Snack and appetiser brand Farm Rich has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of two new products: Breaded Zucchini Sticks and Cauliflower Bites. Providing ‘healthy and easy’ snack alternatives, the products join Farm Rich’s Garden Inspirations line of frozen, plant-based foods. Breaded Cauliflower Bites feature whole cauliflower florets rolled in a wheat flour and crispy rice coating, and come with a sweet sesame dipping sauce. The bites offer a quarter cup of cauliflower per serving, according to Farm Rich. The brand’s new Breaded Zucchini Sticks feature zucchini slices in a savoury coating, with a ‘tangy’ marinara sauce for dipping. The sticks can be enjoyed as an appetiser or side, as well as for a snack. “The response to our first Garden Inspirations products…was so positive, and we're excited to expand the line with these new vegetable products,” said Ciera Womack, Farm Rich senior marketing manager. “No matter what diet you follow – vegetarian, flexitarian or, as we like to say, 'snackitarian' – this innovative new line gives shoppers more plant-based options to enjoy at ease from the comfort of home.” The new bites and sticks are available in the US, priced at around $7.99, from Kroger and online via Instacart. At the end of last year, Farm Rich launched a line of microwavable single-serve snacks with custom dipping sauces, Time Outs.

Los Angeles-based wellness company Four Sigmatic has expanded its Plant-based Protein line with the launch of a new flavour, sweet vanilla. Four Sigmatic’s latest offering features 18g of ‘sustainably sourced’ pure vegan protein, 1000mg of functional mushrooms, and 500mg of adaptogens. Each scoop reportedly has a balanced amino acid profile from five organic plant proteins: pea, hemp, pumpkin and chia seeds, as well as coconut. Sweet vanilla joins unflavoured, peanut butter and creamy cacao variants in Four Sigmatic’s Plant-based Protein range. Each flavour is now available in 15-serving canisters, as well as boxes of ten single-serve packets. Four Sigmatic claims that the entire line is third-party lab tested for pesticides and heavy metals, as well as being free from grains, gums, soy or other fillers. “Our focus at Four Sigmatic is to create products that upgrade daily habits and ultimately help people better handle the overwhelming demands of modern living,” said Tero Isokauppila, founder and CEO of Four Sigmatic. “Our Plant-based Protein is a delicious vegan protein with immune support we developed for people who struggle to trust the ingredients and sourcing of current protein powders on the market, but still need the ‘one-and-done’ effect of convenient, clean and delicious plant-based nutrition to help them perform at their best.” Four Sigmatic’s vegan protein is available via the company’s website, from US retailers including select Whole Foods locations and from tomorrow, on Amazon and Thrive Market. The ten-packet boxes have an SRP of $40, and the 15-serving canisters a $50 SRP. Earlier this year, Four Sigmatic introduced a line of ‘wellness’ shots with functional mushrooms and adaptogens. #FourSigmatic #plantbasedprotein #US

Los Angeles-based wellness company Four Sigmatic has expanded its Plant-based Protein line with the launch of a new flavour, sweet vanilla. Four Sigmatic’s latest offering features 18g of ‘sustainably sourced’ pure vegan protein, 1000mg of functional mushrooms, and 500mg of adaptogens. Each scoop reportedly has a balanced amino acid profile from five organic plant proteins: pea, hemp, pumpkin and chia seeds, as well as coconut. Sweet vanilla joins unflavoured, peanut butter and creamy cacao variants in Four Sigmatic’s Plant-based Protein range. Each flavour is now available in 15-serving canisters, as well as boxes of ten single-serve packets. Four Sigmatic claims that the entire line is third-party lab tested for pesticides and heavy metals, as well as being free from grains, gums, soy or other fillers. “Our focus at Four Sigmatic is to create products that upgrade daily habits and ultimately help people better handle the overwhelming demands of modern living,” said Tero Isokauppila, founder and CEO of Four Sigmatic. “Our Plant-based Protein is a delicious vegan protein with immune support we developed for people who struggle to trust the ingredients and sourcing of current protein powders on the market, but still need the ‘one-and-done’ effect of convenient, clean and delicious plant-based nutrition to help them perform at their best.” Four Sigmatic’s vegan protein is available via the company’s website, from US retailers including select Whole Foods locations and from tomorrow, on Amazon and Thrive Market. The ten-packet boxes have an SRP of $40, and the 15-serving canisters a $50 SRP. Earlier this year, Four Sigmatic introduced a line of ‘wellness’ shots with functional mushrooms and adaptogens.

Conscious Chocolate has added a new sugar-free Pure Dark bar that is made with 100% cacao to its portfolio of vegan chocolate. The UK brand’s latest offering will join Conscious Chocolate’s portfolio of bars – such as Citrus Zest, Goji & Coconut, and Peppermint – and snacks including chocolate orange figs and salted chocolate dates. Like others in its line-up, the new bar is organic and free-from gluten, dairy and soya. Conscious Chocolate’s Pure Dark is a single-origin chocolate bar made with premium Peruvian cacao. It is described as having a fully-balanced strong flavour without an overpowering bitterness. “Bursting with raw goodness”, the chocolate is said to offer the taste of every part of the cocoa bean. Conscious Chocolate’s new product coincides with the release of its first recipe ebook which contains a collection of vegan chocolate recipes to create using its flavours; including cakes, shakes and alcoholic cocktails. It also comes after the brand launched a work-from-home care package in partnership with The Raw Chocolate Company during lockdown and a Rainbow Collection with proceeds going to Pride in London. From 13 September, Conscious Chocolate’s Pure Dark bar will be available to purchase at Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Infinity Foods, Revital and online across the UK. Last year, the brand showcased its rebranded look featuring fully compostable and recyclable packaging made by Qualvis. #ConsciousChocolate #UK #veganchocolate

Conscious Chocolate has added a new sugar-free Pure Dark bar that is made with 100% cacao to its portfolio of vegan chocolate. The UK brand’s latest offering will join Conscious Chocolate’s portfolio of bars – such as Citrus Zest, Goji & Coconut, and Peppermint – and snacks including chocolate orange figs and salted chocolate dates. Like others in its line-up, the new bar is organic and free-from gluten, dairy and soya. Conscious Chocolate’s Pure Dark is a single-origin chocolate bar made with premium Peruvian cacao. It is described as having a fully-balanced strong flavour without an overpowering bitterness. “Bursting with raw goodness”, the chocolate is said to offer the taste of every part of the cocoa bean. Conscious Chocolate’s new product coincides with the release of its first recipe ebook which contains a collection of vegan chocolate recipes to create using its flavours; including cakes, shakes and alcoholic cocktails. It also comes after the brand launched a work-from-home care package in partnership with The Raw Chocolate Company during lockdown and a Rainbow Collection with proceeds going to Pride in London. From 13 September, Conscious Chocolate’s Pure Dark bar will be available to purchase at Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Infinity Foods, Revital and online across the UK. Last year, the brand showcased its rebranded look featuring fully compostable and recyclable packaging made by Qualvis.

Baby and toddler food brand Piccolo has added two new high-fibre products – Mighty Melts and Oaty Bars – to its range of snacks in the UK. The new duo is organic, gluten free and contain no added sugar. The brand says the product launch aims to support the back to nursery and school occasion, as well as parents with their kids at home or on-the-go. Made with soft textured multi-grains, Oaty Bars offer 2.7g of fibre per bar and is available in an apple, carrot and orange variant. Designed for 12 months plus, the vegan bars are made with inulin from agave, a pre-biotic fibre. Co-founder and Piccolo’s infant nutritionist, Alice Fotheringham, said: “As with all Piccolo foods, our snacks are packed with natural ingredients. We use real fruit and yogurt, ensuring a range of natural flavours and with no added sugar, they provide great snack choices for one year olds. “Fibre is also an essential part of little ones’ diets, as it has been shown to support digestive systems. So our aim is to support parents by providing healthy, fibre-rich snacks which also have the added bonus of being one of their five a day.” The new products join Piccolo’s portfolio of baby food pouches, infant formula, snacks and cooking products such as pasta sauces and stock sachets. Piccolo’s Mighty Melts will launch into Sainsburys this month for an RRP of £0.85 per bag, while Oaty Bars will retail for £2.95 for a pack of six and will be available to purchase in a new retailer from 28 September. All new products will also be available on the brand’s e-commerce shop. #Piccolo #snacks #UK

Baby and toddler food brand Piccolo has added two new high-fibre products – Mighty Melts and Oaty Bars – to its range of snacks in the UK. The new duo is organic, gluten free and contain no added sugar. The brand says the product launch aims to support the back to nursery and school occasion, as well as parents with their kids at home or on-the-go. Made with soft textured multi-grains, Oaty Bars offer 2.7g of fibre per bar and is available in an apple, carrot and orange variant. Designed for 12 months plus, the vegan bars are made with inulin from agave, a pre-biotic fibre. A portion of one of your five-a-day, the Mighty Melts contain 0.5g of fibre per 6g bag and are made with real yogurt. Available in an apple, banana, yogurt and strawberry flavour, the product offers a 100% natural 'finger food'. Co-founder and Piccolo’s infant nutritionist, Alice Fotheringham, said: “As with all Piccolo foods, our snacks are packed with natural ingredients. We use real fruit and yogurt, ensuring a range of natural flavours and with no added sugar, they provide great snack choices for one year olds. “Fibre is also an essential part of little ones’ diets, as it has been shown to support digestive systems. So our aim is to support parents by providing healthy, fibre-rich snacks which also have the added bonus of being one of their five a day." The new products join Piccolo’s portfolio of baby food pouches, infant formula, snacks and cooking products such as pasta sauces and stock sachets. Piccolo’s Mighty Melts will launch into Sainsburys this month for an RRP of £0.85 per bag, while Oaty Bars will retail for £2.95 for a pack of six and will be available to purchase in a new retailer from 28 September. All new products will also be available on the brand’s e-commerce shop.

Chilean food-tech firm NotCo has raised $85 million in a Series C funding round, as it announces the expansion of its plant-based milk and meat products to the US market. The round was co-led by Future Positive – which has invested in Beyond Meat and Memphis Meat – and consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton. They join existing investors such as Kaszek Ventures, Indie Bio and Bezos Expeditions which also participated in a $30 million funding round in the company last year. Founded in 2015, NotCo uses artificial intelligence (AI) to develop plant-based foods. Its portfolio consists of NotMilk, NotBurger, NotIceCream and NotMayo which have been launched in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. According to NotCo, in less than three years it has become the largest and fastest-growing food-tech company in Latin America. The new funding comes as the company announces scaled up operations and its plans for international expansion, beginning with its entry into the US. NotCo says it will evaluate both food service and retail partners as a part of this expansion, building on from its NotBurger and NotMeat partnerships with Burger King and Papa John’s in Chile. “We are pleased to partner with a true disruptor in the food-tech industry,” said Ramiro Lauzan, partner at L Catterton Latin America. He added: “NotCo is pursuing a fundamentally original way of replacing animal-based foods with more sustainable alternatives through the application of food science and innovative technology. By leveraging our experience in ‘better for you’ businesses around the world, and working alongside NotCo’s talented team, we look forward to materialising the company’s successful expansion into the US market.” To assist its international expansion plans, a number of senior executives from multi-national brands join the company, while NotCo’s co-founders, Matias Muchnick (CEO) and Karim Pichara (CTO), will now be based in the US. Flavia Buchmann, formerly in charge of the Sprite global business for Coca-Cola, will take up the position of global CMO; former Danone executive Catriel Giuliano will head the global R&D; while Jose Menendez, formerly at tech-company Jeffries and Tapad, will serve as global COO. Fred Blackford, co-founder of Future Positive, said: “We are inspired by the vision and global ambition for the NotCo brand, and impressed by the quality of NotCo’s products, which speak for themselves. We see vast potential for the company’s technology, which is creating new product categories faster and more accurately than anyone else in the industry.” #Chile #NotCo #plantbased #US

Chilean food-tech firm NotCo has raised $85 million in a Series C funding round, as it announces the expansion of its plant-based milk and meat products to the US market. The round was co-led by Future Positive – which has invested in Beyond Meat and Memphis Meat – and consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton. They join existing investors such as Kaszek Ventures, Indie Bio and Bezos Expeditions which also participated in a $30 million funding round in the company last year. Founded in 2015, NotCo uses artificial intelligence (AI) to develop plant-based foods. Its portfolio consists of NotMilk, NotBurger, NotIceCream and NotMayo which have been launched in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. According to NotCo, in less than three years it has become the largest and fastest-growing food-tech company in Latin America. The new funding comes as the company announces scaled up operations and its plans for international expansion, beginning with its entry into the US. NotCo says it will evaluate both food service and retail partners as a part of this expansion, building on from its NotBurger and NotMeat partnerships with Burger King and Papa John’s in Chile. “We are pleased to partner with a true disruptor in the food-tech industry,” said Ramiro Lauzan, partner at L Catterton Latin America. He added: “NotCo is pursuing a fundamentally original way of replacing animal-based foods with more sustainable alternatives through the application of food science and innovative technology. By leveraging our experience in ‘better for you’ businesses around the world, and working alongside NotCo’s talented team, we look forward to materialising the company’s successful expansion into the US market.” To assist its international expansion plans, a number of senior executives from multi-national brands join the company, while NotCo’s co-founders, Matias Muchnick (CEO) and Karim Pichara (CTO), will now be based in the US. Flavia Buchmann, formerly in charge of the Sprite global business for Coca-Cola, will take up the position of global CMO; former Danone executive Catriel Giuliano will head the global R&D; while Jose Menendez, formerly at tech-company Jeffries and Tapad, will serve as global COO. Fred Blackford, co-founder of Future Positive, said: "We are inspired by the vision and global ambition for the NotCo brand, and impressed by the quality of NotCo’s products, which speak for themselves. We see vast potential for the company’s technology, which is creating new product categories faster and more accurately than anyone else in the industry.”

Universal Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire Silva International, a US supplier of natural, specialty dehydrated vegetable, fruit and herb ingredients, for $170 million. Founded in 1979, Silva provides a wide range of dehydrated vegetable, herb, and select fruit ingredients to the food industry for a variety of end products. Headquartered in Momence, Illinois, Silva employs over 200 people and has a 380,000 square foot manufacturing facility, which it recently expanded. Universal says that Silva is well positioned to take advantage of the increasing demand for natural and clean-label products across the end markets it serves. Following the close of the deal, Silva will operate as part of Universal’s plant-based ingredients platform, which currently includes FruitSmart – which it agreed to buy last year – and Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients. With Silva joining its plant-based platform, Universal says it will be able to offer customers a single source for vegetable and fruit ingredients solutions. Universal’s recent transactions represent the agri-product supplier’s efforts to identify growth opportunities in adjacent markets and to capitalise on the plant-based ingredients market. “We’re excited to have reached this agreement with Silva as we continue to diversify our offerings and generate new opportunities for value creation,” said George Freeman, chairman, president and CEO of Universal Corporation. He added: “This acquisition builds on our investment in FruitSmart and expands our plant-based ingredients platform. With this acquisition, we expect these businesses to represent 10% to 20% of our EBITDA by fiscal year 2022, ahead of our previously stated target outlined as part of our capital allocation strategy.” Following the close of the transaction, Kent DeVries, president of Silva, will continue to run the business and report to Patrick O’Keefe, senior vice president of Universal Global Ventures. “For more than 40 years, Silva has consistently produced flavourful, high-quality, natural specialty ingredients to meet our customers’ specifications. By joining Universal, we will be able to take advantage of opportunities for collaboration and growth while remaining true to our culture and our mission,” said Heinz-Peter Schmidt, majority owner and CEO of Silva. The acquisition is expected to close in October 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. #SilvaInternational #UniversalCorporation #US

Universal Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire Silva International, a US supplier of natural, specialty dehydrated vegetable, fruit and herb ingredients, for $170 million. Founded in 1979, Silva provides a wide range of dehydrated vegetable, herb, and select fruit ingredients to the food industry for a variety of end products. Headquartered in Momence, Illinois, Silva employs over 200 people and has a 380,000 square foot manufacturing facility, which it recently expanded. Universal says that Silva is well positioned to take advantage of the increasing demand for natural and clean-label products across the end markets it serves. Following the close of the deal, Silva will operate as part of Universal's plant-based ingredients platform, which currently includes FruitSmart – which it agreed to buy last year – and Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients. With Silva joining its plant-based platform, Universal says it will be able to offer customers a single source for vegetable and fruit ingredients solutions. Universal's recent transactions represent the agri-product supplier's efforts to identify growth opportunities in adjacent markets and to capitalise on the plant-based ingredients market. "We're excited to have reached this agreement with Silva as we continue to diversify our offerings and generate new opportunities for value creation,” said George Freeman, chairman, president and CEO of Universal Corporation. He added: “This acquisition builds on our investment in FruitSmart and expands our plant-based ingredients platform. With this acquisition, we expect these businesses to represent 10% to 20% of our EBITDA by fiscal year 2022, ahead of our previously stated target outlined as part of our capital allocation strategy." Following the close of the transaction, Kent DeVries, president of Silva, will continue to run the business and report to Patrick O'Keefe, senior vice president of Universal Global Ventures. "For more than 40 years, Silva has consistently produced flavourful, high-quality, natural specialty ingredients to meet our customers' specifications. By joining Universal, we will be able to take advantage of opportunities for collaboration and growth while remaining true to our culture and our mission," said Heinz-Peter Schmidt, majority owner and CEO of Silva. The acquisition is expected to close in October 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.

Beyond Meat has signed a deal which will see the company begin the production of its plant-based meat products in the Chinese market. The company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Beyond Meat Food, has signed an agreement with Jiaxing Economic & Technological Development Zone (JXEDZ) to design and develop manufacturing facilities in the region. The deal includes a ‘state-of-the-art’ production facility – which will be located near the business hub of Shanghai – to manufacture plant-based meat products including beef, pork and chicken under the Beyond Meat brand in China. Beyond Meat says it will be the first multinational company focused solely on plant-based meat production to bring its own major production facility into China. The agreement builds on Beyond Meat’s existing deals within the China market – such as its partnerships with fast-food restaurant operator Yum China and Starbucks – as the company claims the country will be one of its most important markets in the world. “China is one of the world’s largest markets for animal-based meat products, and potentially for plant-based meat,” said Ethan Brown, CEO and founder of Beyond Meat. He added: “We are delighted and confident that after several months of productive and collaborative discussions, we will partner with the JXEDZ to develop two production facilities, including one of the world’s largest and technologically advanced plant-based meat factories.” Candy Chan, general manager for Beyond Meat in China, added: “With its expertise in the food industry, proximity to Shanghai, and excellent logistics and people capabilities, the JXEDZ will be the perfect partner and location for our ambitious plans for the China market.” Trial production is expected to begin within months, with full scale production in early 2021. #BeyondMeat #China #Jiaxing #plantbasedmeat