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

In the latest episode of Elevator Talk, we feature leaders from NoBull Burger, Plant Based Seafood Co, Charlie’s Table, Cerebelly and Freestyle Snacks. Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Cessna Mac, a principal with Amberstone Ventures, who shared her thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.

Mexican-American food maker Siete announced on Monday the launch of canned beans, a move that takes the brand from snacks, sides and condiments squarely into the center of the plate. The two-SKU line will help the company expand to new parts of the store while continuing to marry its founders’ heritage with a better-for-you positioning.

Allergy-friendly and superfood-infused ice cream brand Sunscoop announced today it has raised $2 million in seed funding led by Vibrant Ventures, an investment firm focused exclusively on plant-based CPG, with additional participation from H/L Ventures and Torch Capital, among other early angel investors. The company said it will use the new capital to continue expanding its team, distribution and product portfolio.

Bentley Hall, the CEO of California-centric online grocer Good Eggs, spoke about how an intimate understanding of its customers and a highly-curated selection of products helped grow annual revenue to over $100 million. He also explained how Good Eggs articulates quality, its process for vetting and adding new brands to its service and how the company evaluates new platforms and technologies when mapping out its growth strategy.

At NOSH Live Summer 2022, held June 13 and 14th in New York City, speakers from Vital Farms and Innova Market Insights will help our audience to better master these business skills.

The FDA announced last week that it will not enact specific provisions from the 2021 Yogurt Standard Of Identity (SOI) regulations after the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and Chobani filed six objections to specific articles regarding ingredients and processes used for yogurt production.

Coffee wholesaler Westrock announced today it is merging with Riverview Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), to go public in a transaction that values the combined company at just over $1 billion.

Food makers have long viewed April Fool’s day as a time for some out of the box new product innovation. While it seems many brands have forgone lighthearted launch “announcements” this year, a select few have poked fun at emerging trends, mocked the personal care aisle and overall, had us raising a few eyebrows. Here’s a look at some of the pranks we fell for today.

From chocolate bars and frozen treats to vegan sauce and organic baby oatmeal, this week’s new product releases will offer consumers plenty of variety. Check out the gallery for this week’s notable new items, including new flavors from Beyond Good and Haven’s Kitchen alongside launches from Atlas Bar and Betterland Foods.

In this week’s Checkout: Eat Your Coffee sells to a Chicago-based private equity firm; A Louisiana court sides with Tofurky on labeling legislation; Lenny & Larry’s teams up with the San Diego Zoo; and Upfield voluntarily discloses methane emissions.

On this month’s Market Share, we’ll hear from Pangaia Health’s CEO, Ira Laufer, about how the apparel company has made the jump into food and brought customers along for the journey.

Delivery service Gopuff has fired hundreds of employees as it aims to cut costs, the company confirmed today. Former employees claimed the number was more than 1,000.

A new plant-based meat brand is trying to disprove the old adage: never trust a skinny butcher. Launched in March, new brand Skinny Butcher’s line of breaded, Crazy Crispy Chick’n tenders, breasts, nuggets and patties are designed to not only catch the eye of mainstream consumers with its “futuristic yet retro” packaging design and mascot, but also drive conventional shoppers to the crowded category as flexitarianism continue to rise.

Indoor agriculture company Gotham Greens announced earlier this week its plans to double the size of its total U.S. greenhouse capacity from 600,000 square feet to over 1.2 million square feet by the end of this year. The Brooklyn-based company, which describes itself as a “fresh-food company farming with the future in mind,” was a pioneer in what’s become known as “urban agriculture” when it launched in 2011.