People

Energizing Zest Tea charts high-octane growth

Many a tea lover has settled for coffee or an energy drink when desperate for an energy fix. But Zest Tea hopes to change that with its high-caffeine brewed teas. ...

'We switched from glass to aluminum cans, and the brand just exploded'

Hiball Energy brand worth $15-20m in retail sales, says CEO: ‘The market is finally catching up with us’

Back in 2011/12, nerves were getting very frayed at Hiball Energy, which was doing a steady trade in upmarket energy drinks in elegant glass bottles, but “losing more and more...

Space... the final frontier for food science at Food Vision USA

To boldly go... where no food conference has gone before? Space food is on the menu at Food Vision USA (we've lined up NASA on day three), but we're just...

Dairy Innovation Forum highlights: Hip cottage cheese, gut-friendly milk, tarte asian yogurt and why fat is back

From the challenges of sourcing organic milk, to the threat 'alternatives' milks pose to the dairy sector and the 'scary' promotional dynamics of the yogurt category, the FoodNavigator-USA Dairy Innovation...

“Applegate’s mission is to change the meat we eat and we believe we can help them to do that."

Hormel Foods on running Applegate at arm’s length, organic sourcing challenges, and ‘swim lanes’

When Applegate - the #1 brand in natural and organic prepared meats – got into bed with Hormel Foods, which owns Spam and Stagg, some diehard fans were not happy. But...

Dave Lefkow: 'You’d be amazed how many people are obsessed with bacon...'

J&D's Foods builds a food empire: ‘Making everything taste like bacon since 2007’

The Eureka moment came on a business trip in 2007 when Dave Lefkow’s co-worker Justin Esch casually observed that bacon flavored salt might taste pretty good. The cash to make...

Lights, camera, action! Edible insects in focus at IFT 2015

No self-respecting food conference would be complete these days without a session on edible insects. But are they a gimmick or a serious source of alternative protein? FoodNavigator-USA editor Elaine...

Talking Rain (Sparkling ICE) CEO: We might acquire brands, or build our own new brands

The Sparkling ICE brand notched up sales of more than $500m in 2014, is on course to top $600m in 2015, and has a fighting chance of reaching its well-publicized...

Food & beverage entrepreneurs to watch: From YumButter and Dang Foods to Evo Hemp

From the purveyors of toasted coconut chips to hemp bars, high-protein gelato, cricket powder, chickpea snacks and portable nut butter, here's FoodNavigator-USA's latest pick of entrepreneurs to watch in the...

‘An extraordinary opportunity’: Healthy & Natural Trade Show set for Chicago’s Navy Pier, May 2016

The inaugural Healthy & Natural Show will offer an ‘extraordinary opportunity’ for product manufacturers and marketers offering healthy and natural products, and for retailers looking to better understand this high...

Project7 rivals gum’s big boys with philanthropy and crazy flavors

US social enterprise Project7 is carving a niche for itself in the highly consolidated chewing gum market with novel flavors such as birthday cake and sour caramel apple.

PepsiCo’s leadership appointments help address the rise of digitally connected consumers

PepsiCo has announced a series of appointments, including one to address the importance of digitally connected consumers and e-commerce distribution channel.

Boulder Brands slashes salaried headcount by 15%; unveils more ‘streamlined’ structure

Boulder Brands – the firm behind EVOL Foods, Udi’s Gluten Free and Smart Balance – has reduced its salaried headcount by 15% and integrated its sales, marketing and innovation functions...

Dang, that’s good! An entrepreneur’s guide to carving a niche in the healthy snacks market

A great product, deep pockets, and entrepreneurial zeal are critical to the success of any food start-up, but there’s always an element of luck, says Dang Foods’ founder Vincent Kitirattragarn,...

Kraft-Heinz merger gets thumbs up from Kraft shareholders

The Kraft-Heinz merger got the thumbs up from Kraft shareholders this morning, with 98% voting ‘YES’ to the deal.

Temple Turmeric CEO: Turmeric is super-hot right now; we doubled revenues last year and expect to do the same this year

While turmeric is still a novel ingredient to many Americans, it’s only a matter of time before it moves from the niche to the mainstream of US food culture, predicts...

Pope Francis weighs into the GMO debate

Pope Francis has weighed into the debate over GM crops, arguing that while he doesn’t believe there is any “conclusive proof that GM cereals are harmful to human beings”, he...

What are the hottest dairy trends – and companies - to watch in 2015?

What are the hottest new trends in dairy? Grass-fed everything? A whole milk renaissance? High-protein kefir? Quark? And what’s next after Greek yogurt?  

New hires: Brendan Foley moves up ladder at McCormick, Unilever unveils new CFO, Runa co-founder seeks pastures new

Check out who’s moving onwards and upwards at Unilever, Campbell Soup, McCormick, Runa, Barry Callebaut, IFF and ADM in FoodNavigator-USA’s latest round-up of new hires in food and beverage. ...

Way Better Snacks sells minority stake to private equity firm

An injection of capital from private equity firm Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG) will help Way Better Snacks accelerate its nationwide distribution and raise awareness about the benefits of sprouted grains,...

YumButter: We're on a mission to disrupt nut butter category one pouch at a time

If Justin’s made consumers think differently about nut butter with its novel flavor combos and single-serve sachets, YumButter is on a mission to disrupt the category all over again with...

Three Twins organic ice cream CEO: ‘My cash reserves were down to zero, but I made it, because people believed in the brand’

There have been some hairy moments during Neal Gottlieb’s decade at the helm of Three Twins organic ice cream, from maxed out credit cards to sleepless nights trying to secure...

News in brief

Boulder Brands CEO Steve Hughes quits as firm warns Q2 sales will decline

Shares in Boulder Brands – the firm behind EVOL Foods, Udi’s Gluten Free and Smart Balance – plummeted this morning after CEO Steve Hughes resigned and the firm warned that...

Winston Lee: 'We're caramelizing milk and sugar together and then culturing it'

Tarte Asian Yogurt CEO: 'Greek has 47% of the market; we’re going after the other 53%'

When Winston Lee started pitching Tarte Asian Yogurt to retailers three years ago, the market had already hit peak Greek, he says: “Buyers were already looking at what's next after...

FOOD VISION USA: Which food & beverage companies are really driving innovation?

According to Nielsen data, 85% of new consumer packaged goods fail within two years, and big firms are no better - and often far worse - at picking winners than...