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

Plant-based, health startup Revere launched last week with plans of bringing personalization to athletes’ pre- and post-workout mixtures. The direct-to-consumer drink mix company also announced that it raised $2 million in a seed round led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures prior to the launch.

The story of how Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge came to become a gourmet food producer duo is something out of a specialty food fairy tale. Their journey began just under 10 years when they purchased a farm and small herd of goats. But with savvy marketing skills, the two have seen consistent growth across their Beekman 1802 line.

The food industry is like photography: entrepreneurs need to look at their world through a focused lens in order to get the best result. Or at least that’s how James Richardson, senior VP of knowledge and innovation at the Hartman Group, sees it. Richardson shared that sentiment and other insights on the power of focus for growing brands during last month’s Summer 2017 NOSH Live event in N.Y.C. Watch his entire presentation here.

Paleo snack brand Wild Zora has seen 20 times growth in its Amazon sales since revamping its retail and marketing strategies last October, according to the company. Cofounder Joshua Tabin told NOSH the online side of business has now become the brand’s “bread and butter.”

Award winning author Michael Ruhlman spoke about his new book, Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America, while at NOSH Live Summer 2017 in N.Y.C. last month. In his on-stage discussion, which explored the changing landscape of retail stores, Ruhlman addressed how the importance of retailers responding to consumer needs creates new dynamics in the retail/consumer relationship.

Speculation that Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods Market might spark legal backlash came to fruition this week as U.S. Representative David Cicilline (D-RI), the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel, called for the subcommittee to hold a hearing on the online retail giant’s latest acquisition.

Investment platform CircleUp has new offerings designed to service specific institutional clients and entrepreneurs who want more privacy around their capital raise. The new offering has gradually rolled out over the past year.

From deepening footprints regionally to increasing store counts with leading grocery retailers on a national scale, here are some of the biggest distribution wins the industry has seen over the past month.

KEEN Growth Capital told NOSH the firm has obtained a “significant” partnership interest in both O’Dang Hummus and The Jersey Tomato Co. The fund, led by managing partners Jonathan Smiga and serial entrepreneur Jerry Bello, is a group that invests in early-stage entrepreneurs. KEEN did not disclose financial terms for either deal.

More than 10 U.S. food companies issued voluntary recalls for products vulnerable to listeria last month — and the contamination is stemming from issues with a supplier, according to the individual recall notices. Bulletproof, GoMacro, Wildway, Trader Joe’s, Fresh Foods, Lantana, Marketside, Nature’s Path, Nature’s Promise, Woodstock, Market Basket, Publix and Wholesome Pantry were all affected.

Toosum Healthy Foods announced last week its acquisition of KUTOA, a non-GMO, vegan nutrition bar company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Toosum founder Peter Guyer told NOSH that Grassia will remain “very involved” with the business and will have minority ownership. Currently Garcia is focused on helping the two brands come together and continuing to build customer relationships with new and existing retailers.

Last week, Danone cleared the final hurdle in announcing Stonyfield’s acquisition by its fellow French dairy company, Lactalis, for $875 million. After enjoying over a decade of growth under Danone, the New Hampshire-based company is beginning a new chapter. In discussing the deal with NOSH, analysts and experts in the organic grocery space noted that while the deal was ostensibly about freeing Danone to secure the bigger prize of acquiring WhiteWave, it also affirms the long-term value of a strong organic brand.

One of the highlights from last month’s Summer Fancy Food was the sheer variety of options. Watch the video below to learn what the Project NOSH team chose as their staff picks and why.

As consumers continue to seek convenience, nutrition, and satiation from their beverages, drinkable soup and yogurt brands are seeing opportunity in marketing their products as meal replacement drinks or in-between meal snacks.