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🚨NOSH INSIDER WEEKLY: Expo West Dispatches, a Breakfast Revolution?, Not-egg Deviled Eggs & More |
The hits just keep on coming - Expo West delivered barrelfuls of trend insights, new product releases and innovation. In keeping with out in-depth coverage of CPG's Christmastime, we have plenty more on all that below. And, a cultivated milestone? Netherlands-based Meatable claims to now be able to transform stem cells into high quality fat and muscle tissue in a record four days - some 60 times faster than traditional farming. In a sector held back by costs and capacity issues, this could be a big step forward. Alright! On with the Sunday newsletter. FIRST UP! Chick this out: this legume is ready to break on through - to your breakfast. |
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🥣 Chickpeas for Breakfast? ChiChi Foods Says Yes |
| Chickpeas may be rolling into a breakfast bowl near you soon - that is, if LA-based startup ChiChi Foods has anything to do with it says Legumes Editor Monica Watrous from the Expo West show floor. | |
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Chickpeas really are the heroes of the bean world. From alt-pasta to high protein burgers by way of aquafaba-based mayonnaise, it seems the world can’t get enough of the pebble-sized wonders.
ChiChi Foods is hoping that its grain-free not-oatmeal will start a first meal of the day revolution. Co-founder and Head Chickpea/CEO Chiara Munzi divulged to Monica how the brand started in her college dorm room, consumer challenges, and her hopes for subbing chickpeas into a variety of breakfast staples. Watch the full interview on Nosh.com. 🥡 Key Takeaway: Consumers know what they like when it comes to breakfast, but better-for-you options have been slow to make an appearance. Brands such as Mason Dixie are looking to clean up the traditional frozen options while ChiChi Foods is positioning itself as a clean-ingredient, high protein alt with none of the sugar typically associated with cereals. Breakfast is starting to get interesting.
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📓 Expo West Notebooks: Sweet Loren’s Goes Savory, Mini Morning Meals |
| Speaking of breakfast - apparently small is the new big as companies look to downsize waffles. Chief among the culprits are MyMochi with its gluten-free Waffle Bites and Kidiak Cakes with its Flapjack Puffs and TikTok-inspired Bite-sized Chocolate Chip Pancakes.
Special shout-out to Evergreen for its Lunchables-like Waffles 'N' Bites which includes mini waffles, strawberry jam and egg bites in each pack.
Elsewhere Sweet Loren's has released a possible first in its refigerated gluten-free better-for-you puff pastry and pizza crust pastry sheets. And, yes, founder Loren Castle is going for your breakfast with a recently launched line of shelf-stable brekkie biscuits.
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🔊 CPG Week Podcast: Food & Bev Funding Roundup |
| On this week's CPG Podcast the Nosh trio of managing editor Monica Watrous and reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard discuss the latest funding news including how brands are starting to get creative while traditional models continue to be historically constrained.
Spin this week's podcast here. | |
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🍓 Juicy Quote |
| "The problem is that farmers aren’t getting paid enough"
This week's deep dive comes from Pesky Supply Chains Editor Adrianne DeLuca who reports on the USDA's recent round of Organic Market Development Grant funding. | |
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| The program, launched in 2022, supports the development of new and existing organic markets. Most of the funding went to growers and processors of dairy, nuts, grains and legumes while a handful of vertically-integrated CPG companies such as Snacktivist were also selected.
The money was primarily given to strengthen supply chians, expand organic food access and scale businesses by investing in production and processing.
For many of the companies it's a huge windfall. Legacy rice biz Lundberg Farms for example will use its $3M to expand to over 3,000 new acres and hopes to increase its regen-ag organic sales by $17M.
What are your thoughts, Sunday readers? Is the USDA's $40.5M allocation a great start, or too little to make a serious impact? What areas should the fund target next? Click here to send in your comments. | |
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🥑 Quick Bites |
Quick-fires of some of the more interesting product showcases from Anaheim.
Established brands such as Hardbite are setting their sights on a long march south.
The woman-founded brand's latest line includes Peanut Butter Cup, Snickerdoodle and l̶a̶v̶e̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶t̶l̶e Peanut Butter Brownie SKUs.
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📰 Jobs Market |
Evansville, IN
New Haven, CT
Barrington, NJ |
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🍳 Cracking the Code: Alt-Eggs Get Serious |
| Until now there's been a curious gap in the plant-based market: while liquid eggs are nothing new (hi, Eat Just) there haven't been any slingers showcasing whole eggs. Enter Yo Egg and Craft Counter.
Yo Egg's poached and sunny-side-up not-eggs are made with sunflower oil, soy and chickpea protein and feature a runny yolk created using a proprietary tech according to VP of h̶e̶n̶s Retail Ariel Glazer.
Meanwhile Crafty Counter's eggs are made with almonds, cashews, coconut milk and other things typically not found inside egg shells. For bonus points the brand's deviled eggs and not-egg salad are both made with Fabalish vegan mayo.
🥡 Key Takeaway: Plant-based eggs accounted for just 0.5% of the total US egg market in 2022, despite liquid alt-eggs being on the market for a number of years. Pricing and consumer awareness no doubt play a huge part however with brands such as Yo Egg and Crafty Counter, it's clear there's innovation still to be found. Now, where's my heat-and-eat avocado egg toast?
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👀 ICYMI 👀 |
| Down in the 'I didn't know this was a thing' aisle, Martin's (the potato roll kings) has announced its new (somehow instantly iconic) mascot, Frannie.
Frannie, whose favorite saying is "It's the fun bakery" (yes, really) was unveiled at the Potato Roll Drop in Downtown Chambersburg on New Year's Eve (think NYE ball drop but with burger buns). The event featured a giant 12ft high pack of potato rolls, because why not? | |
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| AND FINALLY: Move over pepperoni: Hormel has shredded the rulebook (and the pepperoni) with its latest innovation, Ribbon Pepperoni.
Inspired by Windsor, Ontario pizza joints (who apparently are big into shredded peps) Ribbon Pepperoni allows for quicker pie prep and more even pep distro. Sign me up, Hormel. | |
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