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Vegan pork rind brand Snacklins has named Kevin Blesy CEO. Blesy was previously head of strategy at Washington, D.C.-based pizza chain &pizza. On his transition to CPG, Blesy told NOSH that regardless of format, “food is the ultimate unifier.”

Having made breakfast, lunch and dinner a little easier, direct-to-consumer frozen food maker Daily Harvest is turning its attention to snack time. The company announced today the launch of the Bites collection, its first ready-to-eat product.

Snack brand Biena announced today the close of an $8 million round of funding. “It just made a lot of sense for us to go out and raise money to take advantage of the growth opportunities in front of us with the brand platform,” Founder Poorvi Patodia told NOSH about the round. The brand will use the capital for sales, marketing and innovation — possibly expanding beyond its current focus on chickpeas.

Continuing on its goal to create better-for-you, kid-friendly American staples, frozen brand Farmwise is looking toward the start of a meal, launching a new line of appetizers into retail this month.

New technology is following brick-and-mortar grocery shoppers into the store, offering ways to get them in and out faster. Will Glaser, the former co-founder and CTO at music streaming platform Pandora, started Berkeley-based Grabango in 2016 to eliminate checkout headaches.

Speaking at Cannabis Forum 2019, held on June 14 in New York City, Michael Hayford, co-founder/CEO/chairman of Cannabiniers parent company Lighthouse Strategies, shared a look at the company’s ambitious roadmap for growth.

Paleo-focused Hu Master Holdings, owner of Hu Kitchen and Products, announced today that Sir Kensington’s co-founder and former CEO Mark Ramadan has joined the snack brand as CEO. Ramadan assumes the role from former PepsiCo executive Rita Hudetz who departed the company earlier this month. Co-founders Jason Karp and Jordan Brown told NOSH Ramadan brings a skill set that will help the brand scale to its next phase of growth.

Snack company Lehi Valley Trading Company’s production manager noticed the company wasn’t making any snacks tailored to Mexican tastes, a growing consumer segment. Now, Lehi is now launching Delicias Gloria (Gloria’s Delights), a new Hispanic-focused snack line.

In the latest distribution news, Whole Foods adds both sweet and spicy new products with the addition of Zia Hatch Chile nationwide and additional lines of vegan cakes and muffins from Abe’s.

As cannabis entrepreneurs, Willie Mack, co-founder and president of boutique cannabis brand Think BIG, and Rashaan Everett, CEO of vertically integrated cannabis startup Good Tree Holdings, have made addressing systemic issues a fundamental part of their respective business plans.