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

In 30 days the food industry will meet at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City for NOSH Live Summer 2022. The two-day event is where food entrepreneurs and industry experts discover what’s next and get business done.

Despite strong online and in-store numbers that helped push a 26% increase in year-over-year net sales to $9.6 million, Laird Superfood reported a net loss of over $14 million during Q1 2022, according to an earnings report released by the company on Friday.

Delivery service Instacart announced late yesterday that it has confidentially filed a draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to go public. The announcement comes after the company slashed its valuation and other companies are postponing their own IPOs.

South American retailer Cencosud has acquired a majority stake in natural grocery chain The Fresh Market in a $676 million transaction as it looks to expand its business into the U.S.

Founded in 2014, the veteran-owned company has attracted attention from within and outside the beverage industry, thanks in large part by both the popularity of its pro-military merchandise and its expanding ready-to-drink product family. In February, Black Rifle went public via SPAC in an IPO valuing the company at around $1.7 billion. The company plans to reorganize as a public benefit corporation to reinforce its mission of serving veterans, law enforcement and first responders, including a commitment to hire 10,000 veterans.

Strong digital marketing skills and an ecommerce business are the table stakes for launching a natural food brand. At NOSH Live on June 13 and 14 in New York City, attendees will hear from two brands who are leading the charge when it comes to mastering their online presences.

After partnering with author and television host Padma Lakshmi last fall, yogurt and lassi maker DAH! is preparing to put the culinary expert front and center next month as it begins a new marketing push built around consumer education. Founded in 2006 by Indian expat JD Sethi and Ajeet Burns, the Massachusetts-based brand produces a… Read more »

Despite missing earnings by $38.4 million, Blue Apron is confident that a significant investment in brand awareness will expand its reach to new customers. During its first-ever Investor Day presentation on Tuesday, the meal kit company laid out its marketing strategy that will tap consumers interested at-home dining options.

Less than four years after acquiring the brand, Lancaster Colony Corporation plans to divest from the frozen food maker Bantam Bagels later this summer.

Turbulent markets, chaotic supply chains and both new and old challenges are expected to continue impacting the CPG industry this year, according to a report released this month from the Consumer Brands Association (CBA).

For better or worse, the visage of Juan Valdez, a fictional marketing vehicle created by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, has become inextricably linked to the worldwide perception of Colombian coffee. The humble coffee farmer, always with his trusted burro Conchita by his side, symbolizes the global appeal and heritage of the South American nation, but perhaps in a way that at best overlooks and at worst trivializes the passion and dedication behind Colombia’s coffee farmers and their unique crop.

Food tech platform Voyage Foods closed a $36 million funding round last week that will help bring its full slate of innovations – including peanut-free peanut butter, cacao-free chocolate and coffee-free coffee – to consumers by the end of the year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late April announced draft guidance for the Accredited Third-Party Certification, a voluntary program within the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The guidance aims to encourage more organizations to participate in the Accredited Third-Party Certification Program (also referred to as the Third-Party Program or TPP) which would expedite regulatory approval of foreign food and beverage into the U.S.

Food and beverage company Tomorrow Farms announced today the closing of $8.5 million in funding aimed at supporting its first product launch this summer and attracting ingredient companies with which it can partner to bring its technologies to market.