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Unioncrate's curated biweekly round-up of CPG & supply chain news. This week's news features acquisitions for Once Upon a Farm, IPO action for Zevia and Dole, and some very high-tech bottled water.
Nutreco and the Onassis Foundation have funded a $51M Series B for Scottish alt-protein brand Enough. AgFunder News
Once Upon a Farm has acquired baby food delivery startup Raised Real and plans to launch a line of frozen food. NOSH
In other baby food news, vegetable-forward frozen brand Tiny Organics has raised an $11M Series A. Food Navigator
Irish dairy brand Kerry is slated to acquire preservatives company Niacet for $1B. Food Dive
Dole has filed for an IPO. Food Dive
Better Juice has raised $8M to pilot a technology that reduces the sugar in juice. NOSH
Israeli non-GMO firm Equinom has raised $20M in a funding round to expand its global sales, marketing, and R&D efforts. Food Dive
Grocery store inventory management tool Bringg—used by Walmart, Albertsons, and more—has raised $100 in its Series E, bringing its total raised funds to over $1B. AgFunder News
Soda brand Zevia has filed for an IPO. Food Dive
Vegan gummy bear startup Yummy Bear will IPO at a valuation of $50M. Forbes
Bear’s Fruit has closed a new funding round amidst nationwide expansion. BevNET
Danone Manifesto Ventures has acquired a majority stake in leading coconut water brand Harmless Harvest. BevNET
Elite Sweets has received $2M in a recent funding round led by Siddhi Capital. NOSH
Chocolate manufacturer Scharffen Berger has returned to private ownership after being sold by Hershey. Food Dive
Eat Just has been eyeing an IPO valuation of nearly $3B. Forbes
Chinese ingredient company Layn Natural Ingredients, one of the world’s largest producers of monk fruit and stevia sweetener, will invest $148M to expand its plant-based sweetener R&D and manufacturing efforts. Food Dive
As UPSIDE Foods prepares to launch its cell-based chicken, it’s brought on Amy Chen, an SVP from PepsiCo. Food Navigator
Former Seventh Generation CEO Joey Bergstein has moved on to the top leadership position at Sabra. Food Dive
Upside Beverage Co. has revived the formerly bankrupt NessAlla Kombucha brand. BevNET
The winner of NOSH’s Pitch Slam? Empanada brand Cocina 54! NOSH
General Mills’ new line of Good Measure bars is targeted toward consumers watching their blood sugar. Food Dive
Clif has launched a line of low-sugar, better-for-you cereals
Alden’s Organic has launched a new line of dairy-free frozen bars inspired by vintage beverages. FoodBev
Nestlé and Cinnabon have teamed up to launch a cinnamon roll-flavored nutritional drink. FoodBev
Nestlé has also debuted Mezeast, a Middle Eastern-inspired foot kit brand. FoodBev
The co-founder of Halo Top has teamed up with Epogee to launch a new low-calorie chocolate bar—called Gatsby—with their fat replacement tech. Food Dive
Jovē Wellness has launched an alkaline bottled water complete with Advanced Cellular Hydration Technology. BevNET
DoorDash is now making same-day deliveries for Albertsons and Safeway. CNET
More DoorDash news! The food delivery company is partnering with Beyond Meat to sell grilling kits before the 4th of July. FoodBev
UNSTUCK has partnered with Chobani to create jobs for refugees with a new product line. BevNET
Greenbelt Kombucha has launched a non-alcoholic, cocktail-inspired kombucha collection. BevNET
PepsiCo is set to launch Unmuddled, a line of premium cocktail mixers. Food Dive
Sparkling Ice has extended its offerings to include a superfruit line, complete with added vitamins and antioxidants. BevNET
Caffeinated bar brand Verb is making its foray into caffeinated drink mixes. NOSH
The Real Coconut has rebranded as Sana Foods. NOSH
Twisted Tea has launched a barbecue sauce inspired by the drink. Food Dive
ReGrained's SuperGrain+ flour is now certified by the Upcycled Food Association. Food Dive
The FDA has approved Nature’s Fynd fungus-based protein. Food Dive
Kellogg is expanding its partnership with Sodexo to include MorningStar Farms’ Incogmeato burgers. Food Business News
REBBL has updated its packaging to put a renewed focus on its drinks’ immunity benefits. BevNET
Hershey and Land O’Lakes are joining forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms in Pennsylvania. Food Dive
Logistics company ShipBob has raised another $200M in its Series E, bringing its total valuation to over $1B. The Wall Street Journal
Amazon will open its second robotics-driven fulfillment center in Louisiana, creating over a thousand new jobs at the 20,000-square-foot location. Progressive Grocer
Seattle has a new zero-emissions e-commerce delivery hub that could be a model for the industry’s digital sector in the future. Fast Company
Embark Trucks Inc., a trucking firm that specializes in self-driving trucks, plans to go public with a valuation of $5.2B. The Wall Street Journal
The national supply crunch is likely to extend into 2022. The Wall Street Journal
Target has pledged to keep its products out of landfills and create net-zero emissions by 2024. CNBC
No Evil Foods has made a pivot to co-manufacturing after laying off its production staff. NOSH
Walmart has been leveraging AI to substitute products on its shelves during periods of stockouts. Progressive Grocer
UNFI has a new growth strategy composed of six pillars: fulfill power in scale, unlock the customer experience, taste the future, UNFI pride, retail optimization, and earn results. Supermarket News
After shipping lags due to surges of pandemic-driven orders, FedEx has been overwhelmed, and customers have experienced delays; the company is boosting its 2021 CAPEX by 22% in an effort to combat that. The Wall Street Journal
Kroger has opened two new automated cross-docking facilities in Florida, which will be working in tandem with their Groveland, FL customer fulfillment hub. Supply Chain Dive
Plastic made from vegan spider silk? That might be in the cards for the future. Food Navigator
We all saw a rise in at-home cooking during the pandemic, but Kroger predicts the trend will continue into the next year. Supermarket Perimeter
May saw a 16% drop in e-commerce grocery sales. Grocery Dive
Read about how two different CPG brands tackled manufacturing challenges. Consumer Goods Technology
Nielsen reports that sales of non-alcoholic beverages have been booming—and they’re only on the rise. BevNET
Small businesses won big on Prime Day. Winsight Grocery Business
Speaking of Prime Day: The official back-to-school season for CPG used to start around mid-July, but the unofficial retail holiday has pushed it earlier. Modern Retail
And, finally, consumer confidence is back on the ups. Market Watch
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