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

Here’s your first chance to look at the official agenda for the NOSH Live conference coming up in Santa Monica on Nov. 29 and 30 at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Carefully assembled to give the universe of food entrepreneurs and their partners a look into strategies for growth, problem-solving and connection, a look at the program highlights the following key areas.

Allyson Straka, the Founder and CEO of Frozen Garden LLC, is focused on making high quality, nutrient dense food convenient. Her ready-to-blend frozen green smoothies source ingredients from local farmers, allowing the company to go from ground to freezer in the same day, maximizing nutrient retention and improving taste.

This morning, soft drink and snack giant Pepsi announced that it was buying Health Warrior, an upstart snack bar company that is best known for its use of chia — and other nutritional seeds and nuts — in its plant-based products.

BevNET and NOSH will host a special panel to kick off The Cannabis Forum for Food and Beverage at the inaugural event, which will be held on Dec. 1 in Santa Monica, Calif. Bringing together entrepreneurs from both the food and beverage world and the fast-evolving legal cannabis business, the first talk of the day, “Cannabis and CPG at the Crossroads: Creating a Cooperative Industry” will explore the opportunities located at the intersection of these two growth industries.

Forget omnichannel. Investment fund VMG is ready to help brands become “omni-nation.” At least, that’s the plan according to Kara Roell, the managing director and co-founder of the California-based consumer products investor. VMG and Asian venture firm Hillhouse Capital announced today that the two firms will each allocate $100 million of capital to co-invest in consumer brands that hope to expand their global outreach — particularly in China.

Sausage and hot dog brand Teton Waters Ranch (TWR) is in the business of beef. So it’s a bit of an anomaly that the company’s latest innovation aims to inspire its consumers to eat less of its core product.

With Halloween less then a week away, candy manufacturers are ready for their busiest season. According to new research, Halloween sales in particular should be fairly sweet for producers. And while “clean” products may be the future of the meat category, this week government officials and innovators gathered together to discuss how this emerging category should be regulated. Here’s the news you need to know from this week.

Yesterday’s model for CPG brands is no longer effective. Today they must consider the caliber and sourcing of the ingredients they use, what their investors want, and the myriad ways consumers are shopping for products. In a new report, investment research firm CB Insights outlined ideas for what brands must do in order to stay top of mind.

Shelf space is competitive ground. At next month’s NOSH Live conference, we’ll explore how independent, emerging brands can compete with the big guys in stores. The founder of snack brand Late July and a natural foods leader at Kroger’s 84.51° analytics company will help you plot your strategy. Nicole Bernard Dawes is the founder of… Read more »

Nut Crumbs are a gluten-free alternative to traditional bread crumbs that cater to individuals with health or dietary restrictions. Founder Susan Laughlin wanted consumers to have a better-for-you way to enjoy classic breaded and fried comfort foods.

In this episode, we’re joined by chef, restaurateur and TV personality Marcus Samuelsson who spoke about the inspiration behind his cooking and what’s shaping the next evolution of food. We also spoke with Fair Trade USA founder and CEO Paul Rice for a discussion of the aims, success and challenges of the organization, which recently celebrated its 20 year anniversary.

Over the last year, direct-to-consumer frozen food subscription services/providers such as Daily Harvest and Raised Real have reinvigorated consumers’ excitement about frozen food options. However, the frozen aisle itself has remained somewhat untouched with legacy brands abound, save for new cauliflower-based innovations scattered throughout. Imperial Frozen Foods wants to change the dialogue — both about the category as a whole and about their offerings — through product innovation and acquisitions.

Bantam Bagels announced today that it has been acquired for $34 million by T. Marzetti Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lancaster Colony Corporation. Co-founder Elyse Oleksak told NOSH that the company’s rapid growth over the last five years left the brand at “an inflection point.”

Things are hatching in the CPG space as one rising plant-based startup finds itself with a new partner for distribution while another considers going public. Here’s the news you need to know from this week.