Dang Foods – a Berkeley-based firm specializing in whole food snacks (coconut chips, onion chips)- is the first company to receive funding from Sonoma Brands, a food incubator run by KRAVE Jerky founder Jon Sebastiani.
An injection of $2 million in Series Seed funds will help startup ELEMENT Snacks “reinvent rice cakes into fun snacks” by enabling it to expand distribution and roll out new packaging and branding, the company announced March 3.
Hatchery – an online marketplace specializing in gourmet foods from small producers – is looking for a strategic partner as it seeks to raise $2m to expand its offer.
An infusion of $2 million in Series Seed capital will help Bandar Foods bring increasingly popular Indian flavors to mainstream Americans’ everyday life through modern food technology and platforms, the company announced March 1.
Standup, reclosable pouches are the way to go in the frozen food aisle, which currently is filled with bags that lay flat or boxes with bags inside that don’t reclose, says Rebecca Peress, founder of food startup SWAP.
LaLoo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream may be healthier for people and planet than more traditional cow milk varieties, but it is still an indulgence, which is why the brand’s new marketing campaign encourages consumers “to get out and move their hooves,” the company’s...
Think Jerky is bringing the 100-calorie pack to the hugely popular jerky category as a way to make the snack even more portable and to help consumers better reflect on what and how much they eat.
Normally about this time of year the airwaves and social media begin to buzz with messages about getting ready for bikini season or offers to help consumers shed the last few stubborn holiday pounds with special diet foods – but increasingly these types...
It’s purple, intriguing from a nutritional perspective owing to its anthocyanin content, and poised to create a completely new category in the US beverage market, says one man on a mission to make Kenyan purple tea a household name in the US.
“We have delivered food from the best shops, farms and artisans. It was a wonderful journey, and while we learned a lot from it, it has come to its end,” says a message on the homepage of online delivery service Artizone, which closed its doors on February...
Between the rise of low- and no-carb diets in the early 2000s and the more recent explosive growth of the gluten-free movement, pasta-lovers and sales have suffered in the last two decades.But Gabriella’s Kitchen hopes to save both with the expansion...
Sprouted watermelon seeds fuel a novel range of protein bars from Go Raw
Is ‘raw’ still a hot trend in food marketing, or is the lack of clarity over what it means diluting its value? A pioneer in the raw foods movement, Go Raw founder Rob Freeland says he is less hung up on semantics these days, and more concerned about making...
The nutrition bar category has thrived in part by offering consumers convenience and portion-control, but a new generation of bar-like “bites” entering the market suggests on-the-go snacking could be even easier.
Fresh ingredients may be the must-have foods of the moment, but they also often require time-consuming prep and can lead to food waste when they come in amounts far exceeding those called for in recipes.Thirty-year food industry veteran Jon Startz has...
After spending years researching alternative forms of sun protection, dermatologist Bobby Awadalla has launched an orange and peach flavored 'sun protective drink' called UVO.
Want to know the size of the cold brew coffee prize, when Suja finally broke even, and what all the fuss is about over alkaline water? Check out the highlights of our 2016 Beverage Innovation summit, which aired live on Feb 18, and is now available on...
Cricket bar pioneer Chapul is poised for significant growth in 2016 after securing national distribution agreements with UNFI and Nature’s Best (KeHE) that will see it boost its footprint from 500 stores today to 3-4,000 stores by the year end, CEO Pat...
Campbell Soup Co. is hopping on the venture capital bandwagon "to more fully participate in growth opportunities" that could give it a competitive edge meeting consumers’ fast-evolving demands for healthy and fresh foods.
Phenomenal Foods – the Los Angeles-based start-up behind probiotic-fueled organic fruit & veggie snack brand Nomva – has raised $3m in a series A fundraising round to help it take its HPP-treated pouches to a broader audience.
If you’ve tried horchata in the US, it’s most likely inspired by Mexican recipes, which typically use rice milk as a base, coupled with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar – and sometimes some almond or dairy milk. Tasty? Yes. Nutritional dynamite? Not really.
Just Mayo maker Hampton Creek has joined a growing number of companies to be sued for allegedly misclassifying workers as independent contractors as opposed to employees.
The food and beverage industry is in the middle of an innovation renaissance that is far outpacing many other consumer goods categories as illustrated by the winners of the 2016 Product of the Year award for innovation announced Feb. 11.
Tootsie Roll has grown net sales and earnings in the fourth quarter and full-year 2015, which one analysts says may intensify interest from Warren Buffet or Turkish firm Yildiz Holdings.
Based on the latest additions to AccelFoods ’portfolio, the packaged food and beverage accelerator is betting that cold brew coffee, ethnic flavors, gluten-free and the one-two punch of protein and fiber are long-term trends that will continue to influence...
Ben & Jerry’s new line of vegan frozen desserts could accelerate the already fast consumer adoption of plant-based alternatives to conventional products and inspire more mainstream product manufacturers to follow suit, advocates say.
New entrants are quickly saturating the fast-growing jerky category, but there is still white space for pork, chicken and premium products aimed at consumers in the “middle of the road,” according to one category player.
Ask most people what ‘healthy vending’ is, and they will probably imagine a vending machine that has replaced candy with protein bars – but is still basically a snack machine. LeanBox, by contrast, is more like a smart fridge in the office breakroom packed...
2016 Beverage Innovation summit: Have you registered yet?
Bottled water, sparkling flavored water, energy and sports drinks, and ready-to-drink coffee have all made strong gains in the New Year as shoppers have continued to spurn carbonated soft drinks – particularly the diet variety - according to Nielsen data...
Moringa superfood product manufacturer Kuli Kuli expands it portfolio and the reach of its social mission with the launch of three energy shots, thanks to an infusion of $1 million from a mix of investors and fundraising tactics.
Revenues at plant-based foods maker Hampton Creek surged 350% in 2015 as the company expanded its product range and strengthened partnerships in retail and foodservice, said CEO Josh Tetrick, who also grew the headcount at the San Francisco-based company...
Hain Celestial hopes to stay “one step ahead” of the conventional CPG manufacturers now flocking to the increasingly popular natural and organic space, which the New York-based firm has dominated for years, by better customizing marketing, pricing and...
An unconventional partnership between the crowdfunding website Barnraiser and KRAVE Jerky founder Jon Sebastiani’s new incubator and venture fund Sonoma Brands will create a new paradigm for fundraising and marketing that promises earlier, more sustained...
CORE Hydration – an ultra-purified, electrolyte-infused bottled water with a ‘perfect pH’ of 7.4 that first hit shelves in late 2014 and is now in 30,000+ stores – is on course to generate retail sales of $60-100 million in 2016, predicts co-founder Lance...
From the GMO labeling debate and plant-based beverage trends to the infinite potential of algae, FoodNavigator-USA’s 2016/17 editorial calendar of special editions, online forums/events and face-to-face events have the key issues in the North American...
Genius Juice – which is on a mission bring something fresh and different to the functional beverage set with its organic coconut smoothies – is finalizing a new round of seed capital, has streamlined its SKU count and switched to a smaller, 12oz bottle...
Sales of meal kits delivered to consumers' doors surged to more than $1 billion last year, and with only 8% household penetration the category promises significant growth potential, according to Technomic Inc. But with 170 players already operating...
The premium meat snacks category is on fire, and scores of entrepreneurial brands have recently entered the market hoping to cash in. But there is still room for new players with truly differentiated products, says Colorado-based meat & veggie bar...
If you’ve heard of Michel et Augustin, you’re most likely French, or living in New York – where its pastries have recently started appearing in upmarket food stores. But that’s likely to change pretty quickly, predict its founders, who have just struck...
An infusion of $5 million of private and public equity funding will help ready-to-grow and ready-to–eat food manufacturer Back to the Roots expand its distribution in public schools and its product portfolio in the coming year as it strives to “undo food,” according...
Often overshadowed by the tech industry, food, beverage and ag startups can step into the spotlight at Rabobank North America Wholesale’s upcoming second FoodBytes! pitch competition where they will meet hundreds of potential investors and partners to...
Whole Foods products at wholesale prices, delivered to your door? It sounds almost too good to be true, and at the beginning, that’s certainly how many potential investors viewed Thrive Market. But with a run-rate approaching $100m and hundreds of thousands...
60-second interview: Jordan Gaspar and Lauren Jupiter, AccelFoods
AccelFoods - a New York-based early-stage investment platform making waves in the natural products space – is offering brands it partners with a lot more than capital, managing partners Jordan Gaspar and Lauren Jupiter tell FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine...
Bigger and brighter isn’t always better when it comes to product selection and packaging, the owners of Annie B’s discovered when they purchased the caramel and popcorn company from its original family-owners in 2013.
The co-founder and CEO of Green Chef infuses his passion for transparency into every aspect of the fresh meal kit delivery company, and in doing creates new marketing opportunities for its suppliers and helps them increase consumer awareness of their...
From Cabernayzyns (dried Cabernet grapes) to bakkwa, a meat snack sold in street markets in Singapore and Malaysia that's just hit the West Coast of the US, the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco was jam-packed with unusual new products. FoodNavigator-USA...
From seaweed snacks to toasted hemp seeds, beet chips and bars, onion chips (that are actually made out of onions), grass-fed jerky, and fruit bars with a hint of spice, snacking is getting a lot more sophisticated, FoodNavigator-USA discovered at the...
Does bone broth have mass market appeal, and if so, what’s the best format to package it in, and where is the best place to put it in store? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with EPIC Provisions co-founder Taylor Collins to get his take on this emerging category...
From bone broth, birch water and yaupon tea to macadamia milk, the Winter Fancy Food Show is a great place to go beverage trendspotting. FoodNavigator-USA hit the showfloor at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where we also spotted a lot of chai spice...
A lack of co-packers with dedicated allergen- and grain-free production facilities will hinder startups and small manufacturers from competing in the quickly growing free-from category, but it won’t stop them for long, as demonstrated by Snackin’ Free’s...
![Josh Tetrick: 'We’re not going to change the world in a fundamental way just with an [egg-free] mayo'](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/6/9/6/0/1930696-1-eng-GB/Hampton-Creek-s-revenues-surged-350-in-2015-says-CEO.jpg)
