Headlines

Episode 44 of Elevator Talk features leaders from Essential Candy, GnuSante Creations, Beyond The Equator, Oomame and Meepo. Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. Our co-host is Bloom CPG founder Sarah Nathan.

Clio Snacks is shaking up its executive team, bringing aboard CPG veteran John McGuckin as its new CEO.

Icelandic sugar-free food brand Good Good last week closed a $2 million funding round which the company said will support a planned expansion beyond alternative sweeteners and into a number of new food categories, starting with a pancake and waffle mix launching this month.

From national distribution to failed innovation to keto-driven disruption, it’s all in a decade’s work for Buddha Brands’ co-founders Chris Magnone and Mark Cigos, who we profile in this episode of Taste Radio. We also sat down with Jen Ballen and Joe Magliano, the co-founders of Otherworld Foods, an upstart brand that aligns locally sourced and upcycled ingredients with nostalgia-inspired products.

Following its sale and spin-off from Simply Good Foods last year, protein bar brand SimplyProtein is gearing up for its next growth phase, starting with a rebrand that the company says will set the stage for category expansions and omnichannel growth nationwide.

Private label products are “nipping at the heels” of name brands according to a new report from consumer market research firm the Hartman Group examining the key drivers behind consumers’ purchasing decisions. The report notes that although demand for private label brands typically increases during periods of economic downturn, current growth is also being driven by generational differences in why consumers make a purchase and how they interpret the meaning of a brand.

In this week’s Checkout: 4×4 Capital acquires The Bountiful Company’s former sports and active nutrition unit; Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures partners with MeaTech; Nestlé tests “Vrimp” in Europe; and SnackMagic launches “Cardboard Vending Machines.”

Savencia Fromage & Dairy’s U.S. expansion plans have begun to take shape with yesterday’s announcement that the French dairy provider has acquired dip producer Hope Foods.

Online grocery platform Instacart announced yesterday it has acquired software company Foodstorm, which powers a catering order management system for grocery retailers. The move expands Instacart’s enterprise technology services while allowing its retail partners to grow ecommerce sales of their prepared food offerings.

After years of effort by activists including multiple legislative attempts, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 45 into law yesterday, creating a regulatory framework to immediately allow for the legal sale of CBD-infused products.