In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Smash Foods, maker of better-for-you jams and snacks, raised $18 million in a Series B led by L Catterton.
- Nestlé agreed to sell a 50% stake in its water business to Platinum Equity for $3.4 billion, forming a new joint venture, Paranel.
- Procter & Gamble agreed to acquire supplements brand Thorne for $3.8 billion.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is 1st Course Capital.
- 1st Course Capital (1CC) is an early stage venture capital firm that invests in innovative business models and technologies that change "how we grow, produce, and distribute food."
- The portfolio companies include the following:
- BlueCart: Powering B2B e-commerce solutions for the foodservice industry
- Bobbie: Infant formula produced using clean and transparent ingredients
- Ellement: Personalized prenatal supplements and customized support
- AgriDigital: Commodity trading platform remaking the supply chain for improved traceability and margins for farmers
- Dispatch Goods: Reverse logistics company offering re-usable packaging for restaurant delivery and takeout
- Maev: Building the future of dog care
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Griesson-De Beukelaer Acquires Pirouline Maker and Plans New US Bakery
- Grillo's Pickles Starts Production in Indiana
- Haricaman Brings in Unigrains Iberia Investment to Drive Expansion and Product Innovation
- Hilton Foods Sells Dutch Vegan and Vegetarian Business Dalco to LiveKindly for £5.4 Million
- Investment Fueling Growth for Smash Foods
- Phytokana Ingredients Raises $17.7 Million to Support New Plant Protein Processing Facility
- Axum Capital Partners Scores Barcode
- Orkla Snacks Acquires Vegan Confectionery Producer the European Candy Group In €207 Million Deal
- Unifying Spirits Raises $2.2 Million to expand Boba Pops production and Retail Footprint
- Vandemoortele Completes Full Acquisition of US Bakery Business Banneton
UPCOMING EVENTS
Naturally San Diego
Coffee & Convos: Grounded Morning at 3Roots
Friday, August 14 | 8–11 a.m. PT
Location: 7401 Cypress Ln, San Diego, CA
Join Naturally San Diego for a refreshing morning of connection, conversation, and optional movement at our Coffee & Convos meetup at Wisdom Park in 3Roots.
Start your day with an optional grounding yin and restorative yoga session from 8–8:45 a.m., led by Rob Eyler.
Then, at 9 a.m., stick around for Coffee & Convos—a casual community gathering where founders, operators, and industry friends come together to connect, share ideas, and build meaningful relationships over coffee.
Naturally Colorado
Marketing Forum
Friday, August 14 | 9:30–11 a.m. MT
Location: Boulder Chamber, 2440 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO
From Data to Decision: What's Actually Driving Velocity Right Now and What's Not
Join Naturally Colorado will sit down with NielsenIQ's Jackie Joseph, Vice President of Advanced Analytics at NIQ, and Colleen McGinnis, Senior Director of Fresh, Emerging Acquisition & Partnerships, for a data-backed look at what's moving product in today's Natural Food CPG landscape—across channels, categories, and price tiers. This session will help brands cut through assumptions and focus on what's truly working.
Naturally Minnesota
Redhead Creamery Farm Tour
Wednesday, August 19 | 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. CT
Location: Redhead Creamery, 31535 463rd Avenue, Brooten, MN
Join Naturally Minnesota for a day trip to Redhead Creamery and experience Minnesota dairy production from pasture to plate. Round-trip transportation and lunch are included in your ticket, making it easy to spend the day exploring one of the state's premier farmstead creameries.
Naturally NorCal
QA & Ops Forum - Early Access to Formic R&D Open House
Wednesday, August 19 | 4:30–8 p.m. PT
Location: Formic Open House, 936 61st St, Oakland, CA
Naturally NorCal partner, Formic, is opening the doors to their new R&D-focused facility in Oakland, and Naturally NorCal members get an inside track. See live automation systems on the floor, from compact case packers to machine tending setups, plus an early look at humanoid systems still in testing.
Whether you're weighing automation for the first time or just want to meet other people building in the space, this is a great one to add to your calendar. Space is limited for both.
Naturally Colorado
Women in CPG: Coffee Chat
Friday, August 21 | 8–8:50 a.m. MT
Location: Virtual Meeting
Join Naturally Colorado for their August Women in CPG Coffee Chat, a facilitated virtual gathering designed to slow down for a moment before the pace of fall picks back up.
This month's theme is something that sounds simple but rarely is: rest.
In fast-moving industries built on passion and momentum, slowing down can feel counterintuitive—even irresponsible. There's always more to do, more to build, more to prove. And yet the women who sustain meaningful careers over time tend to be the ones who figured out how to protect their energy, not just spend it.