Investment

Keto-focused snack brand Fat Snax will have more support as it pushes further afield into brick and mortar retailers this year. The company announced today that it has raised $4.5 million from venture group Boulder Food Group (BFG), along with investment firm BIGR and some individual investors.

It’s not just what you sell that makes or breaks a brand, but where you sell it. That’s the thesis behind venture firm Coefficient Capital, which last week announced it had raised $170 million for its first fund. Coefficient’s two founding partners include Franklin Isacson, formerly of Verlinvest and UBS, and technology adviser and investor Andrew Goletka

Over the past two weeks, a series of emergency acts have increased the availability of loans to small business owners during the coronavirus crisis. But some growing food and beverage companies are concerned that they will be left out of a new set of loans designed to lessen the impact of the coronavirus crisis because they are backed by investment funds.

Oakland, California-based plant-based meat company Impossible Foods today announced the close of an approximately $500 million Series F funding round, led by South Korea-based firm Mirae Asset Global Investments. To-date, the company has raised to nearly $1.3 billion, including $300 million closed last May.

Investment firms and large food producers are seeing promise in better-for-you brands — and putting their dollars behind them. In recent deals, Verlinvest and JamJar invest in chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely, Cedar’s Foods acquires overnight oats brand brekki, Hodo closes a Series B investment from Renewal Funds and more.

To-date, the plant-based meat world has been largely dominated by sausage, burger and ground beef alternatives — Alpha Foods, however, sees a future in faux fowl. Investors are supporting this outlook, with the brand announcing today the close of a $28 million round of investment.

Frozen dessert producer The Mochi Company, producer of My/Mo Mochi, was acquired today by an investment fund managed by Lakeview Capital, Inc, a Michigan-based family office. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Specialty food distributor The Chefs’ Warehouse announced Thursday its acquisition of specialty wholesaler Sid Wainer & Son, a deal expected to generate approximately $180 million in annual net sales.

Two ingredient development and innovation companies are joining forces: International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and DuPont Nutrition & BioSciences announced yesterday that the two will merge via a $26.2 billion deal.

The past few weeks have seen multiple investments in the red hot CBD space from existing CPG investment firms, as well as deal news in other trending categories such as alternative protein and the frozen food aisle.