Snacks

On this episode of CPG Week, the team talks about what was seen and tasted at the Summer Fancy Food Show as well Curaleaf’s move into hemp and the uphill battle for functional beverage ingredient kava.

Notable new launches in the granola aisle range from elevated flavors and indulgent offerings to grain-free spins on the segment.

The CPG Week team gives their unadulterated takes on “Unfrosted” before diving into the week’s news related to snack trends, cocoa prices and an update on Foxtrot.

Discussions ranged from between combating rising cocoa prices to capitalizing on seasonal opportunities and injecting global flavors into savory snacks.

Banking on the success of low-dose beverages, the cannabis edibles category is circumventing the regulated market and expanding into hemp-derived THC to reach new consumers in regions where adult-use dispensaries are not accessible.

Growth equity firm SEMCAP Food & Nutrition has paid $68 million for a “significant” minority stake in plant-based protein brand ALOHA.

More takeaways from Expo West including more Canadian snack companies looking to expand their footprint in the U.S. and details on Kevin’s Natural Foods moving into the frozen aisle after its 2023 sale to Mars.

Sunnie Snacks is two-thirds the way to closing its first institutional investment round as it builds off its new distribution partnerships and seeks to capture consumers in others parts of the store.

Maine Crisp has finally regained its footing as it prepares to go to Expo West and launch nationwide in Whole Foods after a mid-December “100-year” storm and flood wiped out nearly all of the company’s inventory, ingredients and packaging.

RXBAR co-founder Peter Rahal is back in the protein bar business and out as a managing partner at Humble Growth.