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This month brands in the snack, seafood, ice cream and meal solution sets all added new retailers to their distribution networks.

This episode features interviews with two entrepreneurs that are advancing the conversation around cannabis-infused food and beverage brands: Jonathan Eppers, founder and CEO of Vybes, and Kristi Knoblick Palmer, co-founder and COO of Kiva Confections.

Jessica Hilbert is the co-founder and head of sales and marketing at Red Duck Foods. The women-founded and operated company develops better-for-you condiments and sauces using certified organic ingredients.

Talk about a bar brawl. What constitutes a “healthy” product has long been contested in the snack industry, but a recent back-and-forth on the issue between KIND Snacks and Clif Bar has expanded the debate.

During the company’s annual investor meeting, Starbucks Coffee today announced the launch of Valor Siren Ventures L.P. (VSV), a new $100 million fund to support “the next generation of food and retail start-up companies.”

With only seconds to capture consumers’ eyes on shelf, a product’s packaging is vitally important. At this year’s Natural Products Expo West brands rolled out new packaging, logos and branding that emphasized product attributes such as better ingredients, taste and heritage.

This year’s annual Natural Products Expo West drew over 85,000 attendees to view the latest products and innovations in natural food. In this video, BevNET editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman and NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg go beyond new products to discuss some of the key themes that could be deduced from the show floor; they talk about the move of CBD into food, the uptake of a variety of plant-based products, and where the ketogenic diet is taking new product development.

Kodiak Cakes CEO Joel Clark will be the first to admit that entrepreneurship isn’t a part-time job. For years, he tried to run the pancake mix brand as a side business while pursuing a graduate degree and a consulting career. In this episode, Clark spoke about how commitment, innovation and swimming in the “Shark Tank” played into the evolution of Kodiak Cakes, which eclipsed $100 million in sales in 2018.

While there were plenty of buzzy, ketogenic, CBD-enhanced, cauliflower-based products lurking in Expo booths, if you looked deeper, several larger themes within the natural food industry emerged — including retail channel strategies, the effects of integrated sets and sleepy categories seeing new attention.

Boulder Food Group, a venture capital firm that recently launched a $100 million fund, is looking to invest in early-stage and innovative food and beverage brands. So how do you get their attention?