Image source: Forbes

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

Meal kit companies continue to compete in the space with news of growth amongst big industry players this week. Meal delivery service Marley Spoon has announced IPO plans to raise $53m on the Australian Securities Exchange, while HelloFresh has expanded into 600 stop & shop stores.

AgriProtein has closed a $105 million funding round to fund the construction of new insect factories. The capital raise represents the largest on record for an insect farming company.

And finally, order-ahead app Ritual has closed a $70 million round to rethink the social office lunch break. A broader look at foodtech themes in the hospitality industry can be seen in The Mixing Bowl and TechTable’s 2018 Restaurant Tech Ecosystem map.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

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1. Marley Spoon, the Cook-at-Home Meal Kit Service, Announces IPO – TechCrunch

The Berlin-headquartered company is aiming to raise $53m on the Australian Securities Exchange. The IPO will give the company a market capitalization of $152m on listing.

2. AgriProtein Raises $105M for Insect Farms – AgFunder

Funding came from a corporate financial institution that could not be disclosed. It is the largest capital raise on record for an insect farming company. AgriProtein feeds black soldier flies with municipal waste and sells them as feed for the livestock industry.

3. HelloFresh to Sell Meal Kits in Giant Food, Stop & Shop Stores – Wall Street Journal

HelloFresh is putting its meal kits in 600 stores. It’s the widest launch to date of meal kits onto supermarket shelves.

4. Canada: Order-Ahead App Ritual Picks Up $70M to Rethink the Social Office Lunch Break – TechCrunch

The round was led by Georgian Partners, with existing investors Greylock Partners, Insight Ventures and Mistral Venture Partners all participating. It will go towards getting the experience right for a single office building.

5. 2018 Restaurant Tech EcoSystem: Power Shift Underway with Decrease of the Data Gap – Forbes

The Mixing Bowl and TechTable detail the most important foodtech themes impacting the hospitality industry, identifying areas ripe for investment and acquisition, plus opportunities and challenges for investors, operators and entrepreneurs.

6. The Trade War Continues: Mexico Imposes $3B Tariff on US Goods – Modern Farmer

Mexico is the US’s second-largest trading partner. It just announced a targeted tariff on pork, cheese, apples, bourbon and potatoes that will impact the agriculture industry in America.

7. A Working Capital Solution for the Next Generation of Brands – CircleUp

CircleUp has just launched its credit offering for direct-to-consumer, e-commerce and subscription companies.

8. Tyson to Sell Sara Lee, Three Other Non-Protein Brands – Reuters

The company would be selling Sara Lee Frozen Bakery and three other non-protein brands to private equity firm Kohlberg & Co as it sharpens its focus on its core business. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

9. Gates Foundation Invests in Dairy Tech Stellapps $14M Series B, First in India – AgFunder

The round was led by IndusAge Partners alongside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Qualcomm Ventures and ABB Technology Ventures. Funding will go towards expanding Stellapps globally.

10. Self-Heating Can Company, HeatGenie Raises $6M – The Spoon

Financing was led by ARTIS Labs with Almanac Investments participating, and brings the total amount raised to $9.6m. HeatGenie will use funding to complete product development and bring it to market.

11. This $50K Prize for Immigrants in the Culinary Arts is Now Accepting Applications – Edible Manhattan

The Vilcek Foundation will award three prizes to immigrants born in 1980 or later, working as chefs and food preparers, beverage professionals and/or food writers. The application deadline is June 11, 2018.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Marley Spoon Announces IPO, HelloFresh Expands Meal Kits to 600 Stores + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Image source: NBC News

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

Last week, Anthony Bourdain took his life. Anthony, thank you. For your insatiable curiosity. For taking us around the world with you to learn about culture, food, and humanity. For showing us how beautiful and delicious diversity is. For challenging us to buck norms and to think bigger. For shining a light on the untold stories of those who grow and cook our food. We will miss you. RIP.

An extensive investigation by the Associated Press found that New York-based seafood distributor, Sea to Table has been marketing seafood as “local“ and “wild caught“ when some of its seafood was actually farmed or illegally caught out-of-season.

In other news, specialty foods sales surged to $140.3 billion in 2017. The category is growing faster than all food sold at retail.

Retailers continue to pair up with tech giants. This week, Google announced its foray into grocery e-commerce through its partnership with Carrefour in France. Microsoft is now working on cashier-less checkout technology in an aim against Amazon Go.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

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1. Anthony Bourdain, Renegade Chef Who Reported From the World’s Tables, Is Dead at 61 – New York Times

Mr. Bourdain, who began his career as a chef, redefined the staid genres of food writing and food-tourism shows.

2. Fish Billed As Local Isn’t Always Local – AP News

Sea to Table’s yellowfin tuna has been linked to migrant fishermen in foreign waters who describe labor abuses, poaching and the slaughter of sharks, whales and dolphins. The distributor has been offering species in other parts of the country that were illegal to catch, out of season and farmed.

3. Letter From Our Founder On Recent Press Story – Sea to Table

The idea that we could be associated with an organization that engages in poor labor practices is outright horrifying to us. We would never knowingly purchase fish that doesn’t conform to our exacting standards, and are addressing these claims quickly and with a strong commitment to integrity and transparency.

4. Specialty Foods Sales Surge to Record $140.3B in 2017 – Food Dive

Specialty food sales rose 11% between 2015 and 2017. The category is growing faster than all food sold at retail, jumping 12.9% compared to 1.4%.

5. Self-Driving Robot Delivery Startup Starship Technologies Raises $25M – TechCrunch

Funding included Matrix Partners, Morpheus Ventures, Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk, Skype founding engineer Jaan Tallinn and others. Starship plans on deploying robots in neighborhoods, corporate and university campuses in both the US and Europe.

6. Microsoft Takes Aim at Amazon with Push for Checkout-Free Retail – Reuters

Microsoft is developing systems that track what shoppers add to their carts. It has shown sample technology to retailers from around the world and has had talks with Walmart about a potential collaboration.

7. Chef’d Is Bringing Its Meal Kits to Walgreens, Duane Read – CNBC

Chef’d will bring its meal kits to 30 Walgreens and Duane Reade stores in the New York area as part of a partnership with Smithfield Foods. This is one of the first instances of a meal kit company partnering with a drugstore chain.

8. Google Enters Deal With Carrefour to Sell Food Online in France – Bloomberg

Alphabet Inc’s Google entered a deal with Carrefour to sell groceries online in France through its platforms including Home, Assistant and the Google shopping destination in France.

9. Ford’s ‘Self-Driving’ Vans Are Now Delivering Food in Miami – The Verge

Ford has retrofitted a fleet of its Transit vans with touchpad-accessible lockers, from which Postmates customers with the right access code can retrieve their food. The pilot is underway with over 70 businesses participating.

10. Deliveroo Fattens Its Market Presence by Opening to Restaurants That Do Deliveries – TechCrunch

Next month, the company will launch a new service called Marketplace+ in seven of its markets, onboarding restaurants that do their own food deliveries to its platform and offering them the ability to tap into Deliveroo’s network of riders.

11. Sfoglini Completes $2.5M Financing Round Led by Almanac Insights to Fuel Its Organic Pasta Empire – Food Navigator

The partnership with David Barber’s investment fund will enable the company to scale from a small Brooklyn startup to a large-scale production facility.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Remembering Anthony Bourdain, Sea to Table Accused of Mislabeling Fish + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

It’s no secret that food waste is a massive problem. Every year, $218 billion is spent on food that is never eaten–amounting to 52 million tons sent to landfills annually. Another 10 million tons is discarded or left unharvested on farms. In response, a number of companies have emerged to tackle this issue. From repurposing food waste into added-value products to recovering nutrients from food that is thrown away, join us to hear from innovators in the space at our June Food+Tech Meetup. Presenters will do a deep dive into their business strategies, technologies, challenges and lessons learned.

Come network with the community and get a taste from emerging F&B startups: Ancolie, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine x Breads Bakery, ReGrained, Misfit Juicery, Gotham Greens, Local Roots NYC, Food for All and Toast Ale USA!

SCHEDULE:
6:30 – 7:15pm: Networking
7:30 – 9:00pm: Presentations + Q&A
9:00 – 9:30pm: Networking

PRESENTERS:
Joanna Ehrenreich, Heads of Operations & Marketing, Toast Ale USA
Jo has spent her career at NYC startups, most recently as an early stage hire at Blue Apron. She helped run Blue Apron’s sustainability efforts as well as brand marketing, where she met Toast’s founder who served as a mentor on several food waste initiatives. She joined the Toast US team in 2018 as General Manager.

Matthew Holtzman, Founder, goMkt
goMkt was established in 2016 with a simple mission: reduce food waste, support small business and charitable giving, and bring people together to share delicious food. Matthew was the former founder of Yahoo-backed startup to ID hate speech and analyst at AppNexus.

Phil Wong, Co-Founder, Misfit Juicery
Phil co-founded Misfit with his best friend Ann 3 years ago in his college kitchen. Phil has spent time in Rwanda and Senegal, both of which were integral to Misft’s beginnings. Phil’s a Halcyon Fellow and graduated in 2015 from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service with a BSFS in Science, Technology, and International Affairs. Phil and Ann were named to the 2018 list of Forbes 30 Under 30 (Social Entrepreneurs).

Amanda Weeks, Co-Founder & CEO, Industrial/Organic
Amanda co-founded I/O to rapidly recover water, energy and nutrients from food waste to produce high-value products such as organic fertilizers, animal feed and clean energy. The company aims to operate a distributed network of micro-facilities utilizes existing industrial spaces, providing a faster and cheaper alternative to other organic waste solutions, while contributing to the revitalization of post-industrial areas. It recently closed a $1.3m seed round to build out its first commercial facility in New Jersey, set to open this summer to serve the New York metro area.

HOST:

Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. We are an independent, founder-controlled company of 132 people working together in an old pencil factory in New York City. Over 10 million people, from every continent on earth, have backed a Kickstarter project from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. To date, tens of thousands of creative projects — big and small — have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.

SPONSOR:

Like our namesake borough, the Brooklyn Brewery is made up of a rich collection of characters from all over the world. In our Williamsburg home, these characters are dedicated to brewing and selling great beer and enriching the communities we serve. Together, these Brooklyners have assembled the skills needed to transform a home brewing hobby into an independent brewery with a brand that has become an international beacon for good beer.

The post Food Waste Innovation appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Image source: Livemint

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

This week was full of investments in every sector — a true reflection of a recent report that found food startups gobbled up more than $3 billion globally in VC investment over the past year. Some major funding rounds include: Swiggy’s $210 million round, ezCater’s $100 million investment, Gotham Greens’ $29 million raise and Bossa Nova’s $29 million.

In other news, the FDA plans to hold a meeting about cultured food products, and the GOP is likely to sneak cuts to food stamps through the house farm bill this week.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. VCs Serve Up a Large Helping of Cash to Startups Disrupting Food – TechCrunch

Food startups gobbled up more than $3b globally in disclosed investment over the past 12 months. Some of the trends included plant-based and alternative proteins, robot chefs and sugar substitutes.

2. FDA to Hold Meeting About Cultured Food Products – Project Nosh

The meeting will discuss manufacturing, food safety, unique hazards that may exist with cultured food products, new control measures, evaluating substances used in product creation and labeling.

3. Innovative Plant-Based Food Options Outperform Traditional Staples – Food Navigator

Plant-based food options accounted for nearly 20% of food and beverage dollars spent last year. More than one-third of Americans say they are following a specific diet in 2018.

4. Indian Food Delivery Startup Swiggy Raises $210M at a $1.3B Valuation – TechCrunch

The investment was led by Naspers and DST Global. Others taking part in the round included Meituan Dianping and Coatue Management. The plan is to invest in extending its reach to new locations in India and build out its logistics network.

5. Urban Agriculture Startup Gotham Greens Closes $29M Round of Funding – Fortune

Creadev contributed to the round alongside existing investors, including Silverman Group. The company will use the funds to build out new greenhouse facilities, invest in R&D and expand distribution and its team.

6. Bossa Nova Just Raised Another $29M for Its Grocery Store Robots Used by Walmart – CNBC

Funding was led by Cota Capital, China Walden Ventures and LG Electronics. Bossa Nova will use the capital for software research and development, hiring and international expansion.

7. Boston’s ezCater Raises $100M to Take Its Corporate Catering Platform International – VentureBeat

Funding was led by Wellington Management Company and included previous investors Iconiq Capital and Insight Venture Partners.

8. Europe: Feed Raises $17.4M for Its Soylent-Like Food Products – TechCrunch

The round is being led by Alven and Otium Brands. New funding will allow the company to launch its product in new countries and sign new partnerships with supermarkets across Europe.

9. GoodBelly Lands $12M Round, Led By 301 Inc. – Project Nosh

Funding was led by 301 Inc, the venture arm of General Mills, with participation from Emil Capital Partners. The investment will go towards entering new retail channels and product innovation.

10. Italian Grocery Delivery Service Supermercato24 Picks Up €13M Series B – TechCrunch

Leading the round is FII Tech Growth, with participation from new investor Endeavor Catalyst, and current investors 360 Capital Partners and Innogest. New funding will be used to improve operations and product as well as to expand the service to new markets.

11. SnackNation Acquires Love With Food Snack Subscription Service – Food Business News

The company has acquired EdgiLife, a consumer insights and data analytics company, and its Love With Food healthy snack box subscription service. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

12. Why Costco’s Avocados Will Last Twice As Long – Food Dive

Apeel Sciences has developed technology that it claims could more than double the shelf life of the fruit. The company will apply its edible coating on avocados sold at Costco outlets nationwide, with plans on expansion to other retailers and regions soon.

13. Deere Legal Battle Highlights Race for $240B Farm Tech Market – Bloomberg

A legal battle between Deere & Co and AGCO Corp over gadgets related to precision agriculture is highlighting a race to automate farm work.

14. GOP Likely to Sneak Cuts to Food Stamps Through the House This Week – NY Mag

There are still ongoing fights over SNAP work requirements and farm subsidy limits, but one obstacle to the farm bill has fallen.

15. Chowbotics Raises $11M to Move Its Robot Beyond Salads – TechCrunch

Funding was led by the Foundry Group and Techstars. The new capital will be used to extend the company’s selection of foodstuffs beyond leafy greens and into grain bowls, breakfast bowls, poke bowls, açai bowls and yogurt bowls.

16. UK: Farmdrop Picks Up £10M Series B – TechCrunch

New investors include LGT Impact Ventures and Belltown Ventures. Previous backer Atomico also followed on. The farmer-friendly online grocery platform will use funding to further its UK expansion.

17. UK: Tropic Biosciences Raises $10M Series A for Tropical CRISPR Tech – AgFunder

Funding was led by Pontifax AgTech and Five Seasons Ventures, with participation from Tekfen Ventures, Emerald Technology Ventures and Bits x Bites. The startup is working on gene-editing technology to optimize coffee and banana crops.

18. Finless Foods Raises $3.5M Seed Round to Culture Bluefin Tuna – AgFunder

The round was led by Draper Associates, with participation from Softmatter VC, Starlight, The U-Start Club, Blue Horizon, Hemisphere Ventures, Babel Ventures, Yakumi Investment, Olive Tree Capital and Harrison Blue Ventures. It will allow the company to finish its R&D work and move onto commercial scale.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post FDA Meets About Culture Food Products, Food Startups Raise $3B Globally + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: Kroger

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

The year’s largest global food M&A deal was made by Conagra’s $10.9 billion acquisition of Pinnacle Foods. The combined companies now make up the fifth-largest packaged foods giant in the US. In other CPG news, Vita Coco acquired Runa for an undisclosed sum. The FDA has approved CBD-based drug Epidiolex, opening the floodgates for big pharma companies to enter the cannabis space.

Kroger has partnered with autonomous car company Nuro to test driverless cars for grocery delivery. Amazon has acquired PillPack for just under $1 billion in its first foray into healthcare.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Kroger to Bring Driverless Cars to Grocery Delivery – CNBC

America’s largest grocery chain is partnering with autonomous car company Nuro to introduce driverless cars to its grocery delivery. The partnership comes as grocery players continue to tackle the expensive challenge of last mile delivery.

2. FDA Approves Cannabis-Based Drug for Epilepsy – NBC News

Epidiolex is made using cannabidiol, known as CBD, but doesn’t contain THC. It will be used to treat rare and severe forms of epilepsy.

3. Vita Coco Owner All Market Inc. Acquires Energy Drink Brand Runa – FoodBev

Both Vita Coco and Runa will exist as independent companies under AMI after the acquisition is complete. Financial terms were not disclosed.

4. Behind Conagra’s $10.9B Deal for Pinnacle Foods: Why the Frozen Food Aisle Is Suddenly So Hot – Forbes

The year’s largest global food M&A deal gives renewed hope to both the frozen food aisle and the major packaged foods companies upended by upstart brands. The acquisition will make the combined company the fifth-largest packaged foods giant in the US.

4. FDA Approves Cannabis-Based Drug for Epilepsy – NBC News

Epidiolex is made using cannabidiol, known as CBD, but doesn’t contain THC. It will be used to treat rare and severe forms of epilepsy.

5. Amazon Buys PillPack, an Online Pharmacy, for Just Under $1B – TechCrunch

The move signals how heated the e-health market is becoming, and how Amazon views it as a key frontier in its bid to be the go-to place for anything a consumer might want or need in the area of healthcare.

6. Senate Passes Farm Bill with Incentives for Farmers to Build Soil Health, Sequester Carbon – AgFunder

These provisions include funding for a new USDA pilot project that will incentivize farmers, through payments, to adopt agricultural practices aimed at improving soil health and sequestering organic soil carbon.

7. BrightFarms Raises $55M in New Funding Round – Wall Street Journal

The Series D round is led by Cox Enterprises Inc, with participation from Catalyst Investors, WP Global Partners and NGEN Partners. The farm plans to expand a greenhouse network that grows produce close to metropolitan areas, reducing shipping costs.

8. Cannabis-Infused Beverages Emerge as Potential Beer Industry Disruptor – Brewbound

Lagunitas Brewing Company, which has a history with marijuana and is now wholly owned by Heineken International, announced the launch of two psychedelic sparkling water products.

9. Ceres Imaging Gets $25M to Intelligently Scan Crops from Above – TechCrunch

The round was led by Insight Venture Partners with participation from Romulus Capital.  The company will continue to expand their efforts.

10. China-US Trade Tariffs May Cut US Farm Exports by 40% – Bloomberg

US soybean, cotton, beef and cereal shipments to China may each drop by 50% in value. The price of imported soybeans may rise 5.9% and imported cotton prices may increase 7.5%.

11. China’s Meituan Dianping Files for Hong Kong IPO; Seeks Over $4B – Reuters

The online food delivery platform is aiming for a $60b valuation with the IPO, which is likely to list in October.

12. Zomato in Talks to Raise $400M in Fresh Funding at $2B Valuation – Deal Street Asia

Funding will largely come from existing investors Ant Financial and Temasek as well as Alibaba Group. The development comes as competitor Swiggy on Thursday announced closing $210m, the largest by a foodtech startup.

13. Amazon Will Finish Its Nationwide Rollout of Prime Member Discounts for Whole Foods This Week – TechCrunch

By the middle of this week, all Amazon Prime members will have access to discounts at Whole Foods Market stores across the US — finishing a nationwide rollout that’s part of the retailer’s master plan to dominate physical and virtual commerce in America.

14. Walmart-Led Blockchain Effort Seeks Farm-to-Grocery-Aisle View of Food Supply Chain – Wall Street Journal

Ten of the world’s biggest companies are building a blockchain to remake how the industry tracks food worldwide. The so-called Food Trust aims to improve recalls and reduce the time consumers are at risk of illness.

15. Canada: TouchBistro Finalizes $72M Series D Round – TechVibes

The round was led by OMERS Ventures and JPMorgan Chase. The startup will use funds to develop the next iteration of its operating system as well as new kinds of payment solutions.

16. Trump Wants to Move Food Stamps to a New Agency. That Could Make the Program Easier to Overhaul – The Washington Post

Thursday’s proposal would move the $70b SNAP program out of the Department of Agriculture and into a rebranded Department of Health and Human Services.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Kroger Brings Driverless Cars to Grocery, FDA Approves Cannabis-Based Epilepsy Drug + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: Forbes

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

CPG companies are on the move. Califia Farms is expanding its plant-based empire with a $50 million investment. Nature’s Path has officially left the Organic Trade Association, concerned by support of the GMO labeling law and hydroponics. Dirty Lemon has hopped on the CBD train. Nestle is in talks to acquire Canadian pet food maker Champion Petfood for more than $2 billion.

At Whole Foods, hundreds of layoffs have upset workers and led to calls for unionization. Under Amazon, Whole Foods has also drawn ire from its suppliers, especially small artisans that are hit especially hard by the higher fees and Prime discounts. Amazon has super-sized its second grab-and-go grocery store in Seattle, which is set to be 70% larger at 3,000 square feet.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Califia Farms Raises $50M+ to Expand Its Plant-Based Empire – Food Navigator

Ambrosia Investments, Sun Pacific and Stripes Group led the investment. The capital will be used to expand its manufacturing facility and further develop go-to-market capabilities for commercializing recent launches.

2. Nature’s Path Foods Leaves the Organic Trade Association – Baking Business

The move follows the company voicing concerns that the OTA has shifted its commitment away from organic products due to a misrepresentation of organic food companies, its support of a GMO labeling law and of hydroponics being allowed to fall under the organic certification label.

3. Dirty Lemon Just Hopped on the CBD Train with Its Latest Tropical-Inspired Elixir – Well + Good

The elixir—which is fit to tackle anxiety, diffuse stress, decrease muscle and joint pain, calm acne and improve sleep quality—includes 20mg of full-spectrum cannabidiol. Dirty Lemon aims to launch a new flavor every month.

4. Nestlé in Talks to Buy Pet Food Maker for $2B – Wall Street Journal

Nestlé SA is angling to take control of Canada’s Champion Petfood as it seeks out higher-growth businesses to help offset its struggling packaged foods operations.

5. Dean Foods Acquires Majority Share of Good Karma – Project Nosh

Dean Foods, one of the largest dairy companies in the US, has increasingly looked to diversify its portfolio beyond cow’s milk products and position itself further into the natural food space. Financial terms were not disclosed.

6. Singapore: Warburg Pincus-Backed Trax Raises $125M Pre-IPO Funding – Bloomberg

Funding was led by Boyu Capital. The IPO could take place in the next 18 to 24 months and the company is already in talks with both the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange. Trax is a startup serving the retail industry valued at $1b.

7. New Era at Amazon’s Whole Foods Grates on Some Suppliers, Employees – Wall Street Journal

Suppliers fight fees, while workers push to unionize a year after the merger.

8. DroneDeploy Raises $25M to Help Drone Operators Capture and Analyze Aerial Data – VentureBeat

Funding was led by the Invenergy Future Fund, with participation from Scale Venture Partners, Uncork Capital, Emergence Capital, AngelPad and AirTree. The company plans to invest heavily in AI.

9. Kimbal Musk Backs a Restaurant Chain That Charges Lower Prices in Poor Neighborhoods – CNBC

Investors including Kimbal Musk, Acumen, Maria Shriver, TOMS Social Enterprise fund and Chipotle are pouring $5.3m into Everytable, a health-minded fast casual restaurant. Its newly raised funds should help it grow in and beyond Los Angeles.

10. Target, Walmart Automate More Store Tasks – Wall Street Journal

Target is installing cash-counting machines, and Walmart is adding shelf-scanning robots. Both chains seek to free staff to help shoppers.

11. US Senate Votes to Legalize Hemp After Decades-Long Ban Under Marijuana Prohibition – Forbes

Senators overwhelmingly approved legislation to legalize marijuana’s non-psychoactive cannabis cousin, hemp.

12. Email Reveals Who’s Really Paying for Amazon Prime’s New Discount at Whole Foods: Vendors – New Food Economy

Any 10% discount on sale items offered to Prime customers will mandatorily be charged back to the vendor. This charge makes the hit that vendors already take on sale items even bigger.

13. Grocery Giants Tesco, Carrefour Team Up Amid Amazon Threat – Wall Street Journal

Two of the world’s largest grocers will jointly source certain products at lower prices, raise quality and broaden their product offerings. The 3-year agreement will give the pair more scale in negotiations with global suppliers.

14. Amazon Will Supersize Its Second Grab-and-Go Grocery in Seattle – Fortune

The new location will be 3,000 square feet, a 70% increase in size from the first store. The larger footprint may prevent the lines outside the checkout-free store.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Nature’s Path Foods Leaves the Organic Trade Association, Dirty Lemon Launches CBD Drink + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: True Food Kitchen

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

Celebrities are making moves in the food world. Oprah invested in True Food Kitchen, a healthy restaurant chain backed by Dr. Andrew Weil. Meanwhile natural food rockstar Walter Robb has joined S2G Ventures as an Exec-In Residence.

Hello, unicorns! Luckin Coffee, a 9-month old coffee company, is giving starbucks a run for its money in China. The startup has already opened 525 outlets across China’s major cities  and it recently closed a $200 million funding round at a $1 billion valuation. POS startup, Toast, raised $115 million at a $1.4 billion valuation, meaning the startup has also gained unicorn status.

In other news, as companies left the Grocery Manufacturers Association last year,  the U.S. divisions of Danone, Mars, Nestle and Unilever have launched their own association. The Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, they say, will advocate for progressive food policies.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Former Whole Foods Co-CEO Walter Robb Joins S2G Ventures as Exec-in-Residence – AgFunder

As an executive-in-residence, Robb will help S2G identify new investments and mentor portfolio entrepreneurs who are moving the food system toward sustainability and health.

2. True Food Kitchen, the Restaurant Chain Oprah Just Invested In, Explained – Eater

Oprah has invested an undisclosed amount in Phoenix-based True Food Kitchen, a healthy restaurant chain backed by Dr. Andrew Weil. She is also joining the board of directors.

3. A Startup Challenging Starbucks in China is Now Worth $1 Billion – Quartz

Luckin Coffee has opened 525 outlets across China’s major cities in just 9 months since launching. The startup closed a $200 million funding round giving it a $1 billion valuation.

4. Toast Raises $115M at a $1.4B Valuation to Create a One-Stop Management Tool For Restaurants – TechCrunch

T. Rowe Price led the round of funding in the POS system, with participation from Tiger Global Management, Bessemer, Generation Investment Management, and Lead Edge Capital.

5. Starbucks Swears Off Single-Use Plastic Straws for 2020 Deadline – Bloomberg

The company plans to eliminate plastic straws from its more than 28k locations globally. Exchanging them for alternative-materials and recyclable strawless lids will allow the coffee giant to remove more than 1b plastic straws from its locations per year.

6. Venture Capital Investing in Food Accelerating – Food Business News

Since 2013, F&B startups have raised $9.5b across 2.1k deals globally. Consumer demand for healthy, sustainable and personalized options has helped spark a surge in venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators focused on food and beverage.

7. Costco Changes Up Food Court Menu, but the $1.50 Hot Dog Deal Remains – The Seattle Times

The retail giant is selling new menu items meant to appeal to more health-conscious shoppers, but there’s no sign its long-standing dog deal is going away.

8. GrubMarket Gobbles up $32M Led by GGV For Its Healthy Grocery Ordering and Delivery Service – TechCrunch

The round of funding is a mixture of equity and debt led by GGV with participation from Fusion Fund, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Max Ventures,and others. The fund will be used to grow and make acquisitions ahead of its upcoming IPO.

9. Four of the World’s Largest Food Companies Have a New Plan For Fixing Food & Farm Policy – The Washington Post

A year after the GMA began to implode, the U.S. divisions of Danone, Mars, Nestle and Unilever have launched their own association. The Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, unveiled Thursday, says it will fight for progressive food policies — from conservation programs to prominent nutrition labels — that have long been eschewed by major food-makers.

10. Brava Hopes To Heat Up The ‘Smart Kitchen’ With a $995 Oven – Wired

The oven cooks uses infrared light, sensors, AI, and more to cook items faster than a conventional oven. The startup has also partnered with Chef’d to offer a food delivery service.

11. Following Farm Deal With General Mills, Midwestern BioAg Nabs $15M – Xconomy

The fertilizers, seed, and other biological product startups that it says can help farmers boost soil fertility, has raised capital from 3 private investors for product expansion with Genera Mills.

12. Farmers Business Network Invests in AgriSecure to Help Farmers Transition to Organic – AgFunder

The agribusiness marketplace and data platform has invested in AgriSecure, a Nebraskan startup that helps row crop farmers transition to organic farming.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

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Source: Chef’d

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

Meal kit company Chef’d officially shut down on Monday evening, laying off more than 350 employees. Despite the news, shares of Blue Apron have more than doubled since hitting a record low in April.

The debate over lab-grown meat is heating up again, this time between the USDA and the FDA. Meanwhile, Mosa Meat has raised $8.8 million with plans to launch in restaurants by the end of 2018.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Meal Kit Company Chef’d Suddenly Shut Down and Laid Off Its Hundreds of Employees – Business Insider

The company’s more than 350 workers have been laid off. News of the shut down came as a surprise after a series of major announcements and recent raise of $35m in 2017.

2. US Food Regulators Are Fighting Over Who Gets to Oversee Cell-Cultured Meat – Quartz

There’s a turf war unfolding between the USDA and the FDA.

3. Startup Producing Cell-Grown Meat Raises New Funding – The Wall Street Journal

Mosa Meat raised $8.8m from German drugmaker Merck KGaA and top European meat processor Bell Food Group.

4. McDonald’s Pulls Salads From Thousands of Restaurants as Parasite Outbreak Escalates – Fortune

McDonalds has stopped serving salads at 3,000 restaurants in 14 states following reports linking the dishes to an outbreak of intestinal parasites.

5. Sensient Technologies Acquires Mazza Innovation Addressing Growing Demand For Clean-Label Ingredients – Food Navigator

Sensient Technologies has acquired Mazza Innovation Limited, a botanical extraction technology firm based in Vancouver, Canada, strengthening its “seed to shelf” business strategy to innovate across the value chain for natural and organic ingredients.

6. Private Label Sales Dip For Grocers as Other Channels Threaten – Food Dive

Private brand performance across retail dramatically increased last year, posting sales of $138 billion in the US. Grocers took in $68b, a .1% decline compared to the prior year.

7. Blue Apron Makes a Comeback But the Street Isn’t Ready to Eat – Bloomberg

Shares of the subscription meal kit company have more than doubled since hitting a record low in April, and reached a five-month intraday high on Friday.

8. Israel: Trigo Offers Shoppers a Checkout-Free Experience Like Amazon Go – VentureBeat

The computer vision startup aims to bring checkout-less experiences to existing brick-and-mortar stores. It emerged from stealth last week with $7 million in seed funding from Hetz Ventures and Vertex Ventures Israel.

9. Kroger Rolls Out App to Spur Healthier Grocery Shopping – Supermarket News

Called OptUP, the free app provides users with a score indicating a product’s nutritional and/or health attributes to help consumers make better-for-you purchase decisions.

10. Giant Indoor Vertical Farm Backed by Chinese Firm Launching Just East of Las Vegas Strip – CNBC

Oasis Biotech plans to start deliveries next week and said it can produce about 9.5k servings of mixed salad per day for local restaurants and casinos.

11. Microbiome Start-up Nextbiotix Nets €7m to Address Gut-Related Disorders – NutraIngredients

French-based biotech start-up Nextbiotix has successfully raised €7m in a Series A financing round to develop microbiome-based approaches that address inflammatory bowel disease. Investors include Auriga Partners, Sofimac Innovation Innovation and more.

12. MatchaBar Closes Celebrity Backed $8M Funding Round – BevNET

The round was led by Diplo, Von Miller, Ansel Elgort and Billie Eilish. Funds will go towards expanding distribution, sales and the company’s marketing team as well as supporting the launch of its new energy drink, Hustle.

13. The Founders of Baby Food Startup Yumi Dish How to Get Funding When You’re Pregnant – Moneyish

An inside look at starting a business and raising capital while pregnant.

14. Spain: AmRest Invests in Spanish Delivery Startup Glovo – Bloomberg

AmRest, the Polish restaurant group, will invest $29m for a 10% stake in Spanish startup Glovo. The funding round offers the company the resources to seek further expansion abroad amidst growing pressure from the likes of Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Chef’d Shuts Down Abruptly, Lab-Grown Meat Debate Heats Up + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Increasing demand for healthy, sustainable and personalized options has disrupted the CPG space. Big food companies are losing market share to startups with more nimble business models, greater consumer focus and faster innovation cycles. Since 2013, food and beverage startups have raised $9.5 billion across 2,100 deals globally. From direct-to-consumer functional foods to plant-based ingredient innovations, startups are radically rethinking how food products are developed, packaged and sold.

Join us to hear from some of the game-changing startups who are rethinking consumer packaged goods at our August Food+Tech Meetup. Founders will do a deep dive into their business models, approaches to product development and lessons learned. We will also have networking with the community and lots of great food and drinks to sample from, RIND Snacks, Dafero, Lavva, The Worthy Company, Masienda, Egunsi Foods, Seek Food, DIRTY LEMON, Makku and Yolélé Foods.

SCHEDULE:
6:30 – 7:15pm: Networking
7:30 – 9:00pm: Presentations + Q&A
9:00 – 9:30pm: Networking

PRESENTERS:
Zak Normandin, Co-Founder & CEO of DIRTY LEMON
In 2015 Normandin launched DIRTY LEMON, the world’s first direct-to-consumer beverage brand that sells exclusively by text message. Backed by A-List celebrities and business leaders alike, DIRTY LEMON is recognized nationally by media leaders such as Vogue, Forbes and Fast Company. In developing this proprietary technology, Normandin built a conversational commerce platform that provides effortless transactions, bypassing existing distribution inefficiencies, to improve the customer’s experience.

Victor E. Friedberg, Executive Chairman, Lavva; Co-Founder, Seed 2 Growth Ventures (S2G); Founder and Chairman of FoodShot — MoonShots for Better Food
Victor has been at the forefront of innovation, global development and sustainability for over 20 years. As Co-Founder of S2G Ventures he has been a principal force in developing the S2G mission, culture, strategy and team. Through his work, he has pioneered system investing as a strategy for investing into food and agriculture and applied this approach in building the S2G portfolio. As Managing Director, Victor lead the S2G investments into Beyond Meat, sweetgreen, Ripple, Maple Hill Creamery, Apeel Science, Ataraxis, FishPeople and Lavva. As Executive Chairman at Lavva, Victor guides forward-looking business strategy to establish pathways to brand aligned sourcing, manufacturing and new product development. He works collaboratively with the management team at Lavva to provide support for key opportunities and needs for the day-to-day execution of the business as needed.

HOST:
Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. We are an independent, founder-controlled company of 132 people working together in an old pencil factory in New York City. Over 10 million people, from every continent on earth, have backed a Kickstarter project from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. To date, tens of thousands of creative projects — big and small — have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.

SPONSORS:
Like our namesake borough, the Brooklyn Brewery is made up of a rich collection of characters from all over the world. In our Williamsburg home, these characters are dedicated to brewing and selling great beer and enriching the communities we serve. Together, these Brooklyners have assembled the skills needed to transform a home brewing hobby into an independent brewery with a brand that has become an international beacon for good beer.

The post Rethinking CPG 2018 appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Are you changing the future of food?

Rabobank’s FoodBytes! is returning to the Big Apple on the hunt for the world’s most promising startups. Pitch to leading corporates, investors and media, get mentorship from industry experts and make life-long connections with fellow entrepreneurs.

Why Should You Apply?

• Pitch your business on a global platform in front of key investors, corporates and media
• Get one-on-one mentorship with industry experts in finance, PR, branding, consumer trends and legal matters
• Receive support, tools and resources to grow your business
• Join a tight-knit global community of startups (210 and counting)
• Receive a one year subscription to RaboResearch food and ag industry reports and analysis

The post FoodBytes! Returns to NYC – Apply to Pitch by August 12 appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: Supervalu

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

United Natural Foods announced this morning it will acquire Supervalu for $2.9 billion. The development promises to create a one-of-a-kind distributor to service the fast-growth natural and organic channel. Meanwhile, Walmart has just launched a pilot program to allow customers make grocery pickups with the help of an autonomous vehicle.

A week after abruptly shutting operations, Chef’d has been acquired by True Food Innovations, which will suspend its sprawling e-commerce offerings while it works to become profitable by selling the meal kits in stores.

Grubhub is acquiring LevelUp for $390 million cash, allowing it to deepen its integration with restaurants’ point-of-sale systems.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. UNFI to Acquire Supervalu for $2.9B – Food Dive

The move will expand UNFI’s perishables business and give it access to important new markets.

2. Chef’d Is Back in Business — but Not E-Business – Supermarket News

A week after shutting operations, meal kit company is acquired by True Food Innovations, a fresh food technology, CPG and manufacturing company. True Food will continue to sell its meal kits in grocery stores, but it will suspend its e-commerce offerings while it works to become profitable.

3. Grubhub Acquires Payments and Loyalty Company LevelUp for $390M – TechCrunch

Founder and CEO Matt Maloney stated the acquisition would allow Grubhub to deepen its integration with restaurants’ point-of-sale systems, allowing the company to handle more deliveries.

4. Plant-Based Innovation Burgeoning Beyond Protein – Food Business News

Global product introductions with plant-based claims grew at a compound annual rate of 62% between 2013 and 2017. While meat and dairy alternatives continue to drive new product development, colors, sweeteners and flavors derived from plants are burgeoning.

5. Trump’s USDA Announces $12B in Farmer Relief from His Tariffs. But What Are We Going to Do with All These Soybeans? – New Food Economy

The majority of the subsidies will go to soybean farmers. The direct payments are intended to bridge the gap until new trade partners are found.

6. Walmart to Test Self-Driving Cars for Grocery Pickup Service – NPR

Walmart and Waymo — formerly Google’s self-driving car project — announced on Wednesday the launch of a pilot program that will allow consumers to make their grocery pickups with the help of an autonomous vehicle.

7. Fungi-Based Meat Alternative Startup Raises $4.25M – Food Business News

Funding was led by True Ventures and Collaborative Fund. The company’s first product is a “salmon” burger. It plans to use the new capital to expand its team and develop more sustainable protein products.

8. Grocers Are Failing to Meet $20B Consumer Demand for Local Food – AgFunder

While the demand for local food has never been greater, many grocers are ill-equipped to serve customers who are willing to pay more for quality food that supports their local economy.

9. ACG Closes $350M Fund to Invest in ‘Rising Star’ Brands – Project Nosh

The private equity firm Alliance Consumer Growth previously invested in brands including Way Better Snacks, Krave, Suja and Clio. The firm will maintain its focus on emerging brands in the food, beverage, beauty and restaurant space.

10. JAB Holding to Acquire Insomnia Cookies – Food Business News

Through its Krispy Kreme Doughnut business, JAB Holding is acquiring the New York-based cookie delivery company for an undisclosed sum.

11. Jonathan Gold, Food Critic Who Celebrated L.A.’s Cornucopia, Dies at 57 – New York Times

The restaurant critic whose curious, far-ranging, relentless explorations of his native Los Angeles helped his readers understand dozens of cuisines and helped the city understand itself, died on Saturday.

12. Flash Boys on the Farm? Arms Race Is Unleashed Over Crop Data – Bloomberg

The USDA ended its decades-long policy of giving journalists data first, and instead posting directly on the web. The development is the latest sage for crop markets that have high-speed algorithms taking over slower human counterparts.

13. Trump’s USDA Fights Global Guidelines on Livestock Antibiotics – Bloomberg

The Trump administration is resisting the World Health Organization’s effort to sharply limit antibiotic use in farm animals, a move intended to help preserve the drugs’ effectiveness.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post UNFI Acquires Supervalu for $2.9B, Chef’d is Back in Biz + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: Groupon

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

Three major investments were made this week to challenge traditional players in the F&B space. Brandless scored $240 million from SoftBank’s Vision Fund. Apeel Sciences raised $70 million from Viking Hedge Funds. Bulletproof 360, the science-based food and beverage product maker, secured $40 million led by CAVU Venture Partners. In addition, Nestle is piloting its baby food line, Gerber, on the blockchain.

In retail news, a new study has found that online grocery shopping accounts for 5.5 percent of total grocery spending in the US. Kroger is capitalizing on this growth with the launch of its new delivery service, Kroger Ship.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. This No-Brand Startup Won $240M to Fight Amazon on Price and Quality – Bloomberg

SoftBank’s $100b Vision Fund invested in Brandless, valuing it at over $500m. The company sells about 300 home-goods staples, mostly for $3 each.

2. Nestlé Blockchain Test Traces Ingredients from Suppliers to the Mouths of Babes – Wall Street Journal

Nestlé SA is putting some of its Gerber baby food products on the blockchain, part of a wider food-industry exercise aimed at improving food recalls by using the technology behind bitcoin to trace ingredients worldwide.

3. Grocer Kroger Launches New Delivery Service – TechCrunch

Kroger Ship will allow shoppers to stock-up on necessary non-perishables and get deliveries as quick as the next day. It will first launch in cities across the Midwest and South.

4. Hedge Fund Viking Invests in Battle to Keep Avocados Ripe Longer – Bloomberg

The $26b firm led a $70m fundraising round for Apeel Sciences, which has now raised a total of $110m as it pitches its products to grocers. The latest investment will help accelerate the company’s work across avocado, citrus, berry, stone fruit and asparagus categories.

5. Bulletproof Secures $40M in Funding Led by Cavu Ventures – FoodBev

Other participants in the round included Trinity Ventures, an early Starbucks and Jamba Juice investor, and Silicon Valley Bank. Funding will go towards expanding its product line.

6. Online Grocery Reaches 5.5% of Total Sales – Food Dive

Nearly 30% of US households buy groceries online, and most of the near-term growth in online grocery spending will continue to come from this group. Over the past year, online shoppers increased their weekly online spending from 28% to 46%.

7. Starbucks Partners with Alibaba on Coffee Delivery to Boost China Business – TechCrunch

The partnership is wide-ranging and it will cover delivery, a virtual store and collaboration on Alibaba’s “new retail” Hema stores. Starbucks will work with Ele.me to allow customers to order and receive coffee without visiting a store.

8. US Foods to Buy Five Food Businesses for $1.8B – Wall Street Journal

The five businesses include Food Services of America Inc, Systems Services of America Inc, Amerifresh Inc, Ameristar Meats Inc and Gampac Express Inc. The companies together brought in $3.2b in net sales last year.

9. Grubhub Shuts Down Eat24 – Skift Table

The shutdown won’t be finalized until later this year, after the majority of Eat24 users have migrated over to Grubhub’s platform. Diners were not sufficiently attached to the Eat24 brand.

10. What Is a Genetically Modified Crop? A European Ruling Sows Confusion – New York Times

In Europe, plants created with gene-editing technologies will be stringently regulated as GMO’s. But older crops whose DNA has been altered will be left alone.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Brandless Raises $240M, Kroger Launches Grocery Delivery Service + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: DNA India

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

After 12 years of leading PepsiCo towards healthier brand strategy, CEO Indra Nooyi is stepping down from her role and being replaced by President Ramon Laguarta.

Albertsons has joined forces with Greycroft to launch a $50 million VC fund for grocery tech startups. As the demand for healthier and fresher food intersects with the desire of busy consumers for portion-sized grab-and-go items, the store perimeter is increasingly where it’s at for health-conscious snackers.

And finally, SoftBank has plans to pour $750 million into Zume, the maker of robot pizzas.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. PepsiCo’s Nooyi to Exit, Thinning the Ranks of US Female CEOs – Bloomberg

President Ramon Laguarta will take over the role in October, but Nooyi will remain as PepsiCo’s chairwoman until early 2019.

2. Albertsons and Greycroft Form Venture Fund for Grocery Tech Startups – The Spoon

The partnership has formed a $50m fund to invest in emerging companies and technologies in the grocery sector.

3. SoftBank in Talks to Invest Up to $750M in Zume, the Startup That Sells Robot-Made Pizza – Bloomberg

Zume owns a patent for delivery trucks capable of cooking food while it’s en route to customers. The investment shows SoftBank’s Vision Fund’s broader ambitions to attach itself to the food delivery businesses.

4. Fresh Snacking Makes the Perimeter Even More Central to Grocery Store Success – New Hope Network

As the demand for healthier and fresher food intersects with the desire of busy consumers for portion-sized grab-and-go items, the store perimeter is increasingly where it’s at for health-conscious snackers.

5. Flagship’s Latest Venture Inari Raises $40m Series B to “Transform Plant Breeding” – AgFunder

Inari has raised $40m in Series B funding from Acre Venture Partners and Alexandria Venture Investments. The company will use this funding to accelerate the business and add to its team of more than 80 scientists, statisticians, engineers and advisors.

6. Walmart and JD.com Invest $500M in a Chinese Online Delivery Company – CNBC

JD Daojia delivers goods from local supermarkets and other partners via a location-based smartphone app and has about 20m monthly active users.

7. Albertsons and Rite Aid Cancel Merger Amid Shareholder Opposition – Food Dive

Shareholders were set to vote on the acquisition today, but the deal was called off due to mounting opposition. For Albertsons, this marks yet another failed attempt at becoming a publicly traded company.

8. Alibaba Merging China Food Delivery Units to Counter Tencent-Backed Meituan – Reuters

The Alibaba units to be merged include food delivery platform Ele.me and food and lifestyle services firm Koubei. Alibaba is looking to raise between $3b and $5b for the combined entity.

9. Robot Coffee Chain Cafe X Is Almost Done Raising $12M – Crunchbase

Recent regulatory filings suggest that Cafe X is slurping down up to $12m in a Seed-1 led by Jason Calacanis and Craft Ventures.

10. Starbucks Drops Major Hint at Plans to Accept Bitcoin – TechCrunch

ICE officially announced the creation of Bakkt to help trade and convert the best known cryptocurrency to government-backed legal tender. Starbucks referred to itself as the flagship retailer involved in the project.

11. Good Catch Reels in Investment – Project Nosh

The plant-based seafood company announced the close of an $8.7m series A led by New Crop Capital with participation from PHW Group, Thrive Market and Fresh Direct. It plans to enter the retail market in the last quarter of 2018.

12. UK: RootWave Raises $2.5M for Herbicide Alternative – AgFunder

The company has raised $1m in seed funding from angel investors and The Yield Lab, as well as a $1.5m grant from the EU’s Horizons 2020 initiative. It is planning to launch next year by integrating its technology into automated weeders attached to tractors.

13. AgFunder Invests in Foodtech Startup Chinova Bioworks’ $2M Round With DSM, Rhapsody – AgFunder

Chinova Bioworks creates a customizable natural preservative using chitosan extracted from mushrooms. Funding will be used to scale production and build its team.

14. Focus Brands to Buy Jamba Juice for $200M – Nation’s Restaurant News

Atlanta-based Focus Brands is the parent company to Carvel, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon and Schlotzsky’s. Jamba Juice has more than 800 locations worldwide.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi Resigns, Albertsons & Greycroft Launch $50M VC Fund, Zume to Raise $750M + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: CNBC

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

We’re excited to announce the launch of  the Alpha Food Labs Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

A California jury ordered Monsanto to pay $289 million in damages to Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, a man dying of cancer, which he claims was caused by exposure to Roundup. This ruling may have opened the floodgates for thousands of plaintiffs with similar concerns. Farmer Business Network, the independent farmer-to-farmer network, is launching its own brand of seed and model for seed development and direct-to-farm distribution called F2F Genetics Network.

Constellation Brands announced a $4 billion investment in Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth. The biggest known deal in the marijuana industry shows just how far traditional alcoholic beverage companies are willing to go to find growth.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Join the Alpha Food Labs Community

We’re rethinking the way food is made, starting with community. The Alpha Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

2. Monsanto Was Just Ordered to Pay $289M to a Man Who Says Its Weed Killer Caused His Cancer – Vox

A former school groundskeeper claims Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup gave him terminal cancer. The jury order could open the floodgates for thousands of other pending lawsuits.

3. What Corona Owner’s $4B Bet on a Marijuana Firm Says About Pot’s Future – New York Times

Constellation’s investment in Canopy shows just how far traditional alcoholic beverage companies are willing to go to find growth.

4. Farmers Business Network Dives Into Seed – AgPro

Farmers Business Network is launching its own brand of seed and model for seed development and direct-to-farm distribution called F2F Genetics Network.

5. AgTech Investment and the Future of Food – All About Alpha

Finistere Ventures and Pitchbook teamed up to report 2018 Early-stage Agtech, a look into the earliest stages of an agtech portfolio company–the angel and seed stages. Seed-stage investing hit a record high in 2017, $89.5m divided among 86 deals.

6. Third Point, Campbell Heir Push Soup Maker to Sell – Wall Street Journal

Activist investor Third Point LLC is pushing for a sale of Campbell Soup Co with the help of an heir to the soup company’s founder. It spent more than $686m since mid-June, acquiring a 5.65% stake in Campbell.

7. Why Back to the Roots Inked a Historic Partnership with Nature’s Path to Bring Organic Cereals to Every School in America – Food+Tech Connect

Back to the Roots explains why it entered a licensing deal with Nature’s Path and how they plan to scale their organic cereal line to schools nationwide.

8. Aldi Stores Are Getting a $5.3B Update  — and the Result Is Almost Unrecognizable – Business Insider

Chuck Eggert will soon open Basics Market, a natural store that seeks to take health, education and meal assembly to the next level.

9. Fighting Food Waste, Full Harvest Raises $8M to Bring Excess Produce to Commercial Buyers – TechCrunch

The San Francisco startup has closed an $8.5m series A round led by Spark Capital, with Cultivian Sandbox Ventures joining the round.

10. Kroger to Sell Groceries on Alibaba Site in China – Wall Street Journal

Kroger will open an online storefront on Alibaba’s Tmall Global site with an initial product offering that includes dietary supplements and private-label products, much of it natural and organic goods.

11. BlueNalu Raises $4.5M As It Aims to Create Seafood from Fish Cells – FoodBev

New Crop Capital served as lead investor and was joined by a coalition of 25 venture organizations and individuals. Funding will allow the company to aggressively develop its technology platform and commercialization strategy.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Monsanto’s $289M Verdict, Corona Owner Bets $4B on Marijuana + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: Sodastream

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

We’re excited to announce the launch of  the Alpha Food Labs Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

After last week’s announcement of Indra Nooyi’s planned resignation, PepsiCo announced two major developments prior to her leave: a $3.2 billion buy out of Sodastream and the launch of its internal incubator, The Hive.

In restaurant news, DoorDash raised $250m led by Coatue Management and DST Global, tripling its value at $4 billion in less than 5 months. In its first venture into the startup space, Chipotle has launched an accelerator focused on alternative farming, agriculture technology, food waste and plant-based alternatives.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Join the Alpha Food Labs Community

We’re rethinking the way food is made, starting with community. The Alpha Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

2. PepsiCo to Buy SodaStream for $3.2B – Bloomberg

PepsiCo plans to extend the company synonymous with sugary sodas into the homes of more health-conscious consumers. The deal is likely CEO Indra Nooyi’s last transaction.

3. Food Delivery Startup DoorDash Nearly Triples Its Value in About 5 Months to $4B – CNBC

The company raised $250m led by Coatue Management and DST Global, valuing it at $4b. It plans to use the funds to expand to every city in the US and Canada, as well as to grow the number of restaurants on its platform.

4. Chipotle Is Launching a Food and Farm Tech Accelerator Program – The Verge

The program, called the Chipotle Aluminaries Project, will be focused on alternative farming, agriculture technology, food waste and plant-based alternatives.

5. Amazon’s Ripple Effect on Grocery Industry: Rivals Stock Up on Startups – New York Times

Boxed has raised $110m from Aeon Group, one of the largest retail chains in Japan, alongside Alpha Square Group and CDIB. The company’s state-of-the-art fulfillment centers feature a custom software system and roving bands of autonomous carts.

6. PepsiCo Is Creating a New Unit to Develop Smaller Brands – Fortune

The Hive will foster smaller brands that already exist within the company like Maker Oats and Stubborn Soda, as well as create new ones that play on emerging trends.

7. Here’s Why You Need to Pay Attention to Cava’s $300M Acquisition of Zoes Kitchen – CNBC

The $300m acquisition is led by Act III Holdings, headed by Ron Shaich, the founder and former CEO of Panera Bread. With this deal, Cava is poised to become the dominant player in Mediterranean cuisine.

8. Minneapolis-Based Office Catering Company Foodsby Raises Over $13M – Crunchbase

The Series B round was led by five undisclosed investors. Prior investors included Greycroft, Corazon Capital, Rally Ventures and Come Up Capital.

9. Denmark: Simple Feast Raises $12M from Balderton and 14W to Expand Its Weekly Meat-Free Meal-Box Deliveries – TechCrunch

Existing investors Sweet Capital and ByFounders also participated in the round.

10. Millennials Are Obsessed with Raising Plants, and One New York-Based Startup Is Poised to Capitalize – Business Insider

The Sill, a direct-to-consumer plant seller, just closed a $5m round of funding led by Raine Ventures. It is now looking to expand its reach into outdoor plants and target new customers.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post PepsiCo Buys SodaStream for $3.2B, DoorDash’s $4B Valuation, Chipotle Launches Accelerator + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

PetPlate is a direct-to-consumer human grade pet food company that delivers ready-to-eat, nutritious pet food designed by veterinarians and made by chefs. In May 2018, it closed a $4 million seed round led by Dane Creek Capital to scale operations and meet demand. CEO Renaldo Webb joined us at our Fail Friday this past June to share his stories of failure and lessons learned.

Renaldo founded PetPlate because he wanted to be able to feed his real food. After making hundreds of batches of home-cooked food for his dog Winston and his pup pals, Renaldo launched PetPlate as a nationwide subscription service in early 2017, following an appearance on the hit TV show Shark Tank.

Renaldo’s Fail Friday story begins as he’s scaling the company after raising pre-seed funding through Shark Tank. He and his investors decided it was time to expand the company’s manufacturing from a local commercial kitchen to working with a co-packer.

He honed in on three major failures and lessons learned:

1. Not having the right specs for PetPlate’s co-packer was a huge challenge. Ultimately this really comes down to learning what works at a small scale and what the startup’s customers loved, so as not marry them with a process that can’t deliver the experience its customers want.
2. PetPlate tried doing too much at once in the process of scaling bench-top formulations to something it could commercialize.
3. PetPlate moved too fast, especially when it came to finding its co-packer. He learned it’s important to take time to find the right co-packer and to cultivate a good relationship with them. Ultimately, PetPlate was able to find the right co-packer that met its needs and allow them to focus on what was important to the company’s mission: the quality of ingredients.

You can see videos of other presenters at our Fail Friday here.

The post PetPlate on Scaling Smarter appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: Nikkei Asian Review

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

We’re excited to announce the launch of  the Alpha Food Labs Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

Nestle SA is currently testing a personalized nutrition program in Japan that blends artificial intelligence, DNA testing and the modern obsession with Instagramming food. The program provides users with a year of capsules for up to $600 that make teas, smoothies and vitamin-fortified snacks. In a major undoing of former CEO Denise Morrison’s strategy, Campbell Soup has announced the abandonment of its international and fresh food businesses.

In retail news, a partnership between the startups AutoX and GrubMarket has launched an autonomous grocery delivery service in San Jose, California. The second Amazon go store has officially opened in Seattle. Kroger and Instacart have increased their reach by 50 percent, making Instacart available to 70% of US households.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Join the Alpha Food Labs Community

We’re rethinking the way food is made, starting with community. The Alpha Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

2. Nestle Wants Your DNA – Bloomberg

The “Nestle Wellness Ambassador” program blends AI, DNA testing and the modern obsession with Instagramming food. It is currently being piloted in Japan, where users get personalized capsules and a home kit to provide blood samples.

3. Campbell Soup Plans to Sell International and Fresh Food Businesses, Remains ‘Open’ to Sale – CNBC

The company is selling its fresh food business, including Bolthouse Farms, as well as its Arnott’s and Kelsen brands overseas. The sales will help it pay down the debt left behind from its $6.1b acquisition of Snyder’s Lance earlier this year.

4. Self-Driving Snacks? Grocery Delivery Becomes a Test of Autonomous-Vehicle Technology – MIT Technology Review

A partnership between the startups AutoX and GrubMarket will transport produce and snacks to your doorstep via autonomous vehicle—if you live in California.

5. Kroger Plans Major Expansion with Instacart – Supermarket News

The companies plan to bring Instacart same-day delivery to another 500 Kroger Co supermarkets by late October, growing its reach by 50%.

6. Amazon Opens Its Second Amazon Go Convenience Store – TechCrunch

The store has opened in Seattle and will feature a range of ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options, as well as Amazon’s Meal Kits.

7. Craft-Beer Company Taps Streaming Service for Growth – Wall Street Journal

BrewDog, a Scottish beer company, is launching a subscription video service for $4.99 a month.

8. High-Tech Meat May Make It to Market Faster Thanks to an Industry Truce – Quartz

Memphis Meats and the North American Meat Institute asked Trump to move forward with a plan that would have the USDA and FDA share joint oversight over cultured meat products.

9. Water Startup Mitte Lands $10.6M From Danone Manifesto Ventures – BevNET

The Berlin-based startup is preparing to launch its first product next year: a tabletop system that infuses water with different levels of minerals through the use of custom cartridges. It is set to roll out in three US cities starting sometime next year.

10. Another Food Delivery Startup, Foodsby, Rakes in Venture Capital Funding – TechCrunch

The $13.5M Series B was led by Piper Jaffray Merchant Banking, with participation from  Greycroft Partners, Corazon Capital and Rally Ventures. With the new capital, Foodsby plans to expand to 15 to 25 new markets.

11. Canada: Enterra Feed Eyes World’s Largest Insect Farm in Wake of Series B Raise – AgFunder

The company announced its latest round of funding and plans to construct three new insect factories in the Canada and the US. The Cibus Fund led the round.

12. AgTech IoT Startup TeleSense Raises $6.5M to Help Prevent Food Spoilage – The Spoon

The funding was led by Finistere Ventures, with participation from Congruent Ventures, Maersk Growth, Rabobank’s Food & Agri Innovation Fund, Radicle Growth and Trailhead Capital. It will now invest in R&D of its GrainSafe AI platform and build out channels for international expansion.

13. The Winners and Losers of Trump’s Tariff Bailout – Mother Jones

The biggest beneficiaries by far will be soybean and hog producers, who USDA officials projected would receive $3.6b and $290m in cash payments.

14. Zippin Opens Cashierless Store in San Francisco – VentureBeat

Zippin has beat Amazon Go to become the first cashierless store in the city.

15. The $700B Case to Fight Food Waste – Fast Company

A new report shows how astronomical the benefits would be if we took some commonsense steps to ending food waste.

16. The Locol Revolution Is On Hold – Eater

Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi have closed all stores due to financial barriers, and will focus on catering.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Nestle Personalizes Nutrition With DNA, Campbell’s Abandons Fresh + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

Source: Yahoo! Finance

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

A group of Whole Foods employees sent out an email to workers at most of the 490 Whole Foods stores urging them to back their unionization drive, sparked by changes to corporate culture and diminished compensation under the ownership of Amazon. They are pushing Whole Foods and Amazon for better compensation, benefits and profit-sharing.

Farmer’s Fridge has raised $30 million led by Innovation Endeavors to scale its salad vending machines, bringing its total raised to $40 million.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

_______________

1. Join the Alpha Food Labs Community

We’re rethinking the way food is made, starting with community. The Alpha Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

2. Whole Foods Workers Push to Unionize – Wall Street Journal

Some Whole Foods employees want to unionize to address what they say are changes to corporate culture and diminished compensation under the ownership of Amazon. Workers want better compensation, benefits and profit-sharing.

3. Farmer’s Fridge Stocks up with $30M – The Spoon

Funding was led by Innovation Endeavors, with participation from Finistere Ventures, GreatPoint Ventures, and Danone Manifesto Ventures. New capital will be used to scale the business.

4. West~bourne’s Camilla Marcus on Her Failure to Launch [VIDEO]

West~bourne founder Camilla Marcus joined us at our Fail Friday this past June to share her stories of failure and lessons learned.

5. Uber Freight Launches New Platform Just for Shippers – Supply Chain Dive 

The digital platform is specifically targeted at shippers, enabling them to obtain instant pricing, tender a load, track their shipments and manage documents.

6. Walmart Partners with Delivery Logistics Platform Bringg on Last-Mile Grocery Delivery – TechCrunch

After announcing the launch of its last-mile delivery pilot program, Spark Delivery, the retailer’s newest partnership with Bringg will allow it to offer Uber-like or Amazon-like level of visibility to its delivery operations.

7. Here’s Why Coca-Cola Is Buying Costa Coffee for $5.1B – Fortune

While Costa does not compete in the US market, it is the UK’s leading coffee chain and operates several hundred outlets in China. Its parent company, Whitbread, also operates the Premier Inn hotel chain.

8. Sentera Raises $14M Series A from Syndicate of Leading Agtech Investors – AgFunder

Funding was led by S2G Ventures, with participation from Continental Grain Company and Middleland Capital. The company will use the funds to bolster its distribution channels, focusing on its existing partnerships.

9. Canters Restaurant Royalty Raises $9.5M for Ordermark, a Takeout Order Management Service – TechCrunch

Investors included Nosara Capital, with participation from Vertical Venture Partners, RiverPark Ventures, Techstars Ventures, and Matchstick Ventures. With the new capital the company is looking to expand into most of the major metropolitan areas in the US.

10. Picnik Raises $7.5M from KarpReilly – BevNET

The move will grow both the brand’s CPG and cafe businesses.

11. Bear Flag Robotics Raises $3.5M Seed Round to Automate Common Tasks on the Farm – AgFunder

True Ventures led the round, which will help Bear Flag grow its team with the most qualified robotics, machine vision and system engineers in Silicon Valley.

Our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector, so sign up for it today and never miss the latest food tech and innovation news and trends, Already signed up? Share the love with your friends and colleagues!

The post Whole Foods Workers Call to Unionize, Farmer’s Fridge Raises $30M + More appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

After a successful launch in Europe, PepsiCo is bringing its Nutrition Greenhouse to the US and Canada. The initiative is designed to discover and support emerging food and beverage brands that are helping to transform the industry.

Via an online application process, PepsiCo will select ten food and beverage change-making start-ups in North America and Canada.

The program builds on the European version of Nutrition Greenhouse, launched last year, which saw eight start-ups grow their sales fourfold during the six-month program. It is now into its second year, with 10 start-ups currently in the program.

Accelerator Benefits

•  One-on-one mentorship program with PepsiCo executives and brand accelerator experts, whose expertise will work with start-ups to overcome challenges in marketing, distribution, manufacturing, supply chain, packaging, label claims, fundraising or other elements of their business.
• $20,000 in grant funding and will participate in a six-month business optimization program designed to accelerate growth.
• Personalized mentorship with executives from some of PepsiCo’s brands, including Quaker, Naked, KeVita, Stacy’s, Red Rock Deli and Off the Eaten Path.
• At the end of the program, one start-up will be awarded an additional $100,000 in funding to continue its expansion, and an opportunity to continue partnering with PepsiCo to further its growth.

Apply Today

Start-ups hoping to be considered for the program should have sales between $250,000 and $5MM and must apply by the October 12, 2018 deadline.

For more information and full details go to www.nutritiongreenhouse.com 

The post Apply to PepsiCo’s US Nutrition Greenhouse Accelerator by Oct 10 [Sponsored] appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.

The gender gap is pervasive across the food industry. Women make the majority of food-purchasing decisions and represent nearly half the entry-level workforce in the food industry, yet less than a fourth of executives are women and even fewer are women of color. Women are less likely to raise capital and start food companies than men. Beyond the lack of financial support is a widespread lack of recognition and respect, which at times can go so far as sexual harassment and abuse. What can be done to move forward and uplift the women who are transforming our food system?

Join us for a discussion on the unique ways women are transforming our food system with Elly Truesdell of Canopy Foods, Valerie Christy of Almanac Insights, Jessamyn Rodriguez of Hot Bread Kitchen and Kimberly Chou of Equity at the Table & Food Book Fair.

Come network with the community and enjoy food and drinks from women-owned businesses, including: Zaam Root, The White Moustache, Eat Offbeat, Mohawk Drumlin Creamery, Sun for Soul, Pilot Kombucha, NYrture, Aida and Ulli’s Oil Mill!

Are you a female or gender non-conforming innovator? Add your name to the list: http://bit.ly/womxninfood

SCHEDULE:
6:30pm – 7:30pm: Networking, Snacks + Drinks
7:30pm – 9pm: Roundtable
9pm-9:30pm: Networking, Snacks + Drinks

PANELISTS:
Elly Truesdell, Chief Strategy Officer, Canopy Foods
Elly Truesdell is Chief Strategy Officer of Canopy Foods, a Food Production Studio that offers manufacturing services and creative capital to craft unforgettable foods and build defensible brands. Truesdell built her career over 9 years at Whole Foods Market. Most recently as Global Director of Local Brands, Product Innovation & Development, Elly led strategic partnerships for local purchasing programs across the company. She offers expertise in brand development, food trends and product innovation, grown from nine years of leadership in buying and marketing at Whole Foods. Elly holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of Virginia, and moved into the food industry after volunteering on an organic vegetable farm, in Sudbury, Massachusetts. She sits on the Board of Canopy Foods, as a mentor to FOOD-X and the Chobani Food Incubator and acts as advisor to Agbotic, and Wellness in the Schools.

Valerie Christy, Senior Associate, Almanac Insights
Valerie Christy is a Senior Associate at Almanac.  After initially enrolling in the Blue Hill at Stone Barns FARMS Program in 2014, she continued to manage special projects at Blue Hill, ranging from the launch of Blue Hill’s first nationally distributed CPG product to Blue Hill’s wastED pop-ups in both New York and London. Through managing Blue Hill Yogurt—a line of savory, 100% grass-fed yogurts—Valerie experienced firsthand both the opportunities and the challenges facing early-stage food and beverage companies. Valerie launched Almanac in January 2018 with David Barber.

Jessamyn Rodriguez, Founder & CEO, Hot Bread Kitchen
Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez is an entrepreneur and leader in the social enterprise movement. Before launching Hot Bread Kitchen, Jessamyn focused on human rights, education and immigration issues in positions at NGOs, the government and the United Nations. After receiving her Master Baker Certificate from the New School and becoming the first female baker at Daniel Boulud’s eponymous restaurant, she launched Hot Bread from her home kitchen in 2007. Jessamyn has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Global Citizen Award from the Clinton Global Initiative and Crain’s New York’s “40 Under 40.” She was named a 2016 Women of Influence by NY Business Journal and one of 2015’s “Most Innovative Women in Food” by Food & Wine and Fortune magazines. Jessamyn is the author of The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook, published by Clarkson Potter and named Yahoo Food’s Best Cookbook of the Year in 2015.

Kimberly Chou, Co-Director, Food Book Fair; Advisory Board Member, Equity at the Table
Kimberly Chou Tsun An is a writer, curator and event producer who lives in New York. Her writing — from interviews with rapper Nicki Minaj and painter Ellsworth Kelly to literary criticism — has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, Refinery29, and Art in America. She co-directs Food Book Fair, a festival that explores contemporary issues in and around food, with an emphasis on amplifying the voices of women of color and queer folks in media.

MODERATOR:
Danielle Gould, Founder & CEO, Food+Tech Connect; Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Alpha Food Labs

HOST:

Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. We are an independent, founder-controlled company of 132 people working together in an old pencil factory in New York City. Over 10 million people, from every continent on earth, have backed a Kickstarter project from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. To date, tens of thousands of creative projects — big and small — have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.

SPONSORS:

Like our namesake borough, the Brooklyn Brewery is made up of a rich collection of characters from all over the world. In our Williamsburg home, these characters are dedicated to brewing and selling great beer and enriching the communities we serve. Together, these Brooklyners have assembled the skills needed to transform a home brewing hobby into an independent brewery with a brand that has become an international beacon for good beer.

The post Women Innovating Food appeared first on Food+Tech Connect.