Beyond Meat Goes Beyond: CPG News, Week of Apr 26-30
Contents
Unioncrate's curated weekly round-up of CPG & supply chain news. This week's news features a potential valuation from Honest, almond flour ravioli, and—yup—Beyond Meat.
investments-acquisitions
Investments & Acquisitions
Olam Food Ingredients has acquired spice manufacturer Olde Thompson. FoodBev
Nestlé is looking to acquire Nature’s Bounty, a deal potentially valued in the mid-single-digit billions. The Wall Street Journal
The Honest Company is eyeing a US IPO valued at $1.5B. CNBC
Walmart has launched an early-payment program that provides minority-owned suppliers with access to reliable funding. Progressive Grocer
Cargill has invested in Dutch startup Bflike, which specializes in vegan fat and blood production, in a 50-50 joint venture with Dutch incubator Blue Ocean Xlerator. Food Navigator
In other Cargill news, the CPG giant is investing $350M in a new canola processing facility in Saskatchewan. Food Dive
Chr. Hansen Natural Colors has acquired Secna Natural Ingredients. Food Dive
Singapore-based gaming brand Razer has launched a $50M green fund, with its first investment being bamboo toilet paper startup Bambooloo. AgFunder News
Israeli food tech company BioMilk is the world’s first cell-based milk producer to IPO, going public on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Green Queen
products-partnerships
New Products & Partnerships
The Beyond Burger got a makeover: The allegedly meatier and juicier new version, set to roll out in retailers over the next few months, has 35% less saturated fat than an 80/20 beef patty. VegNews
In other Beyond news, Beyond Meat plans to launch a plant-based chicken this summer. Food Dive
Grain-free pasta maker Cappello’s has launched a line of ravioli made from almond flour. Food Business News
Real Food From The Ground Up has launched crackers made from purple carrots. FoodBev
General Mills has launched :Ratio, a line of yogurts with 25g of protein per serving. Food Dive
Yasso’s Incubator has launched its first brand, functional ice pop maker Jüve Pops. Food Dive
Ben & Jerry’s new limited edition flavor is Totally Unbaked, with chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter swirls. FoodBev
Goldfish and Frank’s Red Hot have teamed up to launch hot sauce-flavored Goldfish. Drugstore News
Masstige Hair Care has shifted entirely to 100% recyclable aluminum packaging. Packaging World
In the same vein, Love Beauty and Planet have also adopted aluminum packaging for their products, also introducing refillable packaging for added measure. Drugstore News
Theo Chocolate has launched a line of cookie bites. FoodBev
Baskin Robbins has become the first major ice cream chain to serve oat milk ice cream at all of its locations. VegNews
Ahead of its 100-year anniversary, Shamrock Farms is running a promotion where customers can get their products from vending machines powered by jumping jacks. Beverage Industry
supply-chain
Supply Chain News
Arrive Logistics has raised $300M in a recent funding round led by ATL Partners, who is now the largest investor in the freight-brokerage company. The Wall Street Journal
Commodity trader Trafigura has just closed a $203.5M US Private Placement. Bunkerspot
Logixboard, a freight forwarder-focused startup, has raised $13M in a funding round. Business Insider
It’s from April 10th, but it’s a cool one: How Luke’s Lobster adapted to the pandemic, figured out how to ship highly perishable product across the country, and even shifted to frozen food. Fortune
good-reads
Good Reads
Over the weekend, The New York Times dropped an op-ed all about meatless meat and the direction society is pushing it—and vice versa. The New York Times
Also about meatless meat: monopolies, and why they’re not as bad for the category as you’d think. Forbes
Publix now accepts electronic payment for SNAP. Grocery Dive
Ocean Spray went viral with a 2020 TikTok. Read about how it affected the company’s demand and supply chain. Modern Retail
New allergen just dropped. Biden has declared sesame the ninth major allergen. Food Dive
About Unioncrate
Unioncrate is an AI-powered Integrated Business Planning (IBP) platform that delivers demand forecasts with unmatched accuracy, collaborative visibility, and actionable intelligence—enabling CPG brands to plan and execute agile supply chain strategies at the click of a button.