Food Industry News, Insights, and Education for the CPG Community

Wonderlab, the maker of plant-based gelato brand Doozy Pots, is shutting down after rising costs of goods and category challenges proved insurmountable.

Blue Apron expands its Heat & Eat meals partnership with DoorDash into 11 new locations, Foxtrot Market names its new CEO and Indian foods chef Maya Kaimal has released her third cookbook.

In this week’s new products roundup, Pocket’s Chocolates teams up with plushie brand Miniso, PeaTos adds a new puff product to its lineup of better-for-you snacks and Monty’s unveils a new line of alt-dairy spreads.

The NOSH team gets fooled by fake CPG products, discusses the FDA’s recent announcements concerning “healthy” food labeling and Grass Fed Foods CEO Jeff Tripician talks to Lukas about merging small businesses better compete with conventional producers.

Investment firm Monogram Capital has sold meat snack producer Western Smokehouse to AUA Equity Partners, a deal that Monogram co-founder and partner Jared Stein proves out the firm’s thesis of heavily investing in supply chain-oriented companies.

Deeming 17-year-old Michele’s Granola an overnight success would be both far-fetched as well as an understatement. But unexpected explosive growth amid the early days of the pandemic has propelled the Baltimore-based business forward at a time when founder Michele Tsucalas believed it may have been slowing down.

ConAgra Brands says its strategy towards improving margins is working as the company raised full year 2023 guidance in its Q3 earnings report this morning. The Chicago-based conglomerate updated its organic net sales guidance for the fiscal year from 7% to 7.5% and adjusted operating margin from 15.5% to 15.6%.

Seal The Seasons is one of the most recent brands to make staff cuts. As it implements additional cost cutting measures, the company expects these actions to bring the business to profitability this quarter.

Greek biscuit maker Olyra Foods closed a $4 million Series A funding round in late February to help the brand grow its marketing team and continue to expand its retail presence in the breakfast category.

Air dried meat snack company Stryve reported a 1.3% decline in net sales year-over-year to $5.4 million in Q4, largely due to the company’s SKU rationalization efforts and other cash conservation measures.

Community Call is a recurring series of open meetings dedicated to pressing topics impacting food and beverage businesses. This month, we welcome a range of guests covering topics such as sustainability measures that support profitability, finding the right co-manufacturer, building and maintaining retailer relationships that support innovation goals, retail activation strategies, and more.

Last week, the natural food industry showed off its sense of humor as CPG brands took to social media to celebrate April Fools’ Day with eccentric new product launches.

Vertical farming company Upward Farms announced last Thursday that it would be ceasing operations at its Brooklyn headquarters and will not be opening its large-scale production facility in Pennsylvania.

Publicly traded online retailer Boxed declared chapter 11 bankruptcy today, just months after the company announced that it was “exploring strategic alternatives” such as a sale of the business.