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

In this week’s Checkout, UPSIDE Foods opens a new 53,000 square foot facility in Emeryville, California; Utz acquires snack brand RW Garcia; Farmstead announces plans to offer grocers dark store and delivery solutions; and FMI looks at consumer attitudes toward holiday grocery shopping.

Organic smoothie producer Genius Juice, in a partnership with BLD Capital, has acquired refrigerated bar maker Bright Foods, the company announced today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

On its third quarter earnings call today, Michael McCain, CEO of Maple Leaf Foods — which largely sells animal-based proteins — said growth rates for its plant-based Lightlife and Field Roast brands have “evaporated,” with the category “unexpectedly” seeing deceleration over the past six months that has led Maple Leaf to reassess its plant-based protein business.

The Kellogg Company today reported flat sales across North America during the third quarter as its snacks and frozen segments grew while cereal sales took a hit from ongoing labor strikes and supply chain disruptions.

Black Rifle Coffee Company is going public after it announced this week it will merge with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in a deal that values the military-focused brand at $1.7 billion.

Frozen novelty brand Dream Pops has raised $6 million as it seeks to move beyond its current portfolio and expand into the confection aisle. Ultimately CEO David Greenfeld wants to reinvent many of America’s “cult classics” for a new generation.

In response to seeing strong demand across its biscuit and chocolate segments and rebounding sales in gum and candy, despite price increases, Mondelēz raised its full year sales outlook ahead of additional price hikes set to take place in early 2022.

Hartman Group CEO Laurie Demeritt has been exploring shopper values for more than 20 years; she will explain the new rules of customer retention and loyalty growth during a talk at NOSH Live, at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.

As snack brands seek to grow their product offerings and reach new audiences, many are turning to bite-sized formats. Bite-sized and miniature products — from sweet treats to savory snacks — have been a core subcategory of the snack set, but the product type recently gained popularity as a form factor because of the “permissibility” surrounding a smaller portion size.

Sweets and snack makers took on the better-for-you space this month with a range of new bars, baking mixes and chocolates from brands including GoodSam and JOYÁ. Check out the gallery for the latest product debuts, limited edition releases and notable collaborations from companies such as Chobani, Acid League and Omsom.

A film actor and active investor in several high-profile brands including Super Coffee, NUGGS and Blaze Pizza, Patrick Schwarzenegger recently added the title of entrepreneur to his resume as the co-founder and CEO of brain health brand MOSH. In our interview, Schwarzenegger spoke about why MOSH broke every traditional rule for developing and launching a CPG brand, his investment philosophy and the value of company management when making funding decisions.

Direct-to-consumer cereal brand Magic Spoon quietly launched a limited run of cereal bars last month, step one in seeing if it can flex beyond its flagship product. Available in 16-count packs for $39, the bars sold out within 48 hours of launching on Magic Spoon’s website.

With supply chain shortages and inflated prices, this year’s holiday grocery shopping season may be notably different from years prior, according to IRI. In recent reports, the market research firm has examined grocery demand, out-of-stock rates, holiday promotions and shopping trends ahead of Thanksgiving this year.

In this week’s Checkout, Grupo Bimbo acquires gourmet popcorn maker Popcornopolis; Nature’s Fynd unveils plans for a new Chicago facility; Home Chef surpasses $1 billion in annual sales; and Straus Family Creamery tests seaweed to cut its cow-related methane emissions.