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

This week’s Office Hours brings veteran investment bankers Jay Novak and Brandon Ng from Houlihan Lokey on the livestream to discuss the current fundraising and M&A market and take questions from viewers.

In response to the death of George Floyd, some of the country’s largest food and beverage companies, as well as a large group of entrepreneurs and emerging brands, have offered statements of support, financial donations to advocacy groups and commitments to open a dialogue about racial justice in America.

With summer on the horizon, brands like Coolhaus, Enlightened and Beckon are rolling out new frozen treats, while Safe + Fair and LesserEvil are offering fruit-flavored takes on classic salty snacks. View the gallery for May’s notable launches, including new dressings from 88 Acres and offerings from This Saves Lives.

Shaka Tea, a Hawaii-based maker of ready-to-drink and bagged tea products, has raised $2.3 million in a funding round led by farming company Mahi Pono, bringing the brand’s total financing to $4.1 million.

We’re embarking on a journey to give food and beverage company founders a look behind the branding curtain and share insights from a real-time case study…and we need one of you to join us.

In this week’s COVID-19 news, Costco told analysts it will bring back in-store sampling, Senate Democrats proposed a $7.5 billion bill to support the food supply chain and more.

Office Hours returns Tuesday, June 2 at 3 p.m. ET. Jeff Klineman, BevNET’s Editor-in-Chief, will bring veteran investment bankers Jay Novak and Brandon Ng from Houlihan Lokey on the livestream to discuss the current fundraising and M&A market and take questions from viewers.

While both the CBD and cannabis industries have attracted increased attention from consumers, investors and retailers alike, brands within these categories still face a range of unique operational challenges. Jeremy Goldstein, the COO and co-founder of both CBD brand Caliper Foods and Cannabis company Stillwater Brands, sees the potential for massive growth if the FDA “gets off its hands.”.

The FDA on Friday released temporary guidance to allow food manufacturers to change ingredients without updating product labels, a move aimed at preventing supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, company and industry leaders are speaking up to promote consumer safety.

For more than a decade BevNET and NOSH have brought the entrepreneurial food and beverage ecosystem together during in-person conferences. Now, it’s time to bring the community together online. It’s time to connect, even in isolation. It’s time to share knowledge, even when the schools are out. On June 23 and 24, let’s take some time together to reset, boarding a platform made by the coalesced entrepreneurial community, taking a break from our widespread separation.

O’Dang wants to bring the “health halo” of hummus into center store. The brand, the majority of which is owned by Keen Growth Capital, has rolled out a new line of mayonnaise, reformulated its existing dressings and rebranded under new CEO Eric Hintz.

The thirteenth round of Elevator Talk Livestream features leaders from Brami, Nomz, Oomph Cooking Blends, Vegan Heavenly Delights, Positively Plantain and more. This week’s special co-host is Nicole Dawes, the founder of Late July and Nixie Sparkling Water.

Brendan Brazier, co-founder of pioneering plant-based protein brand Vega and “hard” cold-pressed juice brand Pulp Culture, spoke about how his passion for plant-based nutrition culminated in Vega, why the company embraced the saying “ignorance is our only competition,” how he assessed the opportunity for a better-for-you alcoholic beverages and his perspective on the evolution of plant-based foods.

On this week’s Office Hours, Jordan Gaspar, managing partner at AF Ventures and Ben Mand, CEO of Harmless Harvest field questions from food and beverage industry entrepreneurs about investor and brand relationships and how they can evolve in a crisis climate.