This week the Nosh team has been looking at world flavors from minority-owned brands, the cold reality of lab-grown meat and some seriously sweet new Peeps pumps. But, more on all that below.

And, celeb watch: YouTube star Ryan Trahan has teamed up with better-for-you candy crew Joyride for a new 4 SKU lineup of sour strips. Hey: it's 2024, year of the celeb collab, remember?

Alright! On with the Sunday newsletter.

FIRST UP! A-peel-ing snack co RIND has gobbled up Vermont-based granola guru Small Batch Organics.

Dried fruit snack brand RIND has made a solid 90 degree turn into vertically integrated manufacturing and packaging by picking up Vermont-based granola slinger Small Batch Organics, writes Certified Upcycled Editor Lukas Southard.

Aside from picking up the producer’s manufacturing prowess, RIND has also leased a 15,000 sq. ft. warehouse in nearby Bennington, VT for logistics and fulfillment.

It’s a big move for NY-based RIND. It signals the company’s intent to expand beyond its core of dried fruit into the wider snack category, while also creating a vertical supply chain - something many have been seeking after several years of pesky supply chain issues. Players such as Hershey have made similar purchases recently.

The biz even raised a Series A extension to help finance the moves, bringing on board manufacturing and product specialist RCV Frontline amongst others.

Read about the acquisition over on Nosh.com.

🥡 Key Takeaway: Aside from better controlling its own production, the move increases RIND’s gross margin by some 15 percentage points according to co-founder/CEO Matt ‘Fruits’ Weiss. The company will keep some of Small Batch’s co-manufacturing contracts but for the most part will be utilizing the production bandwidth for new SKUs. Having said that, don't be surprised to see RIND co-develop products with strategic retailers like Walmart.

With Expo West just over three weeks away we’re looking to steal a march with your news and company updates.

Want to showcase your planned product launch? Maybe you have a big acquisition looming - or a total brand refresh. Submit your press release here and tell us all about it.

On this week's CPG Week podcast the Nosh power team of Managing Editor Monica Watrous and reporters Brad Avery and Lukas Southard dig into the cooling landscape of lab-grown meat.

The discussion includes the industry's financial issues, consumer adoption and productization struggles, and more broadly how food tech can fall flat in the open market.

The group also discuss Valentine’s Day shenanigans and how to date with a Subway footlong (yes really).

Spin this week's podcast here.

"Snacktivist has been building regenerative by design; that’s our ethos"

This week's thought piece comes from a regenerated Adrianne DeLuca who took a look at regen-ag baking mix brand Snacktivist, which is refocusing its attention as an ingredient supply and brokerage service.

The new arm, Snacktivist Ingredients, aims to connect brands, private label producers and foodservice suppliers with farmers that use 3rd party regenerative practices.

Regen-ag is in a somewhat cart before the horse stage. Farmers need contracts in order to produce crops, but some certs can take up to 5 years to process. Snacktivist takes a step forward by having farmer agreements already in place, making an ingredient switch for producers a plug-and-play scenario.

Regenerative verification is a thorny issue and one we’ve discussed in the past. Founder/CEO Joni Kindwall-Moore is hoping to smooth the process from farmer to retailer by creating a more standardized platform, ultimately resulting in more regenerative crops.

Read the full deep dive over on Nosh.com.

What are your thoughts, Sunday readers? Have you had experiences in the past of looking into regen-ag ingredient use or certification? What do you see as the opportunities? Click here to send in your comments.

Notable new products: Mean Girls popcorn, Pure Protein popped crisps.

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

Yishi is bringing Asian flavors to breakfast with its new pancake and waffle mixes.

Watch out for Coconut, Matcha Coconut and Ube Mochi mixes on retail shelves this April, writes Dry Mixes Editor Shauna Golden.

Optimized supply chains and cost management sent WK Kellogg Co's net income up in Q4.

The company's first post-split quarterly report is showing promise, writes Lukas 'All-Bran' Southard.

Trade Promotion Analyst - Promomash

USA

Brewer - Kane Brewing Co.

Ocean, NJ

Sales Representative (NYC) - Finback Brewery

Queens, NY

Cultural candy kingpin Better Sour has hit the bullseye with a Target listing - bringing globally-inspired gummies to 500 stores, writes Warheads Connoisseur Monica Watrous.

Founded by lifelong friends and Iranian immigrants Bella Hughes and Semira Nikou, Better Sour was one of the first businesses to earn a minority certification from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

SKUs include a Middle East stone fruit blend of pomegranate, apricot and plum, and an Asia-Pacific-themed mix of guava, calamansi and ume.

Read the full story on Nosh.com.

🥡 Key Takeaway: Better Sour is part of a small but growing subsect of minority-led brands that are bringing flavors of their cultural heritage into mainstream retail. Asian flavors are definitely leading the pack (hi, chilli crisp), but brands like Better Sour, Zesty Z (more on that below) and Maazah are pulling from other parts of the world - disrupting sectors and offering hungry consumers something new.

AND: Speaking of minority-owned businesses: Zesty Z is looking to hit a zinger with its new line of twice-baked pita c̶h̶i̶p̶z chips. The brand's popcorn pivot was a tough but necessary one, writes Acting Companies Beginning with Z Editor Monica Watrous.

Read about founders Alexander Harik and Lorraine George-Harik's second roll of the CPG dice over on Nosh.com.

If you're looking for the perfect Easter gift, we got you covered - or rather Peeps and Heelys does with these limited edition Peeps-branded shoes.

Aside from being unmercifully cute, the shoes feature an oversized Peeps Bunny plush as the tongue and come with a Peeps Chick removable charm. A caveat: they only come in kids sizes - so for most of us rolling into the office in a pair of Peeps is but a pipe dream.

AND FINALLY: Sweet Mary J̶a̶n̶e Jones: Jones Soda Co is getting cool with the young adults with its new line of Delta 9 (whatever that is) infused craft sodas.

Aside from the clever name - it's also the first nationally distributed soda biz to release a THC-infused line. Why smoke 'em when you can drink 'em?

If anyone needs me, I'll be in Eastern North Carolina searching for some very intriguing cheese biscuits (washed down with some sweet M̶a̶r̶y̶ ̶J̶o̶n̶e̶s tea). Until next week, your host,

Mark Murphy

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