Investors in early stage food companies are constantly searching for the ‘what’s next?’ in food, and many fundamentally agree that the ideas and people worth investing in are the ones that are fulfilling an unmet consumer need in a "unique way that...
Finless Foods – one of a new wave of start-ups in the rapidly heating-up cultured fish* arena - has raised $3.5m in a seed round that cofounder and CEO Mike Selden says will “bring us to the end of our initial R&D phase, meaning we’ll have the tools...
Colorado startup FoodMaven has an ambitious goal to reclaim some of the estimated $200 billion of revenue lost annually in America due to food waste by redirecting oversupplied food from manufacturers and producers to restaurants and institutions through...
At the intersection of the crowded cold-brew coffee category and the highly competitive energy drink segment, the founders of startup Bold Brew Coffee saw an opportunity to bring something new to each space.
It’s easy to look at the Annie’s brand now – which achieved double-digit household penetration during former president and CEO John Foraker’s tenure – and think the company never took a wrong turn on its path to center-store ubiquity.
Large food corporations growing through bolt-on acquisitions isn’t anything new and will continue, but what is changing are the structures and programs big companies are putting in place to tap into the mindset of emerging startup brands.
One in every five dollars spent at online natural and organic membership club Thrive Market is likely to be on private label products by the end of the year, predicts merchandising chief Jeremiah McElwee. “But we’re definitely not trying to be an online...
FORTO Coffee Shots, a two-ounce, single-serve coffee drink brand, is migrating from check-out counters populated by other energy shot brands and into the coffee aisles of 3,700 Walmart stores beginning this month.
For many consumers the idea of instant tea evokes nose-wrinkling rejection due to its extensive processing, long ingredient lists and a flavor unlike a freshly brewed cup, but startup Cusa Tea wants to change this with a version made in an all-new way...
Another start-up in the burgeoning cultured meat arena has emerged from stealth mode this month in the form of San Diego-based BlueNalu, which aims to make a splash in the cellular aquaculture field with cell-cultured seafood products after raising an...
Wanting everything to be perfect when launching a new brand is understandable – but it is also a huge detriment that can delay the initial takeoff or hold back a product or company from reaching its full potential long-term, according to the CEO of ice...
Chobani’s mission to deliver better food to more people is about more than creating finished goods that are more nutritious and more accessible – it also is about making those products in a better way, which is one reason why it is adding a Food Tech...
Hungry Harvest, a Baltimore-based “farm-to-kitchen” weekly delivery service of fresh produce, has expanded its reach to Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan, as part of its multi-pronged mission to fight food waste and hunger while delivering convenience and...
Not technically an herbal tea and not a soda, Petal identifies itself as sparkling botanical blend carving out a new space for itself in the world of better-for-you beverages.
'We’ve spoken to large and small food companies that are interested in partnering with us'
It’s not hard to see why cell-cultured (aka ‘clean’) meat is beginning to attract some serious attention – and investment. The addressable market is huge, and the product – if it delivers on its promise – could ensure meat does not become a luxury only...
An infusion of $12 million in Series B funding will help better-for-you snack delivery service SnackNation connect emerging CPG brands with more of their key consumers “at their most engaged moments” by expanding its distribution and fine-tuning its insights...
Kumana, a Los Angeles-based, Venezuelan-inspired company, making a line of avocado sauces is targeting national distribution through Safeway to inject some exotic innovation into the condiments space.
Kroger and Home Chef announced a merger agreement that will bring the Chicago-based meal kit brand to thousands of stores across the country signaling a massive evolution of meal kit companies vying for the in-store, non-subscription space.
The already fast-growing coconut milk-based beverage manufacturer REBBL is primed for exponential growth this year thanks in part to a $20 million investment led by CAVU Venture Partners that will allow it to expand distribution, launch new products and...
Bright Foods has brought added innovation to the emerging refrigerated bar space with the recent launch of Bright Bars – chilled whole food bars made via high pressure processing (HPP) – available in select Whole Foods stores in Southern California.
As a food or beverage startup, it’s natural to want to expand very quickly, but brands should take a moment to revel in their small-scale existence and take advantage of their ability to be nimble, says Poppilu founder Melanie Kahn.
Israeli cultured meat (aka 'clean' meat) start-up Future Meat Technologies reckons it can bring prices down from around $800/kilo today to as little as $8/kilo for its cell-cultured meat in six to eight months.
Startups that balance the health of consumers and the planet, as well as consider how their product impacts others up and down the supply chain are catching the attention of investors, according to industry insiders.
Springboard – a new Kraft Heinz platform dedicated to nurturing and scaling “disruptive” US brands - has unveiled its first incubator class, spanning meat snacks and egg white chips to fermented foods, avocado-fueled sauces, and lemonade with a functional...
Do you ever feel like you are in mortal combat with your business? Like either you are killing it, and orders are rolling in, sales are up and margins are wide – or it is killing you, and there are packing delays, profits are down and you can’t sleep...
The plant-based seafood space has heated up considerably since New Wave Foods co-founder Dominique Barnes first started wondering why plant-based burgers were a thing, but plant-based shrimp wasn’t, back in 2015, but we’ve still barely scratched the surface...
What's in your lunchbox? Healthy meals, snacks and drinks for children
Almost one in three American children is overweight or obese, and one in every 13 has a food allergy.* So how can retailers, packaged food brands and the foodservice industry address these concerns, and develop nutritious and delicious meals, snacks,...
Seaweed-fueled brand Ocean’s Halo is tapping into the ramen noodle craze with new shelf-stable retail meal kits featuring noodles, a single-serve Tetrapak of broth, a spice pack, and a plant fiber-based microwaveable bowl to create restaurant quality...
My/Mo mochi – portable 110-calorie ice cream bites encased in chewy sweet rice dough – are now in almost 10,000 stores from Walmart and Safeway to Wegmans and Kroger after fewer than 18 months on the market.
More often than not, better-for-you products are more expensive than their traditional counterparts – limiting their accessibility to those who can afford higher prices. But online grocer Brandless believes everyone deserves better and to make that possible...
On the surface, consumer demand for global flavors and desire to eat locally appear to contradict, but Chicago-based startup Departure Snacks has found a way to combine the two – creating a synergistic sales model and allowing consumers to have their...
Israeli start-up Aleph Farms' proprietary "three dimensional" process holistically grows all parts of meat - muscle, fat, blood vessels and connective tissue - together, yielding a 'free-range' taste and texture.
'We can accommodate clean meat within the existing regulatory framework...'
Attempts by the US Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) to restrict use of the terms ‘beef’ and ‘meat’ to products from animals ‘born, raised, and harvested in the traditional manner,’ would have a “chilling” effect on innovation “at a time when the global...
'We can produce up to 10,000 cows’ worth of meat with a single biopsy'
Excitement is building as cultured meat approaches commercialization, but “science does not occur in a cultural vacuum” and bringing consumers and regulators with you on the journey is more important than being first to market, says clean meat start-up...
Offering lunchbox products for school children is a natural starting point for companies serving those with allergies because this is one of the most challenging meals and environments, but it also is only a small part of the much-larger problem, according...
Habit meal delivery business on hold as testing and nutrition plan components ramp up
Personalized nutrition platform Habit was originally billed as "food company, not just a recommendation engine." However, delivery of customized fresh prepared meals based on its dietary advice – trialed in the Bay Area last year – is on hold...
Ready-to-eat popcorn is a posterchild of the better-for-you snack movement, but the co-founders of start-up Taali Foods think they can do even better with launch of a line of popped and roasted water lily seeds, which pack more protein and nutrients than...
With one in five Americans suffering from an auto immune disease and looking for ways to manage their conditions through diet, the market potential for foods and beverage that comply with the auto immune protocol is “huge,” and yet relatively untapped,...
Barrel Creek Provisions has undergone a brand transformation to establish itself as a formidable player in the fermented foods category, a market that continues to grow alongside consumers’ interest in gut health and probiotics.
Since closing a $1.1m seed series fundraising round led by Rocana Venture Partners, Après seems to be well on its way to addressing what its founders felt was a clear gap in the market of protein nutrition: the boutique fitness-frequenting woman.
The high bar set by the companies honored late last week at Whole Foods Market’s annual supplier awards ceremony represents not only what it takes to earn a coveted spot on the retailer’s shelves, but also in the baskets of consumers who increasingly...
In a market where fruit and nut-based products own the majority of dollar share in the snacking category compared to vegetables (83% vs. 17%, according to Nielsen), seaweed brands like gimME Snacks may be the type of innovation the category needs to give...
Many parents strive to feed their babies a variety of fruits, vegetables and proteins, but for the most part in the US they shy away from spices – something several up and coming baby food makers want to change.
'We started by looking at where we could really own a category'
Vegan jerky is picking up steam, but hasn’t set the world on fire, yet. And while bacon-flavored potato and corn chips are a staple in the salty snacks aisle, they don’t pretend to replicate the taste and texture of a strip of bacon. But what if you could...
Plant-based meat alternatives mimicking beef and chicken may be getting all the attention right now, but Good Catch Foods, a company aiming to bring a suite of plant-based seafood products to stores within six months, could change the tide of conversation.
On the face of it, the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ might appear to be interchangeable (they both involve avoiding animal products), but consumers do not view them in the same way, reveals new research from food development specialist Mattson.
With a growing Midwest footprint, ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew coffee brand Blackeye Roasting Co. said it has ‘aggressive’ plans to triple its distribution to 30 states by the end of 2018 and sees c-stores as its secret weapon to reaching a new base...
Annie’s recent launch for Earth month of two limited edition products that are made with ingredients sourced from regenerative agriculture farmers is only the beginning of how the brand plans to build on its iconic organic values to restore degraded soil...
‘Our platform enables us to understand and reverse-engineer all animal products’
Plant-based burger maker Impossible Foods has raised a jaw-dropping amount of money for a food company (almost $400m in debt and equity), albeit one supported by a lot of IP. So what gives its bosses the confidence they can generate the kind of returns...
