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

Two plant-based startups, Emergy Foods, producing a proprietary ingredient for meat alternatives, and subscription smoothie mix Kencko, both announced recent fund raises last week. While Emergy Foods looks to expand production capacity at its new Boulder, Colorado headquarters, Kencko will focus on improving its sustainable packaging and expanding its flavor portfolio.

CBD-infused snack and beverage maker Weller has raised $3 million in a funding round led by Brand Foundry Ventures, the company announced Friday. As part of the raise, Brand Foundry founder and general partner Andrew Mitchell will gain a seat on Weller’s board of directors.

When it comes to challenges in legal cannabis, regulatory hurdles are only one issue facing young THC and CBD brands. New entrants to the category must also contend with product quality and efficacy, reliable sourcing, and establishing strong business connections within the CPG industry.

Ben Simon sees small imperfections as opportunities. As founder and CEO of Imperfect Produce, a produce delivery service currently available in 23 U.S. cities with about 200,000 customers, Simon is leading the fight to end food waste via realistic solutions to engage consumers with food. In May, the company started testing a program, ‘Imperfect Picks,’ to rescue packaged staple items with slight flaws to curb the 8 million tons of food waste that occurs in stores yearly.

This week’s episode features interviews with the founders of three innovative brands and focuses on how each landed placement in their dream retailers.

NOSH Live Summer 2019 was full of inspirational stories, advice and insights from some of the natural food industry’s biggest players. Here are some of our favorite quotes from the presenters at the two-day conference in New York City.

Over the past week several emerging brands announced the appointments of experienced CPG executives to their leadership teams. Tosi Health, 8Greens and The Modern Pod brought on talent from CLIF Bar, Kraft Heinz and Whole Foods Market, respectively, to help their businesses scale.

Everipe helps people eat clean with healthy blender-ready superfood smoothie packs. The blends use freeze-dried ingredients, making them shelf-stable and cost-effective to ship, while also avoiding the food waste often associated with using fresh ingredients.

You can order a personalized license plate with just a few clicks online, so why can’t you personalize your nutrition needs? That’s the question Hippeas creator Livio Bisterzo and Dan Obegi, former chief digital officer of GNC and CEO of dermstore.com, both wondered. To solve this need, the two have joined forced — and raised $1.7 million in funding — to launch Buddy Nutrition, a personalized nutrition service.

n this presentation recorded at the Cannabis Forum Summer 2019, New Frontier Data chief knowledge officer John Kagia breaks down the “five forces” currently disrupting the global cannabis marketplace, including expanded legal access, therapeutic efficacy, product innovation, convenience, and growing social acceptance.

For a better-for-you food brand to have a chance to keep up with on-the-go families, it needs to move with them. Leaning in to the growing “grab-and-go” mindset, FlapJacked, known for its protein baking mixes and mug muffins, has launched cookie bars, its first ready-to-eat product.

As part of our interview, Jelly Belly president/CEO Lisa Rowland Brasher discussed how the company’s focus on creating unique experiences for its consumers has contributed to its evolution into an iconic candy brand.

In a presentation at NOSH Live Summer 2019 in New York City, Doug Munk, director of new business ventures for Nestle, shared how Nestle is prioritizing innovation — empowering its 22,000 employees to contribute to the company’s growth and development.

Oberto Snacks is looking to its century-old legacy to solidify its future in premium meat snacks. After being acquired by Canada-based Premium Brands last year, Oberto is going “back to its roots” to inspire new product innovations, the company says.