2025 Trend Forecast: The Broad Outlook
At the start of what is sure to be another eventful year in CPG, BevNET & Nosh reached out to individuals from across the industry to hear their thoughts on what’s making them optimistic about the future, what’s keeping them up at night, their general impressions for the new year and how they plan on tackling (or avoiding) some of the biggest questions and challenges they are facing in the new year.
This series includes insight on questions such as:
- Hot & Cold Trends in Food and Beverage
- Is CPG Entering the Ozempic Era?
- Is Retail Consolidation Reeling?
- Will Trump’s Promised Tariffs Tamp Down Growth?
- Is Grocery Inflation Here to Stay?
In addition to tapping our network for thoughts on these topics, we asked each respondent to provide a quick snapshot of the year ahead: a one-word take on 2025 outlook, plus one reason to be upbeat and another to give pause.
Anonymous Investor
2025 Outlook: “Hopeful”
Reason for Optimism: “Improving economy, lower interest rates”
Reason for Pessimism: “Toxic divisiveness, impedes any sort of progress”
Jordan Bass, CEO & Co-Founder, HOP WTR
2025 Outlook: “Optimistic”
Reason for Optimism: “Economy”
Reason for Pessimism: “Inflation”
Chuck Casano, CEO & Founder, Pitaya Foods & HiTouch Distribution
2025 Outlook: “Nebulous”
Reason for Optimism: “People will increase spend on preventative healthcare, i.e. healthy foods.”
Reason for Pessimism: N/A
YuChiang Cheng, CEO, Hero Bread
2025 Outlook: “Change”
Reason for Optimism: “Increased Trend in Personal Responsibility for Health”
Reason for Pessimism: “Uncertain macro economics”
Jared Drinkwater, Co-Founder & CEO, Low & Slow
2025 Outlook: “Smoky”
Reason for Optimism: “Consumers and retailers seem to be rooting for emerging brands more than I’ve ever seen.”
Reason for Pessimism: “Increased reliance on trade spend for holistic category volume makes trial for emerging brands more challenging (and expensive).”
John Foraker, Co-Founder & CEO, Once Upon A Farm
2025 Outlook: “Growth”
Reason for Optimism: “Consumers”
Reason for Pessimism: “Deportation Camps & Tariffs”
Louise Fritjofsson, Co-Founder & CEO, Martie
2025 Outlook: “Resilient”
Reason for Optimism: “Reinvention”
Reason for Pessimism: “Fragmentation”
Steve Gaither, EVP of Growth and Strategy, 1o8 Agency
2025 Outlook: “Different”
Reason for Optimism: “Right-sized Expectations”
Reason for Pessimism: “Retail money-grab”
Arthur Gallego, Founder, Gallego & Co. Marketing Consultants
2025 Outlook: “Opportunistically heedful”
Reason for Optimism: “Generational shifts in adoption/consumption”
Reason for Pessimism: “No more easy investor dollars”
Peter Gialantzis, Chief Merchandising Officer, Pod Foods
2025 Outlook: “Excited”
Reason for Optimism: “Innovation”
Reason for Pessimism: “Tariffs”
Genevieve Gilbreath, Managing Partner, Springdale Ventures
2025 Outlook: “Resilient”
Reason for Optimism: “Innovation”
Reason for Pessimism: “Margins”
Ashley Hartman, Managing Partner, Bluestein Ventures
2025 Outlook: “Individual Empowerment”
Reason for Optimism: “Precision Nutrition”
Reason for Pessimism: “Global Instability”
Rachel Hirsch, Managing Partner, Wellness Growth Ventures
2025 Outlook: N/A
Reason for Optimism: “Prevention”
Reason for Pessimism: “Fragmentation”
Bella Hughes, Co-Founder, Better Sour
2025 Outlook: “Unpredictable”
Reason for Optimism: “Everybody eats!”
Reason for Pessimism: “Too many niche trends that are unlikely to take off in MULO”
Rifle Hughes, Co-Founder, Integral CPG, Inc.
2025 Outlook: “Encouraged”
Reason for Optimism: “Building”
Reason for Pessimism: “Volatility”
Lonica Kufner, Founder, Clean Label Consulting
2025 Outlook: “Nebulous”
Reason for Optimism: “Necessary”
Reason for Pessimism: “Fear (of division, stemming from politics.)”
Rob Leichman, Founder, The Lyric Group
2025 Outlook: “Caution”
Reason for Optimism: “Innovation”
Reason for Pessimism: “Uncertainty”
Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO, Next In Natural
2025 Outlook: “Bullish”
Reason for Optimism: “Because it’s so much better than the alternative.”
Reason for Pessimism: N/A
Yael Linker, Senior Operations Manager, Hillside Beverage Packaging
2025 Outlook: “Conservative”
Reason for Optimism: “Entrepreneurship”
Reason for Pessimism: “Naïveté”
Scott Marcus, CEO, Blue Zones Kitchen
2025 Outlook: “Precarious”
Reason for Optimism: “Health-consciousness.”
Reason for Pessimism: “Uncertainty.”
Reza Mirza, Globel CEO, Icelandic Glacial
2025 Outlook: “Fantastic”
Reason for Optimism: “Increased consumer confidence”
Reason for Pessimism: “Rising inflation from tariffs”
Charlotte Mizrahi, Co-Founder & Director of Formulation, Ley Line Labs
2025 Outlook: “Prudent”
Reason for Optimism: “Applied Sciences”
Reason for Pessimism: “Uncertain”
Sahra Nguyen, Founder & CEO, Nguyen Coffee Supply
2025 Outlook: “Positive”
Reason for Optimism: “People are invigorated to solve problems while breaking the rules in order to go where we’ve never gone before.”
Reason for Pessimism: “Passion in a free country can be polarizing and divisive.”
Thuy Nguyen, Category Manager, Thrive Market
2025 Outlook: “Competitive”
Reason for Optimism: “Innovation”
Reason for Pessimism: “Ambiguity”
Laurel Orley, Cofounder and CEO, Daily Crunch:
2025 Outlook: “Resilient”
Reason for Optimism: “Fresh Start”
Reason for Pessimism: “Inflation”
Glenn Pappalardo, Co-Founder, Integral CPG
2025 Outlook: “Conflict”
Reason for Optimism: “Unconstrained”
Reason for Pessimism: “Volatility”
Gurdeep Prewal, Co-founder & General Partner, Rocana Venture Partners
2025 Outlook: “Thirsty!”
Reason for Optimism: “Growth mindset returns as economic uncertainty is largely removed”
Reason for Pessimism: “Capital is still not flowing as freely”
Chris Pruneda, CEO & Co-founder, Matador Energy
2025 Outlook: “Reset”
Reason for Optimism: “Curiosity”
Reason for Pessimism: “Congestion”
Brandy Rand, Founder & CEO, Thirstwell
2025 Outlook: “Energized”
Reason for Optimism: “Innovation”
Reason for Pessimism: “Politics”
Amrit Richmond, Founder, Indie CPG
2025 Outlook: “Collaborate”
Reason for Optimism: “Always another brand to split time/cost”
Reason for Pessimism: N/A
Nate Rosen, Founder, Express Checkout
2025 Outlook: “Transitional”
Reason for Optimism: “Innovation”
Reason for Pessimism: “Uncertainty”
Joshua Schall, J. Schall Consulting
2025 Outlook: “Auspicious”
Reason for Optimism: “Regulatory Defanging”
Reason for Pessimism: “Trade Protectionism”
Errol Schweizer, Grocery Retail and CPG Strategist, Author of “The Checkout”
2025 Outlook: “Volatile”
Reason for Optimism: “Griftopia”
Reason for Pessimism: “Gerontocracy”
Natalie Shmulik, Chief Strategy & Incubation Officer, ICNC/The Hatchery
2025 Outlook: “AI vs IRL”
Reason for Optimism: “Social Media Reset”
Reason for Pessimism: “Cost of goods/services”
Kate Stevenson, Director of Client Strategy, Brightfield Group
2025 Outlook: “ Discerning”
Reason for Optimism: “Consumers want innovation and there seems to be capital opening up”
Reason for Pessimism: “there is still a lot of instability in consumers’ lives and in the industry overall so it’s going to be very important to not just be “new for newness sake”
Barb Stuckey, Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer, Mattson
2025 Outlook: “Crapshoot” until the heads of Trump’s government
agencies are confirmed.
Reason for Optimism: Because If I’m Not, I’ll Cry.
Reason for Pessimism: Tariffs
Julie Suntrup, Chief Strategy Officer, Center for Culinary Development & Innovation (CCDI)
2025 Outlook: “Upward”
Reason for Optimism: “Onward”
Reason for Pessimism: “Backward”
Blodin Ukella, Founder & CEO, Ryl Tea
2025 Outlook: “Insurgency”
Reason for Optimism: “Next generational consumer inflection point.”
Reason for Pessimism: “Lack of accountability by key decision makers.”
Quentin Vennie, Founder and CEO, Equitea
2025 Outlook: “Uncertain”
Reason for Optimism: “Innovation brings change”
Reason for Pessimism: “Multiple brands closing”
Jordan Weitz, Co-Founder, Keychain
2025 Outlook: “Transparency”
Reason for Optimism: “ AI is helping brands and manufacturers connect faster than ever to create great products”
Reason for Pessimism: “There’s still a lot of uncertainty in the global supply chain”
Ryan Williams, Founder, Food and Beverage Investment Database (FABID)
2025 Outlook: Equilibrium
Reason for Optimism: “10-Figure-Exits” & Food-dye bans”
Reason for Pessimism: “Saturation, Exit Dearth”
