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

From chickpeas to cassava, jicama to crickets, beans to lentils the chip category has come to represent a proving ground for novel ingredients made crisp and salty. Now, banana-centric brand Barnana is taking its show, hoping to introduce the mainstream American public to a new line of plantain chips.

The Loveland, Colorado-based meat and vegetable brand, Wild Zora, announced it bought the freeze-dried meal brand today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

D’Artagnan CEO Ariane Daguin takes aim at the “diluted” definition of organic and why inexpensive food is predicated on a “false premise”; Rao’s CEO Eric Skae why trust is perhaps the most critical component of a working relationship; Glide Immunity takes its best shot

Both ready-to-eat brand Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn and kernel and seasoning brand Urban Accents debuted new packages and identities at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco last week in an attempt to attract specialty retailer interest.

Where you shop, what products are on shelf, and how they get to your house might be different in the future thanks to recent innovations and shifts in the marketplace. Here’s what you need to know.

Ghost peppers, chilies and jalapeños fired up the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco this week, as brands across categories embraced heat in response to consumers’ rising demand for hot and spicy food.

With the launch of a new line, frozen treat brand Yasso is seeking to enter the red hot pint category. The expansion comes as private equity firm Castanea confirmed earlier this month that it had taken a majority investment in the brand last year.

BevNET founder and CEO John Craven shares insights from his experiences at the 2018 Winter Fancy Food Show this week in San Francisco.

If you want to win in the specialty channel, you have to play by the new rules, according to a recent report by research firm A.T. Kearney. During the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, David Donnan, senior partner at Kearney, gave an in-depth look into the firm’s recent comprehensive study of the specialty food channel and how it’s changing the playbooks for companies big and small.

Project 7’s Tyler Merrick on why quality is critical for brands with a social mission; Civilized Caveman founder George Bryant explains his belief that “the more dehumanized brands are, the less likely they are to survive”; the inside story behind a Genius idea; an innovative tea and juice brand causes a riot

Today, David Barber, co-owner of restaurants Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, announced the launch of Almanac Investments, a $30 million fund for agriculture and hospitality technology, CPG, and experiential retail companies.

As the Winter Fancy Food Show is underway, John Haugen, the VP and General Manager for General Mills’ venture arm 301 INC, reflects on his time in the industry and the lessons he has taken away from 301’s portfolio companies.

Sejoyia’s newest innovation, Coco-Thins, launched during the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco yesterday. It marks the first product since the company rebranded and narrowed its overall R&D focus to sweet snacking.

From a major snack maker launching its first protein-packed bar to industry leaders using their voice in the media to represent consumer demands, here are your top news stories of the week.