In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Perfeggt, a foodtech company that produces plant-based egg products, announced that it raised $2.8 million in its seed round.
- Rothschild Group announced that it is raising a $250 million venture fund dedicated to foodtech companies with PeakBridge VC. The proposed fund would become one of the largest foodtech funds globally.
- Meati, an alternative-meat producer, has appointed Scott Tassani, a General Mills executive, as its president to bring the company's product to market in 2022.
- Beck Flavors predict that fruit, botanical, and fresh flavors will drive flavor trends in 2022.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
This week's featured program is Lotus Bakeries.
- Belgium-based Lotus Bakeries, owner of the Nakd snack bar and BEAR snacks brands, launched an incubator fund called Fast Forward 2032 ("FF2032") in July 2019.
- FF2032 invests in emerging U.S. and EU-based brands and growth companies within the food and beverage industry, particularly those innovating in the fields of sustainability and food technology.
- FF2032 has acquired minority stakes in the following companies:
- Oot Granola, a Netherlands based organic granola start-up
- Partake, a U.S. brand of gluten-free and allergen-friendly cookies
- Peter's Yard, a British brand of artisanal sourdough crackers, crispbread, and crisps
- Love Corn, a U.S. brand of crunchy corn snacks
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- VanEck Launches YUMY, a New Agri-Food Tech and Innovation ETF
- Nuritas Raises $45 Million to Scale Plant- and Food-Sourced Peptide Platform
- New Culture Closes on $25 Million Series A in Support of Animal-Free Cheese
- Umamicart Bags $6 Million to Deliver Traditional Asian Ingredients Right to Your Home
- Instant Grocery Delivery Startup JOKR Bags Another Huge Round to Enter Unicorn Status
- Mirae Leads $500 Million Funding Round for Impossible Foods
- Perfeggt Brings in First Capital to Shell Out Plant-Based Egg Alternative
- Rothschild Group Launching $250 Million Foodtech Fund With PeakBridge VC
- Meati Hires General Mills Exec to Smooth Its Path to Market in 2022
- Fruit, Botanical, and Fresh Flavors Dominate 2022 Flavor Trends, Says Beck Flavors
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Naturally Los Angeles Officially Launches
Naturally Los Angeles, a community organization dedicated to fostering sustainable business practices and conscious growth across the natural products industry in greater Los Angeles, has formally launched and is looking to bring in new members who will guide the future of the industry locally. Board members at the helm of the organization's inaugural year feature entrepreneurial luminaries including:
- Vanessa Dew, Co-Founder of Health-Ade Kombucha
- Eugene Kang, Co-Founder of Country Archer
- Natasha Case, CEO of Coolhaus
- Greg Fleishman, Investor and Co-Founder of Foodstirs Junk-Free Bakery.
Working With Walmart:
Omni-Channel and the Road to Bentonville
Thursday, December 9, 2021 | 2:00 p.m. MT
LJoin Naturally Chicago and Naturally Network for this free webinar that will provide game-changing insights for brands seeking placement with mega-retailer Walmart. The event will feature leaders from New Nexus Group, a broker whose success is built around helping businesses secure relationships with Walmart, and producers who have succeeded in working with the mega-retailer.
Speakers:
- Tim O'Brien and Luke Briggs, New Nexus Group
- Rebecca Alvandi, Arber
- Silencia Cox, Motherlove Herbal Company
- Nic Keneipp, Happi Foodi
- Joe Zielinski, Roncadin
- Jim Slama (Moderator), Naturally Chicago
Naturally Boulder Programming Event: I Swam with the Sharks... and Survived!
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. PST
What is it like to swim in the Shark Tank? Join us to hear from Naturally Boulder members who have appeared on the hit TV show and lived to tell about it!
Featured Panelists:
- Dustin Finkel, CEO & Founder at Awakened Foods
- Lindsey Cunningham and Ryan Cunningham, RollinGreens
At DWT, we are proud to have one of the largest Food + Beverage legal practices in the country, with over 40 attorneys representing food innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors at every level of the food chain, from Farm to Label.
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DWT will continue to provide up-to-date insights and virtual events regarding COVID-19 concerns. Our most recent insights, as well as information about recorded and upcoming virtual events, are available at www.dwt.com/COVID-19.