — and the brands and products that embody them.

Newly added speakers include Jeremy Halpern and Bob Stringer, investors with the Edible Ventures angel network, Debbie Wildrick of MetaBrand, and DrinkMaple founders Kate Weiler and Jeff Rose. Beyond the speakers, however, a special two-hour networking session at the end of the day will give attendees the chance to direct their questions to even more experts curated from across even more disciplines.

At this year’s Natural Products Expo West, it was clear that plant-based proteins are becoming a key ingredient class across almost all categories. In the following video, Project NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg speaks with one of the entrepreneurs behind Healthy Skoop, which produces plant-based nutritional blends.

The all-natural, vertically-integrated jerky company closed on a $5 million funding round shortly before Expo West and is now trying to push East from its California base. The minority investment came from Monogram Capital Partners.

The deal was unanimously approved by the company’s board of directors, with the exception of The Fresh Market founder and chairman Ray Berry, who recused himself from negotiations pertaining to the deal.

It’s hard to imagine ever calling condiments a “hot category,” but alternatives to big brands like Heinz and Hunt’s have been gaining speed lately, either through the premiumization of process and ingredients, updated brand propositions, or even scientific advances that eliminate products like animal fats. Attention has come to the category through investors, who have… Read more »

Today upstart jica-based snack brand, JicaChips, announced the closing of an over $1 million round of funding from several investors, including accelerator firm and investor AccelFoods and natural foods strategy and brokerage firm Presence Marketing. While the raise itself is notable, it capstones a week of announcements from AccelFoods about major investments in brands that have graduated from its accelerator program.

Yesterday, insect-based protein snack bar company Exo Foods announced the closing of a $4 million Series A investment round led by CPG incubator and private equity fund AccelFoods. Also investing in the round were a pair of venture capital funds, Start Garden and the Collaborative Fund, as well as celebrities like the author Tim Ferriss, the rap artist NAS and the endurance athlete Amelia Boone.

This morning, Good Culture announced that it had closed a $2.1 million Series A fundraising round, with Christopher’s new private equity fund, CAVU Venture Partners, and General Mills’ new venture fund 301 INC leading the investment.

Jonathan Sebastiani’s new consumer products incubator and venture fund Sonoma Brands announced its first investment, in healthy snack food company Dang Foods. Dang founder Vincent Kitirattragarn says the investment “is a dream partnership” that will help the brand scale even faster.