• 🛣️ ReGen Brands' Purpose In CPG
• 🍭 Lolli & Pops Acquires Hammond’s
• 🫰 Danone Ups The Offer On Lifeway
• 🛒 Stop & Shop, Hannaford Out-of-Stocks
• 🏭 Nestlé Expands S.C. Production Facility
• 🌊 There Are 'Oceans’ Of Innovation. Which Ones Do You Fish?

Washington, D.C.’s Union Kitchen is known around the industry for supporting emerging brands with its shared commercial kitchen space and accelerator programs. The organization is also the first retail door for many of its in-house creators, operating five cafe and c-store-style locations around D.C. as well as a newly opened storefront in Virginia's Dulles Airport. 

This weekend, Union Kitchen opened up the kitchen doors and invited in hundreds of attendees while offering a chance to chat with, sample and shop nearly 150 brands during its Meet the Makers event. Here’s some highlights from what we saw:

Spirulina Gets Snacky. Are blue foods going to take over snacks in 2025? Raw Ambitions Foods sampled its dehydrated spirulina bites made with fruits, raw nuts, chia seeds, coconut cream and the hero blue ingredient, resulting in a clean-label, granola-like crunchy snack bite. Elsewhere another newly-created, plant-based company sampled dehydrated chips made of a blend of miso, spirulina and kale… also known as a “salad snack,” if you will. 

New Hibiscus Brews. Amid the snack bars and bites, the Makers had brewed up unique varieties of hibiscus beverages including agave-sweetened Hibiscus Pineapple Juice and Hibiscus Watermelon & Lime Juice from Fritters & Roast. Nearby, Monte’s Sweet Sorrel sampled a Jamaican Hibiscus drink made with Ginger, Lemon Juice, Cinnamon and an equally-on-trend input, Seamoss. 

Global Treats. Family-owned and run Matet's Kitchen showed off its line of Filipino spring rolls in five varieties including Pork, Chicken, Beef, Guylay (Vegetable) and Berde (Vegan) varieties. 

And for dessert, Maryland-based Happy Monday offered scoops of its newly launched 3-SKU line of globally-inspired ice creams in Strawberry Jalapeno, Butter Pecan and Salted Caramel Fried Plantain flavors.  

Big Bottle Cocktails and Vice Presidential Bourbon. Alchy Cocktails offered sips of its 8-SKU range of 16.5 oz. bottled RTD cocktails (18% to 20% ABV, depending on the variety) with cocktails ranging from a bourbon-based Somethin’ Pumpkin to a tequila-infused Purple Rain. Women- and LGBTQ-owned and operated Republic Restoratives distillery showcased its range of spirits, including Madam Whiskey, a blended whiskey with a simple label featuring a portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The event was flanked with sampling activations from many Union Kitchen success stories – such as Compass Coffee – which now operates 18 cafes and sells a wide range of bulk and tinned coffees as well as cold brew in addition to Maspanadas, Jesse & Ben’s, Pinsa Love and more. Meet the Makers also featured a discussion with Bethesda-based entrepreneur Seth Goldman and plenty of samples of his Just Ice Tea line. 

Go Deeper: Inside Maspanadas’ New Production Gains

While the regenerative agriculture movement may enjoy a surplus of enthusiasm, the tools to turn its economic and environmental potential to reality have thus far been in deficit.

• Upstart entrepreneurs, farmer-founded brands and a handful of forward-thinking retailers and investors have supported the space thus far, alongside transitory commitments from well-funded, heavily-resourced multinationals. 
• But the latter group will only play a small role in the successful commercialization of the overall movement, claims Anthony Corsaro. 
• In co-founding ReGen Brands, the self-proclaimed “regenerative evangelist” is betting big on his belief that the subset, primarily supported by emerging brands, is nearing an inflection point – and in need of a nudge.

Nosh Insiders can access the full story for more insight on Corsaro’s three-pringed plan to accelerate the commercialization of regen-ag.

Talk about a sweet deal! Lolli & Pops, a portfolio company of TerraMar Capital, announced on Friday it has acquired fellow Denver, Colo.-based candy maker Hammond’s Candies for an undisclosed amount. 

🍬 By combining the strengths of both companies, Lolli & Pops seeks to “leverage the artisanal craftsmanship” of Hammond’s while introducing new products to a broader audience.

👔 Andrew Schuman will remain president and CEO of Hammond’s Candies, per terms of the deal. 

🗣️ What they said: “Hammond’s dedication to creating high-quality, handmade confections aligns perfectly with our vision of providing our customers with the finest and most delightful treats. This acquisition represents a union of two companies that share a passion for sweetness and a commitment to excellence.” - Keri Morris, CEO of Lolli & Pops 

Check out the full story on Nosh for all of the details.

Danone is not done courting Lifeway Foods. The kefir brand said it has received a second unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Danone to acquire Lifeway on Friday after its September offer was rejected.

💸 The revised bid upped the price from $283 million (or $25 per outstanding share) to $307 million (or $27 per share). Danone already controls about 23% of Lifeway's outstanding common stock. 

👍 The new offer comes after other members of Lifeway’s founding family, Edward and Ludmila Smolyansky (the brother and mother of Lifeway Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky) called on the company’s board to approve the initial terms of Danone’s acquisition.

🤔 After Danone’s first proposition was turned down, the probiotic products company began implementing a plan to limit the multinational yogurt business’s ability to acquire more shares.

📈 In Lifeway’s most recent earnings last week, it posted its 20th consecutive quarter of net sales gains increasing sales by 12.7% to $46.1 million in Q3.

Ahold Delhaize-owned grocery chains, including Stop & Shop and Hannaford, are dealing with inventory disruptions throughout the Northeast due to a “cybersecurity issue within [the parent company’s] U.S. network” last week. 

🚦 A Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop is battling bare shelves as several locations have had widespread out-of-stocks, primarily affecting its fresh produce and meat departments.

👀 Meanwhile, Hannaford – which has a large presence in Maine and New Hampshire – has been unable to process online orders as its website and app have been down for a week. Doordash and Instacart orders have also been affected, reports WMUR. 

🤔 It is currently unclear how many locations have been impacted by the cybersecurity issue. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Nestlé USA announced it has invested another $150 million in its Cherokee County facility located in Gaffney, S.C. The upgrade will include adding a single-serve, frozen meal production line as well as “enhanced automation and digital technology,” according to a press release statement.

🧊 Nestlé initially opened the manufacturing center in 1980 and will increase the capacity of the company’s Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine brands.

🏭 The food and beverage company also put $100 million into expanding its Jonesboro, Ark., facility last year.

💬 “When we talk about the importance of agribusiness to South Carolina’s economy, we’re talking about companies like Nestlé USA. This food and beverage manufacturer has demonstrated its commitment to South Carolina over many decades, providing jobs and serving the public,” said S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers in a statement.

Innovative protein brands and proactive meetings. The hosts advocate for both in this episode, which also features an interview with Trey Zoeller, the founder of pioneering whiskey maker Jefferson’s Bourbon, a brand recognized by and awarded for its Ocean Aged At Sea expression, a whiskey matured on ships that travel around the world.

Listen to the episode now.