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

In 2014 entrepreneur David Istier founded Energy Fruits, a shelf-stable natural fruit and vegetable pouch. Three years later, the company has rebranded and more than doubled its distribution while focusing more directly on prebiotic-based gut health.

It seems that summer vacation doesn’t apply to the CPG industry, which has seen a flood of capital raises and acquisitions. Here’s a look at some the deals of the past few weeks.

In episode 72 of Taste Radio, we feature a conversation with Poorvi Patodia, who is the founder and CEO of Biena, a fast-growing maker of roasted chickpea snacks. She discussed why Biena attempts to operate more like a tech firm than a food company, as well as her decision to launch a co-branded line of snacks with Weight Watchers.

Last week, produce-centric brand Veggie Noodle Co. announced a minority investment from Encore Consumer Capital. Today, the Austin, Texas-based company released more details surrounding the deal, which was revealed to be a $14 million investment closed in May.

After months of predicting what’s to come for Whole Foods Market, today e-commerce giant and acquirer, Amazon, gave its first look into the natural retailer’s evolution with a list of strategic changes to be rolled out across all Whole Foods stores starting next week.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but, as previously reported on NOSH, an April 2016 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicated the company had closed roughly $850,000 of a $1.5 million round in May. Van Alstine told NOSH the round, which has now officially closed, was oversubscribed by more than 30 percent.

Earlier this morning, Whole Foods Market shareholders voted to advance the proposal for e-commerce pioneer Amazon to acquire the natural and organic grocer. While the business community was eagerly awaiting the merger’s approval, consumers are just as excited for what this union may bring to their pantry shelves, according to market research firm GfK.

It didn’t take long for Andrew Buerger, co-founder of B’More Organic, to jump into the skyr business. In fact, it only took one taste.

From globally-inspired sauces to gluten-free cookies, here’s some of the industry’s latest distribution news.

A strong affinity toward French culture is starting to influence more than just Francophiles’ diets. Leading French brands shared with NOSH the challenges they faced in entering the U.S and what they are doing to accommodate the different tastes and preferences of the American consumer.

Bill Weiland, founder and CEO of Presence Marketing, told attendees at this summer’s NOSH Live that companies need to think not only about what they add to their portfolios, but also how they talk about those products.

In this week’s Taste Radio episode, Doug Zell talks about “chasing perfection with the hope of never catching it,” and how that concept guides the core mission of Intelligentsia, the super-premium coffee retailer and roaster he co-founded 22 years ago.

Boulder, Colorado-based venture capital group Range Light is ready to climb to new heights under a new moniker, Ridgeline Ventures.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late last week that products labeled as Chicken Chile Verde actually contained the company’s Turkey Meatloaf dinner, which has additional allergens, like eggs and fish, that were not declared on the others’ package. Ultimately, 1,203 cases of product were affected.