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

Premium pickle brand Grillo’s is entering the dip and beverage sets with a line of cold-pressed pickle vinegar drinks and new line of salsas launching next week at Natural Products Expo West 2020. Grillo’s founder Travis Grillo said the expansion into beverage is part of a larger effort to build a cross-category platform brand.

Courtney Gillespie is the president and COO of Life’s Grape, an upstart brand that features a unique grape variety, Selma Pete, as the star ingredient of its vine-dried fruit snacks. The company aims to bring millennials into the category by refreshing the classic raisin with quality grapes, unique processing and fun packaging.

Food industry members want identifying upcycled products to be easier, starting with creating a clear definition and labeling standard for ‘upcycled food’ — an early goal for the recently-launched industry organization Upcycled Food Association (UFA).

Ellenos, a fast-growing premium yogurt brand, announced today an $18 million investment by Equilibra Partners Management, the family office of KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky. The capital will be used to help the brand scale nationwide.

We spoke with Marco Canora and Andrew Garner, the founder and CEO, respectively, of pioneering bone broth company Brodo about communicating its value proposition to consumers, how Canora attempts to use his influence as an award-winning chef as to support better-for-you brands and why he believes the steepest part of the learning curve in CPG is also its most frustrating.

Investment firms and large food producers are seeing promise in better-for-you brands — and putting their dollars behind them. In recent deals, Verlinvest and JamJar invest in chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely, Cedar’s Foods acquires overnight oats brand brekki, Hodo closes a Series B investment from Renewal Funds and more.

Rounding out the annual CAGNY conference in Boca Raton, Florida this week, leading CPG companies reviewed 2019 results and future plans to power protein cravings through snacks and more meatless innovations.

A new generation of innovative start-ups are attempting to change the category’s trajectory with versatile, premium products that appeal to young consumers who grew up alongside the third-wave coffee movement.

Four events over six days. Last December was packed with business discussions and networking across the beverage, food, beer and cannabis industries. Now it’s time to revisit those insights and dive deeper. The complete agenda of presentations from BevNET Live, NOSH Live, Brewbound Live and Cannabis Forum are now available to watch online, including main stage and educational presentations, Livestream Studio interviews and breakout session discussions.

Anouck Gotlib, CEO of European-inspired snack brand Belgian Boys, spoke about how her background in fashion influenced the brand’s identity, the key to successful relationships with retail buyers, how Costco has become a critical partner for incubating new products, best practices for effective merchandising and how the company landed a deal with JetBlue.

Frozen food brand Farmwise is selling to one of its top competitors. The Massachusetts-based company announced yesterday that it has been purchased by B&G Foods — who also owns the Green Giant line of vegetable-based products. In recent years the brand has faced competition from larger players (such as Green Giant), co-founder Dave Peters told NOSH.

Philip Teverow is the co-founder and CEO of Yolélé Foods, a mission-based brand that’s bringing African ingredients and food culture to an international audience, while providing a source of income for smallholder farmers in Africa. The company’s first ingredient platform is fonio, an ancient grain that’s gluten-free, low glycemic and cooks in five minutes.

At the annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference this week, leading CPG companies discussed their 2019 results — and plans and strategies for the future. For many, those plans include meeting consumer demand for wellness-oriented products with more offerings, especially in snacking and alternative protein.

In the latest distribution news, four new products from Pitaya and cereal from Catalina Crunch hit shelves at Whole Foods Market, ParmCrisps goes club-sized at Costco and BFree’s wraps launch at Walmart.