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🚨NOSH INSIDER WEEKLY: Painterland Sisters Raises Hefty Funding, Gut Health at Newtopia Now, Wrangler X Coors & More |
This week, we're looking at some tomato-free marinara, taste testing NOVOS Longevity Bars, and wondering if mushrooms can supplant potatoes as the chip of choice. But, more on all that below.
And, in one door out the other: Post has sold off its recently acquired pasta business while holding onto the nut butters, fruit and nut products, and granola assets that came with the July transaction. I guess you truly can't eat pasta for breakfast. Post Meridian Expert Lukas Southard has the deets here.
Alright! On with the Sunday newsletter.
FIRST UP! Painting the town green: organic skyr biz closes on a thick, gloopy seed round - is this regenerative dairy farm the next big thing in 'gurt? |
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🐮 Painterland Sisters Closes on Seven-figure Funding |
Organic skyr yogurt brand Painterland Sisters has closed on a fine & dandy seven-figure seed round led by The Angel Group with participation from its partner fund Supernatural Ventures, Spacestation Investments - and a splattering of Olympic medalists and lifestyle entrepreneurs. | |
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Notably, Spacestation typically shies away from the refrigeration aisle but was quite taken by Painterland's growth data (it's the fastest-growing dairy brand in the natural expanded channel and has doubled sales in the last 12 weeks YOY - wowsers!). The PA-based rocket ship was founded three years ago by sisters Hayley and Stephanie in an effort to preserve their family's organic regenerative dairy farm, which is like hitting a clean sweep on the natural channel bingo card. Each lactose-free cup contains up to 21g of protein and is free from antibiotics, hormones, and horse hair synthetic chemicals, so you don't have to feel weird about chugging it at the gym. The freshly churned cash will be used to support ops and innovation as the company looks to expand beyond its 5,000 nationwide retail doors. Grab a spoon and head on over to Nosh.com for more. 🥡 Key Takeaway: There's no shortage of innovation and wheeling and dealing going on in the 'gurt category (hi, General Mills!) as consumers clamour for high macro, low sugar and organic-forward brands. Painterland is coming in with all its boxes ticked and investors are responding almost as quickly as consumers. | |
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🔥 Hot Takes: Gut Health to the Fore at Newtopia Now |
| Amongst the crowded aisles of this year's Newtopia Now it was clear that the wider category of 'gut health' was in fine form as brands looked to innovate with unusual applications writes Gutsy Editor Monica Watrous.
Aside from Redbloom Health's line of chili crisps made with 'clinical protocols to treat IBS' (I need to sit down for a minute), other brands were focusing on unique picklings (Brine Time's pickled jicama sticks), prebiotic fiber (Aider's protein-rich ice cream), and even food sensitive friendly, tomato-free carrot-based marinara (take a bow, Carinara - and take a second for the amazing name).
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| AND: looking for more? Monica filled us in last week on the hot trends ripping through the bone broth category - and the interesting applications the hero ingredient is finding itself in. Check out the intel here. |
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🛌 Nosh Live Hotel Room Bloc is Open |
Hey! Want to get the real VIP experience at Nosh Live Winter 2025 in Marina Del Rey, CA, this December 4 + 5? How about availing of our special room bloc?Not only will you be on the same floor as all the cool kids having sleepovers and staying up all night watching movies, you'll also guarantee yourself the shortest journey possible from the ensuite to the conference center. And, get this, there's a mighty fine Insiders-only discount - on top of the Early Bird special (we can go halfsies, y'hear?).
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🗣 Nombase: Shaping Your Shot by Analyzing Timing and Trends |
They say timing is everything - but how can you tell?
This week's Nombase Podcast sees Isabel Washington of Laurel’s Coffee and Alexander Harik of Zesty Z share stories of getting onto Wegman's shelves, from navigating distro to building velocity on a budget. They're joined by Josh Cannon of Cultivate CPG who discusses what buyers really want and how timing is key to a successful pitch.
Hosted by BevNET & Nosh Director of Community Melissa Traverse, the Nombase Podcast is like a warm CPG hug direct to your brain.
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🔊 CPG Week Podcast: KDP's Peet's Takeover, Painterland's Skyr Funding |
On this week's CPG Week podcast Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard discuss Keurig Dr Pepper’s future plans as the new owners of JDE Peet’s following an $17BN acquisition. Later, the duo whip out the spoons and roominate Painterland Sisters' new funding round, before pondering the meaning behind Spindrift discontinuing its spiked seltzer line. Lukas rounds things off with a 3hr screening of his recent European vacation, forcing Monica to keep her eyelids open with matchsticks (yes, really).
Spin this week's podcast here. | |
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🍓 Juicy Quote |
| "If consumers are subject to a brand over-promising and under-delivering, then they will become long term skeptics of the space in general"
This week's psychedelic freak-out comes courtesy of Crunchy Editor Brad Avery who sat down with Popadelics CEO/co-founder Marilyn Yang to discuss how mushrooms can big the next big thing in the salty snacks aisle. | |
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Mushrooms are popping up in everything these days and snacking is no different. Brands like Popadelics, Pan's, Evil Snacks and more are making the case for shroomy jerky, chips and puffs, against a backdrop of wider consumer interest in adaptogenic and functional ingredients.
At the heart of future success is brands' abilities to provide a familiar snack satisfaction without compromise, says a recent SPINS report.
And, it's starting to show. Dollar sales of products with 'super mushroom' ingredients were up 17% YOY for the 52-weeks ending March 23 according to SPINS.
What are your thoughts, Sunday readers? Can shroom jerky compete with its meaty brethren? Will consumers ditch potato chips for crunchy mushroom slices? How can brands communicate functional expectations to consumers? Click here to send in your comments. | |
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🥑 Quick Bites |
The upgrades include an AI-powered listings tool and next day shipping in major metros writes Ecommerce Doyenne Shauna Golden. |
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📰 Jobs Market |
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🟫 Killer Brownie Plots a Course for National Distro |
Following last year's majority stake sale to Irresistible Foods Group, Ohio-based Killer Brownie is looking to take the show on the road across the country writes Killer Cookier Editor Adrianne DeLuca.
With placements in around 10,000 retailers and c-stores nationwide and a recent placement in Publix, the brand is already making serious inroads - but the best is yet to come, says CEO Chimene Ross. Club and foodservice? You better believe it.
While Killer Brownie has been around for over half a century it's only in the last decade, under Ross's leadership, that the company has flourished - experiencing 4x growth between 2019-2024. Paired with IFG's sales clout the team is hoping for serious national prominence.
🥡 Key Takeaway: Killer Brownie shows a fine detail understanding of how to navigate retailer bakery aisles. It doesn't hurt that the products nail it in terms of flavor and taste. Its bold branding has proved a hit that will surely help propel the business forward. | |
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👀 ICYMI 👀 |
| I've discovered the strangest way ever to eat tinned tuna: sitting on your kitchen counter, with a spoon, directly from the tin. Eh?!
Props to Bumble Bee Seafoods for highlighting its new line of single serve cans (available in flavors including Lemon Pepper, Hickory Smoke and Birthday Cake Sweet Heat) by displaying a strange unawareness of how people eat tinned seafood, which is most assuredly not straight up on the kitchen counter. Seriously, eh?! | |
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| AND FINALLY: Wrangler is channeling the inner cowboy inherent in every Coors Banquet drinker with this range of custom apparel.
So if you've ever wanted to dress like a lost cowboy at your local dive bar, just pick up this denim vest and pair it perfectly with this wax cap. Timeless, really. | |
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| If you'll excuse me, these new Pringles Mingles are just begging for a game of Russian roulette. Jalapeño & Queso? Cinnamon & Sugar? Who knows? Until next week, your host, |
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