• 🛒 Inside Simek’s Retail Strategy
• 🥄 Spoon v. Spoon
• ✅ Hearthside Exits Ch. 11
• 🚪 Sampling Concept Closes Doors
• 🥬 Taylor Farms Buys Bonduelle Plants
• 🗺️ Startup To $800M Sale. How A Three-Word Mantra Guided Kevin McCray.

If Expo West is our Super Bowl, then April Fools’ is our Oscars. 

Today marks the one day of the year where the food and beverage industry collectively comes together to compete on a scale that heavily favors weirdness as long as it comes with a healthy dose of creativity. 

The annual gag-product launch tradition has previously propelled some into the spotlight of mainstream media and pushed others to even innovate on what they thought to be too obscene, obscure or outright inedible. 

What does the playing field look like this year? Who would we nominate for best new gag product? The winner likely won’t come from A Complete Unknown, but we also won’t be doling out praises for any multi-million-dollar backed marketing schemes (Anora-copy cats, we’re looking at you).

Some standardly outlandish innovations have already landed in our inbox – with everything from Deep Indian’s Chicken Tikka Masala Ice Cream to a Hot Honey-flavored Perfect Bar. We are grateful to be able to say no one will ever actually be able to choke down a glass of Chilk either, a.k.a. Chicken + Milk blended together to create the latest “shelf-unstable beverage.”

But elsewhere, the pitches for gag-worthy launches are (dare we say) maturing. Welch’s layered on a crumb of context and a bit of condescension, mocking the trend of outlandishly expensive strawberries with its own “$19 Welch’s Fruit Snacks Single Strawberry.” Aldi jumped in with its own direct hit, too, joking about the introduction of a dedicated Artificial Color Aisle.

This year, some brands have proven that securing some buzz doesn’t always mean leaning into “innovation” (take note of the heavy use of quotes, please). Soom had us tricked and totally ready for its restaurant debut when it touted the opening of a pop-up shop. It even shared a faux, tahini-filled menu that we would absolutely love to be real (Tahini Coladas included). 

Gut health brand BelliWelli had everyone at Nosh HQ raising an eyebrow when it proclaimed that an avid fan had named their twins after the prebiotic supplement powder. 

• Belli and Welli may have been cute monikers while two tiny tots were still in diapers… but we’d seriously feel bad if those fledgling humans were still branded by fiber well into adulthood. 

It's activations like those – teetering on the edge of “could this be real?” – that make the most noise and, thus, generate the most potential to propel a brand into mainstream conversations, even if it's just for a moment. 

Go Deeper: Get all of the insight from Saratoga’s Morning Routine Boost

Simek’s is capitalizing on the clean label frozen food wave to continue supporting its national retail footprint, growing to over 6,500 stores since launching nationally with Whole Foods in May. 

⏪ The brand (which evolved out of a Minnesota retail storefront selling ready-to-eat meals) has refined its product offerings over the years and currently carries eight varieties of frozen meatballs and six different frozen entrees. 

💭 “We kind of drew a line in the sand, and knew we’re not going to be everything to everyone,” said CEO Lindsey Hickey. “Let’s just do a few things, but do especially well, especially now that we’re going into grocery [which is so] different than when you have your own stores [where] you can have hundreds of SKUs.” 

⏩ Looking ahead, the brand plans to focus on elevating its mission, including increasing its Plastic Neutrality efforts and heightened messaging about its “hyperlocal approach” to fighting hunger. 

Insiders can learn more about Simek’s evolution and focus for the years ahead on Nosh.

Who is the Bigger Spoon? That’s a question that could be answered after North Carolina nut butter brand Big Spoon Roasters filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against California-based Big Spoon Sauce Co.

• Both companies use the “Big Spoon” name on their products, and the nut butter business is arguing that its items are sold in the same channels and are too similar to avoid consumer confusion.
• To make matters worse, the complaint claims both brands are frequently placed near or next to each other in retail accounts.
• There can only be one: Big Spoon Roasters holds at least three trademarks for the name, the oldest going back to 2012. The sauce maker, meanwhile, has filed to trademark “at least four” sauces under the name.

Go Deeper: Big Spoon Ditches Big Grocery

Food contract manufacturer Hearthside Food Solutions has completed its financial restructuring (announced in November) and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as Maker’s Pride LLC. The company’s reorganization plan was approved on March 11. 

💰 The restructuring eliminated about $2 billion in funded debt. Maker’s Pride is emerging with nearly $600 million of liquidity, including $200 million through an Equity Rights Offering and $190 million in additional capital from a new asset-backed loan facility. 

💭 The moniker Maker’s Pride is meant to convey “craftsmanship and authenticity, reflecting the personal pride we have in our products and our unwavering commitment to quality and safety,” according to CEO Darlene Nicoisa.

⏪ Hearthside previously faced backlash after a 2023 New York Times investigation alleged that  the company was illegally employing underage migrants to work in unsafe conditions in its factories. 

Catch Up: Hearthside Foods Files for Bankruptcy

Uptaste, a developer of automated in-store sampling technology, is shutting down after three years in business, according to a LinkedIn post by founder Maxime Paulhus Gosselin.

🛒 The Canadian startup designed and installed temperature-controlled machines in grocery stores that dispense free, trial-size servings and capture shopper purchase intent data.

💰 While Gosselin did not share details on reasons for the closure, he said the company is selling its lot of 25 machines.

Taylor Farms and Foodiverse have acquired a pair of production plants that belonged to Bonduelle’s packaged salad business in Germany. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Foodiverse will manage activities for the unified business within its European operations with a goal of strengthening its position in the German market. 
• The transaction expands its global workforce to 2,650 employees, nine production plants and 2,700 hectares of managed farmland.

🥫 Bonduelle continues to maintain a presence in Germany through its canned and frozen food business. It is strengthening its position in the U.S. market with the recent launch of the shelf-stable ready-to-eat lunch products under the Bonduelle brand.

Kevin McCray, the co-founder behind groundbreaking brand Kevin's Natural Foods, reveals the strategic playbook that propelled his namesake brand to an $800 million acquisition by Mars, Inc. in 2023, and how he's applying those same winning principles to his latest CPG venture, Wild Fox Foods.

Listen to the episode now. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.