In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Resurrect Bio, a UK-based startup, has raised an $8.1 million Series A round to help plants unlock innate capabilities to fight disease without chemical inputs.
- Verley, a precision fermentation startup, raised $38 million in Series A funding.
- Pepper, a provider of an end-to-end technology platform for independent food distributors, raised $50 million in Series C funding.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is Rutger's Food Innovation Center.
- The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University is a unique food business incubator and accelerator that is a unit of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). The Center supports established early stage entrepreneurs and existing food companies from concept to commercialization.
- Rutger's Food Innovation Center provides business, marketing, food safety, product design, and scale up expertise within FDA and USDA certified facilities to help companies successfully build and grow their business.
- Some of its clients include the following:
- Pure Indian Foods
- Angel Planet
- Jalma Farms
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Ag Committee Chairman Releases Farm Bill 2.0 Proposal, Meat Provisions
- General Mills is 'Innovating How We Innovate' with AI
- US-Indonesia Trade Agreement Bodes Well for Meat Exporters
- Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems Awarded $3 Million for BVLOS Agricultural Drone Technology
UPCOMING EVENTS
Naturally New England and Naturally New York
East Meets Expo West 2026
Tuesday, March 3 | 4–6 p.m. PT
Location: Expo West - Anaheim Convention Center - Katella Terrace (Level 2)
Join Naturally New England and Naturally New York for East Meets Expo West, an exciting happy hour event that brings together Naturally New York and New England's dynamic communities!
This is the perfect opportunity to connect with industry professionals, share ideas, and celebrate innovation in the natural products space as we gear up for Expo West. Two drink tickets, light bites, and good vibes included.
Naturally Austin
Expo West: Texas Sip & Snack Meet-Up
Wednesday, March 4 | 2:30–3:30 p.m. PT
Location: Expo West - Anaheim Convention Center - Better Sour Booth N1447
This will be a fun opportunity to connect with fellow Texas brands in Anaheim, network with the community, and celebrate all the amazing products coming out of our region.
Naturally Seattle
Coffee Break at Expo West
Thursday, March 5 | 10–11 a.m. PT
Location: Expo West - Anaheim Convention Center - Good Now Booth 7915, Hot Products Pavilion (L3)
Hosted by Good Now Foods and Naturally Seattle, this casual morning gathering brings together Pacific Northwest founders, brands, and natural products leaders for relaxed conversation, idea-sharing, and community-building—before the show floor hits full speed.
Naturally Minnesota, Naturally Wisconsin, Naturally Chicago, and Naturally Colorado
Midwest & Mountain Mingle @ Expo West
Thursday, March 5 | 4–6 p.m. PT
Location: Expo West - Anaheim Convention Center, 2nd-floor balcony outside the MN Alley (Katella Terrace), North Hall
This gathering brings together the Midwest and Mountain Region food and beverage innovation community—founders, industry leaders, investors, retailers, and ecosystem supporters—for meaningful networking in the middle of the Expo West buzz.
Naturally Seattle
Good Food Connections 2026 x Food Action Plan Summit
Monday, March 9 | 8 a.m.–7 p.m. PT
Location: Bell Harbor International Conference Center, 2211 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA
Join the region's premier farm-and-sea-to-table trade conference, where farmers, fishers, artisans, chefs, buyers, and community food stakeholders come together to strengthen their local food system.
This full-day summit features panel discussions, workshops, facilitated matchmaking, and networking opportunities focused on implementing Seattle's Food Action Plan and regional food initiatives. Catered breakfast and lunch featuring local ingredients included.
Naturally Chicago
March Morning Mingle
Tuesday, March 10 | 8–9:30 a.m. CT
Location: Chicago French Market, 131 North Clinton (Ogilvie Transportation Center North), Chicago, IL
Join Naturally Chicago for an opportunity to network, schmooze with old friends, and make new connections.
There will be a special program at this Mingle: a discussion of Naturally Chicago's biggest annual event, the Naturally Rising Pitch Event and Innovation Forum, which will be held May 27 at Venue SIX10 in the South Loop (same location as last year). Naturally Chicago leaders will highlight why brands should consider applying to pitch, the benefits of sponsoring the event, and how to buy tickets to attend.
Naturally New York
EXPO WEST TRENDS & TAKEAWAYS
Tuesday, March 12 | 12–1 p.m. ET
Location: Online Webinar
With Natural Products Expo West 2026 now behind us, Naturally New York brought together experts from across the CPG ecosystem to unpack the biggest trends and takeaways from this year's show.
From new product innovation and emerging technologies to shifting consumer demands and retail insights, this session will highlight what stood out on the show floor—and what brands should be paying attention to as they plan for growth in the year ahead.
Join Naturally New York for an engaging conversation and actionable insights designed to help you stay ahead of what's next in natural products, presented by Rosenthal Capital Growth and ECP Growth.
Speakers:
- Andrew Barone, Senior Vice President Business Development of Rosenthal Capital Group
- Tyler Coppola, Vice President of ECP Growth
- Tatyana Jones, CEO of DEFI Snacks LLC
- Siwat Siengsanaoh, Co-founder of Recoup Beverage, Inc.