News

Office Hours returns Tuesday, June 2 at 3 p.m. ET. Jeff Klineman, BevNET’s Editor-in-Chief, will bring veteran investment bankers Jay Novak and Brandon Ng from Houlihan Lokey on the livestream to discuss the current fundraising and M&A market and take questions from viewers.

While both the CBD and cannabis industries have attracted increased attention from consumers, investors and retailers alike, brands within these categories still face a range of unique operational challenges. Jeremy Goldstein, the COO and co-founder of both CBD brand Caliper Foods and Cannabis company Stillwater Brands, sees the potential for massive growth if the FDA “gets off its hands.”.

The FDA on Friday released temporary guidance to allow food manufacturers to change ingredients without updating product labels, a move aimed at preventing supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, company and industry leaders are speaking up to promote consumer safety.

O’Dang wants to bring the “health halo” of hummus into center store. The brand, the majority of which is owned by Keen Growth Capital, has rolled out a new line of mayonnaise, reformulated its existing dressings and rebranded under new CEO Eric Hintz.

The thirteenth round of Elevator Talk Livestream features leaders from Brami, Nomz, Oomph Cooking Blends, Vegan Heavenly Delights, Positively Plantain and more. This week’s special co-host is Nicole Dawes, the founder of Late July and Nixie Sparkling Water.

Brendan Brazier, co-founder of pioneering plant-based protein brand Vega and “hard” cold-pressed juice brand Pulp Culture, spoke about how his passion for plant-based nutrition culminated in Vega, why the company embraced the saying “ignorance is our only competition,” how he assessed the opportunity for a better-for-you alcoholic beverages and his perspective on the evolution of plant-based foods.

On this week’s Office Hours, Jordan Gaspar, managing partner at AF Ventures and Ben Mand, CEO of Harmless Harvest field questions from food and beverage industry entrepreneurs about investor and brand relationships and how they can evolve in a crisis climate.

The plant-based meat category was already growing before the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, many plant-based brands have seen huge sales upticks since pantry loading began in March. Now, they need to figure out what comes next.

KIND Snacks has launched the Frontline Impact Project, a centralized platform where healthcare workers and other organizations on the frontlines can request and receive necessary food, lodging and transportation assistance.

As many states begin to reopen businesses, IRI reflected on the 2008 recession to help brands prepare for the months ahead, while the FDA and USDA announced plans for supply chain management collaboration. Here’s the latest COVID-19 news from around the industry this week.