News

Just a few short months after launching in Gelson’s and regions of Whole Foods Market, once online-only baking mix and kit brand Foodstirs has announced two milestone developments to facilitate its growth. Not only has the company closed its first major round of funding, but it has also added CPG veteran Greg Fleishman as COO and co-founder.

After a September quarterly earnings call in which it reported a decline in overall soup sales of 3.8 percent, The Campbell Soup Company — and in particular its fresh focused C-Fresh direction — has a new, premium arrow in its quiver: refrigerated, ready to serve soups. This month Campbell’s announced that its brand Garden Fresh Gourmet, which operates under C-Fresh, would launch four new refrigerated soups.

In the fall of 2015, Hain Celestial-owned Celestial Seasonings tea altered its familiar packaging. Now, just over a year later, the brand has announced that due in part to consumer feedback, it’s going back to “new” packaging that’s virtually the same as its older packaging.

In this NOSH Voices piece, Rodeo Ventures co-founder Zach DeAngelo ponders why he’s seeing “the dreaded fundraising fatigue” more often than he thought he would. DeAngelo also examines why, in a world where more capital is flowing into the CPG space than ever before, does it still seem so hard to raise money?

A growing number of entrepreneurs with condiment and plant-based food brands are turning to crowdfunding for their startup capital. Project NOSH recently sat down with CircleUp, a crowdfunding platform for consumer brands looking to raise money from accredited investors, to discuss what trends they are seeing on the platform.

In response to shifting attitudes towards nutrition and diet, and a high-profile spat with a nutrition bar company,, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced in late September that it was seeking public input for a new definition of the the “healthy” nutrient content claim for food and beverage labeling.

Patagonia, long seen as a leader in outdoor gear and apparel, has decided to step up the pace of its move out of the changing room and into the kitchen with the expansion of their Patagonia Provisions line. With 29 SKUs, including soups, bars, jerky, cereal and more, the line is on its way to become a key flanker to Patagonia’s core business.

Two years ago, Johnson and Wales University (JWU) along with longtime entrepreneurs and strategic consultants Michael Allio, Ken Levy and Steve Lane, formed the Food Innovation Nexus (FIX) — a food and beverage incubator, angel fund and consulting group.

At Expo East one of the most popular topics of discussion was investment. Who’s getting it, how much and from whom. Today, just a few short weeks after the show ended, the team AccelFoods, an accelerator and investment fund for packaged food and beverage companies, announced the newest additions to their portfolio. The new round includes investments as part of larger raises by Brami Beans and SkinnyDipped Almonds.

Having seen his share of the snack aisle, Rob Ehrlich (the founder of Pirate’s Booty and SexyPop) is ready to take on his greatest challenge yet – bringing vegan food to the masses. The “gourmet snack food visionary” has plans to take the stigma out of “vegan” with the launch of Vegan Rob’s, a plant-based snack line.