Veggie Valuations & Palm Payments: CPG News, Week of Apr 19-23
Contents
Unioncrate's curated weekly round-up of CPG & supply chain news. This week's news features a high-fiber hazelnut spread, an unconventional way to grocery shop, and—as usual—lots of activity in the world of plant-based protein.
investments-acquisitions
Investments & Acquisitions
DTC grocery platform Misfits Market has raised $200M in its Series C. Forbes
JBS has acquired Dutch plant-based meat producer Vivera for $408M. Bloomberg
Plant-based meat startup Hungry Planet has closed a $25M Series A, led by Post Holdings. Food Dive
US grain trading platform Bushel has raised $47M in its Series C. AgFunder News
OneSoil, a tech company that helps farmers monitor fields and increase yields, has raised $5M from international investors. TechCrunch
Hydrant has raised $8.5M from a number of athlete investors. Business Insider
PepsiCo is ramping up its sustainable farming efforts on 7 million acres of land. Fast Company
Oatly, who’s preparing to IPO later this year, has reported both increased losses and revenue. Bloomberg
MeaTech is the first publicly traded cultured meat company, and they’ve announced their first batch of financial results. Vegconomist
Atlas Monroe, a Black woman-owned vegan fried chicken startup, has turned down $1M on Shark Tank. Green Queen
products-partnerships
New Products & Partnerships
Canopy Growth has tapped into the CBD beverage market with Quatreau. BevNet
Trader Joe’s plans to develop a line of plant-based seafood products. Vegconomist
EverGrain and Anheuser-Busch are teaming up to make a line of “climate-positive” foods. Food Dive
DouxMatok, a chocolate-hazelnut spread low in sugar and (very) high in fiber, has launched in the US. Food Dive
International Flavors & Fragrances and DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences merged back in February in a $26.2B deal. Now, they’re hinting at the launch of a new company. Food Dive
Nestlé has introduced LasagnaMac and Blue Diamond has expanded into baking mixes. Food Dive
Happy Family Organics has launched a line of savory vegetable baby food pouches. FoodBev
Cactus water brand Caliwater is being relaunched with celebrity backing. BevNet
Levain has expanded its Whole Foods distribution. CNN
supply-chain
Supply Chain News
CPG has rebounded from pandemic job losses, gaining employees at a rate that outpaces the general US economy. Food Dive
The 2021 CIO of the Year award went to the CIOs of Vera Bradley and Ulta, both of whom implemented new technologies to move their companies forward. Consumer Goods Technology
Walmart is phasing out automated pickup towers due to the rising popularity of curbside pickup. The Wall Street Journal
Farther Farms has patented a method of preserving perishable food for up to 90 days with pressurized CO2. Fast Company
First there was a ketchup shortage. Now? There’s a boba shortage. The New York Times
Lunds & Byerlys is optimizing its inventory with computer-generated ordering. Progressive Grocer
Bed Bath & Beyond has introduced a tech stack and 4 warehouses in an effort to optimize their supply chain. Supply Chain Dive
good-reads
Good Reads
Seattle Whole Foods shoppers can now pay for their groceries with… their palm? Read more in Reuters.
Are cell-cultured meats the future of pet food? Read more in Modern Farmer.
Hear what Target CEO Brian Cornell has to say about anticipating post-pandemic, in-store demand. Winsight Grocery Business
One of the past year’s most impactful forces in CPG? Instacart. Read more about it in Grocery Dive.
The pandemic and CBD: two things that boosted pet food sales +21% YOY in 2020. Supermarket News
Subscription-based business models did exceedingly well in 2020, and it looks like the only way is up. Smart Brief
Nestlé scientists have discovered a strain of low-carbon and drought-resistant coffee beans. The Financial
Amazon is expanding automated checkout to more of its Amazon Fresh store. Bloomberg
The plant-based seafood market is expected to be worth $1.3B by the end of the decade. Vegconomist
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.