🛒 Retail Rollouts
🍕 Blackbird Foods expands into Wegmans
Blackbird Foods, led by CEO Emanuel Storch, has launched its plant-based WINGS at over 100 Wegmans stores nationwide, offering bold Buffalo and Korean BBQ flavors. Each 12 oz bag of these WINGS includes a separate sauce packet to deliver maximum flavor, marking a significant milestone in Blackbird’s mission to make plant-based eating more accessible. “Partnering with Wegmans is especially exciting, as it highlights our shared dedication to providing high-quality, plant-based food options,” Storch shared. With a suggested retail price of $7.99, these WINGS are set to make waves in the frozen food aisle.
🍔 Actual Veggies veggie burgers arrive at Harmons Grocery
Actual Veggies, co-founded by Jason Rosenbaum, Alex Swartz and Hailey Swartz, proudly launches its Black Bean, Mushroom Quinoa, and Sweet Potato veggie burgers at Harmons Grocery in Utah. Known for their whole-food, veggie-packed patties, Actual Veggies continues its retail expansion with this new grocery partner. Co-founder Jason Rosenbaum shared the excitement, calling the Harmons launch a “dreamy new retailer win” that will allow more customers to enjoy the brand’s plant-based, nutrient-rich burgers. With a focus on clean ingredients, these burgers are a perfect fit for health-conscious consumers.
🍝 Sauz achieves national distribution at Target
Sauz, co-founded by Troy Bonde and Winston Alfieri, brings its Cracked Pepper & Parmesan sauce to 1,900 Target stores nationwide just 15 months after launch. This marks an incredible achievement for the young brand, which set out with the bold ambition of disrupting the pasta sauce category. Bonde expressed gratitude for the support from friends, family, and retail partners, saying, “We truly wouldn’t be where we are today without an incredible support system.” The sauce, a mix of bold flavors, promises to elevate the pasta sauce aisle, with the team excited to make Sauz a household name.
🌱 Paradise secures major partnership with Strack & Van Til
Paradise™, founded by Emily D. Edwards, celebrates its milestone partnership with Strack & Van Til Super Markets, expanding the reach of its allergen-free, plant-based spreads across Indiana. As a local company, this partnership marks a big achievement for Paradise, allowing them to bring their nutritious, plant-based products to more families. Edwards share excitement for the future growth of the brand. This new retail opportunity is a big step toward the company’s goal of making healthy eating accessible to all.
🚀 New Product Launch
🎂 Diana’s Bananas celebrates 30 years with a new product launch
Diana’s, founded by Neil Cox, unveils its limited-edition Birthday Cake flavor exclusively at Target, celebrating its 30th anniversary with upcycled bananas and all-natural ingredients. The decadent treat features white chocolate and sprinkles naturally colored with whole foods and spices, all without synthetic dyes. Available for $6.49, this flavor marks three decades of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, using food waste reduction practices to create delicious snacks. Shoppers at Target can grab this celebratory treat as part of the brand’s continued dedication to quality and eco-friendly sourcing.
☕ Atomo Coffee introduces eco-friendly 50:50 blend
Atomo Coffee, founded by Andy Kleitsch, introduces a revolutionary 50:50 blend that combines traditional coffee with its sustainable “beanless” coffee, helping big brands cut their environmental footprint. This innovation allows major coffee companies to reduce water usage, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions while delivering the rich coffee taste that consumers love. Atomo’s beanless coffee is designed to create a more sustainable coffee experience, addressing climate change impacts on coffee farming without sacrificing flavor. As Kleitsch stated, this new blend offers “the same rich taste” with far less environmental impact.
🤝 Brand Partnerships
🍏 Fruit Friends teams up with Annie’s for organic pouches
Fruit Friends teams up with Annie’s, launching organic fruit and veggie pouches available at Whole Foods and Kroger, in collaboration with Charles & Alice and General Mills. The new “Annie’s Fruit Friends” pouches feature wholesome ingredients like organic fruits and vegetables, free of GMOs, added sugars, and gluten. Giulia Quattrone, Sr. Brand Manager at General Mills, emphasized the shared values behind this partnership, noting that the pouches exemplify the “Promise for Better” with a nutritious and family-friendly product. These pouches are available in convenient 10-packs and come in five delicious flavors, perfect for active lifestyles.
🎉 News to Celebrate
🍖 AubSauce nominated for Best of Georgia award
AubSauce, founded by Aubrey Lenyard, has been nominated for the prestigious Best of Georgia award in the Manufacturing category, recognizing its six-year journey of crafting gourmet barbecue sauces. The brand’s small-batch, bold flavors—such as Spicy Peach, Fiery Pineapple Mango, and Strawberry Balsamic & Rosemary—have won over a devoted community of fans. Lenyard expressed deep gratitude for the support from family, friends, and customers and encouraged everyone to cast their vote to help AubSauce bring home the win. This nomination underscores the company’s commitment to quality and its growing presence in the gourmet food scene.
🎉 BāKIT Box wins $50K at AnitaB.org PitcHER Competition
BāKIT Box, founded by Shelley Gupta, wins the grand prize of $50,000 at the AnitaB.org PitcHER Competition during the 2024 Grace Hopper Celebration. This competition, the largest gathering of women and non-binary tech leaders, recognized BāKIT Box for its innovative vision and contribution to the food tech space. Gupta expressed heartfelt gratitude to the judges and AnitaB.org team, saying that the recognition “means so much” and represents a major milestone for the company. The prize will fuel BāKIT Box’s growth as they continue to empower home bakers with accessible, high-quality baking kits.
🍪 LEXINGTON BAKES leads with radical transparency
LEXINGTON BAKES, founded by Lex Evan, doubles down on Radical Ingredient Transparency, listing every ingredient supplier on its packaging and website. The brand, now a registered trademark, has been championing this approach since day one, going above and beyond to empower consumers with knowledge about the food they consume. Evan proudly calls on other brands to follow suit, hoping that Radical Ingredient Transparency will inspire a new standard of accountability in the food industry. By making ingredient sourcing completely transparent, LEXINGTON BAKES continues to lead the charge in consumer trust and integrity.