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

Last week, Beyond Meat announced the close of a $55 million investment in its plant-based meat substitute platform. Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said the round was needed in order to set the company up for success in 2018, with the investment focused primarily on operations and R&D.

This week, My/Mo announced the launch of its newest innovation, pints with mochi “bite” inclusions, an ice cream-forward reversal of the brand’s original mochi line. The company will also launch four non-dairy mochi flavors using cashew milk in Q1.

After over a decade and a half on U.S. store shelves, fair trade focused snack and chocolate brand Alter Eco has been acquired by strategic equity firm NextWorld Evergreen (NWE).

The big box retailer announced today that it has agreed to acquire Shipt, Inc., a leading online same-day delivery platform, for $550 million in cash. The acquisition strengthens Target’s position as a major competitor in the online grocery space.

At last week’s BevNET Live in Santa Monica, California, flavor and extract companies predicted their taste trends of 2018. Here’s what they expect consumers to be craving most in the new year.

The capital will be used to grow the company’s team beyond its current 10 employees, hiring food scientists and chefs to support a robust innovation pipeline. Although some efforts will go towards developing new flavors for its current pint line, Nicholson said an even bigger focus is to bring the brand into categories beyond pints and, potentially, beyond the freezer aisle.

Yesterday, plant-protein powerhouse Beyond Meat announced the close of a $55 million round. Leading the round was Cleveland Avenue, LLC, the venture capital firm founded by Don Thompson, former CEO of McDonald’s Corporation.

How organic plant-based food and beverage company Forager Project aligns innovation with current trends while staying true to its core mission; living at “the edge of success and extinction,” with the founder of Ibex Yogurt; the Bitsy way of making brain food.

After the NOSH Live conference last Thursday, a group of budding food entrepreneurs reconvened on Friday for a set of more intimate informational sessions on how to further build their businesses. A key session of the day was a deeper look at team building and best practices for hiring during periods of rapid growth.

Global confection leader Nestle announced this week that it has agreed to acquire Canadian vitamin maker Atrium Innovations, the parent company of functional food and supplement brand Garden of Life, for $2.3 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to close early next year.

As 2018 nears, some of industry’s biggest thought leaders are gazing into their data-driven crystal balls to envision the future of food. Among the predictors is Innova Market Insights, which last month declared its top 10 trends for the new year.

Stu Strumwasser, the Founder and Managing Director of Green Circle Capital, writes about how one arrives at a fair valuation for shares of a private stock that has not recently been transacted (by NON friends and family members).

From celebrity chef-made condiments to protein-packed “spirit animal” crackers, here is your latest in natural product distribution news.asa

Last week, Field Roast Grain Meat Co. was acquired for $120 million by protein producer Maple Leaf Foods. Since the announcement, the response from employees and consumers has been mixed, resulting in a promise from Field Roast to remain committed to the vegan diet.