Energy Bars & Donut Popcorn: CPG News, Week of May 3-7
Contents
Unioncrate's curated weekly round-up of CPG & supply chain news. This week's news features supply a Smartfood-Krispy Kreme collab, energy bar investments, and—perhaps a lot less fun—inflation.
investments-acquisitions
Investments & Acquisitions
Rowdy Energy has raised $13M in a new funding round. BevNet
Weis Markets is investing $135M into growth with 8 remodels and 8 fuel centers planned for 2021. Progressive Grocer
Safeway has opened a new NorCal store in San Jose. Winsight Grocery Business
Italy’s Lavazza Group is adding 1,000 square meters to its Pennsylvania manufacturing plant as it expands its US presence. Food Dive
PE firm Butterfly has acquired US organic egg producer Pete and Gerry’s Organics. FoodBev
Tattooed Chef is acquiring New Mexico Food Distributors and Karsten Tortilla Factory for $35M. Food Dive
ICA, a nonprofit VC fund, has invested $500K into plant-based Something Better Foods. The Spoon
Synergy Flavors has acquired savory ingredient provider Innova Flavors for an undisclosed amount. FoodBev
Laird Superfood has acquired energy bar maker Picky Bars for $12M. Food Dive
Unilever will acquire supplement brand Onnit for an undisclosed amount. NutraIngredients
Owen’s Craft Mixers has raised $7.5M in a new funding round. Forbes
products-partnerships
New Products & Partnerships
Smartfood and Krispy Kreme have teamed up to create donut-flavored popcorn. Food Dive
In an effort to compete with Oatly, Nestlé is launching a pea-based alternative milk line. Fortune
Proud Source Water is partnering with PepsiCo for regional distribution in North America. BevNet
Ferrera is relaunching its fruit snack line under the name Funables. Food Dive
PepsiCo has launched Soulboost, a new functional sparkling water brand. Food Dive
GIVN Water is now the official bottled water partner of Caribou Coffee. BevNet
Lightlife has reformulated its product line to feature only recognizable ingredients. Food Dive
supply-chain
Supply Chain News
Scores of CPG brands, including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and General Mills, have been experiencing higher costs related to ingredients, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation—all of this has led to inflation on the customer side of things. Food Dive
Thanks to consumer demand, US imports reached record highs in March. The Wall Street Journal
US freight demand is rapidly outpacing truck availability. The Wall Street Journal
You can read more about America’s current high-demand low-worker debacle in another piece from The Wall Street Journal.
Among other supply and demand issues, there’s now a chicken shortage. The Wall Street Journal
Chinese manufacturers have been acquiring overseas manufacturing facilities. The Wall Street Journal
Kroger has been testing drones for last-mile grocery delivery. Supply Chain Dive
Consumer demand for sustainable packaging is steady, despite pandemic and other global events. Food Dive
Danish container-shipper Maersk has launched a $5B stock buyback program after having its best quarter yet. The Wall Street Journal
Hwy Haul, which connects fresh produce shippers directly to carriers, has raised a $10M Series A. AgFunder News
good-reads
Good Reads
Ever wondered which grocery store has been best at handling Covid protocol? Spoiler: it’s Whole Foods. Progressive Grocer
An op-ed rebuttal advocates that true sustainability comes with holding the meat industry accountable. Civil Eats
Impossible Foods can now be served in school cafeterias. The Spoon
Uber is now letting their riders pick up grocery orders mid-trip. Grocery Dive
Finally, hear why consumer data is key from someone who’s not us. SmartBrief
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.
