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

Plant-based brands fight labeling laws, find breakfast partnerships in this week’s Checkout.

In the next installment of Sauce in the City, Catherine Smart, founder of Not Just Co, explores how she went about raising capital for her fledgling food company.

In 2018 Paul Coletta, the CEO Urban Remedy, told NOSH that he would take the company into new markets beyond California. Now, nearly a year to the day, the company officially announced that it will launch into the New York metro area via a partnership with Whole Foods Market. The move comes after Urban Remedy achieved profitability in its Northern California market, posting an average annual growth rate for the trailing three years of over 80%.

The complete lineup of presentations from NOSH Live Summer 2019 is now available to watch on the NOSH YouTube channel. Last month hundreds of natural food industry founders and executives came together in New York City to fuel the growth of their businesses through new insights and partnerships. Driving the conversations forward were a diverse group of all-stars who took the stage to present their perspectives and insights on the evolving industry.

In the latest distribution news, Publix gears up for back-to-school with the addition of Kidfresh, while Walmart adds new condiments, crisps and ice cream brands.

When Joe and Serenity Carr first walked down the baby food aisle, the couple expected an array of healthy options that would mirror their own paleo diets, but those were scarce as cavemen. With plans to start their own family, the two decided to remedy the situation, launching a line of nutrient dense baby foods. Now the company is growing up, with its first round of institutional investment as it expands into conventional retail.

Tia Lupita started with founder Hector Saldivar’s family hot sauce recipe and has set its sights on growing into a platform for Mexican-inspired healthy food products. The company crafts simple ingredient hot sauces and just launched cactus tortillas and tortilla chips this year.

Edesia Nutrition founder Navyn Salem navigates government relationships to spread fortified peanut butter to malnourished children around the world. Now the nonprofit is also shifting to the consumer side to help solve the problem of peanut allergies.

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.