In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Ferrero announced that it plans to buy Power Crunch, a protein snacks brand, for an undisclosed sum.
- AISPRID, an autonomous tomato deleafer startup, announced that it raised 10 million Euros in Series A financing.
- Project Eaden, an alternative meat startup, raised 15 million Euros in its Series A round.
- KisanKonnect, an India-based agritech company, raised $4.5 million in Series A financing.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is Amberstone.
- Based in California, Amberstone supports ambitious entrepreneurs who want to grow their consumer product brands by using comprehensive data analysis and leveraging its extensive experience in consumer goods.
- With global performance, BRF builds brands considering the particularities of each market.
- Amberstone's mission/investment philosophy:
- Build a healthier and more sustainable ecosystem.
- Cultivate an environment where entrepreneurs, investors, brands and consumers achieve positive outcomes through enduring partnership.
- Some of Amberstone's food and beverage partners include the following:
- Bloom
- Cleveland Kitchen
- MUSH
- Javy
- Partake Brewing
- Honey Mama's
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Misha's Inc. Expands Portfolio with Vertage Acquisition
- PepsiCo Finalizes Acquisition of Siete Foods
- Pictor Biotech Creates 'Biomanufacturing Powerhouse' in New Deal
- Nexture Bio Acquires Matrix Food Technologies, Inc. to Increase Offerings of Animal-Component-Free Enabling Technologies
- Farmland PE Firm Homestead Strikes Strategic Partnership with Kudu Investment Management
- New International Ag Alliance Launches to Harness Land Expertise in Cross-Border Deals
- Non-GMO Project Debuts Label Highlighting Foods Without Ultra-Processed Ingredients
UPCOMING EVENTS

Every Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday from 11:00 am - 12:15 pm PT
A series of in-depth conversations exploring the financing and mindset journeys of CPG companies, featuring CPG founders and industry experts. This event is FREE for all who register, allowing access to both the live events and the recordings through to May 31, 2025.
Naturally Colorado
Beyond the Booth: A Blueprint for Creating Unforgettable Tradeshow Experiences
Tuesday, February 4 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. MT
Location: New Hope Network, 1710 29th St, Suite 2044, Boulder, CO
It's 2025 and you're gearing up for an exciting year of trade shows, both big and small! As events like Natural Products Expo West fast approach, hear from the experts about what works and maybe doesn't work so well when you're designing your booth, connecting with buyers, and executing your overall trade show strategy. From scrappy recommendations if you don't have a ton of cash, to blowing it out of the water with your sell sheets and boothsmanship, we'll cover it all with lots of time for Q&A.
Speakers:
- Chennelle Diong, CEO and Founder of GoodLove Foods
- Rob Dunsworth, Senior Vice President and Head of Sales at The Better Being Co.
- Henry Hughes, EVP of Marketing at Bobo's
- Andy Whitman, Managing Partner at Loft Growth Partners
Naturally New York
Hiring Brokers and Employees from A to Z
Tuesday, February 4 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
The challenges of managing sales brokers and hiring professional employees are trials for every natural products business. It can be particularly difficult to maneuver and execute these processes for early-stage companies looking to gain and build market share. Finding the right firms and people to represent your budding product line so you can launch and build your brands successfully are critical tests for success!
Join CEO Lewis Goldstein and VP of Sales Read McNamara Jr. of Maine Crisp/Better with Buckwheat, alongside Brian Curry and Philip Veas of Fairfield Partners, as they discuss how Maine Crisp navigated and overcame their challenges.
Speakers:
- Brian Curry, Managing Partner at Fairfield Partners
- Lewis Goldstein, CEO of Maine Crisp Company
- Philip Veas, Managing Partner at Fairfield Partners
- Read McNamara, Director of Sales at Maine Crisp Company
Naturally Chicago
Compass Group: Selling to Foodservice 101
*Members Only*
Tuesday, February 4 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CT
Join Naturally New England and Compass Group for an amazing opportunity to learn from the largest foodservice company in the world about how to sell to them.
Compass Group provides food for many of the largest companies and venues in the world; its clients include hospitals, universities and other schools, stadiums and corporate campuses. They are increasingly sourcing CPG products.
Click here to sign up as a member of Naturally Chicago, and then register for the event.
Naturally San Diego
Coffee + Convos
Friday, February 7 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PT
Location: Jimbo's Carmel Valley, 12841 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA
Kick off 2025 with your fellow San Diego natural products community members for an in-person meet up. Meet Jimbo's staff and hear from Jimbo's leadership during the program. This is your chance to meet, mingle and talk shop with one another while enjoying your morning coffee.
Naturally New England
Members Exclusive Online Workshop: Understanding Cap Tables & Dilution
Monday, February 10 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
If you think cap tables are just for your legal team to figure out, think again. Join Jeremy Halpern, Co-Chair of Nutter's Emerging Companies Group and its Food and Beverage Group, to learn how the decisions you make about early-stage equity investment can have long-term consequences for your ownership, control, and ability to raise future rounds. This workshop breaks it all down so you're not left in the dark.
Here's what you'll learn in this free training:
- How to calculate fully diluted pre-money equity capitalization
- The impact of pre-money valuation, incentive equity pools, and anti-dilution rights on your bottom line
- How participating preferred structures, dividends, SAFEs, and convertible notes affect your cap table
- Practical tips for using excel to build a clear, transparent model for your cap table
Take the guesswork out of fundraising decisions. With these tools and insights, you'll be equipped to approach early-stage investments with confidence, ensuring the best outcomes for you and your stakeholders.
Naturally Colorado
Women in CPG: a Galentine's Celebration
Tuesday, February 11 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. MT
Location: Park Hill Innovation Hub, 4800 Dahlia St., Denver, CO
Whether you're a founder, brand leader, service provider, or curious about the CPG industry, this event is designed to foster meaningful relationships, inspire growth within our industry, and empower women in the natural and organic industry.
Inspired by Parks & Rec's Leslie Knope and her iconic Galentine's Day tradition, this Naturally Colorado gathering will focus on the power of building success together with our local Women in CPG community. Naturally Colorado Board Chair, Carlotta Mast, will share her insights on the power (and joy!) of kinship and reciprocity and guide us through an engaging exercise where participants can share a current need, an offer to contribute, or a way they can support one another.
Naturally Minnesota
2025 Capital Access Workshop
Wednesday, February 12 | 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT
Location: SHAKE at the Coliseum, 2708 East Lake Street, Suite 200A, Minneapolis, MN
Are you an entrepreneur looking to explore more options for funding your business? Dive into this capital access education workshop that will cover the wide array of funding options that are appropriate for each stage of a company, from pre-revenue to over $1 Million. You'll have the chance to learn from industry experts, connect with local financing leaders, and take the next step to growing your natural product, tech, or agriculture-based business.