In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Conagra plans to sell its Chef Boyardee brand to private equity-based Hometown Food company for $600 million.
- Pluri Inc., a biotech company, invested $4.5 million in Kokomodo Ltd. for a 71% stake in the company.
- Apex Capital, a PE firm associated with Grupo Mariposa (Guatemalan food and beverage producer), acquired a majority stake in Juanita's Foods.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is Minerva Foods.
- Minerva Foods is one of the leaders in the production and sale of fresh beef and its byproducts, live cattle exports and beef processing in South America South America. Besides Brazil, Minerva Foods has productive units in Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia and Uruguay.
- Some of the highly recognized Minerva Foods brands include:
- Estância 92, a Brazilian brand
- Minerva Angus, a Brazilian brand
- Frigomerc, a Paraguayan brand
- Cabaña Las Lilas, an Argentine brand
- Pul, an Uruguayan brand
- Minerva Foods in Brazil rolled out a venture-capital fund called MF92 in August 2020.
- MF92 made its first investment of $4 million in San-Francisco based Clara Foods, a maker of plant-based protein ingredients for food and beverage products.
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- DeNovo and EFFV to Scale Lactoferrin via Precision Fermentation
- Conagra Confirms Sale of Chef Boyardee to Hometown Food for $600 Million
- Lineage Acquires Four Tyson Foods Warehouses
- Shiru Launches AI-Driven Plant-Based Ingredients for the Future of Clean Label Foods
- Rustica Foods to Build Third Production Facility
- Pluri Acquires 71% Stake in Kokomodo
- Dr. Schar USA Expanding New Jersey Facility
- Apex Capital Acquires Mexican Food Manufacturer
- Harvest Returns Launches Second Private Credit Fund to Fuel American Agriculture
UPCOMING EVENTS
Naturally Minnesota
Cracking the Retail Code: A Virtual CPG Founders Forum
Tuesday, May 13 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CT
Whether you're exploring retail for the first time or already in stores and looking to grow smart, this free virtual event will deliver real, actionable insight—straight from the founders who've lived it.
What to Expect:
- A sneak peek of the new Retail Launch Lab—Naturally Minnesota's premier cohort program for early-stage CPG founders kicking off in June!
- Tools and strategies you can apply to your retail strategy now.
- A candid founder panel featuring real talk on what retail takes—from brands who:
- Have successfully launched into retail
- Are actively executing their retail strategy
- Or have made the bold decision that retail isn't the right channel (and why)
Speaker:
- Kate LaBrosse, CEO of Kate LaBrosse Coaching & Consulting
Naturally New York
Driving Retail Sales Velocity: How Emerging Brands Can Use Digital Shopper Marketing to Win at Shelf
Wednesday, May 14 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
Join Rich Zeldes, Founder & CEO of Zeldes Media Advisors, in exploring the development of digital shopper marketing campaigns. Our featured speaker will leverage 30 years of industry experience to provide insights on campaigns focused on:
- Targeting category shoppers close to each brand's high-performing retail locations
- Building retailer trust and co-branded partnerships to drive incremental sales lift during promotion periods
- Developing measurement plans concentrated on sales lift and customized for each retail partner
Naturally NorCal
QA & Operations Forum: May Meeting
Wednesday, May 14 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. PT
Connect, collaborate, and grow with our Forums—peer networking groups designed to bring together professionals in similar roles for meaningful connections, fresh insights, and actionable solutions to shared challenges.
The QA & Operations Forum leads are:
- Cheriene Griffith, Director of FSQA at Torn Ranch
- Nathan Wilson, Senior Manager Quality Assurance at Easton & Co
This session is for paid members of Naturally NorCal who are CPG-focused Quality Assurance and Operations professionals. To join this or any Forum, please fill out this form.
Naturally NorCal
Sales Forum: May Meeting
Thursday, May 15 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT
Connect, collaborate, and grow with our Forums—peer networking groups designed to bring together professionals in similar roles for meaningful connections, fresh insights, and actionable solutions to shared challenges.
The Sales Forum lead is Adam Biggs, CO-Founder of C2O Coconut Water and Vice President of Sales at Nova Naturals.
This session is for paid members of Naturally NorCal who are CPG-focused Sales professionals, as well as CEOs & Founders working in these areas. To join this or any Forum, please fill out this form.
Naturally Seattle
CPG Connect at Georgetown Brewing
Thursday, May 15 | 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. PT
Location: Georgetown Brewing Co., 5200 Denver Ave S, Seattle, WA
Join Naturally Seattle at Georgetown Brewing, one of Seattle's most cherished breweries, for a casual and engaging meetup with others working in natural, organic, and better-for-you Consumer Packaged Goods.
This event brings together people who care about conscious business practices and creating better products. It's an excellent opportunity to connect with others in the industry, share ideas, and build relationships—whether you're deep in the work or just curious about where things are headed.
Enjoy good conversations and great local beer while supporting a growing community of like-minded professionals!
Naturally New York
Prime Time: How to Maximize Your Sales on Amazon Prime Day
Friday, May 16 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
Prime Day is one of Amazon's biggest sales events—and the brands that win are the ones who plan ahead. In this 45-minute session, Laura Homann, Co-Founder of Broadleaf Digital, will walk through the key steps to maximize your performance: from inventory planning and listing optimization to reviews, promotions, and post-Prime Day momentum.
You'll learn when to send in inventory, how to polish your product pages, which promotions actually work, and how Prime Day can lift your organic rank even after the event ends. Whether you're new to Amazon or looking to level up your strategy, you'll leave with clear next steps and a practical game plan.
Naturally San Diego
Coffee + Convos at Om Mushroom
Friday, May 16 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PT
Location: Om Mushroom, 1395 Park Center Dr., Vista, CA
Meet Om staff and hear from Om leadership during the program. This is your chance to meet, mingle and talk shop with one another while enjoying your morning coffee.
Naturally Wisconsin
Naturally Rising – Wisconsin Chapter Pitch Slam
Friday, May 16 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CT
Naturally Rising Wisconsin Pitch Slam celebrates the best of Wisconsin's natural and consumer products industry! Wisconsin is proud to be at the forefront of the most exciting and innovative brands that break genres and disrupt categories.