Top Feature

Two brands in the bean-based snacking segment — Beanitos and The Good Bean — revealed last week that they had struck a deal to go into 2020 as a unified company after The Good Bean acquired Beanitos’ assets in December. Beanitos investors, L Catterton, 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners, and BFY Capital are now each minority shareholders in The Good Bean.

In a webinar this week, research firm Innova Market Insights listed its Top 10 Trends in Sweets and Snacks, and many of those characteristics were also displayed in products at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.

Utilizing the entire coconut to minimize its carbon footprint and maximize profitability has been a long-term goal for Harmless Harvest and its CEO Ben Mand, who joined the company in June 2018. At Winter Fancy Food Show 2020, held January 19-21 in San Francisco, the company unveiled an expanded food and beverage portfolio that delivers on that goal.

As seen at the 2020 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco this week, ice cream brands continue to innovate with vegan and lactose-free ingredients, internationally inspired flavors and sustainable packaging. Check out the gallery to see what ice cream and frozen dessert products were seen on the show floor, including a new line from Alden’s Organic and new flavors from NOSH Pitch Slam 7 Winner Beckon.

Capitalizing on the success of a top-selling novelty, organic ice cream brand Alden’s is leaping into dairy-free with the debut of seven dairy-free flavors and two dairy-free treats at the Winter Fancy Food Show this week.

With limited time to connect with consumers on shelf, brands need to stand out visually and tell their stories in just a matter of seconds. These recent rebrands, several of which debuted at the Winter Fancy Food Show this week, show how companies are looking to sleek, eye-catching designs to not only pop on shelf — but keep consumers hungry for more.

At the Winter Fancy Food Show, two Colorado-based food brands known for their indulgent taste profiles debuted functional food plays designed to attract more discerning health-aware consumers.

Ethical Brands, parent company of plant-based pasta brand Explore Cuisine, is introducing Swedish pea protein milk brand Sproud to the U.S. this week at the 2020 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.

The plant-based movement has resulted in the evolution of categories from burgers to baking mixes. Now chip brand Beanfields wants to ride the wave further afield into the snack set by launching a line of plant-based pork rind analogs called Cracklins.

Office food “concierge” Oh My Green this week announced it had acquired Byte Foods; Euromonitor International released its “Top 10 Global Consumer Trends 2020” report and more in this week’s Checkout.