In this episode of Startup Spotlight, Jon Katz, founder of baked oat and seed bar brand, Amia Snacks, focused on using functional ingredients to address migraines, as outlined by a trigger-free diet, which includes eliminatings ingredients that may trigger...
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.
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...
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...
Between climate change’s negative impact on food production and ongoing supply chain challenges that threaten access to high quality nutrition, ensuring the growing population has enough to eat without further compromising the planet’s health will require...
The Startup Pavilion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) conference in Chicago this month will be twice as big as it was at last year’s annual conference, reflecting the urgency and...
BeyondSKU - a New York-based accelerator for consumer-packaged goods (CPGs) - has issued a callout for F&B startups to apply for the next programme in in September.
As plant-based cheese brand Misha's is preparing to expand into Walmart this month and Ralphs later in the year it is embracing a lean operating model to improve profitability and tackle obstacles facing the non-dairy segment, brand CEO Aaron Bullock...
Rabobank’s powerful matchmaking and once-exclusive innovation arm Foodbytes is opening access for all global startups, corporates and investors to its forward-looking insights, industry analysis and support for vetted emerging businesses with this week’s...
A new start-up incubator and investment platform from the team that helped KIND climb from concept to a $5b business with only $5m in primary investment is throwing out the tried-and-true playbooks for growing a brand in favor of focusing on the values...
In part two of our gallery of highlights from FoodNavigator-USA's recent trip to Israel, we profile startups exploring everything from upcycled yeast proteins and carob to antimicrobial proteins. Best viewed on a laptop!
It's got a population of under nine million, but in the food innovation stakes, Israel punches way above its weight. FoodNavigator-USA headed to Tel Aviv for the Food Tech IL annual innovation event organized by The Strauss Group’s The Kitchen FoodTech...
Torr FoodTech - an Israeli startup deploying an intriguing new approach to creating snack bars by deploying pressure and ultrasonic energy instead of sugary binders to ‘weld’ natural ingredients together - has raised $12m in a series A round as it expands...
The 45 startups selected to participate in the FoodBytes! By Rabobank food and ag innovation program in 2022 provide a neat snapshot into trending topics in food and agriculture, from personalized nutrition and upcycling to robotics and farm biologics.
Vanilla Vida – an Israeli startup addressing the huge mismatch between supply and demand in the natural vanilla market – is exploring locations in the US as it ramps up its indoor growing platform for vanilla planifolia plants with significantly higher...
Early-stage food brands hold at least one thing in common with large, publicly held brands near them on the shelf. It’s not household penetration averages, that’s for sure. The tendency is to lean on Year-over-Year (YOY) comps as a public-facing performance...
Calls for more diversity, equity and inclusion in the food and beverage industry – and in particular the natural and organic sector – have grown steadily louder in recent years as has consumer interest in supporting minority-owned brands, and yet funding...
Snacking behaviors evolved in a few key ways over the past few years as consumers balanced familiarity with health and wellness and are now looking to expand and diversify their snacking routines, says Brigette Wolf, VP, global head of SnackFutures at...
Third-party meal delivery service DoorDash is debuting its DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods, a program designed to support local packaged food brands owned by women, BIPOC, immigrant, and transgender entrepreneurs.
From 'whole cuts' of seafood from fungi, to plant-based lamb, to highly functional proteins from brewers' spent grains, here's a quick snapshot of some of the alternative protein startups participating in a virtual pitch slam at last...
SnackFutures, Mondelēz International's innovation and venture hub, has selected nine well-being snack brands to participate in its inaugural CoLab startup engagement program.
For many consumers a freshly toasted bagel is a source of joy, comfort – and guilt, but thanks to food-tech startup Better Brand Inc.’s proprietary Grain-changing Technology, Americans can soon enjoy a clean label option that tastes and functions like...
Most startups have more questions than funding, which means when they come across something they don’t know they lose time, resources and occasionally their businesses finding the answer the hard way – but a new program from the food brand builders at...
Even through 2020 brought large CPG food and beverage companies record sales growth – often in the high double digits – over 2019 as consumers flocked to well-established, trusted brands, IRI research found smaller and extra-small consumer brands and...
While successfully scaling a business may give entrepreneurs a sense of pride and accomplishment, it also can trigger feelings of loss and skepticism along with other growing pains that if left unchecked could stunt or cripple a company.
The food and beverage industry has been a tale of two cities since the coronavirus pandemic was declared with some companies seeing surging sales reinforced by fresh rounds of high-dollar investments and other businesses grinding to a halt with both revenue...
Founders who wear multiple hats during the lean early years of a startup may struggle to pass responsibilities to others as their companies grow, but, according to the founder of Sweet Loren’s, to fully maximize companies’ potential entrepreneurs need...
A firm believer that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, the founder of Holmes Made Foods not only seized every chance he was offered to build his all-natural applesauce company, but he also unabashedly created his own opportunities through persistence...
Dreams of a startup taking off like a rocket ship with broad distribution, strong sales and widespread brand recognition can quickly become a nightmare if entrepreneurs don’t first have in place effective strategies for hiring, financial management and...
With only 1% of venture capital going to Black led or founded companies last year, investors are being asked to finance more Black entrepreneurs as part of the anti-racism movement sweeping America, but to do so, the founder of TeaSquares advises, they...
The high cost and opaque process of securing patents can be daunting for cash-strapped startups, but the CEO of the home hydroponic growing system GroPod advises entrepreneurs not give into the temptation to skip or delay this step until after fundraising.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic paused face-to-face meetings and tradeshows, startups that couldn’t afford the high entrance fees to some of the food and beverage industry’s most prominent shows struggled to catch and keep investors’ attention –...
No longer able to rely on conferences, in-store demos or serendipitous meetings to raise awareness of a new business or product, entrepreneurs increasing are connecting with each other, mentors and consumers through subscription-based online platforms...
“Gut feelings” often form the foundation of startups, but to scale a business successfully, especially in times of crisis, entrepreneurs need more than that – they need data that shows where their brand fits in the competitive landscape and where consumers...
The economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus has pushed many investors into a protective mode that precludes new deals, but raising capital during the pandemic still is possible – it just requires entrepreneurs to more clearly define their value...
The middle of a global pandemic when many consumers are filling their grocery carts virtually may seem like a strange time to expand distribution in brick-and-mortar stores, but for the vitamin enhanced water brand KidsLuv the timing of its current rollout...
While the coronavirus outbreak may have initially sidelined new food and beverage launches as retailers scrambled to stock the basics, and stay-at-home orders slowed research & development, one investor predicts “a burst of innovation” from existing...
After weeks of working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, some companies are rethinking the value of central offices, but for the founder of Seed + Mill sharing space with other entrepreneurs at WeWork’s Food Labs in New York City before the outbreak...
By Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Navigating coronavirus’ uneven impact to chart a path forward for groceries
While some food and beverage brands have enjoyed tremendous growth following the coronavirus outbreak, others have been completely "pummeled" by government and consumer response to the virus – revealing a division that could provide a road map...
As measures designed to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic continue to flatten the economy simultaneously, many companies are making tough decisions to survive, including whether to pull-back on expansion plans, lay off employees, rationalize...
The tech-forward distribution and logistics platform Pod Foods is offering a lifeline to emerging brands struggling to get on store shelves at a time when many retailers and traditional distributors are prioritizing more established, high-demand brands...
While there is something to be said about following your gut as an entrepreneur, the founder and CEO of Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. advises that following the data often is a more reliable strategy for sparking retailer interest and launching products that...
After owning its backyard market of Chicago, dairy-free 'nice cream' brand Frönen is expanding to the West Coast in Nugget Markets and soon, New York City along with two new flavor launches.
As measures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus also slow the economy, many venture capitalists and others have hit the pause button on investments, but not Frito-Lay – earlier this month it moved forward with its inaugural WomanMade Challenge...
We continue to speak with food startups and emerging brands about what’s weighing on their minds as COVID-19 has many cities and communities going into various stages of lockdown, upending typical consumer shopping behavior.
For entrepreneurs at cash-strapped startups, finding mentors often takes a backseat to fundraising, but according to a leader with Rabobank’s Startup Innovation team, focusing on the former can help with the latter.
Startups looking for capital to fuel their next phase of growth may find there's a gap in the market for investors who are willing to write smaller checks, says Jason Starr, founder and managing director of Chicago-based investment firm CompanyFirst....
As Chobani’s Incubator continues to buck the status quo by welcoming one of its most diverse cohorts yet into its Spring 2020 class, it also continues to reimagine its program’s structure to better meet the needs of a entrepreneurs from different regions...
Responding to the growing demand for locally-grown and sustainable food, startup Healthy PlanEat is working to connect consumers with the farmers who grow their produce via a mobile app.
