• 🥟 Distribution: MìLà Lands In WFM Freezers

• 🍫 Lexington Bakes Refreshes Approach
• 🏳️ Waffle Cone Snack War Ends
• 🎯 Target Announces Partnership With Shopify
• 🥫 Can Co. Sold to Sonoco Products Company
• 🔍 Spot Nosh At The Summer Fancy Food Show

Startup food brands and novel product concepts continue to garner industry support in the form of new shelf space. Here are some notable, recent distribution highlights from around the industry:

Frozen dumpling producer MìLà announced it has ramped up its retail efforts and landed its line of soup dumplings in Whole Foods stores nationwide. The move comes just over a year after the brand first ventured beyond its DTC roots.

The brand’s Pork Soup Dumplings, Pork & Shrimp Soup Dumplings and Chicken Soup Dumplings are now stocked in the freezer aisle and available for $7.99. Over the past 16 months, MìLà has expanded from a viral, restaurant-quality soup dumpling seller to become one of the fastest-growing brands in its category in the U.S., a press release claims.

Elsewhere, Jackson’s Sweet Potato Kettle Chips is expanding well beyond the natural space, with the addition of over 800 Walmart stores nationwide and a debut on Walmart.com. The brand’s Sea Salt and Carolina BBQ flavors will be available for $8.73 per 12-pack of 5 oz. bags.

Beyond soup dumplings and snacks, African Dream Foods announced its African Ghost Pepper Sauce will roll out to Albertsons stores and banners including Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Pavilions, Carrs, and Andronico’s Community Markets. Portions of every purchase of the sauce are put towards wildlife conservation efforts and promoting biodiversity.

“Bringing our authentic African flavors and conservation message to every American kitchen has always been a goal, and this is a giant step towards that,” said David Schmunk, founder of African Dream Foods, in a press release. 

Check out the full distribution roundup on Nosh for more news of brand moves.

Bigger might not always be better. Premium brownie and cookie maker Lexington Bakes introduced a scaled down portion size today – opting for 2 oz. treats as opposed to its previous 5 oz. size. Along with the new size, Lexington Bakes has updated its packaging labels and decreased the product’s sugar content between 25% to 30%.

☕ Across its portfolio, the brand’s “big mini refresh,” has opted for a new white design motif with flow wrap packaging. The new look also marks the start of its first coffee shop partnership with chain Equator Coffee.

✨ The company is also introducing a new vegan and nut free Cosmic Forest Cookie SKU alongside the updated look. Reducing the size has allowed the brand to drop its price point to $5.99.

💬 “Our initial $11 price point was meant to be shocking… but the price was always fair. A smaller size at a lower price point has always been in our future. We just needed to find the right time to do that, I’m excited we’re finally there,” founder Lex Evans said in a statement.

Two waffle cone snack makers, Evergreen USA (Just the Fun Part) and AYC Naturals (Just the Tip) have “reached an amicable negotiated resolution” in a trademark suit, according to a stipulation filed in New Jersey federal court on Thursday. 

⏪ Evergreen sued AYC in June 2023, claiming trademark infringement, trade dress infringement and unfair competition over AYC’s Just the Tip product. 

👀 The suit alleged that AYC used “many of the elements” of the Just The Fun Part trade dress such as a similar packaging layout, images of the waffle cone snacks, and callouts that the product is filled with Belgian chocolate and made in Turkey. 

🧑‍⚖️ Initially, Evergreen sought injunctive relief ordering its rival to stop using Just the Tip mark and packaging and an award of AYC’s sales and profits. According to Thursday’s stipulation, the suit has been voluntarily dismissed. 

The Target Corporation announced a partnership with Shopify today that will bring a selection of popular merchants and products from the latter’s platform to Target Plus, the mass retailer’s third-party digital marketplace. 

🤝 The new partnership expands Target Plus with a hand-selected assortment of “new and on-trend products.” Target will also be the first mass retailer to work with Shopify to bring select merchants’ products into physical stores in the coming months.

👀 Shopify merchants in the U.S. can apply to sell online on Target Plus through Marketplace Connect, an app that lets merchants seamlessly sell and manage orders on leading marketplaces. 

💭 “Our partnership with Shopify extends the breadth of thoughtfully designed and affordable items available to discover and enjoy as part of Target’s distinctive mix of brands shoppers love,” said Cara Sylvester, EVP and chief guest experience officer at Target, in a statement.

KPS Capital Partners announced today it has entered into an agreement to sell portfolio company Eviosys to Sonoco Products Company for approximately $3.9 billion. Eviosys is the leading supplier of metal packaging including food cans and ends, aerosol cans and metal closures.

💰 Sonoco also has the option to pay up to $200 million of the sum in Sonoco stock. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2024. 

🗺️ Eviosys has the largest metal food can manufacturing footprint in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with over 6,300 employees in 44 manufacturing facilities across 17 countries.

The Nosh editorial team is on the ground at the Javits Center in NYC this week scouring the Summer Fancy Food Show for all the best eats and exciting brand announcements. 

🎤 Maybe you already spotted senior reporter Lukas Southard moderating a panel on AI’s Impact on the Food and Beverage Space or bumped into managing editor Monica Watrous walking the aisles. When you see them, don’t hesitate to pull them in and show off what you’ve got.

🧀 In the meantime, and amidst the rows of cheese bits and dairy-filled delights, we sincerely hope show organizers had the sense this year to make at least one of these available to attendees. We know you’ll need it.