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Add “category captain” to Jennifer Garner’s list of achievements. While building a fresh baby food brand might not be the flashiest feature on the actor’s resume, her role as co-founder and chief brand officer at Once Upon A Farm is a powerful example of how celebrity involvement at a consumer brand can contribute to disruptive growth.

Over the past year-plus, we’ve written repeatedly about the slowdown in venture funding and strategic transactions, and panelists on our stages continue to point out that they’d rather see brands with high margins and profitability.

Charleston, S.C.-based meat snack purveyor The New Primal is set to bring its Snack Mates Chicken & Maple Mini Sticks to over 350 Costco stores across the country beginning in January.

As a brand scales and consumer needs evolve, expanding from a single product line to a platform can provide significant opportunities for greater market penetration and diversifying revenue streams. But how do you know if your brand is ready to venture into new categories?

With the “Ozempic Era” in full swing, an increasing number of U.S. consumers are using appetite-suppressing GLP-1 drugs and, overall, eating less, particularly sweets, sugary drinks, carbs, and dairy products. But is this paradigm shift temporary, or does it signal a lasting impact for the packaged food industry? And how are manufacturers and retailers responding to the trend?

Be weird, be fun, and remember “buyers are people, too.” That’s the message shared by Jen Zeszut, co-founder and CEO of Goodles, and Genevieve Gilbreath, co-founder and managing partner of Springdale Ventures, during a discussion at Nosh Live Winter 2024.

The CPG Week team is capping the year with a discussion about BevNET and Nosh Best of 2024 Awards, which were announced during the live events in early December.

Fishwife head of sales Pierre Jamet explains how the brand has kept its early momentum, why saying “no” to some retailers is necessary and the role collaborations play in keeping consumers coming back.

When Brad Charron became the “re-founder” and CEO of ALOHA, he saw “untapped enormous potential” in the distressed brand. Seven years later, the company is a profitable, employee-owned B Corporation with more than $100 million in sales. “I love to compete, and I love to compete for something that’s worthwhile fighting for,” he said. How… Read more »

Tosi Snacks has installed its board chair Kevin Rutherford as CEO and raised a new tranche of funding to fuel new marketing campaigns in the coming year.