The inclination for most when they see a storm brewing on the horizon is to run the other way and take shelter – but not bison, and not the co-founders of EPIC Provisions who attribute the meteoric growth of their meat bars in part to their decision not...
While going from zero to a forecasted $100m in revenues in fiscal 2017 largely under your own steam (it sold a minority stake to VMG Partners in 2013) is no mean feat, tying the knot with Hormel will propel Justin’s nut butter into CPG’s major league,...
Looking to bridge the gap between sports and functional drinks, ROAR Beverages created a line of performance drinks using coconut water and packaged it with bold designs to cater towards a younger consumer, CEO Roly Nesi told BeverageDaily.
What drives new trends? Is this best discovered seeing them unfold in real time at hands of innovators, or are they better discerned via a deep dive into marketing data? Both approaches were presented at the recent Healthy & Natural Show in Chicago.
An infusion of $5 million will help vegan meal kit delivery service Purple Carrot refine its branding and expand consumer awareness of the benefits of a plant-based diet, according to the company’s CEO.
Refrigerated babyfood presents merchandising challenges for retailers, but has the potential to create a new super-premium subsegment in a category in need of fresh thinking, says Ashley Rossi, founder of organic baby food brand OrgaNums, which debuted...
Sales of tea in the US continue to climb steadily, thanks in part to a big push from interest in specialty tea – especially by millennials, according to the Tea Association of America.
A new app that lets consumers order ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat dinners from grocery stores is helping retailers and the brands they carry recapture sales currently lost to fast food, restaurants and increasingly popular meal kits delivered to consumers’...
Target is trialing endcap coolers in the baby food aisle in 65 stores in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Dallas in partnership with new brand Once Upon a Farm to test consumer demand for refrigerated, HPP (high pressure processed) babyfood.
RangeMe, an online marketplace that connects retailers with products and suppliers and streamlines the product discovery process, has raised $4m in a funding round led by Simon Equity Partners, Freestyle Capital and Transmedia Capital.
When Nick Robinson joined Quest Nutrition in January 2011, it had just sold its first protein bar. “The world didn't know who we were,” he says. “But they were about to.” Five years later, Quest is valued at more than a billion dollars, and Robinson...
A day after Leonardo DiCaprio invested in ‘clean energy’ brand Runa, Beyonce has added some stardust to cold pressed watermelon juice brand WTRMLN WTR, investing an undisclosed sum to take a "meaningful stake" in the three-year-old New York-based...
Online subscription snack service NatureBox crosses over to the physical realm with the launch of eight products in 900 Target stores nationwide this week with the hope of reaching consumers who still prefer to buy food in brick-and-mortar stores rather...
The global market for plant-based meat alternatives is growing fast, but most players in the space are focused on replacing land animals – leaving the potential for seafood alternatives wide open for innovative entrepreneurs to seize.
Tapping into America’s growing obsession with snacking, sugar reduction and desire for global flavors, New York startup The Chaat Co.’s new line of savory yogurts with spicy mix-ins aims to revolutionize the US yogurt category, which until now has focused...
If you visited Expo West, you probably noticed that a large number of the exhibitors were touting snacks or beverages. Frozen meals? Not so much. But while the world probably doesn’t need another nutrition bar or cold pressed juice brand, busy parents...
Consumer demand for healthier foods that don’t sacrifice taste has led to a spike in interest in Asian cuisine, but so far home cooks have not embraced this trend fully in part because they are intimidated by its obscure ingredients, complicated flavor...
Few shoppers in today’s on-the-go culture have time to read lengthy descriptions or claims on packages, which is one reason why Vermont Smoke & Cure recently switched to recognizable icons and color-coding as part of a massive rebranding for its “consciously”...
VeganSmart, a plant-based line of meal replacements, is penetrating areas plagued with malnutrition via a unique marketing vehicle—the power of hip hop.
Recognizing that in today’s on-the-go culture, most people don’t have time to escape to a secluded island to unwind, the founder of NOA Potions created a premium beverage that blends natural herbs to help people relax while improving their focus simultaneously...
CORE Organic, an organic 5-calorie-per-serving flavored water/juice blend with coconut water concentrate and antioxidants from white tea extract and maqui berry - is rolling out nationwide next month after a successful launch in southern California.
Product packaging today often is cluttered with so many certifications that consumers’ can’t absorb everything in the brief time they look at labels in stores, and as a result the icons’ impact is diminished and manufacturers likely aren’t getting their...
Milk could be followed by yogurt, creamers, cheeses, protein powders and shakes
Ripple – a plant-based ‘milk’ claimed to blow both dairy milk and existing milk alternatives out of the water in the taste, nutrition and sustainability stakes – is rolling out nationwide at Whole Foods in April, and Target stores in July, with other...
America is on the “cusp of a market-revolution” to replace animal products with plant-based alternatives, but consumers need more choices that are convenient, affordable and tasty in order for long-term diet changes to take root, according to an expert...
If the edible insect movement is to meaningfully impact the protein market (and the planet) by displacing less sustainable animal-derived protein sources (beef, poultry, dairy), cricket companies will have to move beyond snacks into the center of the...
Tiny Farms – which has spent the past three years researching feed formulation, habitat engineering, farm automation and management software to drive scale and lower costs in insect production – has finally completed work on its own pilot bug farm in...
If you spot a hot guy handing out samples in a Whole Foods store that looks kind of familiar (if you’re a fan of Jane the Virgin, Cougar Town or Veronica Mars, that is), it could be a case of wishful thinking. Conversely you might just have stumbled across...
Today’s consumers claim to want bold, authentic flavors, but many still shy away from unrecognizable foods – giving manufacturers the difficult task of presenting new products or flavors in a familiar way that still respects their authenticity.
Under cover of darkness, deep in Northern and Central India and the Himalayans, harvesters for Heavenly Organics gently brush away sleeping bees from wild hives to collect the velvety, organic raw white honey that fills the firm’s award-winning confections...
When you launch a new food brand, says Frontier Snacks Inc founder Matt Oscamou, “people will tell you a 100 things you should know about working in this industry, and you’ll say ‘I won’t make that mistake,’ but the reality is, you almost certainly will.”
2015 was a difficult year for some in the embryonic edible insect ingredients business, with Big Cricket Farms suspending activities due to water supply problems and All Things Bugs facing significant challenges. However, Ontario, Canada-based Entomo...
An infusion of $1.5 million will help vegan meal delivery startup Veestro fully take advantage of growing consumer demand for organic, plant-based food and ready-to-eat meals delivered to their doors.
As the nascent bone-broth category comes into its own, early pioneers in the space are rebranding with professionally polished packaging that communicates their products’ benefits and points of differentiation to better take advantage of the segment’s...
Though not everyone is convinced that the dietary rot set in once we stopped hunting and gathering and started to grow crops and raise animals for food, there’s no doubt that the ‘Paleo’ diet is gaining traction, and Caveman Foods – the brainchild of...
Lupini beans have a nutritional profile to die for. The problem is, most Americans have never heard of them. But that could change rapidly if the New York based entrepreneur behind BRAMI snacking beans gets his way.
Move over sweet and savory – zesty is the latest flavor profile to enter the nutrition bar category with the launch of a new line of fruit bars from manufacturer That’s It.
For shoppers today, buying groceries is all about fresh and local – which can be a tall order for retailers in urban areas or with limited access to nearby farms.
Food-X – a bi-annual food accelerator program backed by venture capital firm SOSV – has unveiled its spring cohort of 10 early stage companies spanning everything from Mexican cooking sauces to meal-delivery services for pregnant women.
The demand for tea in the US is skyrocketing, but so too is the desire for speed and convenience – two terms that do not apply to high quality loose leaf tea, which requires special tools for measuring and steeping, or tea bags, which can create a drippy...
Drinkable organic soup brand Tio Gazpacho has closed a $1.25m Series A funding round on CircleUp led by 301 Inc, General Mills’ new business development and venturing unit*, and unveiled plans to launch a new, lower-priced line targeting conventional...
Retailers and manufacturers that want to meet consumers’ growing demand for food free from preservatives need to rethink their strategies for packing, shipping and stocking products, suggest the husband and wife team behind Grain-Free JK Gourmet.
Despite doctors’ recommendations to eat more fish for its many health benefits, many consumers steer clear of tuna – an affordable, sustainable source of omega-3s and beneficial nutrients because they are worried about mercury.
Wilde Snacks’ entrance into the nascent meat bar segment promises to “turn the category upside down” with a revolutionary baking process that offers a healthier finished product and potential for near endless new flavor combinations, according to the...
The co-founders of SuperLeaf hope the upcoming national distribution and launch in March of new flavors of Detox Water will show Americans aloe can offer significantly more benefit than just easing the pain from sunburns.
With more fiber than cold-pressed juice (4-5g per serving), plus a dose of probiotics (Ganeden’s ultra-resilient BC30 strain), Nomva is targeting consumers seeking simple, minimally processed snacks in a convenient format, says brand owner Phenomenal...
While most college freshmen are asking probing philosophical questions about the universe or each other out on dates, the ambitious co-founders of New Grounds Food were asking for help and advice on launching and running a successful new company.
No longer able to idly watch the increasingly popular plastic pouches that currently are taking the US market by storm continued to mount in landfills, Alter Eco -- a “full-circle sustainability” craft food company -- created the first laminated, fully...
Assured Bites Inc.’s launch of Hello, Peanut! in early March gives caretakers a much-needed tool with which they can confidently, safely and systematically introduce children to peanuts to reduce the risk they will develop a potentially deadly allergy...
Explosive consumer interest in functional beverages and bold flavors have prompted retailers in the natural channel to pack their shelves with national and regional brands of kombucha – completely saturating the category and limiting the growth potential...
