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

Matcha has long found its way into Japanese sweets from macarons to mochi, cakes to cookies, and even chocolate bars, but during this year’s Winter Fancy Food Show (WFFS) in San Francisco, it was clear the traditional ceremonial tea powder has moved beyond the teacup and into the North American snack market, too.

This week specialty food purveyors across categories headed to San Fransisco for the Winter Fancy Foods Show. While there were many familiar faces on display, some brands were showing off new rebrands.

Jacqueline Claudia always dreamed of being a marine biologist so she could save the world “one fish at a time.” So now, when the all-grown-up co-founder and CEO of Love The Wild Seafood was presented with an opportunity to work with Aqua-Spark, the first investment fund focused exclusively on sustainable aquaculture, she headed straight for the bait.

Matthew Parry, COO of ABC North America LLC, told NOSH that feedback from The Good Crisp Company’s first nine months on shelves showed that U.S. consumers and retailers were not connecting with the brand’s original name, Mamee.

This past weekend The Good Food Awards and Mercantile took over the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California to highlight “food crafters” from around the country.

Over the past year, numerous big CPG firms have announced the formation of internal venture capital arms to work with and embrace entrepreneurial brands. And while Campbell Soup has launched such a division, Acre Venture Partners, the company’s other divisions haven’t lost the entrepreneurial spirit, either.

In early 2016 coconut and onion chip brand Dang Foods received a minority investment from investment and incubation group Sonoma Brands in order to help the company scale. Apparently, some of it went toward innovation, as well, as the brand is launching a new look and a new line: sticky-rice chips.

With the increasing demand for healthier, alternative snacks, brands made from fruit and vegetables have been growing in popularity. And not just with consumers, but with investors, as well — two growing companies have announced new financing rounds this week alone.

Keeping dairy in the barnyard rather than out among the crops, the proposed bill, the Dairy Pride Act, declares that dairy foods should be made from the secretions of hoofed animals only.

Project NOSH is taking Manhattan. When we raise the curtain on our second New York-based strategy, growth and networking conference for entrepreneurial food businesses, we’ll do so at the Metropolitan Pavilion West, at 639 W 46th Street, on Monday, June 12. An afternoon “Boot Camp” for early-stage entrepreneurs will be offered the day before at a different location.

Primal Kitchen Restaurant’s first franchise in Los Angeles is expected to open this April.

Last week saw a pair of changes in Whole Foods global leadership team, as well as a spate of new hires in supplier companies and food brands alike.

Initially, it seemed like a perfect romance: the venture-backed producer of a protein-heavy flour made from renewable microscopic plants and an up-and-coming “meal disruptor” food and beverage brand meeting to create what could potentially be a monumentally hip “step toward sustainable food production.” But the breakup is real: the past month has found food and beverage producer/replacer Soylent and ingredient supplier TerraVia, engaged in finger-pointing over product problems that plagued Soylent and some of its consumers late last year.

More than 150 public and private companies took the stage during ICR’s investment conference this week — and among its presenters were some of the food industry’s most influential directors.