News

The ice cream category may already be crowded, but two New England-based ice cream innovators believe there’s still white space in retail for a value-oriented, plant-based offering. Sweet Tree Creamery, once a food-service only partnership between the FoMu brand of plant-based ice cream and co-packer, New England Ice Cream (NEIC), is now launching in stores.

While new plant-based alternatives continue to enter the market, food makers are expanding their reach beyond retail and driving product discovery through partnerships ranging from traditional fast food restaurants to fast casual dining locations.

As far as timing goes, early January feels like the perfect month to unveil a new look or makeover. Here are seven food brands looking to make a fresh start in 2022 with revamped branding, packaging and overall design.

At NOSH Live four executives — Nick Ajluni and Nick Guillen, co-founders of Truff; Sashee Chandran, founder and CEO of Tea Drops; and Matt Jung, CEO of Last Crumb — shared their perspectives on direct to consumer sales strategies.

Plant-based meat makers The Better Meat Co. and Meati Foods (formally Emergy Inc.) are set to face off in court, with the two companies suing each other last month in the U.S. District Court of Eastern California over allegations of stealing confidential trade secrets and “tortious interference.”

Through a variety of finished CPG products, foodservice and brand partnerships, and investments OmniFoods seeks to engage both existing plant-based consumers and those who still view vegetable-based meat replacements as “a novel idea.”

Colorado has long been a hotbed of innovation for better-for-you food and beverage brands. So when tragedy struck last week with the Marshall Fires destroying the homes of thousands in Boulder County, the CPG community responded.

Better Brand has a simple goal: to make classic bakery staples…better. The low-carb, high-protein brand hopes to expand into food service and launch into other categories in the coming year, and believes investment into its production and staffing can help make this a reality.

Building on its success with smoothies, bowls and bites, Daily Harvest is further expanding its offerings with the launch of Harvest Bakes, a new collection of bakeable meals made with vegetables, legumes and whole grains

In Taste Radio’s final episode of 2021, the hosts spoke about why entrepreneurs launching new and innovative concepts need to consider the addressable market for their brands and products going into 2022. They also discussed the news that a high-profile kombucha company has leapt into the growing pool of probiotic sodas, a fast-growing snack brand’s recent raise and a number of notable products that crossed their respective desks over the past week.