• 🥚 NestFresh Eggs Overhauls Brand
• 🗞️ UNFI Debuts Retail Media Network
• 🛗 The Latest Episode of Elevator Talk
• 🌽 Tate & Lyle Sells U.S. Ingredient Business 
• 🤝 Misfits Market, Pod Foods Partner Post-Foxtrot 
• 🛒 Private Label-Palooza & Nestlé’s Bet On GLP-1

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It’s no secret that data has become a foundational building block to growing a CPG brand in today’s omnichannel world. Ecommerce grocery and delivery platforms have keyed in, leveraging internal data to not only help brands drive sales but also boost their own appeal with potential new partners.

And now those two goals have begun to converge. CPG data-collection platform WeStock announced a partnership with DoorDash yesterday on a new Storefront that will essentially make Westock the “retail endpoint” and allow it to elevate brands within its network. The new platform is launching ahead of Memorial Day this weekend with more than 30 brands in the Los Angeles and New York markets.

The Storefront is intended to boost brand awareness, streamline customer acquisition, drive velocities and collect more data to open up new retail opportunities, WeStock co-founder and CEO Cameron McCarthy said in a LinkedIn post.

WeStock built its business on collecting and organizing first-party data to bring more opportunities to brands. The partnership with DoorDash expands that model into new terrain: “Digital rebates are a great tool, but digital rebates plus on-demand distribution will open up a level of agile brand building that hasn't been seen before.”

Though the focus on data-driven customer acquisition and brand building isn’t novel, its evolution within ecommerce platforms in a post-pandemic world has created new niches to mine growth. Take Instacart as another example. The newly public company has also been leveraging data inherently created and collected on its platform; it has become a tool to entice new brand partners and illustrate how its platform serves as a complement to brick-and-mortar retail.

Instacart has touted the success of its advertising initiatives on its blog. In a recent case study of WILDE, Instacart moved to connect the protein chip brand’s increased Instacart Ads investment with 200% YoY growth between 2022 and 2023. Similarly, it attributed tahini maker Soom’s retail growth (from 500 to 3,000 doors), and consumer acquisition spike, to its “full-funnel approach” via Instacart Ads. 

That might seem like a duh insight. More visibility should breed more sales – it is the bedrock of trade spend. What is unique is how integral data has become to building long-lasting growth and open doors to physical retail. 

These platforms are billing their value as extending beyond the digital sphere. Whether or not they are the silver bullet, access to better data and using those numbers to reach consumers and retail buyers has created a nuanced dynamic, and upped the stakes for those without it, to gain distribution in both the virtual and physical world.

Go Deeper (In Another Direction): Instacart Shareholders Sue Claiming It Overstated Growth Potential.

Fullerton, Calif.-based egg producer NestFresh Eggs has completely overhauled its branding including its packaging and website. According to a LinkedIn post, the vibrant, updated branding better showcases the “NeshFresh story,” from the small farmers it supports to the hens who call the farms home. 

⏪ Founded in 1991, NestFresh sources eggs from humanely and sustainably raised hens at small farms across the country. Its products are available in shell, liquid and hard-cooked varieties in retail and bulk packaging. 

🐣 The brand claims to have the first Non-GMO Project Verified eggs and the first nationally distributed Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) pasture-raised eggs.

BevNET and Nosh are partnering with RangMe to give away one free premium annual subscription to their service, valued at $1,399. 🆓 For those unfamiliar, RangeMe is a platform where brands can showcase their products to thousands of retailers, get discovered, make connections and find unique sales opportunities.

This giveaway starts TODAY, Thursday, May 23 and will run for one week. To enter, join our Slack community and answer the question:

🗯️ What is your dream retailer?

That’s all you have to do! From the people who answer, the winner will be randomly chosen and announced Friday, May 31 via Slack.

United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) announced today it will roll out a new platform – UNFI Media Network (UMN) – which is designed to help retailers and brands market more directly to customers. The platform is powered by retail tech solutions provider Swifty and will include its “personalization engine, closed-loop reporting and analytics capabilities.”

• The distributor claims that the goal of the platform is to help retailers meaningfully connect with customers and provide opportunities to showcase their suppliers and help them build brand equity.

The latest episode of Elevator Talk features leaders from GOOD WORD, ChiChi Foods, Dam Good English Muffins and Spoonful.

Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Wade Yenny, an industry advisor and retail expert, who shared his thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants. He is joined by Ray Latif, the Editor and Producer of the Taste Radio podcast. Interested in being featured? Apply for a future episode here.

Check out the full Elevator Talk episode on Nosh now.

Tate & Lyle has sold its remaining ownership interest of 49.7% in its corn wet milling business Primary Products Investments (Primient) to KPS Capital Partners for $350 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of July.

🥤 Primient produces corn-derived ingredients used in carbonated beverages, confectionery products, packaging and animal feed. The company employs 1,800 workers across six manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Brazil.

🤝 KPS acquired a controlling interest in Primient, Tate & Lyle’s Primary Products Business in North American and Latin America, in 2022. 

💬 “With strong KPS support, we are executing on more than $700 million in capital investments over the next five years to ensure the highest quality and most reliable production in the industry for decades to come,” said Jim Stutelberg, CEO of Primient, in a press release.

Online grocery platform Misfits Market this week announced a new partnership with distributor Pod Foods to sell food and beverage products left without a retail buyer following Foxtrot's abrupt closure last month. 

🍬 Through the partnership, Misfits Market has brought on 15 brands – including BonBon candies, Couplet Coffee beans, and Courtside coconut water. 

👀 According to Misfits Market, the partnership with Pod introduces its customers to “trending brands” not found at most grocery stores, including some rescued items “offered at a special discount,” and will continue to work with Pod to bring more of these items into its assortment. 

💭 “Now these brands can rest easy that this story has a happy ending and you can get doorstep delivery of some of the coolest, harder-to-find food items. That’s what we call a win-win,” Misfits Market said in the announcement. 

This week, the CPG Week team digs into the growing momentum behind updated, modern takes on store brands, Nestlé’s move into GLP-1 companion meals and what not to drink while running a marathon (spoiler: it's a “fiery” shot but not intended as a wellness remedy). 

◻️ The CPG Week crew discusses the various private label lines launched by CVS, Walmart and other major retail chains in recent weeks and what this signals for both consumers and brands alike.

💊 Later, the group ponders what Nestlé’s stance toward supporting GLP-1-aligned foods might foretell for the CPG industry (and how it conjures up a somewhat disturbing deja vu of ‘90s era dieting obsession.)

Listen now on Nosh and subscribe to get a fresh episode every week.

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