United Sodas of America’s recently appointed president, Dan Herndon, is taking a practical hands-on approach to growing the low-sugar soda company, as the brand focuses on expanding in select channels and deploying capital efficiently to maintain a sustainable...
Clean-label bread maker Base Culture expands beyond the frozen aisle with its first line of shelf-stable products, tapping into consumer demand for preservative-free and nutrient-dense foods, CEO Johnny Heiselberg 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.
PepsiCo is seeking submissions to its annual Greenhouse Accelerator Program, which will once again focus on Hispanic-owned startups in the food and beverage or food supply chain spaces.
New Culture self-affirms its animal-free casein is Generally Recognized As Safe following an independent review of experts, which brings it one step closer to selling its animal-free cheese in retail, while strengthening its partnerships with foodservice...
Two heads are better than one — or in the case of the CPG world — two brands in one product might be the recipe for business growth, as representatives from Fly By Jing, Fishwife, and Aura Bora shared during a recent SPINS webinar on product collaborations....
Vietnamese coffee company Copper Cow is sweetening Costco aisles with a limited-edition churro flavor as it navigates growing without venture-capital (VC) funding, company CEO and Founder Debbie Mullin told FoodNavigator-USA.
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.
Consumers increasingly want more from their beverages when it comes to health, but they also want less in terms of calories, ingredients, processing and environmental impact – a delicate balance that startup Lattini strikes without compromising taste...
Tapping into the multi-billion dollar functional beverage market, Smoove’s RTD prebiotic juice is a cultural nod to African representation through indigenous and traditional ingredients, like tropical almond, tamarind and African cherry, while responding...
Beverage sales have outpaced that of food within the specialty segment in the past decade, according to the Specialty Food Association, which attributes the boom to an increased demand for functional benefits, a faster pace of innovation and a lower threshold...
Functional coffee and tea brand Clevr Blends is taking a “deep, not wide” approach to growing beyond its direct-to-consumer (DTC) roots and into Target, brand founder and CEO, Hannah Mendoza, told FoodNavigator-USA during a Startup Spotlight video.
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...
Sustainability may not be as highly prioritized as taste or price in purchase decisions for food and beverage, but research suggests it is increasingly important to consumers -- especially younger shoppers who are coming into their buying power.
Startup élevé distinguishes its adaptogenic sparkling water brand in a saturated market through its vintage-inspired packaging, natural ingredients and distribution, co-founders and CEOs Tanya Major and Dianna Aguilar tell FoodNavigator-USA in this episode...
Better-for-you confection newcomer Rotten’s early distribution gains since it launched in September underscores an unmet consumer desire for candy that cuts back on sugar and artificial ingredients, but not the fun.
Alternative protein company Superbrewed Food inches closer to launching its first retail products as it scales production of its bacteria-based postbiotic protein through a partnership with ingredient provider Döhler, company CEO Bryan Tracy told FoodNavigator-USA.
To continue blazing a path for gene-edited food in North America that is more convenient and nutrient-dense than conventional counterparts, food-tech startup Pairwise has decided to discontinue marketing its first CRISPR-edited product, Conscious Greens...
Finding a reliable manufacturer that can meet product specifications and has production capacity that aligns with supply needs is one of the biggest challenges brands face, but a new matching platform launching today could simplify and dramatically shorten...
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.
Insects are not only thought to contain at least as much protein as conventional meat, but are also more environmentally sustainable. However, their novelty on the market poses challenges in consumer acceptance. How do start-ups persuade consumers to...
Winner of the first season of Netflix’s Snack vs. Chef show, Lauryn Bodden, is taking her award-winning noodle snack concept from TV screens to store shelves with the official launch of S’NOODS, as she shared in the recent episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s...
Snack company Solely is seeing the fruits of its labor as it expands distribution across natural and c-store channels and tees up a rebrand and new flavors of its products, brand CEO Simón Sacal told FoodNavigator-USA.
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...
While many entrepreneurs adopt a “sky’s the limit” mentality, few literally reach it the way that Whoa Dough did when American Airlines began offering its first class passengers the company’s better-for-you, plant-based and protein-packed cookie dough...
The founder of startup Harken Sweets, which launched earlier this month, wants to “nutritionally overhaul” the candy bar category by using “the power of the date fruit,” like how she helped Caulipower reinvigorate the pizza category with the “power of...
CPG brands eager to break into Costco stores must first meet financial milestones and packaging and shipping requirements, assistant general merchandise manager for the retailer's Midwest region, Amy Becker, shared during a recent Naturally webinar....
The frozen dessert aisle may feel frozen in another time to some consumers who are looking for clean labels but who are often confronted by long ingredient lists with preservatives, additives, processing aids and emulsifiers that are unfamiliar and may...
A resounding theme of “better” emerged at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas last week, where more than 1,200 specialty food companies came together to showcase the latest innovations in cheese, condiments, baked goods, snacks and more.
Food-tech company SCiFi Foods inches closer to releasing its hybrid meat product that consists of a blend of cell-cultivated beef and plant proteins, upon completing its first commercial-scale production run, company co-founder and CEO Joshua March told...
Female-founded startup Evergreen is ready to go head-to-head with legacy players that currently dominate the $1.2 billion frozen waffle set with a brightly-colored, playful new look and an updated recipe packed with fruit and vegetables that promises...
While the vegan cheese category continues to face headwinds in the market, South Korea-based startup Armored Fresh is turning to its technology to address taste and price challenges, company VP Andrew Yu told FoodNavigator-USA in a Startup Spotlight video...
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...
Seattle-based coffee startup Atomo Coffee is a couple of months away from launching its new manufacturing facility to scale production of its espresso, created with upcycled ingredients and no coffee beans, as the company double downs on its ambition...
Health food and beverage company Dr Smood is taking its functional MOSS beverage to more store shelves in 2024, as the company continues to find ways to spread the word about sea moss’s functional properties, company executives and sales professionals...
Austrian start-up Revo Foods is well known for its 3D-printed fish and meat whole cuts. Now, it has announced technology that can work continuously and produce a variety of products simultaneously, introducing significant flexibility into the production...
Eel meat is unlike any other: it is fatty, tender, and ‘almost melts in your mouth’, explains Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. The start-up is working to mimic these attributes with stem cells in a lab.
Participating in Costco’s RoadShow and interacting directly with consumers to sample its gut-friendly, cashew dessert spreads gave WOC-founded startup ELAVI insights that would have “cost thousands of dollars” to acquire elsewhere, allowing it to make...
Israeli-based food-tech startup Imagindairy expects products made with its animal-free dairy protein to launch in the US within the year after it says it received from FDA a letter of no objection for the ingredient’s GRAS status and the subsequent acquisition...
As an early adopter of the “triple bottom line” framework, the premium confection company Endangered Species Chocolate has been “doing well by doing good” for 30 years by responsibly sourcing ingredients, supporting fair trade, prioritizing sustainability...
Nearly 150 dairy industry stakeholders, including producers, entrepreneurs and investors, gathered at a winery in idyllic Livermore, Cali., earlier this month to celebrate the winners of the 5th Real California Milk Excelerator competition, which scoured...
As the concept of “food as medicine” gains traction, doctors, dietitians and insurers already active in the space are keen to distinguish the difference between “better-for-you” products and those proven to effect a health change and therefore worthy...
Despite notable advances in alternative protein production in 2023, including clearing regulatory hurdles, increasing capacity and expanding distribution, the segment faces significant hurdles, including questions about safety, sales and its ability to...
This week, join FoodNavigator-USA and stakeholders across the supply chain, including Eat Just, The Hartman Group, Oishii, NotCo, Instacart, NIQ, Consumer Brands Association, FMI – The Food Industry Association, Cargill and more for our three-day Futureproofing...
Women’s diverse nutritional needs have long been overlooked or pigeonholed to focus primarily on appearance, but a new class of products made by women, for women across life stages are on the rise as is research to support the development of sex-specific...
With this month’s launch of thick-cut, decadent Texas Toast made with and without gluten and slathered with real butter, garlic and cheese, Rudi’s Bakery is entering a new phase of “reinvention and reinvigoration” that recently reappointed CEO Jane Miller...
When most people think about protein, they think about meat, dairy – maybe legumes – but food-tech newcomer Equii wants them to also think about bread, including its portfolio of soft, sliced white and multi-grain loaves that are packed with 8 to 10 grams...
Between FDA and USDA greenlighting the sale of cultivated chicken in the US, the ground-breaking of a large-scale precision fermentation facilities and advances in molecular farming, 2023 has been a banner year for novel protein production. But the path...
With the launch of a new AI-powered data engine, pioneering decarbonization emissions platform Planet FWD continues to accelerate CPG companies ability to evaluate and neutralize their environmental impact, including stubborn and hard-to-mange Scope 3...
