News

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s global investment and innovation group ZX Ventures yesterday announced an R&D partnership with animal-free protein maker Clara Foods. The hope is that by utilizing A-B’s fermentation expertise the two can work together to establish new technologies producing Clara’s proteins at large scale, a strategy A-B hopes to also implement at other fermentation-focused companies.

In this episode of Category Closeup, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and reporter Erin Cabrey will interview executives and brand leaders from emerging confection companies to discuss company strategy, and how changes within the category affect new product development and marketing.

Foodtech company Perfect Day, which produces a whey protein isolate from non-animal sources for use in dairy alternative food and beverage products, announced this week the formation of its Sustainability & Health Advisory Council, intended to consult the company on environmental concerns and health and wellness issues.

Covering all manner of treats, selling confections might seem like a sweet gig — but getting space on shelf or capturing a consumer’s eye can be tricky in this candy wonderland — especially against large incumbents with the resources to fund innovation and marketing plans. In this month’s Category Closeup: Expert Analysis, we’ll hear from a group of industry leaders and explore both the market dynamics facing confection brands as well as the opportunities within the category.

Twenty years after inception, investor 2X Growth Partners is shaking things up in a continued effort to help CPG brands reach new heights. The group announced yesterday its name was changing to Loft Growth Partners, a moniker it says better expresses the firm’s operating practices. The change comes as the firm also announced the close of its third fund.

Caue Suplicy, the founder and chairman of Barnana, which markets premium snacks made from upcycled bananas, spoke about how the company analyzed consumer demand to better understand how to market and promote the brand and its strategy for sourcing and utilizing sales data.

LiveKindly Collective is on a mission to make plant-based eating “the new norm” globally. Aiming to help consumers seamlessly swap out traditional animal products, the company has amassed a portfolio of four plant-based meat brands sold in over 40 countries. It’s an aggressive plan, but the company is quickly gaining momentum, raising $535 million in its first year and finding a sweet spot between multi-category consumer goods giants and smaller start-ups by creating a global company hyper-focused on the plant-based meat segment.

Oat-based product maker Oatly (Oatly Group AB) has officially filed for an initial public offering. The much-heralded Swedish company, which entered the U.S. in 2017, has emerged as leader in the $2.5 billion plant-based milk space, which now represents 15% of the milk category according to data from the Plant Based Foods Association and the Good Food Institute.

In this deal roundup, Hungry Planet closes a $25M funding round; mycelium-based meat alternative maker Atlast raises $40M; Meati secures $18M in debt financing for new production facility; and animal-free shellfish maker Cultured Decadence secures $1.6M.

As part of its strategy to reframe its frozen meal business to appeal to a wider array of shoppers as well as younger consumers, Nestle this week announced two new offerings in its Life Cuisine line featuring Banza chickpea pasta, part of an 11 SKU launch.