PepsiCo and Beyond Meat’s joint venture has moved from Ethan Brown’s lap to store shelves. Brown, the founder of Beyond Meat, alluded to a “major product” that he had been snacking on during the company’s last quarterly earnings call, one that would energize both partners after intensive spending and R&D into the line.
After announcing last week the departure of longtime president and COO Peter McGuinness, Chobani is actively reconstructing its leadership team, starting with the reappointment of former executive Kevin Burns as president and COO.
ThinkThin founder Lizanne Falsetto is going from protein bars to animal-free dairy protein, announcing today the launch of betterland foods, a new company developing products made with Perfect Day’s animal-free dairy proteins.
FoxTrot thinks convenience stores and corner markets need a makeover, and now it’s got more cash to make that a reality. The retailer announced today that it has raised $100M to help expand into new markets and to invest into its ecommerce business.
Foodservice-focused Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI) announced today that it has closed its second fund at $332 million. The round was oversubscribed, according to a press release, and included prior limited partners as well as new institutional partners, college endowments, strategic investors, and family offices.
General Mills has expanded its presence in functional kids products with the launch of Doolies, a new line of snacks and beverages containing fiber and probiotics to help prevent and treat occasional constipation in children.
Amazon has welcomed more than 100,000 brands to its U.S. store so far this year, and the company has introduced a suite of new services and user tools aimed at helping those brands gain customers and increase profits. The online retailer made the announcement yesterday at its annual Accelerate 2021 sellers conference in Seattle, where it also revealed that sales by brands are up 60% year-over-year through the end of June.
After years of effort by activists including multiple legislative attempts, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 45 into law yesterday, creating a regulatory framework to immediately allow for the legal sale of CBD-infused products.
Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO John Mackey today announced in an open letter addressed to “fellow team members” his intentions to retire next September after 44 years at the natural retailer.
Members of the natural products industry have had a sense of deja vu the last few weeks as the fate of the annual trade show Natural Products Expo East has been a hot discussion topic. Last year, show organizer New Hope shifted its shows to a virtual format, but this year the company is moving forward, having spent recent weeks attempting to address attendee safety concerns and generate enthusiasm for a return to in-person events.
As questions over safety and buyer attendance continue to linger less than a month before the event begins, media platform and event producer New Hope hosted a virtual Q&A session today to address concerns regarding its upcoming Natural Products Expo East trade show.
In an email to customers yesterday distributor UNFI announced that it would shift its Winter Natural Show to a virtual-only format. The expo, for suppliers of the ubiquitous natural foods distributor, was slated to be held in Las Vegas Sept. 7-9 and was going to be the company’s first in-person event following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
Earlier today, The Specialty Food Association (SFA) cancelled the in-person trade show portion of the Fancy Food Show 2021. Slated to run September 27 through 29 in New York City, the event will now move to a fully virtual format. Meanwhile, New Hope, and its parent company Informa, announced new Covid-19 related protocols for Natural Products Expo East.
CPG-focused investment group Sunrise Strategic announced late last week that it would bring aboard more food and beverage veterans, notably ex-ONE Brands CEO Peter Burns, to help the firm diversify its capabilities. The news comes as the firm also announced its financial partner, Trilantic North America, had invested additional capital into the group.
