The early retail success of functional beverage startup Crunchy Hydration shows sugar – or its low- and no-calorie counterparts – are not a necessary ingredient for success in a category that is laden with sweeteners used to mask the sometimes bitter...
Hero Bread is using $21 million in series B funding to reinforce its retail footprint as more consumers demand more nutritious and healthier baked goods, including through direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels, company CEO YuChiang Cheng told FoodNavigator-USA....
An end may be in sight for the capital crunch that has slowed innovation, growth and M&A activity in the food and beverage space in recent years, according to one investment insider, but she warns the timeline is longer for closing deals and the bar...
Through a global challenge offering up to $2 million in prize funding announced this week, the US Department of Agriculture and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) want to place “big bets” on high-risk, but high-reward innovations...
Biomanufacturing technology provider Prolific Machines raised $55 million in Series B1 funding, which will go to support the commercialization of its light-based biotech platform, company Co-founder and CEO Deniz Kent told FoodNavigator-USA.
Mycelium has a long history in food, but its potential for today’s consumer packaged foods (CPG) industry highlights the need for increased R&D in resourceful and responsible food production that helps address the challenges of a growing global population...
Recent survey data from Purdue University that found one-third of Americans are unwilling to try cultivated chicken or cow prepared in a restaurant underscores the extent of the category’s "consumer acceptance problem,” despite efforts by industry...
This week, food tech venture capital (VC) firm PeakBridge closed its Growth Fund II after raising $187m – surpassing its target — and invested in meat, dairy, and cocoa alternatives as part of its second fund, Nadav Berger, the company’s founder and managing...
Plant-based comfort food brand Blackbird Foods launched a crowdfunding campaign on Start Engine to grow its business, including a bigger push into school lunch programs, company CEO Emanuel Storch told FoodNavigator-USA in a Startup Spotlight interview....
The FoodNavigator-USA team is heading to Chicago next month to Future Food-Tech’s Alternative Proteins summit, where we will help lead discussions around overcoming obstacles facing plant-based and cultivated meat and seafood and help identify areas of...
Food-tech company Voyage Foods raised $52m in its Series A+ funding round to grow its ingredient business as it prepares to open a second facility later this year.
Mycelium food maker Meati raised more than $100 million in Series C-1 funding "to help meet the growing demand for its products," and support its expansion into 2,000 Kroger Family Stores last month, bringing its retail footprint to more than...
Private-label beverage manufacturer FedUp Foods is opening a new facility in Wilmington, N.C. later this summer, which will add cold-brew coffee capabilities, two company executives shared with FoodNavigator-USA.
Alt-protein startups that are trying to attract the attention of venture-capital (VC) investors often need to ensure their business pitches focus on how they can capture a market through their product and team, while founders must convey confidence and...
Supergut is expanding nationwide as part of GNC’s new section dedicated to GLP-1 nutritional support, as the brand has quadrupled its sales in the last two quarters due to consumer interest in gut health and products to alleviate symptoms from drugs like...
After a challenging few years in which falling sales and units dragged plant-based protein into the trough of disillusionment, stakeholders are finding ways up the other side of the Gartner Hype Cycle by leveraging emerging technologies, novel ingredients...
Alt-protein companies scaling their fermentation processes beyond the lab face numerous challenges that require them to think through production processes, raw ingredients, and the design of a manufacturing facility to create a commercially viable product....
Laoban Dumplings pays homage to traditional Chinese flavors and ingredients that combine convenience, quality and flavor in its line of homemade-style frozen dumplings and an upcoming launch of bao buns explained Patrick Coyne, the company’s co-founder...
Mondelēz International wants to team with early-stage startups through its CoLab Tech program to develop “groundbreaking” technology that can accelerate its Vision 2030 Growth strategy and meet consumer demand for personalized nutrition and products that...
Despite declining sales and investment in the alternative protein industry in recent years, the segment is seeing early green shoots that suggest category stakeholders may be clawing their way out of the trough of disillusionment and up the other side...
Private-equity firm Forward Consumer Partners acquired artisan baker, Firehook Bakery, marking the first acquisition of the company’s $425m initial fund, the firm’s founder and managing partner, Matt Leeds, told FoodNavigator-USA.
Nourish Ingredients, a pioneer in the emerging ‘animal-free’ speciality fat segment, is expanding into non-dairy with the debut of Creamilux – a low-inclusion lipid that recreates the rich, creamy mouthfeel, taste and emulsification properties of dairy...
With an infusion of $52m in Series B funding closed last month, Serenity Kids will drive growth and innovation to provide diverse, nutritious baby food inspired by global cuisine.
Meaningful innovation in the consumer packaged goods industry has ground nearly to a halt post-pandemic for all but an “elite 20%” of companies, according to the Boston Consulting Group’s latest Build for the Future Survey, which analyzes insights from...
Sweet and salty better-for-you almond mix brand SkinnyDipped featured its latest snack flavors, upcoming nut butter line and brand redesign at Natural Products Expo West last month.
A $68m investment in plant-based snack company ALOHA by growth equity firm SEMCAP Food & Nutrition buys out early angel investors and will “help ALOHA’s able-bodied management accelerate its distribution and growth in traditional retail channels,”...
CPG startups that have adjusted to a new reality of lower funding and focusing on profitability might have reason to be optimistic about the future of raising money, as two venture-capital investors told FoodNavigator-USA in separate interviews during...
Pro- and prebiotic sparkling drink brand wildwonder released a Raspberry Lychee flavor and is preparing to seek out additional funding to help grow the retail footprint of the Asian heritage-inspired beverage, company founder and CEO Rosa Li told FoodNavigator-USA.
CPG founders from natural brands Wildway, Mother Kombucha, and Lil Bucks shared their strategies for securing funding in a tighter capital market during a recent Naturally Chicago webinar.
As the plant-based seafood segment continues to evolve, ingredient innovation paves the way towards consumer acceptance, shown through notable VC investments in the sector.
Serial entrepreneur Craig Dubitsky has partnered with award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. to launch happy, a coffee brand leveraging a modern design and a mission to improve mental health to distinguish it from the competition.
CPG brands increasingly rely on AI technologies to crunch large data stores and find insight to win in the market, but many are falling short of their digital transformation goals due to outdated technology, Capri Brixey, EVP, strategy consulting at Insite...
After seven consecutive quarters of revenue declines, Beyond Meat executives say they hope to turn the corner in 2024 with new product innovations, SKU rationalization, and price increases, but the company's fourth quarter and full-year results show...
Vertical farm Oishii, known for its premium strawberries and more recently a high-end tomato, is building out a larger, more sustainable facility that will increase its production capacity by “multiple folds” with the help of a $134m Series B fundraise...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing grocery giant Kroger over its acquisition of rival Albertsons for alleged anticompetitive concerns that could adversely impact consumers.
Fragrance and ingredient giant IFF could divest segments of its business as part of a larger strategy to rightsize the company after failing to capitalize on a merger with Dupont Nutrition and Biosciences that sent its stock price tumbling, new CEO J....
Private equity firm Bluestein Ventures has raised $45m for its third fund to invest in companies focused on nutrition, sustainability, and digitization, the firm’s co-managing partners Andrew Bluestein and Ashley Hartman told FoodNavigator-USA.
From understanding when to exit to securing favorable agreements with co-manufacturers, food and beverage startups are facing a myriad of business challenges that are likely to persist throughout 2024 as private-equity capital continues to dry up, Christopher...
Fruit snack brand RIND acquired Vermont-based granola manufacturer Small Batch Organics for an undisclosed sum as part of an initiative to shore up its supply chain and expand into the private label business, Matt Weiss, co-founder and CEO, told FoodNavigator-USA.
Functional mushroom brand Odyssey Elixir raised $6m, which will help it keep up with inventory and expand its distribution, including in c-stores, company founder and CEO Scott Frohman told FoodNavigator-USA.
Private-label is shaking off its fast-follower status as partnerships between manufacturers and brands become stronger, allowing for quicker innovation that responds to consumers' demand for endurable and functional products, Andreas Schneider, co-founder...
Subscription meal company, Thistle, held off on investing in its brand identity since it launched a decade ago to prioritize ingredient procurement and recipe development for its weekly plant-based menus that “don’t sacrifice on taste,” Ashwin Cheriyan,...
Alt-protein companies that heavily relied on venture capital (VC) funding are now taking a more holistic approach, including leveraging more non-dilutive financing options, to build their business in 2024, a panel of investors shared during a recent webinar...
Alternative coffee brand Blume’s founder and CEO, Karen Danudjaja, started the adaptogenic latte blend brand in 2017 when she was looking not only for a delicious and functional coffee alternative, but an alternative ritual to coffee, she explained to...
With climate change exacerbating water stress and scarcity, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is backing new tech solutions to help future-proof the beverage industry.
Food-tech startup Voyage Foods’ clean-label cocoa-free chocolate offers manufacturers a one-to-one replacement for traditional chocolate that it says doesn’t compromise taste or texture but, according to a new life cycle analysis, bypasses many of the...
