Expo West: Bon Devil Acquired; Starr to Lead Awakened Foods

Bon Devil Acquired by The Run-A-Ton Group

Non-dairy dessert brand Bon Devil has been acquired by its former U.S. launch partner, The Run-A-Ton Group. Products from both companies were on display at Run-A-Ton’s booth, alongside those from its other brands: Wholly Wholesome, Wholly Gluten-Free, Unique Belgique and Blissfully Better.

Terms of the deal, which closed last month, were not disclosed but Doon Wintz, CEO and co-founder of The Run-A-Ton Group said the family of brands has acquired Bon Devil’s IP, recipes and brand assets. Wintz said his company now owns the “controlling interest for the North American business,” but would not comment if former investor PowerPlant remains a minority partner.

A spin off of European brand The Coconut Collaborative, Bon Devil expanded to the U.S. in 2018. After briefly rebranding to The Collaborative, the company again relaunched its U.S. business under the name Bon Devil at last year’s Expo West. In addition to the new moniker, the brand narrowed its portfolio, leaving yogurt and other dessert types in favor of ganache cups.

Ripple Foods co-founder Adam Lowry went on to join the company as general manager last September.

Wintz first met Bon Devil founder James Averdieck close to a decade ago in London at the behest of his father, who was a fan of Averdieck’s former food brand, Gu. When Averdieck expanded The Coconut Collaborative to the U.S., he called on Wintz to assist with the launch, which resulted in The Run-A-Ton group serving as the brand’s U.S. launch partner.

The relationship ended once The Coconut Collaborative decided to build out its own US team, Wintz said, but the two reconnected this year when Averdieck was searching for a buyer.

The Run-A-Ton Group is a collective of bakery and dessert brands that dates back to 1978 when Wintz’s father “[helped introduce] the concept of natural foods in supermarkets in the Northeast.” In 1996 the family formed the Run-A-Ton Group with a focus on the natural, baked goods set at a time when “you just hoped that the [natural] product[s] tasted a little bit better than the cardboard that it was packed in,” Wintz joked.

Bon Devil is the company’s first large refrigerated play, with its other portfolio companies producing frozen and shelf-stable options. The line will help the group round out its portfolio, Wintz said, while still maintaining its core focus on taste and indulgence.

Jason Starr Joins Awakened Foods As CEO

Two months after Awakened Foods CEO Dustin Finkle left the snack brand and co-packer he co-founded, investor Jason Starr has taken the helm. Starr is the founder and managing director of investment platform Consumer Ventures, which was was the lead investor in Awakened’s recent Series A funding round in January

Starr, who previously served as an advisor to Awakened, said he views the brand’s vertical integration as a major advantage, stating not only does it allow them to “own their own destiny, but also allows the brand to easily innovate and experiment with new flavors and provides an in-house opportunity to increase the business’s productivity via co-manufacturing for outside partners.”

Awakened Foods currently operates three businesses: Ka-Pop, a sorghum-based snack line; B. Fine Foods which makes a collection of keto granolas; and Awakened Food Crafters, the company’s co-packing arm. The larger company was formed when snack brands Ka-Pop and Bubba’s (now B. Fine) merged in 2020 and decided to market the manufacturing side of the business in order to add a new revenue stream. The co-packing arm now accounts for half of the business’ cash flow.

Alongside the leadership change, Ka-Pop launched a new line of sorghum based popcorn in three flavors Movie Theater Butter, White Cheddar and Kettle Pops.

Starr said the business itself is very attractive from a growth perspective. He noted that Awakened is currently in active conversations with at least two brands it is considering acquiring.

Finkle, meanwhile, announced on LinkedIn earlier this month that he has been appointed CEO at meat company Tender Belly.

Fruit Sweeteners Gain Ground On Date-Sugar Craze

Though date syrup has been gaining popularity in the alt-sweetener space, a few brands on the Expo West show floor are looking to other fruit-based sweetener blends.

Made in Nature launched a new brand at the show: Wild West Chocolate. The line is sweetened with a blend of organic dates, mulberries, mangos and peaches and includes chocolate bars, chips and bear claw (a cluster of chocolate and nuts) formats.

Elsewhere, fruit-based VitaminBar made its Expo debut with a 6-SKU line of “nutrient enhanced” fruit-sweetened protein bars. According to the brand’s co-founders, many protein bars provide protein or energy, but little to no nutrients and vitamins and too much sugar. The founders also said the brand hopes to become more deliberate with the vitamins it includes, for example, formulating a bar around high Vitamin B6.

Noting they had to carefully navigate the IP process for their brand, VitaminBar said they are taking a similar marketing approach to VitaminWater. The founders believe the brand name itself helps position the bar as a better-for-you version of a protein bar, similar to VitaminWater’s original strategy with placement next to the water set hoping to draw in consumers and convince them to trade up. VitaminBar’s slogan — “Don’t Eat Shit” — is also designed to draw eyes to the product and drive trial.

Chris Lansing Second Recipient of Kara Roell Achievement Award

Former Nature’s Bakery CEO Chris Lansing was the recipient of the second annual Kara Roell Achievement Award. The award was announced on Wednesday night at a reception for women in the CPG industry.

Lansing, who is the current CEO of Health-Ade, was presented the annual award by VMG Partners, BraughnHagey & Borden and the Women on Boards Project. The prize was named after the former general partner at investment firm VMG, who passed away in November 2021. The award is given to a female executive, investor or leader who has supported, championed and mentored other women in the industry,

“Chris Lansing built one of the strongest and most diverse teams at Nature’s Bakery, which has been a theme throughout her career. She fought for and supported her people, namely women, when taking bold risks as a company,” VMG talent partner Cassie Burr said in a presentation at the event. “The fact that winning this award and having the spotlight is uncomfortable for her, is just further evidence that her most natural state is to shine the spotlight and support others.”

After receiving the award, Lansing shared that she was hired by Nature’s Bakery as CEO after the snack company announced it would appoint a female executive to the role. Roell, she added, championed her hiring and supported her in her first CEO position.

Tuna Jerky Company Highlights Results of New Vertical Integration

Ahi tuna snack brand Pescavore spent its first six years relying on co-manufacturing to produce its shelf-stable fish jerky. In March 2022, it opened its own production facility in Santa Cruz, California using grants and an undisclosed investment from impact investors REI’s Path Ahead Ventures and Builder’s Vision to help support the brand’s growth and opening new production opportunities.

“What’s unique about our plant in Santa Cruz is that we developed it to do a number of things. We can burger, we can do cans, we can smoke,” said co-founder Clarice Owens.

Having more control of its production in a vertically-integrated structure has allowed the brand to experiment with larger format bags. The production plant is all part of Healthy Oceans Seafood Company’s (the parent company to the Pescavore brand) sustainability goals to help support local domestic fishermen and reshore shelf-stable seafood production in California. The company is also exploring co-manufacturing opportunities with local vessel owners to fill out the facility’s capacity.

“There’s been this goldrush in the shelf-stable seafood category that has had the unintended consequence of forcing out a lot of vessel owners – who rely on capacity – to get on the market and stabilize their balance sheet,” Owens said.

The company just brought on one of its investors and CPG food veteran Sarah Ryon as COO to help build the brand’s reach in the protein snacking category. Ryon spent time in operations for Earthbound Farms, Sweet Earth Foods and, most recently, was quality manager at Nestlé for over four years.

Smoothie Pouches Innovate With Sustainability, Target Audience

Plant-based dairy producer Cocojune is keeping sustainability front and center as it branches out from coconut cream-based yogurts and single-serve overnight oats to launch a new three-SKU line of plant-based yogurt for kids, packaged in paper pouches to emphasize environmental sustainability.

The zero-sugar, dairy-free yogurts come in Mixed Berry, Mango-Peach and Banana-Strawberry, and are priced at around $2.99 per 3.2-ounce pouch. The line debuted at Whole Foods Market last October and has since expanded to Sprouts.

“The goal is to make a fully-compostable pouch,” said co-founder Frederik Høgh-Christensen.

As of now, its packaging uses about 78% less plastic than other pouches, Høgh-Christensen reported, but the brand is working towards developing a fully biodegradable paper format that can be removed from a recyclable spout, making the entire product zero-waste.

Yet elsewhere at Expo West, brands showcased pouches as an appealing format for adult products as well.

Carlsbad, California-based nutrition company Designer Wellness launched protein smoothies in pouches targeting adults last year. At the company’s booth, it shared three new flavors for the line – Blueberry Vanilla, Raspberry Passionfruit and Peach Mango – that are set to release in the next three weeks. Initially, they will be direct-to-consumer and through ecommerce channels but the brand hopes to eventually release the new offerings in four-packs that have been successful in H-E-B and Winco Foods locations.

Another brand active in the space is Noka Organics, which has expanded its 18-month shelf-stable products with a +Immunity Boost line packed with vitamins, zinc and antioxidants. The brand launched in 2016 with prebiotic, superfood smoothies for adults and has found a sweet spot targeting people looking for gut-healthy nutrition on-the-go at colleges and universities.

Newcomer brand Bellybrain is preparing to launch its own probiotic pouches DTC in the next three weeks and hitting West Coast retail in May via a distribution partnership with UNFI. Initially, it will be offering just two varieties, Strawberry Mango and Banana Cream, but hopes to expand the line with an Apple Cinnamon Ginger SKU. The new fermented coconut cream smoothies products are being marketed as a premium product fetching $6.49 each in-store.

“A lot of retailers want three SKUs so that’s been a big learning for us,” said co-founder Tara Skjodt.