In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Gymkhana Fine Foods, an Indian food brand developed by Gymkhana, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in London, announced that it raised $8.5 million in its Series A round.
- Frozen One, a maker of protein ice cream, raised $2 million in its Series Seed round.
- Corvera, a San Francisco-based company with an AI-powered supply chain platform for consumer products, raised £3 million in its Series Seed round.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is PINC Group.
- PINC is Paulig's (a Finland-based, family-owned food and beverage company) venture arm for early stage investments in the future of food.
- PINC's primary investment focus includes the following:
- Pre-seed & seed
- Scalable to 10-50+ MEUR within 5-10 years
- Nordics but open to Europe
- High degree of innovation in Taste, Health, Sustainability or Availability
- Lead or co-invest
- PINC's portfolio includes the following:
- OlsAro—Agtech startup securing wheat supply through AI-enabled crop-breeding
- WIN WIN—producer of the world 's first cocoa-free alternative to chocolate
- Melt & Marble—next generation of plant-based fat
- Kaffe Bueno—upcycling of coffee waste into high value ingredients
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Ferrero Making First Nutella Product in US with $75 Million Investment
- Finsbury Food Group Buys Flower & White to Expand Healthier Snacking and Direct-to-Consumer Reach
- Montreal Cell-Based Dairy Company Opalia Closes $3.2 Million Seed Round with Commercial Pilots Already Underway
- Sigma Foods Acquisition Establishes First Southeast Plant
UPCOMING EVENTS
Naturally New England
Amazon Best Practices
Thursday, May 7 | 12–1 p.m. ET
Location: Online Webinar
Amazon is one of the largest retail platforms in the world—but for many emerging brands, it can feel overwhelming, expensive, and difficult to navigate.
In this virtual workshop, Amazon consultant Victor Villaseñor will walk Naturally New England members through the core strategies and best practices needed to successfully launch and grow on Amazon.
This session is designed specifically for CPG founders and operators looking to better understand how Amazon works—and how to make it work for their business.
Speaker:
- Victor Villaseñor, Founder & Consultant of Vendor & Seller
Naturally Minnesota
Naturally Rising Minnesota Pitch Slam
Thursday, May 7 | 5–7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Broadhead, 411 North Washington Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Join Naturally Rising Minnesota's Pitch Slam, the ultimate event celebrating their region's most promising, purpose-driven brands! Whether you're looking to network with industry leaders, discover the next big thing in conscious business, or stay ahead of the latest trends, this is the place to be.
Finalists will take the stage, delivering retail-ready, impact-driven pitches to a distinguished panel of judges and a live audience. The winner will earn a coveted booth at Newtopia Now, access to top mentors and retailers, a direct path to Naturally Network's national competition, plus additional prizes.
Naturally Chicago
Succeeding at Sprouts
Tuesday, May 12 | 12–1 p.m. CT
Location: Online Webinar
With more than 475 stores, Sprouts Farmers Market is the nation's second-largest Natural Channel grocery chain, behind only Whole Foods Market. With a strategy for more rapid national growth—including its first-ever entry in the Chicago market early next year—this is a grocery chain that growth-oriented brands need to know now and into the future.
Joining Naturally Chicago on the webinar are three leaders of Sprouts' national brand search team:
- Kim Coffin, Chief Forager
- Brody Burk, Senior Foraging Manager
- Mason Webb, Foraging Manager
They will be joined in discussion by Katie Paul, KeHE's Senior Vice President of Merchandising and a Naturally Chicago Board member. Greg Keller, Naturally Chicago's senior strategist and brands lead, will moderate the conversation.
Naturally Colorado
Founder's Forum
Wednesday, May 13 | 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. MT
Location: Husch Blackwell, 1801 Wewatta St., Suite 1000, Denver, CO
The Founder's Forum is designed specifically for early-stage founders and emerging brand leaders navigating the foundational phases of building a CPG company. Tailored for businesses generating $50K–$15M in annual revenue, this Forum brings together startup entrepreneurs and the industry partners who specialize in supporting them—including consultants, agencies, suppliers, mentors, and service providers committed to startup founder success.
Naturally New England
Naturally Rising Third Annual Pitch Slam
Thursday, May 14 | 4–9 p.m. ET
Location: Farm Fresh Rhode Island, 10 Sims Avenue, Providence, RI
Get ready for a night of innovation and community at Naturally New England's Third Annual Pitch Slam Competition. Watch emerging brands pitch their groundbreaking ideas to a judging panel of industry experts for a chance to shine in the natural products space.
Naturally Colorado
Women in CPG: Coffee Chat
Friday, May 15 | 8–8:50 a.m. MT
Location: Online Webinar
Join Naturally Colorado for their May Women in CPG Coffee Chat, a facilitated virtual gathering designed to strengthen connections and support across the CPG community.
This month 's conversation is dedicated to something many people need more of: practical support and meaningful collaboration.
The focus of this session is a community resource exchange, where participants can share what they're looking for and what they're able to offer. Whether it's warm introductions, vendor recommendations, hiring needs, media contacts, operational insights, or collaboration opportunities, this conversation is designed to help the right connections happen.
Speakers:
- Kara Janowsky, Principal Accountant & Fractional CFO at Sonder Accounting
- Susan Fecko, Principal & Chief Communications Officer at Black Dog Studio | Brand Communications