Innovation

Target announced its Takeoff Food and Beverage Accelerator program class of 2023. The mentorship program will help 10 emerging food and beverage brands successfully improve branding and marketing strategies.

Omsom is taking its unique branding approach to the quick-ready meal category with a 4-SKU line of Saucy Noodles, marking the brand’s first major line extension since the company hit the market in May 2020.

Seeking to add $2 billion in incremental sales from North American innovation efforts, Kraft Heinz Company announced plans to enter a new category in the U.S with the stateside launch of Just Spices.

Los Angeles-based wellness brand Bloom Nutrition is branching out from powdered supplements with a four-SKU line of protein bars marking the influencer-driven company’s first foray into snack foods.

After three years spent working to generate awareness for its adaptogen-infused granolas, Forij is now looking to develop a wider-reaching platform with the release of a line of meal replacement bars.

As the market for plant-based seafood outpaces the overall meat alternatives category, The Plant Based Seafood Co. – maker of Mind Blown – is setting sail for national expansion this year with new innovation and a focus on foodservice.

After previously investing in the cultured meat company Believer Meats, Archer Midland Daniels has entered a new partnership with the Israel-based food tech company to help develop and commercialize cell-cultured protein products.

The alt-dairy industry has staked a claim among nearly a third of American consumers and within that new wave of plant-based milks, a handful of brands are hoping to disrupt conventional thinking around how such products are packaged and sold.

Over recent years, influencer-fronted brands like Chamberlain Coffee and Top of The Mornin’ Coffee, among others, have made inroads with younger coffee drinkers that may find the space intimidating or unwelcoming. New entrants continue to emerge: In November, sports podcast Pardon My Take host and Barstool Sports star Dan “Big Cat” Katz launched Stella Blue Coffee, named after his rescue dog. Three months later, TikTok star Chris Olsen introduced Flight Fuel.

PepsiCo’s first ever Greenhouse Accelerator: Juntos Crecemos Edition is intended to help drive growth for startup Hispanic-owned food and beverage businesses. This is the first time that the program has focused specifically on a social equity cause.