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

Ingredient producer and bar brand ReGrained announced the close of a $2.5 million round of funding to help propel the brand into its next phase of growth as an ingredient supplier. Family-owned product development firm Griffith Foods led the round with Barilla Group’s venture fund BLU1877 and Telluric Foods also taking part. Roughly $700,000 of the round was also raised from 700 contributors via an equity crowdfunding round on Indiegogo.

During Natural Products Expo East, Better Bites Bakery founder Leah Lopez shared with NOSH how she thinks the company is positioned for success as new allergen-free brands enter the market, and why she believes a soon-to-come line of diabetic-friendly products fits with the brand’s ethos.

Marci Zaroff, who over the past three decades has helped change the way we dress, eat and live, joins the podcast this week. Hear why she’s urging companies to incorporate ethical sourcing and sustainability into their brand strategies, discussed the “perpetual yo-yo” of entrepreneurship, and shared her take on the budding business of cannabis.

No matter how good a product tastes, if its packaging doesn’t catch shoppers’ eyes, it’s unlikely to succeed. At Natural Products Expo East, the stakes were just as high. Here are eight new rebrands and redesigns that the NOSH team spotted from the show floor.

From a condiment maker working for over a year to gain B-Corp status, to new investment funds financing the evolving food industry, here are some of the top news stories from this week that you should know.

While the competitive meal kit market may see a lot of customer turnover, ecommerce kids meal solution Yumble believes it has a sticky solution — and investors do as well. The company announced today the close of a $7 million round of funding led by Sonoma Brands.

All retail is a competition, but this one also teaches: The NOSH Live Pitch Slam presented by 301 Inc. returns this November.

In this video, NOSH reporter Meagan McGinnes and BevNET reporter Brad Avery examine developments within the sports nutrition space and recap the most notable keto products from this year’s show, including brands like Kitu Life, Rebel, Cave Shake and Love Good Fats.

Country Archer is deepening its relationship with investor Monogram Capital. The meat snack brand announced this week that it has closed a $10 million round of funding from the investment group. The brand plans to use the capital to increase capacity at its production facility and continue to scale its growth.

A Dozen Cousins’ mission is to inspire families of all backgrounds to eat better food and live longer, more vibrant lives. Founder & CEO Ibraheem Basir shares that the company is focused on offering global-inspired products made with high-quality ingredients like real onions and garlic, apple cider vinegar and avocado oil to create a variety of heat-and-eat style beans.

Producers exhibiting at last week’s Natural Products Expo East seemed to recognize the opportunity in grain-free as many brands unveiled new innovations and flavors that play in this space.

This week we sit down with Ben Branson, the creator of Seedlip, a first-of-its-kind non-alcoholic spirit that’s disrupted an industry by changing the way consumers think about cocktails; the hosts convene for a debrief on the recently held Natural Products Expo East 2018 and discuss exhibitor reaction to the show and notable food trends on display at the annual event.

The organic industry has changed. The question from consumers is no longer “why would you buy organic?” but rather “why wouldn’t you?” During last week’s Natural Products Expo East, leaders in the organic space came together to discuss how they are navigating this marketplace shift and evolution.

From new investments and acquisitions to new hires, here are some of the top news stories from this week.