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

At the upcoming Project NOSH L.A. conference on Nov. 1 and 2, hundreds of entrepreneurs, industry leaders, suppliers and investors will come together to discuss the current landscape of the food industry and how they can grow their businesses. Helping brands achieve these goals will be three speakers who have just been added to the Project NOSH lineup.

Today, grocery delivery service FreshDirect announced it had closed a $189 million round led by J.P. Morgan Asset Management on behalf of its PEG Digital Growth Fund II L.P. Also investing in the round was second-time investor W Capital and AARP’s Innovation Fund.

To highlight its deep ties to Madagascar, Madecasse chocolate has launched an innovative new sampling program staffed solely with former Madagascar Peace Corps volunteers.

Now half a year into its new leadership, Bobo’s Oat Bars is making changes, trying to bring the fresh aura of the perimeter into the decidedly center store-bound nutrition bar category. A packaging redesign and strategy to pitch Bobo’s homemade feel as part of a “freshly baked” subcategory of the bar set are central elements of the idea.

Starting a company is a bit like having a child. Months of gestation, a lot of painful tooth-gnashing to get it out into the world, and then nights of sleeplessness hoping you’re doing everything right. Milkmakers and Anchor Bar Two (two brands that are still in their youth, and coincidentally catering largely to the mommy market) recently announced that they’ve moved on to the next phase of their development via acquisition.

Companies around the country are looking to pulses, spice, and shorter ingredient lists in a quest to reach the natural shopper. But what about the brands that have been doing as much from the start? For whom this is not trendy, but part of their DNA? Bueno Foods — which is now celebrating its 65th anniversary — is one such brand.

Small food brands will get product development capabilities overseen by big-brand experts with the opening of Snackwerks, a new facility being opened up by JPG Resources.

The hurt is accelerating for big CPG. Every single one of the largest eight food and beverage companies had U.S. sales declines in Q1 2016 vs. 2015. In this NOSH Voices guest post, Michael Burgmaier looks at why this decline is occurring and what big CPG brands are doing to try to reverse the trend.

At the upcoming Project NOSH L.A. conference, a select group of better-for-you and natural food brands will take to the stage for a unique Battle Royale. And amidst a conference on growth strategy and investment for the next generation of natural brands, the sharks will be circling. That’s right. We’re talking about a Pitch Slam. Five contestants. Noteworthy judges. Business plans. Drama. A well-dressed moderator. All in it for $5000, tons of attention, and the advice from top industry leaders.

The summer heat may be fading, but retailers are still hot for unique, natural products. The past few months have seen several notable additions by forward thinking retailers including Target, Safeway and Costco.

This week, baking mix and cracker brand Simple Mills launched two organic frostings, made with monk fruit, palm oil and coconut oil. The new line was given a sneak peak at the Summer Fancy Foods Show this past July, but is making its official debut in time for fall.

Project NOSH is excited to announced the first batch of speakers for the upcoming Project NOSH L.A conference on Nov. 2 in Los Angeles. The conference will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and suppliers to discuss how companies can grow within the current production and retail landscape of natural, organic, sustainable, and healthy packaged food brands.

After seeing their initial natural foods venture fund, Boulder Brands Investment Group (BIG) marginalized by its parent conglomerate’s spiral into a takeover, the fund’s three former leaders, Duane Primozich, Carole Buyers, and Bill Weiland, set to work raising a new fund, christened Boulder Investment Group Reprise, or BIGR Ventures.

Natural products retailer Whole Foods Market has reached into the ranks of mainstream consumer, drug, and coffee in adding three key hires to its executive team.