Consumers are notoriously fickle, but their ongoing demand for beverages that are healthy and natural is paving the way for several sustained sub-trends that not only show immediate growth potential but also long-term payout, according to Google trends...
Boulder-based MycoTechnology has raised $35m in a series B financing round from a flurry of high profile investors* from Kellogg’s Eighteen94 Capital to Bunge Ventures and inked a strategic partnership with a leading player in the natural products industry...
After a month of hints about pursuing an “exciting and terrifying” new opportunity in organic food, former Annie’s CEO John Foraker has finally gone public about his plans to join refrigerated babyfood brand Once Upon a Farm, alongside actress Jennifer...
New Frontier Foods has spent four years building a presence in the rapidly-growing seaweed snacks market with its Ocean’s Halo brand, but reckons its latest innovation – organic seaweed-based broths (now rolling out nationwide at Walmart, Safeway/Albertsons,...
Whether it is trying to raise money, build brand awareness or convince a buyer to stock your product on store shelves, knowing how to successfully pitch your company, and yourself, to potential business partners and consumers is essential.
Kabaki purple tea – made from a phytonutrient-rich purple-hued cultivar grown in Kenya – could follow RUNA’s playbook by bringing something disruptive to the US ready-to-drink tea market, while at the same time improving the livelihoods of small growers,...
In general, talking about how a food or beverage is processed is not a way to win the hearts, minds and money of today’s consumers, who increasingly want products that are fresh, made with clean ingredients and as close to their natural state as possible.
It’s barely more than a year old, but Hippeas is already generating monthly revenues just shy of a million dollars, says founder Livio Bisterzo, who reckons the chickpea-fueled brand could generate two or three times that amount next year.
Innovation in the baby food aisle has come in waves. First came jars, then shelf stable pouches, and most recently a new generation of HPP (high pressure processed) refrigerated brands carving out a premium niche in the category. But could freeze-drying...
In another signal that traditional meat companies see cultured meat as an opportunity, rather than a threat, Cargill and other unnamed "food industry giants" have participated in a $17m funding round in clean meat firm Memphis Meats.
In the early days, the news about Hampton Creek was almost universally positive. A man on a mission to disrupt the food system, founder Josh Tetrick emerged victorious from spats with Unilever and the FDA, raised bucketloads of cash from Silicon Valley’s...
Cynics might argue that junk food is junk food, whether it comes in green-hued packaging and eschews artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, or not. Kidfresh co-founder and CEO Matt Cohen begs to differ.
From turmeric paste and green banana flour to sprouted mung bean snacks and cauliflower wraps and pizza bases, the entries to our 2017 trailblazers challenge are at the cutting edge of food & beverage innovation. But we could only pick three winners...
Consumers seeking more functional benefit from their foods and beverages are increasingly turning to the color purple, but according to recent research from Welch Foods, Inc. only 18% of Americans can name more than three types of purple produce – a gap...
Hampton Creek has confirmed the Silicon Valley start-up is in talks to license its lab-grown meat technology to some of the world’s biggest meat companies.
Mung bean protein has potential applications in everything from egg substitutes to pasta and ice cream, says Hampton Creek, which has just received a 'no questions' letter from the FDA responding to its determination that its proprietary mung...
When it comes to edible insects, there is still something of a disconnect between the rhetoric (insects can help us feed the world) and the reality, in the US., at least (they’re still niche and expensive). But that’s about to change, predicts the company...
With another infusion of investor funds, Country Archer Jerky Co. is set to make the leap from the natural channel where it is thriving into the conventional and convenience channels, which the CEO says are wide-open for better-for-you snacks such as...
Daiya Foods has carved out an enviable slice of the fast-growing plant-based foods market since its 2008 launch, but did not attract the valuation it was looking for when it first explored a sale in 2014/15. Fast forward to 2017, however, and its value...
Protein2o – a rapidly-growing brand of flavored waters infused with electrolytes and 15g of whey protein – has completed a $4m capital raise and attracted two high-profile ex-Gatorade executives as its president and chairwoman after a year of “explosive”...
The ready meal category in the US is set to explode in part as a natural evolution of the meal kit craze that taught consumers how to cook healthy, fresh food at home, but which still ultimately takes more time than many people have daily, according to...
As recently as two years ago, bone broth was virtually unheard of by the masses, but now it is seemingly everywhere with newcomers crowding the category and pushing early players such as Bonafide Provisions to innovate to stay ahead of the competition.
Paleo product sales could soar in the next three years if enough manufacturers invest, according to IRI, but Mintel says paleo will never reach Greek yogurt heights.
With unemployment rates approaching 14% after two years of recession, Brazil’s economy is projected to grow by less than 0.5% in 2017, while the president has become embroiled in a corruption scandal some commentators fear could endanger an economic recovery....
What new tools are brands using to get products to market more quickly, and build consumer insights into the process at every stage? Are traditional focus groups becoming passé?
Suja is still considering a move into the kombucha category but will only do so if it can produce the product in a way that controls the alcohol and sugar content, says CEO Jeff Church.
The UK fresh prepared food market – in which Bakkavor is a leading player - is dominated by private label products, but there is a clear opportunity for national brands to carve out a significant slice of the rapidly-growing chilled food pie in the US,...
One product that generated quite a buzz at the IFT show this year was NuBana green banana flour from International Agriculture Group (IAG). Elaine Watson caught up with VP marketing and business development (and resistant starch guru) Rhonda Witwer to...
Consumer demand for products that are authentic and ethnic is not only prompting brand manufacturers to innovate it is also raising the competitive bar at retailers, according to industry experts.
Acting responsibly and creating a positive social impact is no longer optional for companies – it is now a basic requirement for success based on the increasing weight consumers place on corporations' ethical and moral actions when making their purchasing...
Part delivery service, part online storefront, by working exclusively with independent retailers, Mercato founder Bobby Brannigan is confident he has carved out a space where his company can thrive in a post Amazon-Whole Foods-acquisition world.
In the refrigerated, HPP baby food space, cold-pressed ingredients dominate. Fresh Bellies is differentiating itself by cooking vegetables to release flavor, and not blending them with fruits.
Winnipeg-based Johnny and Jennifer Kien went through the hassle of making fresh baby food from scratch when their firstborn came along. The hard work inspired them to start a brand that would make it easier for other parents.
GFI: Clean meat will likely enter market as a high-value ingredient in plant-based products
‘Clean’ (a.k.a. cultured/lab-grown) meat will likely come to market in phases, with the first products perhaps hybrids combining clean meat and plant-based meat; followed by ground meat products (nuggets, burgers); and finally those mimicking steaks...
At the crossroad of Americans’ increasingly sedentary work- and lifestyles and their demand for decadent food is a growing need for digestive remedies and an opportunity for supplements and fortified foods to edge out over-the-counter treatments that...
Savory oats pioneer Grainful has already convinced a growing number of consumers on the east and west coasts that steel-cut oats aren’t just for breakfast, and has now persuaded investors to part with a cool $3.3m to take that message to a wider, national,...
Breakfast has long been known as the most important meal of the day, but when people are eating it and what they are reaching for is quickly evolving and as such creating both challenges and opportunities for manufacturers of packaged products, according...
US consumers are snacking more than ever, according to IRI data, but an analyst for the market research firm warns that CPG companies shouldn’t take this upward trend for granted because while many shoppers reach for packaged products to satisfy their...
Despite significant headwinds generated by the escalating war on sugar and increasing consumer preferences for healthy products, the confectionery industry is holding its own with sales climbing 1.2% in the last year to reach a whopping $25 billion, according...
Sports nutrition is a booming industry, with Euromonitor estimating a value of $7.4bn in the US. When we went to the streets and asked a few gym-goers what they buy, to no surprise, it was all protein.
PepsiCo is seeking “new and novel protein sources for snacks and beverages," while Mondelēz International is looking for new technologies to improve the freshness and texture of fruits and veggies in Philadelphia cream cheese.
Can you make money supplying fresh prepared food via vending machines? Not everyone was convinced when Luke Saunders launched Farmer’s Fridge in October 2013, but the fact he's just persuaded the former bosses of ZICO and McDonald's, among others,...
Think clean label just means no artificial ingredients? Think again
Think 'clean label' just means ditching ‘artificial’ ingredients and avoiding anything attracting negative press (warranted or otherwise)? Think again. Today, brands are also questioning whether ‘natural’ flavors, preservatives and sweeteners...
To the casual observer, ‘cleaning up’ our food sounds like an eminently sensible thing to do. But where is the clean label trend going, and is ditching every ingredient you can’t pronounce really the key to fixing the ‘broken’ food system (as Panera implies...
For years kale has reigned supreme as the go-to superfood for many Americans thanks in part to its relatively low cost, nutrient density, broad accessibility and the plethora of ways to enjoy it from green smoothies to chips to raw salads and stir-fries.
Nutriati’s chickpea protein is white, odorless, and neutral-tasting
Commercial quantities of highly functional, neutral-tasting chickpea protein concentrates and a high-protein chickpea ‘flour’ will be available by the end of the year, says Richmond-based Nutriati, which has just closed an $8m financing round to help...
The results of the 2017 FoodNavigator-USA reader survey are in… and not surprisingly, given the breadth of our readership, they’re pretty mixed, with many readers excited about their company’s prospects and others feeling trapped in a race to the bottom...
“So why does the world need another [insert your product here]?” is a question entrepreneurs are well-advised to prep for before hitting the stage at any pitch slam judged by ZICO founder Mark Rampolla. So how does he answer his own question when it...
