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

Two generations of food company executives have come together in a new fund whose purpose is to help build the next set of natural food brands.

One of natural food’s newest parent-brand companies is adding to its tribe. Tribe 9 Foods announced this week that it will now house RP’s Pasta Company, Yumbutter and Ona under its company umbrella. To finance the merger, the company raised $2 million in growth capital from Natural Food Partners, LLC.

When it came time for meat snack company Wilde Brand to make the leap from its first product (a line of roasted, lean meat bars) co-founder and CEO Jason Wright wanted to take a different, crunchier path. At this year’s Expo West the brand will launch a unique chicken-based chip.

The fruit-and-grain pouch leader, Munk Pack, is making its first foray into protein with a shelf stable prepackaged cookie. Meanwhile, Flapjacked, which has always focused on protein within its range of pancake and muffin lines, is positioning its cookie in the baking mix space.

In this NOSH Voices Zachary DeAngelo looks at the historic valuations the industry is seeing and why, in his opinion, high valuations aren’t good for anyone because they set unrealistic expectations for how success is defined.

To surge ahead of the competition and grow its presence on shelves, gut health and probiotic-focused brand Farmhouse Culture announced Wednesday both a Series D round of funding and the rollout of a new line of beverages.

Food and beverage incubator AccelFoods today announced a $15 million expansion of its second fund, and new investment in several emerging brands.

As Project NOSH in New York draws near, so too does the exciting Project NOSH Pitch Slam, which returns for its second edition on June 12 at the Metropolitan West Pavilion. The premier opportunity for a select group of emerging natural packaged food brands to step into the spotlight, the Pitch Slam is the signature competition of the Project NOSH Summer 2017 conference; it is sponsored by ADM.

Look what the tide brought in: seaweed broth. While the past year has seen grocery aisles awash in a wave of chicken, beef and vegetable broths, Robert Mock, co-founder of Ocean’s Halo Seaweed Snacks, sees an opening to launch a new line of seaweed-based broths.

Last week Tim Brown stepped down as the CEO of Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA), and today was named president and chief operating officer of Greek yogurt giant Chobani. He starts in his new position at the privately-owned company on March 20, reporting directly to Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya.

Cereal and garden kit brand Back to the Roots (B2TR) will have a new look heading to shelves soon, part of a refreshed brand identity that the company’s founders say will span the company’s portfolio. Along with the rebrand, the brand announced the launch of two new ready-to-grow pepper kits as well as a snack line of sunflower seed butter “bites.”

Paleo Passions has been working to evolve the way consumers think about and eat food since it first launched its good-for-you frozen popsicle line about three years ago. Now, the caveman-inspired company is adding to the reach of its brand via an upcoming deal with Walmart and a new product line positioned outside of the freezer aisle.

To help bring a fresh baked taste from the bakery section to center store, BOBO’s, a producer of oat bars, announced today the closing an $8 million round of capital. Boulder Investment Group Reprise (BIGR) lead the round with additional funding provided by investment firm Range Light LLC.

Will Holsworth has a vision, and it goes far beyond the Skeeter. Holsworth, a veteran executive at both big companies (PepsiCo) and smaller enterprises (Muscle Milk and Sambazon), had been approached to run Skeeter Snacks, but he saw a broader play — to codify allergen-free snacks under a single brand that would be safe for consumption while also providing a good-looking, modern brand that wouldn’t embarrass a parent or stigmatize the at-risk consumer.