In this episode:

On this episode, the CPG Week podcast team digs into the declines of two prominent plant-based brands before discussing the acquisitions of Mary’s Gone Crackers and Kate Farms. Next, the hosts highlight the latest celebrity to launch a coffee brand. (Maybe a hot sauce would have been more appropriate?).

Show Highlights:

0:15 - The team kicks off the podcast discussing the downfall of mycelium meat maker Meati, who is reportedly selling for $4 million – after raising a total of $450 million during its lifespan. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous provides a rundown of recent events that led to this point.

2:15 - Beyond Meat is also on the backburner. The plant-based patty purveyor recently secured $!00 million in debt financing after a particularly brutal quarter that saw U.S. retail and foodservice sales declining by double digits.

5:00 - Senior reporter Brad Avery unpacks the sale of gluten-free pioneer Mary’s Gone Crackers by a Dare Foods subsidiary. What does it mean for the company going forward?

5:55 - Danone has struck a deal for Kate Farms, a maker of plant-based baby formula. The French dairy giant expands its reach into a new segment of the market. Brad discusses why the acquisition is consistent with Danone’s recently stated goals.

6:55 - Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis is launching a coffee business (and speaking at BevNET Live!), Mid-Day Squares co-founder Jake Karls can finally eat his brand’s products, and Pepsi is playing dirty in Coke’s backyard.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

 

In this episode:

On this episode of CPG Week, senior reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard walk through the biggest news items of the week. The reporters discuss Guayakí’s rebrand to Yerba Madre, how intoxicating hemp brands have leveraged DTC to grow and a pair of recent earnings reports showing a slow start to the year. Brad and Lukas finish up with a welfare check on Free Bird founder Jay Williams after a playfully disturbing post on LinkedIn.

Show Highlights:

0:20 - Say bye to Guayakí and hello to Yerba Madre. Brad runs through his recent conversation with Yerba Madre (formerly Guayakí) CEO Ben Mand about the rebrand and how it reaffirms the tea maker as the flagbearer for yerba mate in the U.S.

2:30—Lukas updates Brad on the most recent regulatory wins and losses for the intoxicating hemp beverage category. The two discuss how the category is growing online amid a push for closer alignment with beverage alcohol.

6:30 - Ghost has been sued by Mondelēz, which claims that the energy drink brand cannot use the trademarks for Sour Patch Kids, Oreo, Swedish Fish and Chips Ahoy after being acquired by Keurig Dr Pepper.

8:00 - Lukas runs through Celsius’ “slow start” to the year with its Q1 earnings. Brad chimes in with Black Rifle Coffee’s latest quarterly earnings, also representing lower revenue growth.

9:45 - On a lighter note, the duo discusses a comical post from Free Bird canned water’s founder Jay Williams about a recent run-in with McDonald’s Hamburglar.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

No more blue tongues or Flamin’ Hot Cheetos fingers? On this episode, the CPG Week podcast dives into the recent FDA/HHS directive to remove synthetic food dyes from food and beverages. The podcast team discusses the feasibility of the plan and how it could complicate food manufacturing.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Monica explains the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services’ new directive for manufacturers to voluntarily phase out the use of eight synthetic food dyes by the end of 2026.

2:30 - The group discusses why the proposed timeline for banning these food dyes might be too aggressive for many larger food companies. 

5:30 - Pivoting to natural sources will not only force consumers to adjust to a new visual norm but will require a heavy lift for supply chain sourcing.

9:00 - Even as industry groups debate the feasibility and necessity for the directive, the podcast team talks about how many countries and states have already started the process of phasing out these synthetic dyes in the interest of public health.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

On this episode, the CPG Week podcast team embraces its inner sweet tooth and talks indulgent treats. From competitors of Nerds and JELL-O, better-for-you versions of sugary favorites are popping up all over. The team discusses some of the trends driving these new category options before hearing about a new fruit bar from the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - The team kicks off the podcast with a communal taste test of Rotten’s Gummy Cruncheez in honor of the upcoming Sweets & Snacks Expo next month.

4:30 - Senior reporter Lukas Southard talks about new plant-based jelly brand Oddball. The brand is attempting to seize market share from JELL-O by positioning as a low-sugar, better-for-you version of the jiggly fruit-based snack. 

7:45 - Protein is one of the trends reporter Shauna Golden will be tracking when she heads to the Sweets & Snacks Expo. The team discusses how some of these trends are being incorporated into candy and indulgent treats.

10:45 - Freeze-dried candy is another category to watch with larger strategics starting to get into the set.

15:00 - From ice cream to fiber-rich fruit bars. Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous shared what she learned from a conversation with Jeni Britton (founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams) about her new snack bar brand, Floura.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

This week, the podcast team is discussing a pair of funding rounds recently announced by functional beverage brands Culture Pop and Ryl Tea, with highlights from conversations with the businesses’ respective leaders about expansion plans. Next, the CPG Week hosts tackle the topic of vertical farming and the challenges startups are facing as funding dries up.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous points out that this weekend marks a  once-in-a-lifetime occurrence: Easter falling on April 20, also known as the stoner’s holiday, 4/20. The team muses on how to celebrate appropriately.

2:50 - Senior reporter Lukas Southard shares insights from his conversation with Culture Pop founder Tom First on the probiotic soda brand’s recent $15 million funding. 

8:00 -  Time for some Ryl news. Senior reporter Brad Avery explains how the maker of functional canned beverage brand Ryl Tea plans to use its new chunk of change. 

13:55 - The team turns its attention to vertical farming, a concept that has struggled to live up to its own hype and the heaps of cash flowing into it early on. Lukas points to a pattern of overinvestment and underperformance across food technology in general.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

This week, the podcast team is turning its attention to how small brands are navigating tariff turmoil. The CPG Week podcast hosts talked with several food and beverage founders about the issues most pressing for their respective businesses amid the rapidly changing environment. From pulling back on trade spend to changing packaging solutions and tariff-related spring sales, emerging brands are getting creative in how they plan to survive a potentially protracted period of import taxes.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Is Pirate’s Booty on its way back to its founder Rob Ehrlich? At the moment, the brand appears to be staying under Hershey ownership, but Ehrlich continues his nearly two-year campaign hinting that it will be back in the Vegan Rob’s portfolio.

4:15 - Tariffs are all the rage right now, but how are small food and beverage brands dealing with added costs? Senior reporter Brad Avery explained what Just Ice Tea founder Seth Goldman said about his company’s moves to ease the burden of new import taxes.

7:00 - The dynamic nature that tariffs have been announced to the public has caused not only uncertainty but also a fear that demand shock will cause prices to rise steeply.  

10:30 - Packaging is a major concern for CPG entrepreneurs because much of it comes from China, which is facing over 100% tariffs currently. For many brands, pivoting to a domestic supplier is not available, leaving limited options to counter elevated costs. 

14:00 - There are only so many ways to squeeze cost-savings out of a startup’s supply chain, especially when many of these costs are being felt weeks or months after orders were made.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

In this episode, the CPG Week team discusses industry and regulatory efforts to define and restrict ultraprocessed foods in the U.S. food supply. Spoiler alert: There’s a lot of gray area.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous declares April Fools’ the worst day of the year. The group discusses a few of the best and worst brand pranks.

3:00 - Assistant managing editor-Newsletters Adrianne DeLuca details efforts by the Food Integrity Collective to develop guardrails around the designation of non-ultraprocessed food.

5:45 - Senior reporter Brad Avery cites the nutritional differences between raw potatoes and Pringles to explain the impact of processing.

8:45 - What policies are in the works at the state and federal levels to restrict ultraprocessed foods? The group discusses recently passed bans on certain food additives and why a state-by-state patchwork could create major headaches for food manufacturers.

14:20 - Brad and Adrianne point out the challenges that lie ahead for a largely deregulatory administration seeking to regulate ultraprocessed foods while conducting mass layoffs across the agencies involved. 

 

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

On this episode, the CPG Week team discusses Bain & Company’s Insurgent Brands class of 2025. The group goes through similarities among new insurgent brands and how operators can derive successful growth strategies from Bain’s yearly list.

Show Highlights:

0:30 - It’s March Madness, so the podcasters chat about college hoops and Kellogg’s bracket challenge where a lucky contestant could win a year’s supply of one of the company’s cereal brands.

3:30 - Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous introduces how Bain classifies its Insurgent Brands list and what a scaling insurgent brand means.

7:15 - In many ways, the Insurgent Brands list is a temperature gauge of certain CPG categories and can be a bellwether of successful growth strategies.

8:45 - Eighteen of the brands in this year’s class of insurgent brands were also part of Bain’s emerging brands category. In total, there were 103 emerging brands this year.

11:00 – Monica and senior reporter Brad Avery point out that this list has grown over the years, showing not only trendsetting but also the pace of growth in many categories. 

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode:

On this episode of CPG Week, the team unpacks PepsiCo’s unsurprising acquisition of better-for-you soda brand Poppi. The podcasters break down what is known so far and what might be on the horizon for the gut-health soda set as a result of the deal.

Show Highlights:

1:00 - Diving right in, the CPG Week team launches into PepsiCo’s acquisition of Poppi. What does the “Popsi” deal, as Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous calls it, mean for the category moving forward? 

4:00 - The group discusses how this changes the trajectory of other soda strategics like Coca-Cola in the category.

7:30 - Senior reporter Lukas Southard flags how the deal could shift the category deeper into foodservice where competitor Olipop has been investing heavily. 

10:15 - Can Poppi continue to be cool within a large beverage conglomerate’s system? The podcast team discusses why Poppi has succeeded in making itself one of the most recognizable brands in the better-for-you soda set and whether it can maintain that image.

About CPG Week

CPG Week is the podcast that explores the latest happenings in the consumer packaged goods industry. Join our seasoned reporting team as they dish out the week’s stories in quick, easy-to-digest episodes. Catch up on the top headlines of the week, dive into exclusive insights with the BevNET and Nosh teams, and set yourself up to make more informed business decisions. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the dynamic world of packaged food and beverage.

New episodes are released every week. Send us comments and suggestions anytime to [email protected].

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

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