Karen Anderson’s Post

Saturday morning plans: U-Pick local organic strawberries for the family. But for specialty food and farm retailers, it's time to think about the retail environment differently to unlock hidden missed opportunities and even game changers. Don't be your own hurdle to incremental profits this season. Strategize with Merchandise Food Retail Advisors to maximize your success. Visit www.merchandisefood.com to learn more. #retailstrategy #organicfarming #specialtyfood #merchandisefoodretailadvisors

Here's what's up in the #cpgindustry this week: Uncle Nearest, the country’s largest Black-owned distillery, is widening its reach across spirit categories in announcing a deal to acquire Square One Organic Spirits. Tortilla chip and salsa brand Xochitl Inc.‎ has become the second brand to join private equity firm Forward Consumer Partners’ portfolio. Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip Drinks‎ , has now set up venture-studio Pollen Projects, which has launched 0.0%-abv cocktail bitters brand @seasn Seasn in the UK and is set to take product across the Atlantic to the US.   Doughlicious The London Dough Co.‎ has gone nationwide with Whole Foods Market, expanding its partnership with the grocery chain. The retailer carries the brand’s Frozen Cookie Dough and Gelato Bites, which have a SRP of $6.99 per 6-piece box. Teton Waters Ranch‎ has launched Teton Taste Buds, a new product line of blended veggie and grass-fed beef positioned to kids. The four nutrient-dense SKUs are made with mushrooms, carrots and butternut squash and launched in Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market and New Seasons Market locations, among others. Three Wishes Cereal‎ has released grain-free granola available in three flavors: Original, Maple Pecan, and Chocolate Almond,available at Sprouts Farmers Market stores and on Amazon. Dave’s Killer Bread has extended its bar line with Amped-Up Organic Protein Bars in three flavors: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Chocolate Coconut and Blueberry Almond Butter. Voyage Foods‎, a maker of peanut-free spread, chocolate without cacao and coffee without coffee beans, has raised $52 million in a Series A round. The round was co-led by Level One Fund and Horizons Ventures. SOSV and Collaborative Fund also participated. Voyage will use the funds to expand manufacturing facilities and grow personnel. Chip City‎ Cookies, a New York City-based cookie chain, has raised $7.5 million in a Series B investment from Enlightened Hospitality Investments. In 2022, Chip City also received $10 million from Enlightened.

People often ask what separates Scratch from the competition… I could go on about our delicious flavor profile, or our wholesome clean plant-based ingredients. I could talk about our gluten-free batters using chickpea flour instead of enriched wheat flour and MSG like many of the competitors. I could also talk about Nielsen data that shows consumer preference and incrementality is coming from specialty-diet, mission based, trustworthy based brands like Scratch… However, what really differentiates us is what you see in the pic. Scratch is a family-owned brand, a small business, a true representation of the American dream on shelves next to CPG behemoths and holding companies. We’re not suppose to be here…While the food industry is innovating in the lab, we are bringing new, healthier ways to enjoy your favorite foods from Scratch...inspired by transparency and whole food plant based ingredients. Scratch sticks out from everybody else. We don’t follow conventional norms and that’s what makes us different. And in our quest to maintain food integrity, we can’t do it without you. We are a bootstrapped business and I am committed to be a reliable source of clean label products for the community. But to serve the community effectively, it truly takes a village…so keep us in mind. If there are any contacts you feel we should be connected to, any products you would like to see us add, any investors we should speak to, any organizations we should give back to, and communities/groups we should join…we are open and it is what will continue to make us different. #scratch #scratchgrocery #cpg #walmart #plantbased

Crunchy, savory, an American staple. Can you guess? 👀 It’s bacon… but with a twist 🌿 🥓. Here’s how Umaro Foods is creating bacon from seaweed 👇. Recent funding news: Umaro Foods just raised $3.8 million to scale up its seaweed-based bacon production. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐔𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭: they extract protein from seaweed and put it through a multiple step process where the bacon is dehydrated at the end to make it shelf stable.  Apparently, it actually tastes like the real thing. More than 250 restaurants think so 🥓🤩. The secret lies in their unique use of hydrocolloids from seaweed where they encapsulate high levels of plant-based fats. This allows Umaro to replicate the crispy, fatty texture of bacon. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭? Their production process sidesteps expensive techniques like extrusion or fermentation often used for other plant-based products. They claim their new continuous production line from initial ingredient mixing to the final dehydration step, will allow them to produce bacon at 50% of the cost of industry giants Smithfield and Hormel. Umaro Foods is a prime example of value-added processing and forward-thinking product development in the seaweed industry. Congrats to Beth Zotter and team! Would you add this crispy seaweed bacon to your morning routine? 🤔 And what other products would you love to see made with seaweed? We read you in the comments 👀 #seaweed #bacon #food #productdevelopment #algae https://lnkd.in/ewjkVqpC  

Lemonade Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Clear, Pink, Cloudy, Others), By Packaging (Glass Bottle, Can, Plastic Bottle, Others), By Distribution Channel (Online Retail, Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Departmental Store, Convenience Store, Others), Russia-Ukraine War and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2022 - 2028 📚 Request Sample Report 👉https://lnkd.in/dZqDitus 📚 Report Focused on Companies👇 Apple & Eve LLC AriZona Beverage Co. Bai Brands Bolthouse Farms Campbell's Capri Sun Group Kraft Heinz Country Time Dr Pepper Snapple Group Florida's Natural Growers Hansen Beverage Company Honest Tea IZZE Beverage Company Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. Mondelēz International LANGERS LTD Lori's Original Lemonade Martinellis Me & the Bees Lemonade Mott's, LLP Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. Nestlé Newman's Own, Inc. Ocean Spray Cranberries Old Orchard Brands PepsiCo Santa Cruz Organic Simply Balanced Life LLC Simply Squeezed Olde Fashioned Lemonade Inc. Simply Orange Juice Company Dr Pepper Snapple Group The Coca-Cola Company Kraft Heinz Tree Top Staffing LLC Tropicana Brands Group Turkey Hill Dairy Inc Welch's

After a three year 📆 test run, the McDonald's McPlant failed to take root ❌ 🌱   This month McD’s pulled the plug on the ~600 locations carrying BeyondMeat’s alternative to the chain’s usual meat patties. That was a profoundly generous test window taking into account everything McD’s already knew about its patrons across geographies and demographics.   Despite the heat #plantbased "meat" is taking, this marriage was a prime example of two brands and two consumer bases that simply were never going to co-mingle successfully. McD’s customer base is too broad and price-driven. And the legacy of McD’s best-selling items are too entrenched in animal-based protein 🍔 and guilty indulgence, for this #cobrand to have been a win for any plant-based alternative. The psychographics of plant-based meat lovers, was also never aligned with the McD’s consumer experience, and stunted by the McPlant’s isolation as the anchor, vegetarian-adjacent option.   When it comes to fast food, the plant-based community has options like Kevin Hart’s Hart House, dedicated to plant-based across the menu, vs. a single menu item. And there are other plant-based, #fastfood focused doors regionally, and they are better equipped to court this consumer.   So, is this another nail in the coffin ⚰️ for plant-based meat? No. It’s less about new nails in the category, but rather how much deeper existing nails are driven.   The misalignment here was clear from the start. It was an initiative from a newly publicly-traded company (Beyond Meat, listed on NASDAQ in 2019) to show investors potentially lucrative growth and support stock price – a publicly traded company’s duty. And it was an experiment for McD’s, which can afford to experiment at this level, and ultimately learn more about their core customer in the process.   And speaking of collabs, because McD’s never stops innovating, the brand just launched its new “Special Grade Garlic Sauce”, with #anime brand Jujutsu Kaisen. Another sign that new #asian flavors are finding their way into the mainstream (like soju, and new sake variations in alc). #foodandbeverage

"What’s really going to move the needle forward is if we actually rally and get more meat eaters and more omnivores to love and embrace plant-based foods." -Kimberlie Le Agreed⁉️ 🌱 Another delicious conversation on the record! 🌱 A huge thank you to Kimberlie Le, co-founder of Prime Roots, for joining us in the “green seat” for Plant'ish: Let's Talk About It! Her journey in creating the world’s first koji-based deli meats was nothing short of inspiring. 🍞✨️🥪🌱 Kimberlie and her team at Prime Roots are driving impactful changes that could transform the way we eat, envisioning a future where koji deli meats become the star of the deli counter! 💡 Quick fact: The WHO classifies animal-based deli meats as a Group 1 carcinogen—meaning there’s strong evidence linking them to cancer. Kimberlie is here to challenge this status quo, offering a delicious, better-for-you alternative that benefits our health and the planet. 🔥 This was a game-changing and thought-provoking conversation (now we all know what koji is 😉) where we got an inside look at how Kimberlie and Prime Roots are shaking up the deli counter, disrupting the food industry, and making a lasting environmental impact. “Our vision from day one has been to take over the meat case—we’re starting with the deli meat case.” - Kimberlie Le-Prime Roots 📅 Missed the live? Catch the replay on IG: @botanicalchef! And if you joined us live, share your top takeaways! Chef Sebeq Randle and I can’t wait to keep the conversation going. #DeliCulture #PrimeRoots #KimberlieLe #KojiDeliMeats #PlantishLetsTalkAboutIt #SustainableFood #FutureOfMeat

This is a great article about the tricky business of food co-ops that are focused on organic and local and the challenge of figuring out how to remain relevant, affordable and be good employers. National Co+op Grocers has leveraged national buying power to create Field Day products as a national house brand for Co-ops to help open doors for shoppers. " Changing values and economic pressures, though, have pushed natural food co-ops to focus more on affordability. This year natural food co-ops have seen elevated sales as they have dramatically increased cheaper organic offerings such as United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI)'s Field Day brand. Co-ops have also recently begun to add less expensive, conventional and sometimes even less healthy items including Coke products." #foodaccess #equitablewages #foodcoops

What are the key factors driving the growth of the tomato puree market, particularly concerning #consumerpreferences and digital transitions? The increasing demand for organic and sustainable tomato puree products reflects shifting consumer preferences towards healthier options. Additionally, the digital transition, notably through #ecommerce and #socialmediamarketing, enhances accessibility and consumer engagement, propelling market growth in the tomato puree industry. Explore More Insights: https://lnkd.in/ddin2RPe Key Market Players: Ariza B.V.  Riviana Foods The Neil Jones Food Company Sainsbury's, Conagra Brands Stanislaus Food Products Wattie's (Kraft Heinz). Del Monte Foods, Inc. #AMR #TomatoPuree #OrganicProducts #SustainableFood #DigitalTransition #RecyclablePackaging #ConvenientPackaging #ConsumerEngagement

It was a pleasure to host the "BASIS Vinschgau Venosta Campo" event in our headquarters. The event was titled "Different is Good - Generation Change and Product Differentiation" and it provided an insightful platform to discuss these crucial themes. Daniela Niederstätter opened the event with a compelling speech on the topic of generational handover, sharing her personal experiences and insights. The key takeaways from her speech were: - External Coaching: A successful generation handover often benefits from the guidance of an external coach or expert. - Time, Trust, and Respect: The process requires considerable time, mutual trust between both generations and the team, and respect from all parties involved. - Growth Opportunity: A generational handover presents an opportunity for both the company and the new generation to grow and innovate. Insights from Florian and Simone Rizzi Our CEOs, Simone Rizzi & Florian Rizzi, shared their experiences of taking over the Rizzi Group Srl from their father and founder, Walter Rizzi. Walter founded the company with the vision of offering a variety of products to the same clients, starting with fruit and vegetables from Italy and gradually expanding to include pasta, tomato sauces, olive oil, and other Mediterranean products. Florian and Simone, along with their cousin Ivan, have continued to build on this foundation by establishing the company on four key pillars: - Fruit: Apples, pears, kiwi, cherries, citrus, stone fruits, and vegetables from Italy. - Food: Pasta, rice, olive oil, vinegars, and various Mediterranean specialties. - Fresh: Salads for the cutting industry. - Development: New product development, marketing, and business development for the other business units. This structure not only diversifies the company’s offerings but also ensures a focused approach in each sector. #foodbuildscommunity #knowhowsharing #event #diversification #productdifferentiation #generationchange (C) Marco Telfser