Congested Ports, Sustainable Skittles, & Hanch: CPG News, Week of Mar 15-19
Contents
Unioncrate's curated weekly round-up of CPG & supply chain news. This week's news features big brands eyeing IPOs, supply chain backups from Texas’s winter storm, and one hilariously named condiment.
investments-acquisitions
Investments & Acquisitions
Amazon will be opening its 12th Amazon Fresh store in Long Beach, California. CNN Edition
Benson Hill, a food tech company that uses CRISPR to develop more nutritious ingredients, has launched new business segments dedicated to optimizing yellow pea and soybean proteins. Food Dive
The Fresh Market is reportedly considering an IPO. Winsight Grocery Business
Tyson will invest $55M to bolster its pre-packaged meat offerings. FoodBev
products-partnerships
New Products & Partnerships
Brew Dr. has released its first-ever non-kombucha beverage: a line of probiotic-infused yerba mate drinks called Uplift. BevNet
PepsiCo has launched a new Mountain Dew energy drink, Mountain Dew Rise, which will be promoted by LeBron James. Food Dive
Hu is releasing a line of grain-free cookies. They will be paleo, keto, and free of added sugar. FoodBev
Danone is releasing pre-measured tabs of its Aptamil brand in the UK, a first-of-its-kind baby formula innovation. FoodBev
Boston startup K2 Ventures has launched high-protein snack brand Brave Good Kind, whose first product will be jerky-like chicken bites. Prepared Foods
Mars Wrigley and Danimer Scientific are collaborating to create biodegradable packaging for Skittles, which should be on shelves either late 2021 or early 2022. Food Dive
Wilde Brands, creators of chips made entirely out of chicken, is now releasing a line of chips made entirely out of pork. FoodBev
Red Bull’s new limited-edition flavor is—drumroll please—dragon fruit. FoodBev
Heinz Canada is launching some new flavor fusion sauces: Wasabioli, Tarchup, and… Hanch. FoodBev
Danone’s launching a new plant-based, responsibly sourced creamer called Honest to Goodness. Food Business News
As a result of predicting that 2020’s crafting boom will outlive the pandemic, Target is launching a crafting line called Mondo Llama for adults and kids alike. Modern Retail
Swedish ice cream brand Nick’s is making its foray into keto-friendly snack bars. Food Dive
Pepsi’s newest permanent flavor in five years—mango—will go live next week. BevNet
supply-chain
Supply Chain News
The world’s biggest cities have something in common right now: Thanks to clogged ports and Texas’s recent winter storms, supply chains are facing disruptions around the globe. The Wall Street Journal
Southern California is also currently experiencing logjams at its ports, especially Long Beach and Los Angeles. The Wall Street Journal
The Texas power outages have put a halt to the “world’s largest petrochemical complex,” creating supply chain disruptions for plastic users across all industries. The Wall Street Journal
Unilever has tapped into European retail tech and analytics company Tax and Roamler to help keep their shelves stocked in stores across Belgium and Italy. Consumer Goods Technology
Aldi plans to convert all of its packaging to sustainable material by 2025. Supply Chain Dive
Learn all about the ins and outs of automated packaging, which is poised to become a key asset to CPG supply chains in the coming years. Supply Chain Dive
For small- and medium-sized CPG brands, Shopify is becoming a more and more attractive alternative to selling on Amazon. The Wall Street Journal
Chobani, which is gearing up to IPO, has struck a distribution deal with PepsiCo for doors in the northeast. Food Dive
good-reads
Good Reads
Read all about how Alibaba enables startups to make their foray into the Chinese market. Forbes
Investors are skeptical that grocery stores will maintain 2020’s Covid-driven momentum. Grocery Dive
Consumer Goods Technology has released its annual list of the 8 most innovative consumer goods companies. Consumer Goods Technology
One year after the start of the pandemic, food and beverages are still at the forefront of consumer goods spending. Supermarket News
What’s next for consumer supply chains? Hear what Forbes has to say about it. Forbes
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.