New year - new NOSH. We have some big changes to report on as we kick off 2024 so let's not hang about:

• Firstly, a warm welcome to newly appointed NOSH Managing Editor Monica Watrous. Monica is a lifelong foodie and has been reporting on the CPG landscape for over a decade. You can read more over at the NOSH LinkedIn page.
• Next up: after over 8 years focusing on the natural and organic channels, NOSH is branching out to more broadly cover the CPG sector. It's a reflection of evolving trends - products only seen in natural stores 3 years ago can now be found throughout the retail space. So we're moving with the times, kids. More on that below.

And, I'm calling it: this is going to be the biggest story of 2024: the potential effect of drugs such as Ozempic on the food & bev industry. El Grauniad is the latest to wade in.

Alright! On with Sunday newsletter.

FIRST UP! Pop goes the corn: big changes afoot at corn king Weaver Popcorn.

Looks like 2024 has started off with a bang - the nation’s largest manufacturer of popcorn, Weaver Holdings, has been purchased at the concession stand by AUA Private Equity Partners for an undisclosed sum writes committed cinephile Lukas Southard.

Corn King Weaver is a private label manufacturer and co-packer of everything popcorn - including ready-to-eat popcorn, microwave popcorn, c̶a̶n̶d̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶n̶ popcorn snacks and more. It also owns the Pop Weaver brand.

But it’s been a difficult year for the 96 year-old, 4th generation family-owned business. Its microwave popcorn sales dipped 6% over the last 52 weeks, and volume was down 7.4%. It notably sold two of its SkinnyPop co-packing plants to brand owner Hershey last April.

AUA is no stranger to CPG. It manages manufacturers such as Epic Baking Co and Raymundo’s. And it’s not hanging about: Mike Tracy, former SVP of Supply Chain at Conagra, and Ted Schouten, former president of TruFood Manufacturing, have been appointed to the Weaver board. There’s also a planned capital investment.

Grab the full handful over on NOSH.com.

🥡 Key Takeaway: Popcorn is big, buttery business. The category continues to pop year-on-year - microwave popcorn sales are up 2.3% over the last 52 weeks with kernel sales up an impressive 17.8%. AUA is looking to swoop in and make meaningful changes to amp up efficiency at Weaver - and, crucially, sell a lot of popcorn.

AND: Speaking of acquisitions, Rainforest Distro has picked up New England-based specialty foods distributor Associated Buyers, writes Mergers & Acquisitions Editor Brad Avery.

According to the t̶e̶a̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶v̶e̶s press release, it will take around two months to transition AB customers into the Rainforest system.

Speaking to NOSH, AB VP Ryan Owens said the company had "reached the limits" of its growth as an independent company and wanted to give its suppliers a reach outside of New England. For Rainforest, it gives the biz (already a big name in the NY area) a strong foothold in NE. It had previously picked up Mid-Atlantic distributor Avenue Gourmet way back when in 2019.

Read the full report on NOSH.com.

While we prep for the coming season of the NOSH Podcast, let's pivot to Taste Radio where host Ray Latif fills us in a little more on the 2024 evolution of NOSH and the much talked about appointment of Monica Watrous as NOSH Managing Editor.

You'll also hear an interview with CraftCo Master Distiller Will Fabry and some commentary on tuna brand Tonnino's kid-friendly packaging.

Listen to this week's Taste Radio show here.

This week's Community Call sees Lee Robinson, VP of Grocery Merchandising at Whole Foods Market, share brand strategies on navigating the retailer. Lee will also dive into latest local program updates and initiatives for emerging brands.

Listen up: Community Call open meetings are free to take part in and are as easy as hopping on a 30min Zoom call - except way more exciting, obviously.

Click - hey! - here to register.

"I’m like the speakeasy of sales support"

This week's thought piece comes from crochet expert Adrianne DeLuca who sat down with Rachelle Lynch, founder of broker and sales planning firm Golden Thread CPG, to discuss how brands can successfully move into retail.

Despite only kicking things off at the start of December, Golden Thread already has 3 clients with a 4th onboarding. The experienced women-powered team offers services such as sales leadership and go-to-market strategizing.

The firm focuses on early stage brands that lack experience in retail sales, with a long-play of ultimately helping businesses onboard a full-time sales person.

Read the full interview over on NOSH.com.

What are your thoughts, Sunday readers? What does it take for a brand to prep for retail? What have your experiences been - and what's your top advice? Click here to send in your comments.

Notable new products: Chicken Run plant-based nuggets, Mocha Tiramisu Chobani.

A roundup of some of the more interesting product launches this week.

Danone divests: Horizon Organic has been sold to Platinum Equity.

Premium dairy brands Horizon Organic and Wallaby 'fell outside' of Danone's 'priority growth areas', writes longstanding NOSH Mergers & Acqisitions Editor Brad Avery.

Conagra has been hit by a 3.2% Q2 net sales decline.

Nevertheless the conglomerate is blazing into 2024 with a heavy innovation agenda - including Wendy's branded canned chili and Cinnabon popcorn seasonings, writes Slim Jim connoisseur Monica Watrous.

Principal Scientist - Sensapure Flavors

Salt Lake City, UT

Brewer/cellar - Brix City Brewing

Little Ferry, NJ

Field Sales Representative - Sixth City Distribution

Columbus, OH

After over a year of guerilla warfare, the likes of which not seen before, the #UtahCookieWars have finally ended writes a bemused Shauna 'I just wanted a cookie' Golden.

The overbaked conflict between cookie titans Crumbl and Dirty Dough included a series of alleged data theft and trademark infringements, and resulted in Crumbl filing a legal suit in May '22. The dispute was finally settled out of court in December.

Ironically, Dirty Dough founder Bennett 'sugar cookies' Maxwell told NOSH that the suit brought massive attention to his company - resulting in it becoming, in his words, Crumbl's 'biggest competitor'. Awkward.

Read the full brief on NOSH.com.

🥡 Key Takeaway: Gourmet cookies are serious business. Crumbl alone is running sales around the billion dollar mark anually while Dirty Dough is catching up - it's sold over 450 franchises in the last 18 months, with 55 open and 46 actively under construction. The nippy upstart has also appointed Gregg Majewski of Craveworthy Brands as CEO. Not to mention Crave Cookies and luxury brand Last Crumb. It's hot in this kitchen.

If like me you're looking to cut back on expenses in January having frankly exploded the bank account in December, Kraft Heinz has teamed up with Taco Bell to offer Crunchwrap Supreme and Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla S̶a̶v̶i̶n̶g̶s Cravings Kits.

Each kit contains ingredients for four servings (minus any protein) as well as a quart of Pepto Bismol and, presumably, a bunch of those bags with plastic windows to put the quesadillas in.

Kraft Heinz already makes Taco Bell branded sauces, shells, seasonings and taco kits, leaving no excuse to eat anything but Taco Bell 24/7 in 2024. I am sold.

AND FINALLY: AT LAST - Someone willing to take my La-Z-Boy: RXBAR's new Bar the Couch Pledge campaign sees parent company Kellanova offer one lucky contestant $2,500 in fees if they relocate their couch for 30 days. Oh, and a year's supply of RXBARs.

Mix that in with my 24/7 2024 Taco Bell challenge, and we're onto a gastronomic winner.

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to bench press my neighbor's sectional. Until next week, your host,

Mark Murphy

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