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

August was a busy time for companies adding key new hires, as Boulder Brands, Free2b Foods, Acosta and General Mills all announced changes to their leadership teams.

Geared toward startup food companies, Boot Camp at Project NOSH LA offers a look at many of the basics of operating and growing a company in the natural or organic food business.

Today 4th & Heart, a producer of grass-fed, spreadable clarified butters, announced the closing of a Series A funding round totaling $1 million. The round was completed through website CircleUp, a crowdfunding platform for consumer brands to raise money from accredited investors.

New Orleans has always been known as one of the top U.S. cities for chefs, restaurants and gastronomical adventures. Now the Big Easy has the potential to be known for the products found on supermarket shelves with the launch of food and beverage incubator Ceres 504.

Just two years after deciding to start a bone broth company, Bru Broth founders Soo-Ah Landa and Mary Butler have entered into an agreement with Coke-backed beverage incubator L.A. Libations to help them expand. As part of the deal, L.A. Libations will purchase equity in the fledgling bone broth company.

Israel’s largest food manufacturer is aiming for success in the U.S. via the dairy case. While 90-year-old dairy company Tnuva has imported its products to the U.S. for years, they have served predominantly as niche brands in kosher retailers. This month, however, Tnuva is launching Muuna, a brand with mainstream aspirations in the suddenly-heating-up cottage cheese market.

With this year’s Natural Products Expo East less than a month away, brands have started to announce what they’ll be featuring on the show floor. While some trends (low fat) have started to fade away, and others (ketogenic foods) are just starting to rise, a few (protein, paleo and comfort foods) are clearly here to stay — at least a bit longer.

Over the past year and a half, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream has struggled with the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in its production facility. Despite taking extensive precautions, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letter released today indicates that eradication efforts have failed.

In 2002 Phil Anson founded what would become EVOL Foods and quickly turned it into a leading multi-category frozen foods brand. In 2013 Anson sold the brand to Boulder Brands, which in turn was acquired by Pinnacle Foods in 2015. Anson remained with Boulder Brands until this summer. Just a few weeks into his “retirement” from the brand, Anson spoke to Project NOSH about his time with the company and what’s next for his career.

The past year has been busy for contract manufacturer Ideal Snacks and PopCorners producer Medora Snacks. In July 2015, the two brands, were acquired by global private equity firm Permira and consolidated under the moniker Better For You (BFY) Brands. Now the company, under CEO Paul Nardone, is unveiling a new, global, consumer-facing identity. The brand, Our Little Rebellion, will house five year-old PopCorners (a line of popped corn chips) along with two other brands.

This week Project NOSH takes a dive into data, looking at new research conducted by Nielsen, Harris Poll and FONA International to examine the sales potential of pulse-based products, indulgent treats and the yogurt category.

As competition ratchets up for many of the the niche brands founded in the early wave of natural products, the choice today is either innovate or become irrelevant. Such is the case with snack brand Two Moms in the Raw, which after 10 years is relaunching as Soul Sprout. It’s not just a new name, however: the brand also has new leadership team, new formulation and new goal of appealing to a more mainstream consumer.

Errol Schweizer continues to fill out his post-Whole Foods resume, joining another pair of former executives with the chain to work with natural products veteran Eric Schnell’s new consulting conclave, Beyond Brands. The consulting group will also add brothers Chad Sarno and Derek Sarno, who held lead roles on the culinary side of the retailer (Chad as Healthy Eating Coordinator and Derek as Senior Global Executive Chef).

Last week natural products distributor United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) announced the acquisition of Gourmet Guru, a natural and organic food distributor and merchandiser serving the Northeast. Project NOSH spoke with Gourmet Guru CEO Jeff Lichtenstein about the sale, why it was the right time, and what the future looks like