The road from startup to category leader is not for the faint of heart, and there are few end-to-end resources available to an emerging brand that can guide food entrepreneurs on branding and packaging all the way through to sales and marketing strategy.
Vertical indoor farming company, 80 Acres Farms, has received a "significant investment" from Virgo Investment Group, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, to help rapidly commercialize the company's specialized indoor farming technology.
New research from Jenny Craig suggests that consumer confusion about the meaning of ‘wellness’ could cause marketing campaigns centered on the concept to fall flat unless companies more clearly define – and back with science – how their products support...
When meal kits first burst onto the scene, they were pitched as a way to prep dinner in a hurry. However, the category’s major players are now finding that consumers are looking for even quicker options for every meal occasion - at more accessible prices.
Every year, retailers lose approximately $47.4 billion in sales because products are out-of-stock or improperly shelved, but consumer insights provider IRI has a new solution that uses artificial intelligence and machine-learning technology to ensure...
The fresh, pared-down look of Tempo Tea’s trio of recently launched sparkling teas in slim cans reflects the brand’s less-is-more approach to caffeine as well as a larger emerging trend in packaging design that maximizes white space and excises superfluous...
Despite double digits sales growth, Amazon hasn’t been hitting its original targets for online grocery sales as it struggles to get its fresh food business (Amazon Fresh) to take off, Edge by Ascential’s (formerly One Click Retail) 2019 Predictions for...
First time entrepreneurs often lament that if they had known how much work it would take to launch a startup they might not have done it, but the husband and wife duo and long-time industry veterans behind the plant-based protein brand Sweet Earth Natural...
The rise of diets – paleo, plant-based, Whole 30, keto, even ‘lazy keto’ – has created a challenging environment for food and beverage marketers trying to establish and grow a strong consumer following.
A pioneer in the premium natural sweetener segment, NuNaturals is moving in a “more youthful direction” with new products and positioning that appeal to a broader consumer base than the company historically courted following a leadership transition from...
Fears about trade wars and populist policies will start to take a toll on the US economy in 2019, despite ongoing robust business investment and fast-growing consumer spending that helped buoy the country’s GDP in 2018, according to new research from...
Detoxwater, an aloe-infused water brand, has entered over 4,000 CVS stores nationwide as part of the retailer’s ‘Better Inside & Out’ in-store health program, placing the functional water alongside other premium beverages such as sparkling waters...
As manufacturers and grocery retailers offer more convenient meal solutions, such as kits and pre-made options that emphasize nutrient density and freshness, consumers are eating out less and eating at home more – ratcheting up the competition between...
An ongoing capital raise of $500,000 is helping Boulder, Colo.-based Rollin Greens “take on the freezer category” and give American comfort foods “a healthy twist,” by helping it expand its distribution, revamp its packaging to appeal to more mainstream...
Amazon food and beverage sales topped $4.75bn in 2018 making food/bev the fastest growing segment for the online retailer. Coffee products represented the most popular subcategory with year-to-date sales totaling more than $140m, according to Edge by...
When Flow Alkaline Spring Water was looking to launch its next big idea in bottled water – a functional water infused with CBD (cannabidiol) and other botanical ingredients – it went to directly to the source: its four million US customers that the Canadian...
With the largest research and development network in the industry and a laundry list of new launches designed to meet evolving consumer demands, Stouffer’s demonstrates that legacy brands successfully can go toe-to-toe with startups when it comes to innovation...
When meal kits first launched in the US, Americans were fast to embrace the idea of pre-planned, pre-portioned, ready-to-prepare dinners delivered to their doors, but according to new research from Packaged Facts that love quickly faded for many who became...
Earlier this week, Chobani put out an open call for “big-hearted food and beverage startups” that make delicious, nutritious, natural and affordable food to help it “take on the broken food system” by participating in the fifth cohort of its highly competitive...
After becoming a blockbuster hit in Canada – growing from 200 to over 2,500 stores in less than a year – keto snack bar brand, love good fats, will be launching into 450 Whole Foods stores in the US backed by a $5m equity raise from individual investors...
Public health advocates are lauding the $876bn Farm Bill passed by an overwhelming majority of the Senate on Tuesday for rejecting controversial proposals in the House version of the bill that would have significantly curtailed access to the nation’s...
Online grocer Peapod’s third annual meal forecasting survey revealed a growing appreciation for home cooked meals and that spending more time in the kitchen cooking healthy dishes is a top resolution for many in 2019.
By 2030 most meals currently cooked at home are instead ordered online and delivered from restaurants or central kitchens
Plant-based eating and convenient breakfast items are trends that have taken over the packaged food and beverage space, but do the same consumer interests hold true for the food delivery industry as more time-starved consumers are reporting using apps...
Uncertainty surrounding the US-China trade war and the renegotiated trade deal with Canada and Mexico are taking a toll on US food and agricultural industries, but experts with Rabobank say there is hope for the future if players take action now to diversify...
Mercato, an online ordering and delivery platform for small retailers, has brought on 11 more specialty purveyors to its network ranging from poultry and butcher shops to Russian and French bakeries.
Private label or store brands used to be about delivering price and margins, and while many private label product still do provide that cost advantage, the perception of these items continues to improve as consumers see these products as formidable alternatives...
For years, Millennials have held the spotlight as the main focus for product development and marketing efforts, but members of Gen Z are now ready in the wings and manufacturers are starting to shift some attention to them before they come into their...
Right around the New Year’s period as consumers are trying to get their diets back on track after over a month of overeating, is when retailers can take advantage of increased interest in seafood, capitalizing on high protein claims and sustainability...
PECKISH, a brand created by California-based Sonoma Brands, has entered an exclusive distribution agreement with specialty natural foods retailer, Erewhon, hitting shelves at its four store locations in the Los Angeles area.
Cargill has unveiled its new 188,000-square-foot North American protein headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, designed to foster employee collaboration and drive innovation in the protein category.
Better-for-you frozen food maker Luvo is ready to graduate from startup to an emerging company as it approaches a break-even cash flow and pursues the promise of profitability in the New Year thanks in part to one last infusion of capital from Dugout...
Given the importance placed on making a good first impression, many entrepreneurs and innovators may think they need to perfect a product before they introduce it to the market – but according a co-founder of the cold brew nitro-infused coffee company...
All too often new food and beverage companies and brands are launched by “idea people” who are passionate and have identified a real consumer need, but they don’t know to sell their product or structure their company for growth – increasing the chance...
Kroger and Walgreens have launched an exploratory pilot – Kroger Express – that combines the two retailers’ products and services into a centralized one-stop shopping experience for customers.
With the opening of a larger manufacturing facility, cashew cheese maker Nuttin Ordinary is ready to expand distribution beyond its home market in New England so that it can continue to ride a wave of consumer interest in non-dairy alternatives that fueled...
FreshDirect, an online fresh food retailer based in the Northeast, along with its in-house trendspotting experts have shared its top 10 major trends consumers can expect to see more of in 2019.
It has been ten years since the last recession first shook Americans’ confidence and caused them to pull their purse strings tighter, but according to industry insiders, consumers finally are feeling more comfortable spending again – which is good news...
For startups, balancing inventory to meet supply while minimizing waste is a make-or-break challenge that could prompt some entrepreneurs to project conservatively, but the founder of dried fruit startup Rind Snacks cautions this strategy could back fire...
Little Dish, a fresh baby food company (targeting toddlers) founded in the UK, is set to launch in the US market where fresh baby food is still a developing but promising concept for retailers, founder Hillary Graves shared at FoodNavigator-USA's...
The top 10 packaged food companies (based on revenue) in the US can be doing more to improve their corporate nutrition strategies and reporting as well as extending access to healthy and affordable products, according to the US Access to Nutrition Index,...
Catalina, a firm specializing in shopper intelligence data and insights, spotted three emerging "shopper personalities" when it comes to Thanksgiving day shopping: organic seekers, vegan lifestyles, and heart healthy seekers, each with their...
While they feel pressure to make home cooked meals for their kids, many working parents don’t have the time or energy to do this night after night, says Santiago Merea, cofounder and CEO at direct-to-consumer baby and kids’ ‘ready-to-make’ food brand...
If you didn't make it to Chicago last week for the FoodNavigator-USA FOOD FOR KIDS summit, you missed a truly awesome ensemble of academics, industry experts, health advocates, and our first parents’ panel, covering everything from the infant gut...
The opening night of FoodNavigator-USA's inaugural FOOD FOR KIDS summit opened with a consumer panel, as parents shared what foods and beverages they give their kids, what they look for on food labels, and where they eat out with their children.
Lidl US is expanding its regional presence and entering a new market in Long Island via a deal to acquire 27 Best Market stores in New York and New Jersey, which it plans to rebrand as Lidl stores next year.
Food and beverage products that communicate a clear functional health benefit, sustainability story, explore alternative protein sources, or leverage technology to shorten the distance between a recipe and finished meal, are just some of the trends to...
The beverage industry is booming with Grand View Research predicting that sales will grow at a 5.8% compound annual rate from $967.3 billion in 2016 through 2025 thanks to rising disposable incomes, a growing population and changing lifestyles centered...
While the food and beverage industry is inherently competitive that doesn’t mean companies need to operate as islands – rather, at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! pitch slam in New York City the founder of whipped vegetable spread brand Frescious explains collaborating...
