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

Rebellyous Foods has more than a nugget’s worth of plans. With a new plant-based chicken nugget launching into limited retail this week, the company hopes its proprietary technology will eventually be adapted by other manufacturers.

The twelfth round of Elevator Talk Livestream features leaders from This Saves Lives, Mighty Gum, Rowe of Venice, Novel Plant Foods and more. This week’s special co-host is Sebastian Dreher of Doehler Ventures, who will share his thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.

Over the past decade, consumer interest in immunity boosting products and ingredients has been steadily on the rise. But the outbreak of the coronavirus has pushed that into overdrive: Between January and April, social posts mentioning “immunity” increased 134%, according to flavor provider FONA International.

Two years after its launch, keto snack brand HighKey has made a name for itself on Amazon, going toe-to-toe with beloved brands like Chips Ahoy — and winning: it’s currently the massive consumer platform’s best-selling chocolate chip cookie.

Miguel Garza, co-founder & CEO of Mexican-American food brand Siete Family Foods, spoke about the principles upon which the company was founded, the roles of family and love play in the company’s operations, the hallmarks of its product development and innovation strategies and why revenue isn’t the defining metric for Siete to become an iconic brand.

This week’s featured guests, investors Wayne Wu (VMG) and Robert Brown (Encore Consumer Capital), offer financing advice and discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on investment in food and beverage companies, from sourcing and closing deals to changing terms.

Three entrepreneurs believe they have figured out how to succeed as a food and beverage brand: plan for a bit of failure. The Naked Market launched into retail late last year as a food and beverage platform “for millennials, by millennials.” With the debut of their third product, AvoCrazy avocado puffs, earlier this month, the company feels it’s now dialed in a pathway to see a “grand slam.”

As the food industry adjusts to some version of ‘new normal,’ legislation was introduced this week to extend food workers’ financial protections during COVID-19, while the SAFE Banking Act for cannabis businesses was added to the House’s latest stimulus bill. Here’s the latest COVID-19 news from around the industry this week.

One month after announcing the cancellation of Summer Fancy Food Show 2020, originally slated to take place June 28 through 30 in New York City, the Specialty Food Association (SFA) has followed up by enacting several cost-saving measures.

On Tuesday, May 19 at 3 p.m. ET, investors Wayne Wu (VMG) and Robert Brown (Encore Consumer Capital) will offer financing advice and discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on investment in food and beverage companies, from sourcing and closing deals to changing terms.

NOSH’s Pitch Slam, presented by 301 Inc., returns this summer — virtually. Although the current pandemic has hit the pause button on in-person events like NOSH Live, early-stage food brands are still growing and evolving, and now more than ever they deserve a platform to share their latest innovations.

Jessica Weiss Levison, founder/CEO of Peekaboo Organics, a maker of indulgent ice cream infused with hidden vegetables, spoke about the importance of identifying those who instantly “get” the concept, shared the unconventional way in which she met a Target buyer, her process for raising capital and a key way to avoid slotting fees.

John Bonnell is the co-founder of Wholly Veggie, a Canadian company making vegetable-based snacks, appetizers and meals aimed at bringing convenient, plant-based options to consumers’ plates. The company is seeking to serve flexitarians and wellness consumers that are looking to reduce meat in their diet, by delivering products that fill white space in plant-based sets across categories.

In this video, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg spoke with Alex Marx, director of category management for KeHe, about how he has seen the retail industry shift and how innovation has a key role to play in helping the market to recover from disruption.