In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- AgZen, makers of a "feedback optimized" smart spraying system for farmers, announced that it raised $10 million in its Series B round.
- Tropic, a plant biotech company, announced that it raised $105 million in its Series C round.
- Morinaga announced that it reached an agreement to acquire My/Mochi for an undisclosed amount.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is AF Ventures.
- AF is a consumer fund investing in emerging growth-stage businesses that focus on health-oriented consumer brands in the food & beverage, health & wellness, beauty, personal care, household, and pet sectors.
- Across industry sectors, AF prioritizes disruptive products and works with founders who have a clear understanding of their target market.
- Some of AF's current portfolio companies and past successes include:
- Siete, a Mexican American food brand acquired by Pepsi.
- Clio, the company behind the first-ever refrigerated Greek yogurt bar.
- Cirkul, a water bottle and flavor cartridge company that aims to make drinking water more convenient, delicious, and fun.
- Gainful, a protein powder company combining clean, effective ingredients with the latest performance nutrition science.
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Cal-Maine Foods Acquires Creighton Brothers and Crystal Lake in $128.5 Million Deal
- Canadian Rice Producer to Build First US Facility
- Warburg Pincus Backs Global Eggs With up to $1 Billion Investment
UPCOMING EVENTS
Naturally Seattle
Naturally Seattle Brand Showcase
Thursday, March 19 | 11 a.m.–2 p.m. PT
Location: 400 Fairview Ave N, Fairview Avenue North 400, Seattle, WA
Discover the best emerging and established CPG brands in the Pacific Northwest—all in one place, right at lunch.
Join Naturally Seattle for an afternoon of sampling, shopping, and discovering your new favorite products. From innovative snacks to better-for-you beverages, sustainable personal care to locally-made goods, explore what's new and next in consumer products.
Naturally NorCal
Naturally NorCal Marketing Forum: What's Working Right Now in CPG Marketing
Thursday, March 19 | 12–1 p.m. PT
Location: Online Webinar
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.
Marketing Forum leads:
- Ericka Karner, CGO of Kuli Kuli Foods
- Carter Welch, Fractional CMO
Naturally Colorado
Women in CPG: Coffee Chat
Friday, March 20 | 8–9 a.m. MT
Location: Virtual Meeting
Join Naturally Colorado for their March Women in CPG Coffee Chat, a facilitated virtual gathering designed to create space for meaningful conversation and connection across the CPG community.
Marketing Forum leads:
This month's theme centers on a simple but powerful question: What do you want more of in your work this year?
Together, participants will explore what we're intentionally cultivating in their careers and what they're approaching differently. Through guided prompts and small breakout groups of 3–4, you'll have space to reflect, share, and learn from others in a supportive, thoughtful environment.
Whether you're navigating growth, change, leadership, a career pivot, or simply looking to connect with others who understand the CPG landscape, you're welcome here.
Speakers:
- Kara Janowsky, Principal Accountant & Fractional CFO at Sonder Accounting
- Susan Fecko, Principal & Chief Communications Officer at Black Dog Studio | Brand Communications
Naturally NorCal
Naturally NorCal AI Forum
Wednesday, March 25 | 10–11 a.m. PT
Location: Online Webinar
The AI Forum brings together Naturally NorCal members who are actively exploring how AI can improve their businesses. It's a collaborative working group where peers share workflows, challenges, and real use cases across departments.
The AI Forum is led by Jason Seeber (aka "Agent Red"), Naturally NorCal Board Member, multi-brand operator, and founder of Continuum AI, a platform focused on turning company outcomes into governed AI execution.
Naturally Colorado
Naturally Colorado and CU Boulder Networking Collision
Wednesday, March 25 | 5–8 p.m. MT
Location: Idea Forge, 2445 Kittredge Loop Dr, Boulder, CO
Join Naturally Colorado and the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado for a collaborative networking and brainstorming event. This networking collision brings together industry members, graduate and undergraduate business students and professors to ideate collaborations between the two communities.
Naturally San Diego
Careers in CPG + Sustainability
Thursday, March 26 | 5:30–7 p.m. PT
Location: Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Drive, San Diego, CA
Naturally San Diego is partnering with PLNU to host an engaging panel on sustainability and entrepreneurship within the CPG industry.
Geared toward soon‑to‑be graduates, this event will offer valuable insights into career opportunities in the growing sustainability sector. They are also inviting members of the NSD community to RSVP—come share your experiences with the students and connect through networking.
Join them for an inspiring discussion featuring industry professionals from Naturally San Diego as they share their career journeys, company initiatives, and real‑world perspectives on sustainability in the CPG space.