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

Out of the 600 bright millennial minds honored across all 20 segments of the 30 Under 30 List, 23 innovators were highlighted for their work in the food and beverage industry — either for a brand, in retail or within a related industry.

Zoe Leavitt, Retail Food & Technology Analyst at strategic data analytics firm CB Insights, discussed yesterday the evolving relationship between the big and emerging brands during a webinar titled “Startups Shaping the Future of Food.”

Private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners has acquired a minority stake in Nuun, a Seattle-based brand of hydration tablets and powders, for an undisclosed sum.

Companies are increasingly seeking placement on conventional grocery store shelves to connect with a wider group of consumers. From chickpea pasta to dehydrated cheese snacks, here is the latest in natural’s distribution news.

Good Spread is growing its “authenticity tracking system,” transitioning all of its lines to organic, and expanding its food service division. But even as the company continues to scale, innovate and increase its operational capabilities, its mission — and love of peanut butter — has stayed the same.

Extending the lessons from the first day of NOSH Live, Boot Camp will immerse attendees in the ways that products move through the market and will show them how to get it done, from pitching investors and stores to putting impactful products on shelf, hiring as they grow, and attacking online opportunities like Amazon.

Two years after the co-op behind Welch’s food created fruit-bite brand Nothing But the Fruit (NBTF), the snack label is releasing its second juicy innovation: vegan fruit jerky. The portfolio expansion is part of the co-op’s strategy to show consumers the viability of its harvests goes beyond grapes.

Under the new Nutrition Facts regulations, the types of ingredients that would count towards dietary fiber levels was severely reduced. Earlier this year the FDA announced it would review 26 additional isolated and synthetic ingredients to be recognized as acceptable, however, after almost a year with no guidance or updates on the review, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is asking for answers.

In this week’s episode of Taste Radio, Adnan Durrani explained how he identified a huge growth opportunity for halal foods in the U.S. and why Saffron Road, makers of halal-certified frozen foods and healthy snacks, saw millennials as a key consumer demographic during the brand’s launch.

Dean Foods, Hain Celestial and Snyder’s-Lance all held their quarterly earnings calls this week. While each saw varying levels of success this quarter, all three spoke about how they are looking to build up their core brands in order to achieve efficiencies and boost future earnings.

At SupplySide West 2017, held in September in Las Vegas, Project NOSH’s sister site, BevNET, caught up with several ingredient suppliers seeking to build the market for these proteins through innovative solutions and products, such as ready-to-drink beverages and supplements.

Yesterday, protein-centric brand Powerful announced the close of a $4 million round. The capital is a combination of equity investment from River Hollow Partners and asset based lending (ABL) financing through Gerber Finance. Currently the Miami, Florida-based producer of Powerful Yogurt and Powerful drinks, as well as an emerging product, high-protein Powerful Oatmeal, is in over 10,000 points of sale, including select Walmart, Target and Kroger stores.

Fast growing, high-protein, low-calorie ice cream producer Halo Top is popping out of pints and into the mall with the launch of a new scoop shop in Los Angeles, California. With its cult following, the brand hopes to provide its legion of fans a more experiential way to “indulge” with ice cream.

For every never-before-seen, patented piece of technology, there are numerous food brands developing well-branded, delicious versions of classic recipes that have been around for decades or longer. Investors are increasingly taking note and helping these brands grow to the next step of their development.