Emotional Utility Beverage sparkling functional drinks were developed to provide a functional, healthy tool to support consumers’ evolving emotional and cognitive states, Charles Gores, chairman and owner of Emotional Utility Beverage, explained to FoodNavigator-USA...
Bovine collagen infused Pretty Tasty Tea may be new to the functional beverage space, after launching in February, but the team behind the beauty-from-within brand includes industry veterans with deep expertise in distribution strategy and retail management...
On April 14, five finalists will compete in the third biennial pitch competition for emerging snack brands at SNX 2024, designed to spark dialogue among snack producers.
Goodles is shaking up the mac and cheese shelf with colorful branding, playful product names and better-for-you options, including a new gluten-free option sampled at the recent Natural Products Expo West event.
Biotech company Triplebar Bio and its strategic partner protein and probiotics supplier FrieslandCampina Ingredients have announced the next part of its co-collaboration agreement, which will see the two companies produce lactoferrin through precision...
Non-alcoholic beverages were on full display at Natural Products Expo West 2024 last week, as hop-heavy brands like Hoplark, H2OPS, and Lagunitas shared how they are tapping into consumer demands for bold and interesting flavors.
Fusing together adaptogens with single-origin coffee, subscription-based Zend Coffee features functional coffee blends that support skin, cognitive, immunity and emotional health using responsibly sourced coffee beans – a blurred category that the company’s...
Emphasizing the value of exisiting products appeared to trump breakthrough innovation this year at Natural Products Expo West where many companies either introduced smaller sizes of existing SKUs to lower the entry point or more prominently called out...
Feel Good Foods, Schär, Brazi Bites, and other gluten-free brands showcased breakfast items, pizzas, breads, and other products at Natural Products Expo West last week, as companies lean on innovation to grow the category.
Better-for-you cookie brand Mmmly is seeking capital through the crowdfunding platform Wefunder as it readies for a nationwide expansion, brand founder and CEO Nicholas Naclerio told FoodNavigator-USA.
Pro- and prebiotic sparkling drink brand wildwonder released a Raspberry Lychee flavor and is preparing to seek out additional funding to help grow the retail footprint of the Asian heritage-inspired beverage, company founder and CEO Rosa Li told FoodNavigator-USA.
FoodNavigator-USA's free editorial webinar 'The Future of Seafood' is available on demand and explores how plant-based Bettafish, acquaculture brand Local Coho and cultivated seafood Forsea Foods maximize taste, nutrition and environmental...
United Sodas of America’s recently appointed president, Dan Herndon, is taking a practical hands-on approach to growing the low-sugar soda company, as the brand focuses on expanding in select channels and deploying capital efficiently to maintain a sustainable...
Clean-label bread maker Base Culture expands beyond the frozen aisle with its first line of shelf-stable products, tapping into consumer demand for preservative-free and nutrient-dense foods, CEO Johnny Heiselberg told FoodNavigator-USA.
CPG founders from natural brands Wildway, Mother Kombucha, and Lil Bucks shared their strategies for securing funding in a tighter capital market during a recent Naturally Chicago webinar.
PepsiCo is seeking submissions to its annual Greenhouse Accelerator Program, which will once again focus on Hispanic-owned startups in the food and beverage or food supply chain spaces.
New Culture self-affirms its animal-free casein is Generally Recognized As Safe following an independent review of experts, which brings it one step closer to selling its animal-free cheese in retail, while strengthening its partnerships with foodservice...
Two heads are better than one — or in the case of the CPG world — two brands in one product might be the recipe for business growth, as representatives from Fly By Jing, Fishwife, and Aura Bora shared during a recent SPINS webinar on product collaborations....
Vietnamese coffee company Copper Cow is sweetening Costco aisles with a limited-edition churro flavor as it navigates growing without venture-capital (VC) funding, company CEO and Founder Debbie Mullin told FoodNavigator-USA.
Serial entrepreneur Craig Dubitsky has partnered with award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. to launch happy, a coffee brand leveraging a modern design and a mission to improve mental health to distinguish it from the competition.
Consumers increasingly want more from their beverages when it comes to health, but they also want less in terms of calories, ingredients, processing and environmental impact – a delicate balance that startup Lattini strikes without compromising taste...
Tapping into the multi-billion dollar functional beverage market, Smoove’s RTD prebiotic juice is a cultural nod to African representation through indigenous and traditional ingredients, like tropical almond, tamarind and African cherry, while responding...
Beverage sales have outpaced that of food within the specialty segment in the past decade, according to the Specialty Food Association, which attributes the boom to an increased demand for functional benefits, a faster pace of innovation and a lower threshold...
Functional coffee and tea brand Clevr Blends is taking a “deep, not wide” approach to growing beyond its direct-to-consumer (DTC) roots and into Target, brand founder and CEO, Hannah Mendoza, told FoodNavigator-USA during a Startup Spotlight video.
Vertical farm Oishii, known for its premium strawberries and more recently a high-end tomato, is building out a larger, more sustainable facility that will increase its production capacity by “multiple folds” with the help of a $134m Series B fundraise...
Sustainability may not be as highly prioritized as taste or price in purchase decisions for food and beverage, but research suggests it is increasingly important to consumers -- especially younger shoppers who are coming into their buying power.
Startup élevé distinguishes its adaptogenic sparkling water brand in a saturated market through its vintage-inspired packaging, natural ingredients and distribution, co-founders and CEOs Tanya Major and Dianna Aguilar tell FoodNavigator-USA in this episode...
Better-for-you confection newcomer Rotten’s early distribution gains since it launched in September underscores an unmet consumer desire for candy that cuts back on sugar and artificial ingredients, but not the fun.
Alternative protein company Superbrewed Food inches closer to launching its first retail products as it scales production of its bacteria-based postbiotic protein through a partnership with ingredient provider Döhler, company CEO Bryan Tracy told FoodNavigator-USA.
To continue blazing a path for gene-edited food in North America that is more convenient and nutrient-dense than conventional counterparts, food-tech startup Pairwise has decided to discontinue marketing its first CRISPR-edited product, Conscious Greens...
Finding a reliable manufacturer that can meet product specifications and has production capacity that aligns with supply needs is one of the biggest challenges brands face, but a new matching platform launching today could simplify and dramatically shorten...
Functional mushroom brand Odyssey Elixir raised $6m, which will help it keep up with inventory and expand its distribution, including in c-stores, company founder and CEO Scott Frohman told FoodNavigator-USA.
Insects are not only thought to contain at least as much protein as conventional meat, but are also more environmentally sustainable. However, their novelty on the market poses challenges in consumer acceptance. How do start-ups persuade consumers to...
Winner of the first season of Netflix’s Snack vs. Chef show, Lauryn Bodden, is taking her award-winning noodle snack concept from TV screens to store shelves with the official launch of S’NOODS, as she shared in the recent episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s...
Snack company Solely is seeing the fruits of its labor as it expands distribution across natural and c-store channels and tees up a rebrand and new flavors of its products, brand CEO Simón Sacal told FoodNavigator-USA.
Alternative coffee brand Blume’s founder and CEO, Karen Danudjaja, started the adaptogenic latte blend brand in 2017 when she was looking not only for a delicious and functional coffee alternative, but an alternative ritual to coffee, she explained to...
While many entrepreneurs adopt a “sky’s the limit” mentality, few literally reach it the way that Whoa Dough did when American Airlines began offering its first class passengers the company’s better-for-you, plant-based and protein-packed cookie dough...
The founder of startup Harken Sweets, which launched earlier this month, wants to “nutritionally overhaul” the candy bar category by using “the power of the date fruit,” like how she helped Caulipower reinvigorate the pizza category with the “power of...
CPG brands eager to break into Costco stores must first meet financial milestones and packaging and shipping requirements, assistant general merchandise manager for the retailer's Midwest region, Amy Becker, shared during a recent Naturally webinar....
The frozen dessert aisle may feel frozen in another time to some consumers who are looking for clean labels but who are often confronted by long ingredient lists with preservatives, additives, processing aids and emulsifiers that are unfamiliar and may...
A resounding theme of “better” emerged at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas last week, where more than 1,200 specialty food companies came together to showcase the latest innovations in cheese, condiments, baked goods, snacks and more.
Food-tech company SCiFi Foods inches closer to releasing its hybrid meat product that consists of a blend of cell-cultivated beef and plant proteins, upon completing its first commercial-scale production run, company co-founder and CEO Joshua March told...
Female-founded startup Evergreen is ready to go head-to-head with legacy players that currently dominate the $1.2 billion frozen waffle set with a brightly-colored, playful new look and an updated recipe packed with fruit and vegetables that promises...
While the vegan cheese category continues to face headwinds in the market, South Korea-based startup Armored Fresh is turning to its technology to address taste and price challenges, company VP Andrew Yu told FoodNavigator-USA in a Startup Spotlight video...
Food-tech startup Voyage Foods’ clean-label cocoa-free chocolate offers manufacturers a one-to-one replacement for traditional chocolate that it says doesn’t compromise taste or texture but, according to a new life cycle analysis, bypasses many of the...
Seattle-based coffee startup Atomo Coffee is a couple of months away from launching its new manufacturing facility to scale production of its espresso, created with upcycled ingredients and no coffee beans, as the company double downs on its ambition...
Health food and beverage company Dr Smood is taking its functional MOSS beverage to more store shelves in 2024, as the company continues to find ways to spread the word about sea moss’s functional properties, company executives and sales professionals...
Austrian start-up Revo Foods is well known for its 3D-printed fish and meat whole cuts. Now, it has announced technology that can work continuously and produce a variety of products simultaneously, introducing significant flexibility into the production...
Eel meat is unlike any other: it is fatty, tender, and ‘almost melts in your mouth’, explains Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. The start-up is working to mimic these attributes with stem cells in a lab.
