Distribution

This week in distribution news, Yumi brings its functional kids’ snacks to Whole Foods, Undercover Snacks expands its partnership with Costco and egglife grows its retailer network with a deal at Food Lion.

The rising costs of retail have pushed The Planting Hope Company to shift its growth strategy outside of the grocery store. Late last month the company announced plans to acquire QSR-cafe chain Argo Tea – marking a turning point in its new growth plan which centers on the managed food service channel.

GoNanas and egglife find nationwide distribution at Whole Foods while Just Date and Red’s make it onto Sprouts Farmers Market shelves. Tea Drops expands its at-home boba and latte kit partnership with Target adding 1,000 stores.

Appropriately named Actual Veggies has flipped a portion of its burgers over to frozen this month, landing in Whole Foods stores nationwide. That shift – from its original fridge case placement to the freezer aisle – also comes with an updated brand identity and a box format better suited for the frozen set.

Nearly every grocery category has seen a bit of better-for-you reinvention, but the croutons aisle is, largely, still about as stale as it gets. Kooshy wants to revive the salad-adjacent set with a lineup of non-GMO, sourdough-based crispy bread bites now available at all Whole Foods locations.

Ten days after receiving full USDA approval to produce and sell cell-cultured poultry, UPSIDE Foods served its first cell-grown chicken to five contest winners this past weekend at a private event in San Francisco.

Plant-based meat maker UNLIMEAT will soon be on the menu at Two Hands, a quick-service restaurant (QSR) that specializes in Korean-style corn dogs, as part of a new vegan option.

Backed with over $50 million in investment, former CEO of the Roundy’s and Mariano’s chains Bob Mariano has embarked on his latest venture in the Chicago area, Dom’s Kitchen and Market. The retailer hopes to have 15 stores by the end of next year building on an omnichannel, experiential type of food shopping grounded in prepared foods, heavier product curation and app-based connectivity.

Better-for-you gummy candy maker Better Sour will make its retail debut across California Erewhon stores this month; the products will be available exclusively at all nine locations until July before expanding into other retail accounts.

Mighty Yum is attempting to disrupt the kids’ lunch kit category with a plant-based alternative to Lunchables that is healthier and appeals to picky eaters.