When starting out most entrepreneurs could use a hand, especially when it comes to making their products, but finding the right kind of help isn’t always easy and picking the wrong partner can negatively impact the brand – lessons that the founder of...
Synthetic biology specialist Amyris says it remains confident it can capture 30% of the global stevia sweeteners market by 2022 with purecane, a Reb M sweetener produced from cane sugar by a modified yeast strain, that it claims gives it a competitive...
Overnight success stories often are attributed to being in the right place at the right time, but according to the founder of the startup Uplift Food that doesn’t mean the circumstances were serendipitous or that entrepreneurs should wait for an opportunity...
The amount of capital flowing into the food & beverage industry is rising rapidly with recent research from Food+Tech Connect reporting a 34% increase in funding worth $1.45 billion going to startups in the space in 2018 compared to $1.08 billion...
When you think of a successful leader, who do you envision? Someone experienced? Someone with a wide support network? Someone whose mettle has been tested and proven?
Accurately identifying an unmet need in the crowded food and beverage market and then developing the perfect product to fill it should be a straight forward recipe for success – unfortunately, in most cases isn’t enough.
For many startups the idea of launching at Walmart before establishing a loyal fan base and supply chain at independent stores or in the natural channel may sound completely crazy, but the retailer is hoping to change this perception through its new emerging...
Consumers increasingly want products that are better for them, but also better for the planet – unfortunately, it is not always easy to tell which products are healthy or sustainable, which is why it is important to use claims that resonate with shoppers...
Staying ahead of the trends isn’t easy given how fickle consumers can be, but thanks to an exclusive partnership with StarChefs, the flavor and ingredient company Symrise is helping manufacturers remain relevant to consumers by identifying hot upcoming...
Dutch company Gabanna is creating a new market for Ugandan 'matooke' green bananas using the starchy, low-sugar flour in new product applications from pasta, cereal, and snacks to a standalone ingredient for food manufacturers.
Supplementation with a hemp-derived, CBD-rich extract for six weeks led to significant improvements in sleep and reductions in appetite, according to results of a randomized clinical trial in healthy adults.
CBD and other cannabinoids produced via fermentation can deliver the purity and reliability that the market is looking for at a lower price, claims Amyris, which is aiming to introduce its first products next year following a partnership with a newly...
In today’s strong labor market, many cash-strapped startups are unable to compete with big food for top talent based on salary, but according to the specialized recruitment firm ForceBrands that doesn’t mean they have to settle for second best.
Ever since FDA decided to exclude Tate & Lyle’s super low-calorie sugar allulose from the total and added sugar declarations on the Nutrition Facts panel, manufacturers across categories have been clamoring to learn how the ingredient might help them...
Despite the ubiquity of bug consumption in some parts of the world, the tools and techniques to raise and process insects as human food on an industrial scale are still evolving, and there are still no globally agreed standards about how to do it in the...
Grain Millers - an industry supplier of oats in various forms from oat bran to whole oat flour - is evolving to meet the year-round demand for oats, which were once a seasonally driven crop, says Grain Millers' VP of product development, Roberto...
Canadian startup Chinova Bioworks plans to launch its antimicrobial natural food preservative, made from mushroom chitosan, at the end of this year for dairy and sauce applications, answering industry demand for a clean label preservative alternative.
High profile brands such as Ripple and Beyond Meat have raised the profile of yellow peas in the meat and dairy alternative categories. But chickpea protein can give peas and other plant-based proteins a serious run for their money in both of these segments,...
“It sort of sounds too good to be true,” acknowledges the man behind a fat replacer that can reduce calories from fat by up to 92% without negatively impacting taste or texture. But Epogee comes with no catch, and unlike Olestra, no messy side effects,...
Entrepreneurs making “truly transformative” change that goes beyond incremental advancements often need more time to deliver investment returns than venture capital and private equity can afford, which is why FoodShot Global created a “collaborative capital...
When it comes to legally marketing conventional food and dietary supplements with CBD and other cannabis-derived compounds, FDA and industry appear stuck in a catch-22.
Routine headlines about multi-million – or billion – dollar venture capital investments into food and beverage startups may give the impression that VC funding is the best way to scale a business, but according to one insider the model is far from perfect...
In the past decade, venture capitalists have emerged as a primary gatekeeper for innovation in the food and beverage industry as the amount of money they are pouring into startups in the space continues to rise exponentially, and so-called big-food continues...
With conscious consumerism on the rise and potential employees increasingly evaluating companies based on their values, Mars Inc. isn’t wasting any time implementing the new mission it unveiled in March.
Under pressure to beat the competition or secure returns for investors, most startups want to get on store shelf as fast as possible, but first they must checkoff a litany of minimum requirements that can turn into unexpected roadblocks if they don’t...
While some entrepreneurs of startups might frown upon a partnership with a large food company as ‘selling out,’ many others increasingly see such arrangements as ‘selling up’ and as a way to take their businesses to the next level.
Developing and launching a new product is never easy, but according to the CEO of the chickpea snack company Biena, the specific challenges entrepreneurs will face across sales, marketing and operations will vary significantly based on whether they are...
In a large company, a bad hire can create headaches, but it may not be the end of the world. In a startup, however, it could mean the difference between success and failure.
One of 15 startups pitching at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! event in San Francisco, Planetarians uses a proprietary process to transform defatted oilseeds – the dry matter left after oil extraction - into high-protein, high-fiber ingredients that are now being...
A novel approach to brewing kombucha in stackable rectangular trays could help dramatically speed up the fermentation process and keep alcohol levels consistently below 0.5% abv, solving a major technical challenge for the industry, according to kombucha...
One of the main goals of effective branding and packaging is to set a product apart from the competition, but how this is achieved is fundamental to whether a product will be embraced or shunned by consumers.
Running a startup can be thrilling… and an energy-sapping trial by ordeal. But mentors and judges at Rabobank’s Foodbytes! pitch competition in San Francisco last month were at hand to offer tips, help entrepreneurs ask investors the right questions,...
Edible insects were always going to be a slow burn in the alternative protein market, given both the ‘ick’ factor and the lack of infrastructure to farm and process them at scale. But just because investors have been cautious about the sector doesn’t...
Many millennials worry about nutritional gaps in their diet, but would prefer to get what they need from food rather than popping pills, says GEM, a Los Angeles-based online subscription business delivering whole food based daily ‘bites’ containing 15...
While the food and beverage industry is virtually oozing with innovation as entrepreneurs launch category-breaking and -making ideas at a rapid-fire clip, the full potential of many new products and companies is held back by lackluster branding that a...
Frustrated that efforts to “treat or fix” childhood obesity in the US have fallen short, Sprout Foods is teaming with the Partnership for a Healthier America to try and prevent the problem from occurring by training children from an early age to crave...
Bond Pet Foods – one of 15 startups pitching at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! event in San Francisco last month - deploys microbes as tiny factories to produce proteins for pets in fermentation tanks. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with founder Rich Kelleman before...
Strap: ‘There is no difference between the molecule we make and the molecule in human milk’
Breast milk is best. But for Moms that can’t breastfeed, infant formula that contains at least some of the unique components in breast milk is the next best thing, says the co-founder of Berkeley-based start-up Sugarlogix, which is developing a platform...
As conscious consumerism gathers momentum, retailers, investors and shoppers all are scrutinizing companies’ values more closely and looking to support brands that are focused on more than just profits.
While some animal protein producers might see the rise in plant-based eating as a threat, Applegate sees it as an opportunity to push forward its mission of changing the meat we eat with several new products, including a blended burger that combines meat...
Regulatory hurdles notwithstanding, investors and judges at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! event in San Francisco last week were fairly bullish about hemp-derived CBD (cannabidiol), and predicted that while the market has moved ahead of the science, this will...
The Worthy Company - one of 15 food & ag startups pitching at Rabobank's FoodBytes! event in San Francisco last week - has developed a novel food concept (the 'blendie bowl') combining fruits, veggies, legumes and chia. But where...
What are the key elements of a great pitch, and what might send potential investors running for the hills? FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine Watson headed to San Francisco to ask judges and mentors at Rabobank's FoodBytes! pitch competition what they're...
In the past five years, online grocery retailer Thrive Market has grown its business to 500,000 paid members shopping its 6,000+ products, allowing the company to dive head first into new projects around regenerative agriculture, and "dramatically"...
Scientific and technology advances, coupled with the increased consumer interest, means that there is a need to update and harmonize the recommendations for protein intakes around the globe, says the head of the International Protein Board.
As consumers learn more about digestive health and all the implications that it has for the wellbeing of their bodies and minds, they are looking for products that go beyond probiotics – creating a booming digestive health category that is ripe for innovation....
Food and beverage brands targeting kids often promote their low sugar content, or highlight calcium for bones and protein for growing bodies. But what about the nutrients kids need to support the development of arguably their most important asset: the...
Weller, a Boulder-based snack and beverage company, is not tip-toeing around using the word 'CBD' on its packaging as it launches a line of sparkling waters featuring 25mg cannabidiol (from full spectrum hemp extract).
The splits in the organic movement have given birth to a new initiative to regain the soul of the concept, according to an executive with a major retailer.