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

During this year’s Natural Products Expo West, the NOSH team sought out five natural food founders, from newcomers to seasoned vets, to get the low-down on the best — and worst — advice they have ever received.

Farmwise LLC, the makers of Veggie Fries, Veggie Tots and Veggie Rings, announced Tuesday night that it closed a $4.5 million financing round led by Cleveland Avenue LLC, the venture capital firm founded by Don Thompson.

The value-added seafood company announced last week it had raised $1.3 million from newly established equity firm Arbel Growth Partners, run by Carl Lee, the former president and CEO of Snyder’s Lance, Inc.

Thrive Market co-founder Nick Green: “if we make healthy living affordable for everyone, there’s tens of billions of dollars [worth of] business to be built”; an Elevator Talk double-header with upstart brands Hubble and WholeMe. This episode is presented by RISE Brewing Co.

Retailers, Category Innovators, Branding Experts and fast-growing brands: that’s right, we’re announcing a new slate of high-level speakers for NOSH Live, the conference that focuses on the path to growth for entrepreneurial food brands. NOSH Live takes place on June 4 and 5 in Manhattan at the Metropolitan West, 639 W. 46 St., New York, NY.

During the webinar, “How America Eats: State of the Snack Food Industry,” consumer research group IRI evaluated the latest growth opportunities in snacking and forecasted trends to come in 2018.

The Austin-based fermented vegetable maker announced last week that it will now be known as Barrel Creek Provisions and will sport a new look.

Some of CPG’s biggest players are embracing change. Here is the latest in natural food news this week.

During this year’s Natural Products Expo West, Senior Reporter Meagan McGinnes spoke with Four Sigmatic founder Tero Isokauppila about the his love of mushrooms, why adaptogens are trending in food and how he is getting people to give his fungus-filled products a try.

In the spirit of creating a place to network, taste and form partnerships, for this summer’s edition we’ve created the NOSH Live Sampling Experience & Expo. On Monday, June 4, we’ve carved out two hours for attendees and speakers alike to share samples of their latest natural, organic, healthy and sustainable foods, ask questions of industry experts, and talk shop.

The joint partnership between Buena Park, Calif.-based True Fresh and Edison, N.J.-based NutriFresh, announced last week, will make the combined entity the largest HPP tolling enterprise in North America.

Jonny Moseley has built quite a resume as an award winning freestyle skier and TV host. Now, along with his wife and a longtime family friend, he’s looking to add CPG entrepreneur to the list. In this video, Project NOSH Editor Carol Ortenberg spoke Moseley about the launch of Iota, the trio’s new seed-centric snack brand.

The new cash brings the total to nearly $400 million in financing behind the plant-based, “bleeds like meat” brand.

Protein is breaking free from the nutrition bar, which historically has been the most popular format for protein-supplemented CPG outside of powders. In this deep-dive, we explore why brands are interested in new protein snacking formats: bites, balls and everything in between.