Startup Spotlight
How early-stage food and beverage brands are navigating tight capital in 2026
Early-stage founders share how they’re reinventing indulgent foods while navigating one of the toughest fundraising environments in recent years
Startups & entrepreneurs
Freeze-dried candy craze grows – but not everyone’s winning
Mars, Ferrara ride TikTok-fueled demand while Sow Good restructures to survive
Rethinking ‘clean’ water in the bottled water aisle
For startup Loonen, water isn’t just water - it’s spring-sourced and filtered with an emphasis on minimizing plastic across the supply chain
Startup Spotlight
Whole-cut technology emerges as plant-based meat’s next proving ground
Backed by a $1 million investment from Global Brain, Baltimore-based startup Offbeast is scaling a proprietary fiber assembly process to tackle texture, one of the category’s toughest challenges
AI goes mainstream in food and beverage in 2025
This year’s wave of tools – from trend‑spotting engines to autonomous R&D agents – turned AI into everyday infrastructure for food and beverage
Can AI solve the cocoa crisis? Barry Callebaut is betting on it
Barry Callebaut partners with NotCo AI and Planet A Foods to tackle soaring cocoa prices and regulatory hurdles, leveraging digital formulation tools to future‑proof chocolate
IFT taps AI ‘co-scientist’ to advance food and beverage R&D
CoDeveloper platform mines 85 years of research to help food scientists formulate and reverse-engineer products
What’s coming after stevia? 4 new sweeteners on the horizon
From Finland to Italy, Peru to the UK, four start-ups are on a mission to transform the sugar reduction landscape
Coca-Cola eyes return of bolt-on deals, but is there a viable pipeline?
CEO James Quincey says bolt-on M&A will become a ‘bigger feature’ for Coca-Cola and the larger industry, but the timing hinges on innovation cycles and the beverage giant’s prolonged IRS dispute
Tractor Beverage cultivates new business model with Haymaker
The farmer-focused vinegar-based sparkling tonic launches in 2026 at Sprouts Farmers Market
Cómo No fires up bar culture with caffeinated seltzers
Backed by the minds behind Ilegal Mezcal, Cómo No’s zero-sugar sparkling waters are formulated for cocktails or a sober night out
Pucker mania is spicing up snack shelves … and powering pickle sales
Pickles are big business and experiencing rapid growth through savvy startups and private-label expansion
Big results for small budgets: How Crave Ventures helps emerging CPG brands scale
Service-for-equity model gives founders access to marketing, branding, PR and retail expertise without upfront capital
Better-for-you beverages take the stage at private-label trade show
FedUp Foods and FrshBev exemplify contract manufacturing’s role in functional beverage development
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast
What will the M&A landscape look like in 2026 for CPGs?
Seasoned deal advisors share the emerging trends shaping valuations, investor expectations, and what founders must do now to stay competitive
Startup Spotlight
Yough! scales gut-friendly frozen pizza with clean ingredients and specialty retail strategy
From Greek yogurt crust to store shelves, Yough! is navigating the hurdles of scaling a healthier frozen pizza
Startup Spotlight
Third wave hydration: Plink! sparks shift toward flavor-first daily wellness
By putting consumer enjoyment ahead of its sustainability mission, the fizzy electrolyte tablet brand has ushered in an era of daily hydration and in doing so doubled its velocity, expanded distribution and outpaced legacy competitors in natural grocery...
The future of functional food is female: Startup The Cycle taps into huge whitespace with PMS and period relief beverages
Targeting the growing demand for functional products designed by and for women, the startup blends clinical science, tradition and taste to normalize self-care during menstruation
Justin Gold’s second act: Back at Justin’s after Hormel sell-off
Nut butter pioneer hopes to recapture the entrepreneurial spark that made his snack company a category trailblazer
AI helps Hovis, Mars and PepsiCo cut factory downtime
From bread lines to snack plants, manufacturers are turning to artificial intelligence to predict breakdowns and keep production running at full speed
Hormel sells Justin’s brand to private equity firm
Founder Justin Gold and former CEO Peter Burns return to lead next phase of growth
Startup Spotlight
Startup Elavi doubles down on high protein brownies – and retail notices
While a national buy from Whole Foods is the dream for many startups, often a ‘no for now’ will bide time and resources to land on more shelves in the future
Mondelēz-backed Celleste Bio debuts cell-cultured chocolate-grade cocoa butter
The new ingredient is positioned as an ‘insurance policy’ against cocoa supply chain volatility and says the bio-identical ingredient could stabilize supply as climate change strains traditional crops
Winter is coming: Is holiday shopping here already?
A Wisconsin entrepreneur launched a new business during the pandemic to keep herself afloat – now it supports independent foodmakers
Powdered beverage brand TRUWILD’s growing pains and path forward
Rapid growth and supply chain hurdles prompt the outdoor-focused brand to consider new strategies and possibly investors
Startup Spotlight
Fresh Fizz brings clean label soda back to basics
By sticking to herbs, spices, juices and natural sweeteners like honey, maple and date syrup, Fresh Fizz’s ingredient list is informing every aspect of its business strategy
Ice cream startup takes off with soft serve in a pouch
RoseBud Ice Cream started out as a cannabis company, but now it caters to messy kids
Tech startup raises $3.8m to modernize the food supply chain with agentic AI
By layering an “AI watchtower” over existing enterprise resource planning systems, startup Burnt claims to automate tedious order management in seconds without forcing distributors to change how they work
Healthy snacking trends
Släcka aims to redefine healthy snacking with ‘snack in a can’
Within the saturated functional beverage market, Släcka is betting on cravings instead of energy to stand out
AI-powered humane fishing startup expands with $22M in venture capital
Shinkei Systems, launched in 2021, is growing rapidly with a new headquarters in metro Los Angeles
Keys to scaling for emerging brands
The right mindset affects an emerging brand’s ability to make its first million dollars in sales or reach its $100m milestone, according to a study of 90,000 brands
The rise of functional snacks: How Day Out is redefining plant-based protein options
From a founder’s kitchen experiment to retail expansion, Day Out reflects the growing demand for nutrient-dense, convenient and clean-ingredient snacks
The new rules of snacking: How to navigate a $150bn market in flux
Data from Conagra and Circana shows how shifting tastes, wellness demands and convenience are rewriting the playbook for snack makers worldwide
Sustainable squid snacks: How The Hermit is disrupting the jerky category
Squid jerky startup targets the clean-label snack market
Startup Spotlight
Niche vs mainstream: Startup ReadyBar sees big potential in focused market
ReadyBar’s founder warns CPG startups against trying to be everything to everyone. His lesson: focus on a niche, like first responders, to build real traction
Startup Spotlight
Salad Sprinkles takes aim at ‘big crouton,’ expands from DTC to retail
Salad Sprinkles’ gluten-free, rice-flour topping has gone from TikTok virality to retail shelves, backed by a lean startup strategy and plans for retail expansion
Positively Groundfish’s Catch+Create Accelerator seeks startups to scale sustainable west coast seafood products
The new accelerator empowers early-stage seafood innovators to develop and launch value-added products that meet growing consumer demand for sustainable, traceable West Coast seafood
Startup Spotlight
Private label, public impact: Startup Mamame outsources consumer education to retailers
The Indonesia-based brand uses retailer partnerships to introduce US consumers to tempeh chips - turning a low-cost trial tactic into a long-term strategy for awareness and growth
IFT FIRST 2025
Upcycled carob offers prebiotic fiber tailored to glp-1 and gut health
Dietary fiber, like carob, is gaining traction as a star macronutrient in food and beverage formulations as consumer interest in metabolic health, gut support and clean-label products accelerates
Summer Fancy Food Show
Azabu Foods puts umami front and center with debut condiment
The startup is taking a measured approach with its globally inspired Umami Everything sauce, soft launching in select markets to ensure production keeps pace with growing demand
Startup Spotlight
Do more with less: How the right partners can supercharge small teams
Startup Fudi Protein’s lean team of two is bringing an alfalfa-based egg white alternative to market fast thanks to strategic collaboration with time tested-experts, open-minded farmers and well-connected investors
Graasí’s organic barley water taps into the functional beverage boom
Founder Chris LaCorata shares how Graasí evolved from a community revitalization effort into an organic barley-based wellness drink built for today’s health-conscious consumer
Summer Fancy Food Show
How condiment makers are scaling flavor and rethinking the sauce aisle
Specialty sauce brands are no longer simply pushing Scoville levels – they are telling sourcing stories, building in-house capacity and tuning into regional palates to shake up sleepier aspects of the category
Startup Spotlight
‘Let it go, to let it grow’ – Auria’s Malaysian Kitchen founder shares how to delegate to avoid being relegated
‘The biggest aha moment that I’ve had in my business. If you are holding on to it, it can’t grow. You have to let it go, to let it grow. And that means hiring people,’ Founder Auria Abraham shares in this Startup Spotlight
Startup Spotlight
When life gives you peppers: WIPS turns a family recipe into a scalable brand
The startup brings generations-old family recipes of West Indies hot sauce to shelves with support from the entrepreneurial community
Future Food-Tech Chicago
Coffee crisis: What will it take to close the looming ‘massive’ supply-demand imbalance?
Demand for coffee is rising, but current production is threatened by climate change and geopolitical tensions in regions where the crops are concentrated – creating an opportunity for new methods for creating coffee and alternatives
Future Food-Tech Chicago
Whipping up innovation: How 3 companies co-created a first-of-its-kind product in 3 weeks
An unlikely trio - Savor, Alamance and Thimus - used applied neuroscience, novel fats and agile frameworks to create a sustainable whipped topping and an innovation model other companies can use to fast-track product development
Breaking through the bottleneck: New accelerator aims to help female founders ‘stuck at the starting line’
Kellanova’s Pure Organic brand and the Female Founder Collective are launching a 12-week program to bridge knowledge gaps that hold promising food and beverage brands back and to connect founders with funders
Startup Spotlight
From stealth to the field in less than a year: Finally Foods leverages partnerships for speed
Molecular farming newcomer Finally Foods is speeding past major milestones on its path to commercialization – including recently launching the first field trial for producing dairy proteins in potatoes – thanks in part to powerful partnerships, exclusive...
Eat Happy Kitchen taps owned channels to accelerate retail growth
The company leveraged Founder Anna Vocino’s podcast and cookbook audience, clean-label products and Startup CPG momentum to expand into 479 more Kroger banner stores