Retail

With new funding and a brand refresh, Rip Van is focused on expanding in grocery retail after establishing a base in club and ecommerce.

Clover Sonoma isn’t trying to chase trends or scale nationally. With a portfolio spanning seven dairy categories, it believes it has a better opportunity to meet the local community with “real dairy” at a moment when food trends are driving consumers back to the cow.

Ripi has raised $2.4 million in a seed funding round led by growth equity firm Cutting Horse. Great Circle Ventures, Paperboy Ventures, SuperAngel.Fund and “a bunch of other angels” also contributed, said founder and CEO Ian Tecklin.

Big Bread still hasn’t cracked the sourdough code, but San Diego-based biotech company Leaven Foods may have just created the secret ingredient to make true sourdough work at scale for home bakers and professionals alike.

Laoban is gearing up for a major retail inflection point, as the Asian frozen foods brand expands from a limited Target test to multiple items rolling out to more than 1,500 stores in May.

Protein bar brand Prima is betting its grass-fed ingredient profile will win over conventional channel shoppers as it moves beyond natural.

Procure Impact is working to solve the pain points of the hospitality channel, serving as a marketplace and platform for mission driven emerging brands to reach all of the major hotel management companies.

Packaged food giant Conagra Brands returned to organic sales growth in the third quarter, driven by strong performance in its Frozen and Snacks segments, even as rising costs and inflationary pressures weighed on profitability.

Thrive Market today unveiled a new way to weed out ultraprocessed foods. The online grocer has added a filter for products carrying the Non-UPF Verified seal, which indicates they don’t contain certain additives such as high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners or synthetic emulsifiers.

Consumer interests have cycled through low-carb, high-protein and fiber-filled products during the nearly six years pantry staple brand Kaizen has been on the market. It has aligned itself with each new demand while its recipes remained the same.