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

Office food “concierge” Oh My Green this week announced it had acquired Byte Foods; Euromonitor International released its “Top 10 Global Consumer Trends 2020” report and more in this week’s Checkout.

If it is passed and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, as is widely expected to happen within weeks, California Assembly Bill 228 will declare that foods, beverages and cosmetics made with industrial hemp should not be considered as adulterated. Until that occurs, however, brands and retailers in Southern California still face an uncertain existence from day to day.

In a presentation at NOSH Live Winter 2019, Abe Minkara, Founding Partner/CIO of investment firm Legacy Knight Multi Family Office (and former managing director at Mark Cuban Companies), explained how entrepreneurs should prepare to leverage investors.

Gathered Foods, the makers of Good Catch vegan seafood, announced yesterday that the alternative protein play had raised a series B round of $32.3 million, $10M of which was closed last year as a convertible note. The capital will be used to bring a new production facility online, which, in turn, will allow for international expansion of the Good Catch brand, food service opportunities and the opening of co-packing and R&D facilities for other food brands.

You can’t find a hotter buzzword than “plant-based” as a signifier for innovation in the meat and dairy categories — or in center store, as the following product launches indicate. Read on for three new traditional products that have been plantified.

Robert Petrarca is the CEO and co-founder of Maxine’s Heavenly, a sweet snacking company that crafts cookies with better-for-you ingredients. Inspired by a beloved family recipe, Maxine’s aims to deliver a homemade taste for consumers seeking healthier options.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service has found that almonds, cashews, pistachios and walnuts all contain less calories than originally thought, according to a series of studies that began in 2012. This opens the door for brands with nut-based products to update their products’ nutrition panels — and potentially even position themselves differently to reach consumers who may be concerned with calories.

Gail Becker, founder & CEO of Caulipower, discussed the swift rise of her vegetable-forward frozen food brand, including why she left a successful career behind to start the company, the value of taking risks, how she identified and partnered with early-stage investors and why humility is critical for success.

What happens after you achieve the goal you’ve spent years chasing? In 2017 Peter Rahal sold his protein bar brand RXBAR. In 2019 he stepped down as CEO to be an advisor to the company and focus on his own projects. Now he’s busy investing in brands under his firm Litani and figuring out what his next play should be.

As younger consumers seek flexitarian diets, and are more open-minded about technology’s role in food innovation, both the plant-based and cell-based meat landscapes are growing and diversifying. In this week’s Checkout, Kroger and Tofurky launched new burger products, cultivated meat company New Age Meats raised $2.7 million, and plant-based brand Impossible Foods announced a new pork alternative.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Ancient Harvest bordered on the revolutionary for its use of quinoa. But much changed and not only was quinoa no longer the exotic grain it once was but the pasta and grain categories shifted too, with gluten-free callouts no longer rare. But 2020 will kick off a “new era” for the brand, CEO John Becker believes, starting with a relaunch of the line, a reformulation of products and the acquisition of the Pamela’s line of gluten-free baked goods, pastas and mixes.

In this episode, Matt Weiss, founder/CEO of RIND Snacks, discussed his approach to incubating the skin-on dried fruit brand while maintaining his full-time job. Weiss spoke about how he assessed the financial and opportunity costs of entrepreneurship, the importance of open and honest communication with his employer while incubating RIND and why he believes in “relentless networking.”

In a session at NOSH Live Winter 2019 in Santa Monica, Bentley Hall, CEO of online grocery service Good Eggs, explained how a focus on quality took the platform to new heights — from near bankruptcy to a $50 million raise.

Jenny Heman is the founder of Honeycut Kitchen, an upstart brand crafting nutritious snack cakes with a balanced macro profile. Focused on fitness enthusiasts and health-forward consumers, the company is offering a fresh take on the famous indulgent treat using natural and organic ingredients.