• 🇺🇸 Inside MAHA’s M&A Effect
• 👋 Meet Nombase
• 🧑‍⚖️ Built v. Blue Unicorn
• 🍫 Ranger Chocolate's New Facility
• 🫒 Colativa Buys Vitelli Foods
• 🧑🏽‍💻 eGrocery Sales Up Double-Digits
• 🥃 Finding Whitespace – And A $600 Million Brand – In The ‘Wilderness’

For a category once defined by grab-and-go gas-station protein options and a marketing campaign with professional wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage – sticks have become the driving format for meat snacks.

What’s moving the needle? Better-for-you brands moving from natural channel retailers into club, conventional and mass chains.

• BFY meat sticks sales were up 54% year-over-year in 2024, compared to a 3% decline in conventional sticks, according to NielsenIQ data provided to Philadelphia-based brand Righteous Felon.

“The category is on fire, and every year it gets more competitive,” said Righteous Felon founder and CEO Brendan Cawley.

Meat snack makers exhibiting this year at Expo West echoed three key drivers across the halls: healthier options, multipacks and marketing towards families.

Alongside the rebrands of Archer (formerly Country Archer Provisions) and New Primal, others were changing up their packaging. 

• Brooklyn Biltong refreshed some of its jerky SKUs to better communicate its zero sugar credentials. The company also is putting out a multipack of biltong sticks, a rare format for the South African air-dried beef variety.
• Vermont Smoke & Cure is also seeing strong velocities on its multipacks and expanded into variety packs to meet that demand; it has also seen growing demand for its turkey SKUs.

Families are buying more poultry-based meat sticks for kids’ lunches, which is, in turn, building brand awareness and driving more volume as parents grab sticks for their own snacking needs.

• PE-owned Mighty Spark – an early adopter of chicken sticks – had seen sales continue to tick up for its offerings and was readying to launch in all Costco locations this summer.
• Owned by Jack Link’s parent, Link Snacks, LK (formerly Lorissa’s Kitchen) is also prioritizing its poultry SKUs as it markets around being top nine allergen-free as a differentiator.

“Certifications drive the natural channel,” said Alexandria Ellis, Jack Link’s director of sales. “Consumers love to see that trust on the pack.”

Get a comprehensive category deep-dive on Nosh.

Manna Tree managing partner Ross Iverson has seen how industry winds can change the appetite for M&A and exit strategies during his decades of business building, but as the MAHA movement sweeps across CPG, how could changing demands manifest within the deals space?

🤔 We sat down with Iverson to learn about who he believes will be the biggest winners, how food policy and regulation impact the M&A market and exit strategies for emerging brands and whether or not the MAHA era will have a lasting effect on the industry.

🗣️What he said: “The opportunity to continue reshaping the food industry is significant – about $1 in every $20 spent globally is now on wellness. We believe there has never been a more pivotal time to support brands that empower consumers with products they can trust.”

Insiders can access our full interview with Iverson for all of the details.

In other MAHA-related news: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s office put out a statement on Monday that it would “explore potential rulemaking” on revising the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) process to eliminate the self-affirmed (read: the most common) option. 

Introducing Nombase, powered by BevNET, a new platform built to support professionals across the food, beverage, beer, spirits, health, and beauty industries. 

Whether you’re looking for trusted industry partners, AI-powered insights, timely discussions, or the latest company news and job opportunities – Nombase brings it all together in one place. 

Best of all, it’s free to explore, with added AI benefits for our BevNET, Nosh, and Brewbound insiders.

Check it out now.

Built Bar producer Built Brands, LLC has sued protein bar startup Blue Unicorn over accusations of stolen trade secrets. 

• Food scientist Luke Tolley was contracted by Built nearly seven years ago, but went on to also develop Blue Unicorn’s proprietary technology and recipes. 
• Blue Unicorn called the accusations “baseless,” as Tolley was never employed or bound by a non-compete agreement with Built, per a response posted on Monday. 
• Blue Unicorn pointed to another key differentiator: Built’s protein bars are whey-based while its own are plant-based. 

🗣️ What they said: “Our product is fundamentally different from Built’s. This won’t stop us from doing what we set out to do – bring innovative protein products to people whose needs aren’t being met with current options.” – Jason Christensen, founder of Blue Unicorn

Ranger Chocolate Co. has expanded into a new facility in Portland, Ore.’s historic Olympic Mills building, more than doubling its production capacity and space, per a release on Monday. 

🏭 The new facility features “cutting-edge” production equipment, expanded tasting tour experiences and a greater focus on sustainable practices. 

💭 “Staying in the Central Eastside neighborhood allows us to continue our strong ties with the local community while elevating our production capabilities and refining our craft,” said George Domurot, founder and CEO, in a press release. 

🥳 The expansion news coincides with Ranger Chocolate’s inaugural Portland Craft Chocolate Festival, an event to showcase the region’s bean-to-bar makers, chocolatiers and artisans. 

Italian products platform Colativa USA has acquired pasta sauce and tomato producer Vitelli Foods, bolstering Colativa’s presence in the tomato space while strengthening Vitelli’s position as a leading importer. 

• Vitelli will leverage Colativa’s distribution network and expertise to expand its presence in the U.S. 
• The deal follows Colativa’s acquisition of California-based O Olive Oil & Vinegar.

Online grocery sales jumped up 31% in February to $10.3 billion, according to Brick Meets Click’s latest Grocery Shopper Survey. Over 80 million households made at least one “eGrocery” order last month.

• All three metrics – direct-to-consumer home delivery, store-to-home delivery and in-store pickup options – were up year-over-year 
• Delivery is the strongest segment, up 45% with $4.5 billion in sales, with users over the age of 60 and 18- to 29-year-olds both embracing the service in higher numbers.
• In-store pickup was up 19% to $4.1 billion, while ship-to-home remains the smallest segment, up 29% to $1.8 billion.
• What’s behind the growth? “Regional grocers are converting first-time shoppers into more loyal customers as evidenced by the rising repeat intent rates, but so is Walmart,” said Mark Fairhurst, Chief Growth Marketing Officer at Mercatus, which sponsored the report.

Dr. Pat Heist, the co-founder of groundbreaking whiskey brand Wilderness Trail, offers a deep reflection on his entrepreneurial journey, from its debut 2018 to Campari’s $600 million acquisition of the company four years later. 

Listen to the episode now. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.