To standout in an increasingly crowded category and manage rising consumer concerns about sugar, juice manufacturers are incorporating more exotic ingredients while also streamlining formulas and playing with new formats, according to one industry player.
Busy parents are tired, stressed, time poor and often struggling to satisfy competing demands from different family members across multiple meal times, making them particularly receptive to food delivery services, say the founders of Nurture Life, one...
Formulations have undeniably improved, but some plant-based yogurts still have a “gelatinous” and “weird” quality, observed Ripple Foods founder Neil Renninger last year (“Let’s not mince words… some of these products are terrible…”). So can new market...
Ridged plantain chips – Barnana’s first foray into the large, but notoriously competitive salty snacks aisle – are a logical adjacency for the banana-obsessed brand that will take it further into the snacking mainstream, says CMO and co-founder Nik Ingersöll.
If some commentators are predicting a pitched battle between plant-based, animal-based, and cellular agriculture, Tyson Foods - the largest meat-packer in the US is clearly more agnostic about its protein sources – with its venture arm taking a minority...
Despite downward price pressure in the nutrition bar category, Bobo’s continues to sell its organic oat bars for nearly three times as much as its competitors – helping it curry favor with retailers and earn prime in-store positioning that further boosts...
The plant-based creamer category has grown considerably more competitive since nutpods launched in early 2015 with its coconut-and-almond-based wares, but revenues surged 500% in 2017 for the Bellevue, WA-based brand, which has just completed a series...
London-based brand UGLY Drinks is gearing up for a US launch in spring 2018… Elaine Watson caught up with CEO and co-founder Hugh Thomas at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy Food Show to get the lowdown on what the brand is all about…
Until recently, Americans only ate about one-third of the recommended amount of seafood per week, but industry insiders say this is changing and they note shoppers aren’t reaching for just any seafood – they want sustainably sourced seafood that is not...
Moringa, turmeric, mushrooms, coconuts, pulses, ‘alternative’ flours (cassava, nuts) and sweeteners (maguey sap, yacon syrup), were given top billing in a flurry of new products at the 2018 Winter Fancy Food Show, where trend-spotters also got to taste...
While some commentators still suspect that the ‘emperor has no clothes’ despite the steady influx of cash being pumped into the burgeoning meal kit industry, the meteoric growth at Sun Basket – which boasts industry-leading margins as well as customer...
Packed with MCT oil, kale, pumpkin seed protein and probiotics, start-up Bear Squeeze wants to be known as a “higher-end, cleaner Soylent,” said co-founder and president Max Baumann.
Drinkable soup brand Tio Gazpacho has made its first executive hire with the appointment of beverage industry veteran Matt Merson as VP general manager. FoodNavigator-USA caught up with founder Austin Allan at the Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy...
Faba Butter uses aquafaba – the viscous liquid left over from cooking chickpeas – to bind water, coconut oil and a plant-based liquid oil to create a vegan buttery spread claimed to blow rivals out of the water. Elaine Watson caught up with brand owner...
'We hoped to provide a product that met your high standards for food that fuels an epic life...'
Phenomenal Foods – the Los Angeles-based start-up behind probiotic-fueled organic fruit & veggie snack brand Nomva – has called it a day just over two years after launching in southern California.
Inspiring consumers through beautiful Pinterest posts, delicious recipes, heart-warming blog posts and viral videos can help build brand awareness, but the most effective digital marketers also make each experience easily shoppable, according to new research...
Bored of popcorn, but looking for something equally light on the snacking front? Lotus Pops – a popped lotus seed snack on show at the Winter Fancy Food Show – meets consumer demand for guilt-free snacks that still deliver on taste and texture, claims...
Busy parents who don’t have time to chop & puree food for their babies and who distrust premade food in jars, pouches or HPP tubs, now have another option that meets them half way: Raised Real offers subscription flash frozen meal kits for children...
As a newcomer to the highly competitive and increasingly crowded plant-based non-dairy category, Oatly stands out for its nutrition, function, flavor and fun packaging, according to consumers who tried the beverage ahead of its US launch compliments of...
From cannabis cuisine - Jeff Sessions’ recent interventions notwithstanding - to ‘intrinsic nutrition' (a renewed focus on nutrient-dense foods naturally rich in healthy fats, protein, fiber, and other nutrients), here are 10 macro trends to watch...
Urban Remedy, a plant-based food company specializing in organic ready-to-eat meals, snacks, and cold pressed juices, has closed a $17m series B fundraising round with lead investment from 301 INC, General Mills’ venture arm, and attracted natural products...
A joint venture between ingredient suppliers Cargill and PURIS announced today will allow for the significant expansion of pea protein production at a time when more consumers are looking for plant-based options that deliver health benefits, are sustainable...
In 2013, Mosa Meat showed the world what clean meat looks like; 'Burger 2.0' will now be ready in under 2 years. But it's not a case of being first, the CEO says. “The global meat market is worth over one trillion dollars. Four companies...
Most food and beverage startups dream of expanding from a local brand serving only a handful of stores to one that is nationally distributed to hundreds or thousands of retailers, but the logistics of getting there can be a nightmare if not carefully...
An estimated 70% of purchasers of the plant-based Beyond Burger are flexitarians - meat eaters that are cutting down on meat – as opposed to hardcore vegans or vegetarians, validating the initially controversial decision to merchandise the product in...
Nestlé is now working with the first round of start-ups selected through its partnership platform, Henri. We asked its global innovation director how the biggest food company in the world ensures a peer-to-peer relationship between David and Goliath.
Aquafaba – the viscous liquid left over from cooking chickpeas and the #2 ingredient in Sir Kensington’s Fabanaise mayo – is one of the vegan community’s best-kept secrets. But Faba Butter, a new plant-based ‘butter’ debuting at the Winter Fancy Food...
North Carolina-based start-up Glean is appealing to health-conscious shoppers and consumers on specialty diets (Paleo, gluten-free, keto) with a novel range of vegetable flours made from 'ugly' produce that doesn't meet retail specifications....
With the help of industry professionals and consumers who were inspired by The Soulfull Project’s mission to donate a serving of hot cereal to a food bank for each serving it sells, the young company has reached milestones in first year that most startups...
Marshmallow snack brand SMASHMALLOW has raised $10m from Sonoma Brands and VMG Partners and brought in David Lacy – who previously held finance roles at Plum Organics, KRAVE and personalized nutrition service Habit – as its new CEO as it carves out its...
‘This is a breakthrough product that could ultimately make sugar obsolete'
The term ‘game-changer’ is bandied around with wearying regularity by food start-ups, but HEYLO – a patented combination of acacia fiber and stevia promising to blow rivals out of the water in the sugar replacement stakes – may actually warrant this moniker,...
FoodNavigator-USA's latest round of entrepreneurs to watch in the US food and beverage market are flogging everything from basil seed beverages to designer proteins, banana-fueled desserts and farmer’s cheese protein bars.
Achieving sustained profitability is a basic business goal that has eluded many in the highly competitive meal kit category, but a top executive of Home Chef says the company may be the first to achieve it in 2018 in part by following the lead of the...
Plant-based food manufacturer Tofurky’s stubborn status as an independent, family-owned company focused on “purpose over profits” could give it a competitive edge over other players in the space that were recently acquired by parent companies that might...
By going “beyond a typical licensing deal” that only places popular movie characters on packaging to include thematic custom shapes in the bag, shareable 4-ounce pouches of popchips’ Star Wars themed Galaxy Puffs’ are out-stripping the dollar velocity...
2017 has been a rollercoaster ride for the food industry, with Amazon coughing up a cool $13.7bn for Whole Foods, a flurry of M&A activity from Nestlé, Hershey, Campbell Soup and Kellogg, and an exodus from the industry’s biggest trade association,...
Bay area start-up Finless Foods – one of a new wave of cellular agriculture companies producing meat by culturing cells (without raising or slaughtering animals) – has slashed production costs by 50% since September and is aiming to achieve price parity...
From entrepreneurs pioneering new farming methods and food technologies, to big brands adjusting to the changing landscape, FOOD VISION USA 2017 brought together a wide cross-section of industry players to explore how the industry is facing the challenges...
New York-based smoothie delivery brand Daily Harvest - one of a new breed of online operators targeting time poor consumers prepared to pay for a service that makes healthy eating convenient and easy by delivering customized products to their doorsteps...
Animal-free dairy offers nutrition and functionality of milk without industrial animal farming
Berkeley-based Perfect Day – which is creating ‘vegan’ dairy proteins without cows – is in talks with food industry partners about scaling up production in order to introduce dairy ingredients that vegans, vegetarians and dairy lovers alike can enjoy...
Beyond Sausage - the latest innovation from plant-based brand Beyond Meat – is made with pea protein isolate, fava bean protein, rice protein, potato starch, coconut oil and beet juice “to deliver on the juicy, satisfying taste and texture of pork sausage,...
Many people know Chicago has a vibrant restaurant culture and is home to some of America’s biggest food companies, but they may not know about the start-up culturing blossoming in the shadow of the city’s skyscrapers, with success stories like RXBar and...
Most ‘banana’ ice cream or frozen dessert brands start with a dairy/coconut/nutmilk base, and then add sugar, and banana, or banana flavor. Hakuna Banana reverses this dynamic and starts with mashed bananas as the #1 ingredient.
Chickpea-fueled pasta brand Banza is now in 8,000+ locations after striking deals with Kroger and Ahold that have added 2,000+ stores to its footprint, but remains laser focused on velocity as part of its bid to be the “most productive pasta in the set”...
When Anne Laraway takes the reins of the fastest growing baby food brand in the country in January as the new CEO of Happy Family Organics, she plans to expand its reach into new markets with new products while remaining “laser focused on our mission...
Geltor seeks to disrupt gelatin market with potentially game-changing animal-free alternative
As anyone that’s tried a vegan gummy bear lately will tell you, it’s incredibly hard to replicate the unique properties of gelatin, a gelling agent derived from animal skin, bones and connective tissues used in everything from candies to Jello. But what...
Beyond Meat raises $55m in round led by Cleveland Avenue LLC
Beyond Meat – the plant-based company behind the Beyond Burger (the first meat-free burger to be merchandised in the meat counter) – has raised $55m in a financing round led by VC firm Cleveland Avenue, LLC, and supported by meat giant Tyson Foods.
The NadaMoo! coconut milk fueled dairy-free brand – which has been growing at an explosive, triple-digit pace over the past three years – is exploring moves beyond the frozen case into new plant-based categories, says its CEO.
The first commercial products from Hampton Creek’s clean (aka cultured) meat production platform – launching at the end of 2018 - will be in the poultry family, and could be targeted at retail and foodservice customers, says the company, which has just...
Every 21 seconds someone in the US discovers they have diabetes, setting a breakneck pace that is fueling a 6% annual increase in the number of Americans diagnosed with the chronic disease for which there is no cure, but which can be managed in part through...
