Americans increasingly want fresh, healthy food, but they don’t always have the extra time it takes to plan and prepare those ingredients – creating a white space in the market for enterprising manufacturers.
If you didn't make it to Chicago last week for the inaugural Food Vision USA event, you missed a truly awesome ensemble of industry experts covering everything from our nutritional needs on a manned mission to Mars to the challenges facing small...
Ready to leap from start-up to category leader, better-for-you snack company Wonderfully Raw Gourmet Delights exchanged a slice of its equity for accelerator Fresca Food’s help expanding production, distribution and marketing.
Big brands have always sought to convince us that by purchasing their mass-produced wares we are expressing ourselves (although it’s hard to argue that buying a Coke – even with your name on it - is a bold expression of individualism). But how can food...
Stressed, time poor and short of culinary inspiration, but feeling guilty about ordering pizza again? Sun Basket – the latest entrant to the burgeoning home meal delivery market – gives you the tools to cook restaurant-quality meals at home, without having...
Armed with little more than her neighbors’ accolades for her homemade granola and a business book recommended on Oprah Winfrey’s website, Viki Sater dove head first into the competitive cereal market.
VEGA Coffee is based on a simple – but surprisingly novel – concept, says founder Noushin Ketabi: What if the farmers who grow coffee, actually roasted and packaged it as well, and then sold their ‘farm-roasted’ product directly to US consumers via an...
From savory yogurt and coffee fruit infusions, to switchel – apple cider vinegar-based concoctions that offer a modern twist on a centuries-old tradition - Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) highlights 10 culinary trends it predicts will inspire packaged foods...
Company has been ‘bombarded’ with offers from private equity and strategic investors
In 2009, when Daiya Foods first started selling cheese alternatives, the addressable market (based on what was selling at the time) was an uninspiring $10m, a figure most investors and CPG brands won’t even get out of bed for. Fast forward six years,...
Can a bunch of food-tech start-ups really ‘fix the broken food system’, feed 9bn people by 2050 and ‘disrupt’ the food industry with a killer app? Maybe, but they might be better off focusing on more tangible goals, according to investment experts gathered...
Kite Hill - the plant-based brand on a mission to disrupt the dairy case - has moved beyond cheese with the launch of a cultured almond milk yogurt at Whole Foods stores nationwide, which will be followed by single-serve cheesecakes and a seasonal pumpkin...
As demand for natural colors and flavors increases, so too does the sales opportunity for the relatively unknown and underdeveloped organic candy segment, according to a leading executive in the category.
Once a breakfast staple in most American homes, orange juice has fallen out of favor in recent years as consumers try to cut carbs, calories and sugar. But premium juice maker Uncle Matt’s Organic is hoping to return the beverage to its former glory with...
With snacking replacing more meals in the US, manufacturers are responding with a variety of fast, on-the-go options that are packed with nutrients, protein, fiber and energy.
For years the nutrition bar category was mostly limited to sweet flavors, but now that is changing, thanks in part to Mediterra – a pioneer in making savory snack bars.
One key to a successful Kickstarter campaign is to create “stretch goals” that incentivize existing backers to find more investors to help unlock additional rewards, advises Michael Salguero, founder of the grass fed meat delivery service Butcher Box.
Seaweed snacks are riding a rising tide in the U.S. with sales swelling between $250 million and $500 million in 2014, according to an industry trends expert.
‘Challenger’ brands – anarchic, agile brands which disrupt established categories – are Davids outmaneuvering industry Goliaths. And Chobani is probably the perfect example, going from zero to a billion dollars in less than a decade. But what happens...
Retailers that initially warned Enjoy Life Foods not to enter the baking mix segment are now clamoring to stock the manufacturer’s new line of five ready-to-use mixes in large part because they go beyond the convenience of competitors to include hot functional...
High protein, easy-to-eat foods are no longer limited to bars and shakes – now they can also be found in familiar baked goods that appeal to carb-loving consumers, thanks to companies like Flapjacked.
Jackfruit, a previously hard-to-find but popular meat substitute among vegans, is going mainstream in the US with two manufacturers launching ready-to-eat product lines featuring the fibrous plant as a main ingredient.
Ganeden BC30 probiotic is a hot ingredient right now, as demonstrated by a slew of diverse products featuring it at Expo East. The probiotic is in demand in part because it can help packaged goods stand out from competitors and gain entrance to the much...
San Francisco-based ready to eat popcorn maker 479 Degrees has raised a new round of capital from some high profile investors including KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky and Emil Capital Partners, which has also pumped cash into fast-growing brands including...
Four manufacturers showcasing frozen pizzas at Expo East in Baltimore Sept. 17-19 are hoping their products will help revitalize the stagnant category by offering healthier, innovative options that will stand out from competing legacy brands.
Facing a slew of unsavory Chicago food truck regulations in 2011, Amar Singh opted to park his Curry Cruiser truck for good to pursue a line of Indian-inspired cooking sauces and spices that had flavored his street food eats.
An infusion of $1.9 million raised on the online market place CircleUp will help fruit and veggie frozen pop maker Ruby's Naturals launch new products, raise brand awareness and expand distribution, the firm’s CEO said.
If Indigogo investors’ overwhelming interest in the upcoming launch of NeuroGum is any indication, the self-proclaimed focus-boosting gum could be a formidable competitor in the cognitive and energy food and beverage categories.
The American Egg Board (AEB) has rejected allegations by Hampton Creek that it “engaged in numerous illegal activities” in order to undermine the San Francisco-based firm, which is now calling for a Congressional investigation into the AEB’s behavior.
Food is fun, says the self-described ‘serial optimist’ and ‘crowdfunding Jedi’ behind 500-calorie vegan ‘drinkable supermeal’ Ambronite. But not every eating occasion can be an epic, Mediterranean-style gathering fueled by wine and great conversation,...
Two new, versatile production platforms created by ingredient supplier C-fu FOODS could crack open the nascent insect protein commodity market in North America by “abstracting the product from its source,” a company co-founder says.
If current trends continue, almondmilk will account for an astonishing 19% (dollar share) of the US retail dairy and dairy alternative beverages market in 2019, predicts Packaged Facts. However, plant-based products still only account for a tiny fraction...
Letter shows FDA is serious about enforcing standards of identity, says lawyer
While Unilever dropped a false advertising lawsuit over egg-free spread Just Mayo last year amid an avalanche of bad PR, the FDA has picked up where Unilever left off with a warning letter advising brand owner Hampton Creek it is playing fast and loose...
The dog days of summer are here and to help cool off consumers are reaching for ice cream, which a recent Yahoo Food survey found is 41% of American’s favorite dessert.
A new hybrid grocery delivery and meal solution service from food-tech start-up Handpick, Inc., claims to offer a more affordable and sustainable way for consumers to shop and cook than other online grocery shopping or meal kit delivery services.
From grass-fed Buffalo jerky from Patagonia Provisions; and fruit, veggie and chia-packed squeezy pouches from Happy Valley; to bean chips from General Mills; check out FoodNavigator-USA's gallery of new snacks hitting US shelves this summer.
From caffeine-free energy drinks and 'coffeehouse style' tea lattes to chia and greens drinks and ready-to-drink Soylent, check out FoodNavigator-USA's gallery of new beverage launches hitting US shelves this summer.
The Nutrition Capital Network reports that mergers and acquisitions activity in branded natural and organic food & beverage companies is on a record-setting pace for 2015. In addition, NCN reports rapid growth in financings in the emerging world of...
Tasty Brand co-founders Liane Weintraub and Shannan Swanson originally had their sights set on an organic frozen baby food line, but the 2008 economic crash saw the market for premium baby food drying up. So they shifted gears to more seriously pursue...
When creating her DRY line of premium carbonated beverages 10 years ago, founder Sharelle Klaus sought to create a new niche in the beverage world. Which was a fortuitous thing, as the brand has waxed even as the soft drink category as a whole has waned.
Many a tea lover has settled for coffee or an energy drink when desperate for an energy fix. But Zest Tea hopes to change that with its high-caffeine brewed teas.
Two firms that generated a lot of buzz at the IFT show this year were Parabel and Hinoman, which are both selling brand new nutrient-packed ingredients from tiny aquatic plants. But do they have what it takes to give more established players in the plant-based...
From the challenges of sourcing organic milk, to the threat 'alternatives' milks pose to the dairy sector and the 'scary' promotional dynamics of the yogurt category, the FoodNavigator-USA Dairy Innovation Forum covered a lot of ground....
A new agreement between Amazon Launchpad and select CircleUp portfolio companies promises to “promote consumer discoverability”, and give entrepreneurs significant support and advice from the online retailing giant.
To boldly go... where no food conference has gone before? Space food is on the menu at Food Vision USA (we've lined up NASA on day three), but we're just as concerned about what we're eating here on earth, and whether food retailers are...
Meet the people behind a2 milk, Yasso, Smári Organics, Tarte Foods, and good culture
For Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick, food lies at the heart of the debate about what path the country should take in the upcoming presidential election. That’s why he recently published an open letter to the presidential candidates in The New York Times.
Dave Lefkow: 'You’d be amazed how many people are obsessed with bacon...'
The Eureka moment came on a business trip in 2007 when Dave Lefkow’s co-worker Justin Esch casually observed that bacon flavored salt might taste pretty good. The cash to make it happen came from Lefkow’s three-year old son, who propelled a baseball into...
Fundraising is a major challenge for entrepreneurs regardless of their gender, but women face unique hurdles that they must proactively address early or else risk not raising sufficient money to succeed, according to the founder of Element Snacks.
