San Leandro-based Geltor – which has developed a computational biology platform to create ‘designer’ functional proteins via precision fermentation – has completed its first commercial-scale manufacturing run of PrimaColl ‘animal-free’ vegan collagen...
Emerging Asian-inspired sparkling water brand Sanzo, which has just raised $10m in a Series A financing round led by CircleUp Growth Partners, is seeking to bridge the gap between mainstream sparkling water brands and quintessential Asian flavors such...
It might fit squarely in the ‘niche’ segment of the plant-based protein category right now, but the speed with which Chocho – a protein-packed variety of lupin that grows in the Andes – has gained traction online and in Erewhon stores in southern California,...
Fungi-fueled Meati Foods – which raised some eyebrows in December after its new president (ex-General Mills president Scott Tassani) suggested the startup could generate a cool $1bn in sales by 2025 from mycelium-based meat alternatives – has seen a surge...
Kodiak Cakes, best known for its protein-packed pancakes and waffles products, has received an investment from Patricof Co (P/Co), a specialized private investment platform for professional athletes, to fuel the brand's continued expansion and leadership...
What up-and-coming plant proteins are the most exciting? Chickpeas? Hemp? Canola? Barley? Pongamia? What do we really know about the best overall dietary pattern to support a healthy gut microbiome? And how do we educate consumers about the benefits...
Brainiac Kids – the brainchild of Bay area-based start-up Ingenuity Brands - is rebranding as Brainiac Foods, with new products and packaging designed to reach a broader audience seeking out ‘brain food’: everyday foods with meaningful amounts of ingredients...
The opening of organic and Humane Certified chicken company Farmer Focus’ 78,000 square foot packaging facility in Harrisonburg, Va., announced today, is a testament to the sustainability and scalability of an alternative business model to those of the...
Tiny Organics has launched its Tiny Beginnings non-puree baby food line for 4- to 7-month-olds, targeting the narrow window of babies' feeding journey where they are most open to trying and developing a preference for bitter vegetables and other...
Silicon Valley-based Change Foods – one of a new breed of startups making 'animal-free' dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows – has closed an oversubscribed $12m seed extension round, and signed collaboration agreements with two leading...
Today’s anticipated US debut of Singapore-based startup Next Gen Foods’ TiNDLE, made possible by a record-breaking $100m series A fundraise, brings American chefs on both coasts access to a versatile plant-based chicken alternative that goes beyond ridged...
Right now, the pricier components of growth media – the nutrient-rich broth used to feed cells that will turn into cultivated meat – are typically produced by armies of microbes engineered to churn out recombinant proteins in big steel bioreactors. But...
Originally designed to help babies grow, but not much else, traditional infant formula often falls far short of delivering the same benefits as breast milk, which also boosts immunity, contributes to cognitive development, is more easily digested, and...
Splendid Spoon, a direct-to-consumer 'no prep' fresh meal delivery service, has closed a $12m Series B funding round to fuel its expansion into new product categories, explore new channels, and further personalize its customer experience, said...
Former better-for-you frozen food brand Luvo’s mission to make eating nutritious meals easy and delicious lives on under new leadership in the recently rebranded and repositioned Performance Kitchen, but with a narrower focus – for now – on the insurance...
Taking the helm as CEO of prepared foodservice company Revolution Foods late last year, Dominic Engels will lead the company's next chapter of growth, which includes expanding its footprint into new channels and continuing to create healthy and "culturally-relevant"...
Shaka Tea has been acquired by Irresistible Foods Group, the parent company of King's Hawaiian (known for its packaged sweet bread rolls), to accelerate the distribution and brand awareness of the Hawaii-based beverage company.
Zero-sugar energy drink brand ZOA Energy has secured a $10m line of credit from Gerber Finance to continue its exponential growth in the energy drink category since launching in March 2021.
Microbes from yeast to fungi are now routinely used to produce some ingredients more efficiently than plants or animals. But next-gen ‘cell-free’ processes that deploy some of the biomolecular machinery inside the cell wall, could slash R&D lead times...
Taza Chocolate is celebrating the release of one million pounds of finished goods and its best year since it set out in 2005 to make “stone ground chocolate that is seriously good and fair for all."
With the upcoming soft launch of a plant-based tuna that mimics the taste and texture of raw bluefin used in sushi and poke, the startup Impact Food is joining the race to bring to market whole-cut, plant-based fish, which many consider the holy grail...
After shaking up the smoothie set with its blender-free, instant fruit and vegetable powder blends and making gum drops it claims aren’t just better-for-you but actually good for you, plant-based nutrition company Kencko is heating things up with the...
Functional soda brand Olipop's $30m Series B funding round led by a long roster of celebrities, beverage industry veterans, and entrepreneurs, will help make the brand mainstream, according to co-founder David Lester.
Fast-growing cheese snacks brand Whisps appoints John Ghingo, former president at Applegate, as its new CEO to lead the brand's next chapter of growth and tap into consumers' growing appetite for cheese snacks.
Purely Elizabeth, best known for its better-for-you granola products, closes a $50m Series B financing round to support new product innovation with a new category launch for the brand slated for later this year.
Indoor vertical farming company Square Roots and national food distributor Gordon Food Service have opened a new climate-controlled, indoor farm in Kenosha, Wisc., making locally-grown, fresh leafy greens and herbs available to more Midwest consumers...
Bobbie, a direct-to-consumer organic infant formula brand that has taken off like a rocket ship in its first year on the market, is raising the bar for the category after receiving the Clean Label Purity Award as well as certification as a Pesticide-Free...
When it comes to building a new category, the founder of the better-for-you, late-night snacking company NightFood found after years of struggling to explain his value proposition to consumers that a new playbook was in order – one that focuses more on...
Above Food, a vertically-integrated plant-based foods company and Umiami, a food technology firm based in France, are partnering to develop whole-cut, plant-based meat and fish analogues.
The Spare Food Co. is rescuing watery whey from the yogurt production process and infusing it into effervescent elixirs in the hopes of fixing a broken food system and reversing climate change.
After upending the gum category with the wildly successful launch of plastic-free, all-natural gum in a sleek, thoughtful package, the makers of Simply Gum are hoping to strike lightening twice – or preferably thrice – with its recent “low-key” entrance...
Innovation within the nascent upcycled food and beverage industry is exploding as manufacturers and ingredient suppliers large and small are drawn to the promise of potentially higher profits, a viable path to ambitious sustainability goals and a consumer-friendly...
Out of stealth mode, Israeli startup Plantish has unveiled a whole-cut, fully-structured, boneless plant-based salmon prototype that it says rivals the taste, nutrition, and complex texture of conventional salmon.
New York startup Atlast Food Co. is one step closer to bringing its groundbreaking ‘whole cut’ meatless bacon made from the fibrous roots of mushrooms to the masses thanks to a new partnership with Whitecrest Mushrooms Ltd that will allow it to rapidly...
Foxtrot, a chain of modernized neighborhood convenience stores stocking a curated selection of local goods and growing assortment of its own private label products, has raised $100m in Series C funding to support new stores, digital shopping enhancements...
Better Juice said products made using its enzymatic sugar reduction technology are due to hit shelves in less than six months, following the completion of its first commercial deal with a US West Coast-based juice manufacturer.
After founding and building DavidsTea to a $200m business that went public in 2015 before leaving the company in 2016, David Segal is at it again with the launch of Firebelly Tea, which aims to make the category more modern, fun and accessible.
Imperfect Foods, an online grocer targeting the reduction food waste across the food system, has hired Dan Park as its new CEO to drive the company's future chapter of growth.
Vejii, a growing online marketplace for plant-based items, soon will be able to better help the brands it features make the leap from e-commerce to brick-and-mortar retail and restaurants with the $6.2m acquisition of the Hawaii-based B2B-focused vegan...
Three Wishes, which serves up peas and chickpeas for breakfast in a low-sugar, high-protein cereal, leverages special edition flavors to create a seasonal holiday buzz, says its co-founder.
When are date seeds, grape skins and chicory root a drink? When they’ve been roasted, extracted and turned into ‘molecular coffee’. Atomo’s head of innovation talks about ingredient formulation, sourcing and sustainability.
Israeli startup Future Meat Technologies has raised $347m in a Series B round of financing, fueling its plans to open a US plant next year and drive down the cost of cultivated meat below its current price of $7.70 per lb.
From cordyceps and reishi to chaga, lion’s mane, turkey tail and shiitake, so-called ‘medicinal’ mushrooms are gaining traction in foods and beverages, buoyed by growing interest in adaptogens and immunity. But as with any trending functional ingredients,...
Square Roots, an indoor and locally-grown farming company using retrofitted shipping containers to grow a variety of leafy greens and herbs, is unveiling a new brand identity to distinguish it and the added benefits of its products in a competitive category...
jack & annie's, an emerging plant-based meat brand made from whole jackfruit, closed a $23m Series B funding round, setting the stage for the company to expand into more conventional retail accounts and pave the way for a growing "less-processed"...
Plant-based ice cream brand NadaMoo! is exploring moves into adjacent categories after raising almost $10m in a series B round led by District Ventures Capital and InvestEco, and a new partner Killam Investments, a South Texas based family office.
'Animal-free’ protein startup The EVERY Company - which deploys synthetic biology to genetically engineer microbes to produce high-value ingredients such as egg proteins (without chickens) via precision fermentation - has closed a $175m series C...
While some recent foodtech innovations could be described as solutions in search of a problem, ‘animal-free’ dairy products featuring real whey and casein made without cows, give consumers – most of whom are unwilling to compromise at all, especially...
