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No beans about it, the frozen category is gaining interest from retailers, brands and investors. Hoping to capitalize on this momentum, this week Tyler Mayoras, a former principal at Advantage Capital, announced he has joined frozen wrap startup Cool Beans as CEO.

The 9th edition of NOSH’s Pitch Slam returns to computer screens around the country on November 17th and 19th. Presented by General Mills’ venture arm 301 INC, Pitch Slam 9 will offer twelve emerging food brands the opportunity to gain industry awareness and get in front of decision-makers who can open doors and help take their business to the next level.

Hoping to turn a line of cookies and crackers into a larger national brand, Dewey’s Bakery last week closed a $25 million funding round led by Eurazeo Brands and also combined forces with the leadership team of another bakery brand, Farm & Oven.

While plant-based meat alternatives continue to rise in popularity, many brands are facing the challenge of reconciling a premium price point with a desire to reach more consumers. Brands seeking to move beyond the natural channel and deepen their presence in conventional retail are looking for ways to create accessibility through lower prices, but they face hurdles in the form of manufacturing and ingredient costs, and in some cases, regulation, they say.

BevNET & NOSH Speed Dating, a virtual event designed to connect food and beverage brands with industry experts, returns on Thursday, October 29. For this round, brands have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with CPG investors.

Check out the gallery for September’s notable product releases, including new protein bars from Justin’s, the latest snack innovation from Pipcorn and a sweet and salty collaboration from Siete and Compartés Chocolatier.

The show guests, Ibrahim Basir of A Dozen Cousins, Arnulfo Ventura of Beanfields and Ayesha Abuelhiga of Mason Dixie Baking Co. launched Project Potluck last month with a mission of building a ladder of opportunity for minorities in the food and beverage business who have long faced systemic issues around hiring, fundraising, mentoring, and other areas that are key to creating both successful companies and successful careers in the CPG industry.

In this week’s Checkout, e-commerce fulfillment company ShipBob receives $68 million investment, Amazon announces Prime Day and small brand promotions, and McCormick and Conagra report quarterly earnings.

Plant-based meat brand Meatless Farm announced this week the close of a $31 million funding round, which the UK-based company will use to accelerate its growth into other markets, including the U.S. The brand, which launched in 2018 and sells pea and soy protein-based burgers, grounds and sausage patties and links, also plans to continue to invest in “bold” approaches to marketing as it builds brand awareness internationally.

While the meat alternative set is dominated by burgers and sausages, seafood company Van Cleve sees an opportunity to be a big fish in the small pond of plant-based seafood. Last month the company launched The Plant Based Seafood Co., a spinoff from its (also newly launched) clean label seafood brand Wild Skinny Clean.