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

From an accelerator supporting a startup that fits its new priorities, to brands differentiating their product portfolios beyond their legacy offerings, here are some of this week’s top stories that you should know.

Halo Top, Quest, Kodiak Cakes. These are the CPG role models former Wild Oats category manager and Quest product developer Chris Chiarella looked to when creating Ideal Oats, a line of high-protein, low sugar oatmeal cups.

Like the heat of its gourmet sauces, Corine’s Cuisine is looking to build gradually, according to the company’s COO, Ray Parish. Tune into this week’s Elevator Talk to learn more about why Parish thinks building slowly was vital to the success of the company, and when the brand thinks it will eventually look to investors to scale.

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, which makes Cheetos, accused World Peas Brand’s Peatos of trademark infringement. PepsiCo alleges that Peatos’ name and paw-print logo are “confusingly similar” to Cheetos and that Peato’s slogan, “tigers live longer than cheetahs,” unfairly denigrates the Cheetos brand.

Shake Shack COO Zach Koff explains how the restaurant chain’s surprisingly simple business philosophy led to stunning success; Zak Normandin, CEO, Dirty Lemon takes us on a deep dive inside its innovative detox-to-your-doorstep business model.

From the distribution boom of a tater tot alternative company, to the strategic launch of a clean protein maker with a natural retailer, here is the latest distribution news.

Just five months after announcing their U.S. debut in Whole Foods Markets, low-sugar candy company SmartSweets is ramping up its mission to kick sugar out of the confection set, launching two new innovations today. The new products will be complimented with an increase in distribution.

From CBD to imperfect produce, this week brands are looking for new ways to appeal to shoppers, embrace the latest trends and streamline their operations. And, for those that achieve these goals, the results can be lucrative.

While the bar category may be a crowded set, Tosi Health thinks there’s room for one more leader at the front of the pack. And now, armed with new capital, the company has more gas in the tank to make this goal a reality.

Tune into this week’s Elevator Talk! Camille Paz y Mino, the founder of Highland Farm Foods, a line of quinoa-based snacks and cereals, talks about reaching millennial shoppers, what the brand’s distribution plans look like and what she’s learned as the company has grown.

Last week Emmy’s launched a new line of Radiant cookies, which embrace “ancient” ingredients with more unconventional flavor profiles. The line came about as a result of the company’s growth in e-commerce sales.

While working at General Mills, Ibraheem Basir found himself trying to develop products that would both encourage healthy eating and appeal to mainstream shoppers. Now, he’s applying that strategy to his own company — A Dozen Cousins — which is backed by John Foraker, former president of Annie’s Homegrown and current CEO of Once Upon a Farm, and Gail Peterson, a former General Mills marketing director.

Christopher Kimball, the founder of Milk Street and America’s Test Kitchen, explained his perspective that, at its core, there is nothing “authentic” about food, which he views as a “river that keeps moving,” shared his stance on buzzy trends and why flavor is what’s missing in the discussion about organics.

Last week the company released its 2018 sustainability impact report, which highlighted the startup’s progress and challenges during its continued pursuit to eliminate animals in food production by 2035.