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

Today incubator and investment firm Sonoma Brands announced the acquisition of premium jerky brand Chef’s Cut. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

BevNET and NOSH’s weekly live call-in show, Office Hours, returns Tuesday, July 14 at 3 p.m. ET. BevNET managing editor Martin Caballero will be joined by Alisa Williams, Partner at VMG, and Matt Thomas, founder and CEO of Brew Dr. Kombucha, for a discussion exploring the roles that CPG entrepreneurs and brand leaders can play in supporting a more diverse, equitable and inclusive industry.

Over the last few weeks, many major companies have joined the #StopHateForProfit initiative, a campaign urging companies to suspend advertising on Facebook throughout July in an effort to pressure the social media platform to address misinformation and hateful content on its sites.

The sixteenth round of Elevator Talk Livestream features leaders from Hella Cocktail Co., Doctor D’s, Chase Your Drink, Vibal Energy Tea and Mezcla. This week’s special co-host is Tom Spier, Founder & Managing Partner of Boulder Food Group.

As many consumers aim to reduce or eliminate red meat from their diets, seafood is becoming a popular choice for mealtime. But faced with a limited supply of fish, plant-based and cultivated meat makers are recognizing a wave of opportunity for alternative seafood innovations, according to The Good Food Institute.

On this week’s Office Hours show, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg brings Darla Mears, the Chief Customer Officer at Kodiak Cakes, and Cheryl Christian, the EVP of Sales at Bobo’s, on the livestream to dive into sales strategy and take questions from viewers.

This special episode of Taste Radio features highlights from interviews with six entrepreneurs who joined us on Taste Radio during the first half of 2020. Our guests include Siete Family Foods co-founder and CEO Miguel Garza; Nick & Elyse Oleksak, the co-founders of Bantam Bagels; Miyoko’s founder and CEO Miyoko Schinner; Ben Van Leeuwen, the co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen’s Ice Cream; Orgain founder and CEO Andrew Abraham; and Gail Becker, the founder and CEO of Caulipower.

Jason Karp wants to change what people eat, drink, clean with and put on their bodies. The venture capitalist and co-founder of snack brand Hu Kitchen is pulling back the curtain on his new venture, HumanCo, with last week’s announcement of Amplify executive Will Lisman as the company’s new COO and chief commercial officer.

Emily Kanter, co-owner and CEO of Boston-area natural products retailer Cambridge Naturals spoke about the history and evolution of the retailer and the factors that determine its unique product selection. She also discussed how she develops relationships with brand owners, evaluates emerging trends and why Cambridge Naturals was one of the first area stores to carry CBD-infused products.

Food brands should expect to see “structurally higher” growth heading into 2021, according to two recent webinars hosted by banking firm RBC Capital Markets, in which analyst Nik Modi explained how societal, economic and educational factors have already impacted consumer behavior.

In this week’s Checkout, UNFI and NCG expanded their 21-year partnership, Giant Food relaunched its online platform and a report from consumer insights firm Kelton found high anxiety around in-store shopping.

BevNET and NOSH’s weekly live call-in show, Office Hours, returns Tuesday, July 7 at 3 p.m. ET. NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg will bring Darla Mears, the Chief Customer Officer at Kodiak Cakes, and Cheryl Christian, the EVP of Sales at Bobo’s, on the livestream to dive into sales strategy and take questions from viewers.

General Mills reported “outstanding performance” in its Q4 earnings report today, with net sales increasing 21% to $5 billion as consumer spending focused on food staples. CEO Jeff Harmening noted that during “a year of significant challenge and change in the world,” the company exceeded its key financial goals.

Summer has arrived and with it has come a selection of new convenient snack options, from fruit jerky to nut butter bites, along with new plant-based meal options such as a flavored rice alternative line from Banza and a new plant-based Upton’s hot dog for summer grilling. Check out the gallery for June’s notable new products, including new cereal varieties from Magic Spoon and Kashi and Pride Month releases from Coolhaus and Bobo’s.