Greg Nielsen

NextFoods, Inc. ,Parents of GoodBelly+ Cheribundi just raised $10M led by ECP Growth If you build in functional CPG, this is a great mini case study in how growth actually gets funded and what operators should pay attention to. 1) Doors matter… but turns are the business They’re reportedly sitting at 24,000+ points of distribution nationwide and grew footprint about 10% in the last two months. That’s solid. But here’s the real lesson: door growth only works if velocity shows up. 2) A brand refresh can be a revenue lever (when it creates clarity) GoodBelly’s recent packaging/brand refresh was tied to a reported 40%+ lift in retail velocities. “Brand” isn’t colors and fonts it’s speed of understanding at shelf. If a shopper gets it faster, conversion goes up. Period. 3) The shot category is crowded so specificity wins GoodBelly reformulated its 2oz Wellness Shots and launched them nationally at Whole Foods. The formula callout that jumped out to me: 3g of prebiotic fiber. The lesson: in crowded formats, you can’t be “general wellness.” You need to own a job (gut, sleep, recovery) and build your product + messaging around that single outcome. 4) Innovation + retail expansion is the 1–2 punch They’re aiming that capital at innovation across gut health, recovery, and sleep, while also pushing deeper into national retail. And there’s more in the pipeline: they’ve previewed a quart-sized GoodBelly item with 11g plant-based protein targeted for Q1 2026. My founder takeaway: capital doesn’t fix a business it amplifies it. If your positioning is crisp and your product delivers, funding helps you scale faster. If not, it just helps you burn faster. If you were deploying $10M in functional CPG heading into 2026, what’s first: velocity, innovation, or sharper positioning? #CPG #FunctionalBeverages #Wellness #TrevorHague

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BETTANI FARMS BAGS NUMU, STOCKELD AND HUNGRY PLANET California based Bettani Farms is consolidating brands in the vegan dairy and meat alternative market bringing three new brands under one umbrella. Bettani Farms was founded in 2019 as Climax Foods and has raised $33.5M to date. The latest round was led by S2G Investments securing $6.5M. Bettani focuses on plant-based cheese free from nuts and soy but instead relies on Cassed, a plant-based protein derived from an undisclosed crop. The latest acquisition includes mozzarella maker NUMU Food Group, cultured cheese startup Stockeld Dreamery and plant-based meat producer Hungry Planet. Acquiring these brands expands Bettani’s footprint in the dairy-free cheese space and helps the company enter the meat alternative market. - Numu was founded in 2016 and raised $7M to date from investors like Unovis Asset Management - Stockeld Dreamery was founded in 2019, raised $20M+, generating <$1M in sales and closed down in October - Hungry Planet was founded in 2016 and raised $25M led by Post Holdings Details of the transaction were not disclosed

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We are so excited to be partnered with The Open Food Company and Harrys Famous Sauce! Thanks to the support of Gelson's Markets, Colin Thompson, Rich Gillmore, MS-FIL---Gelsons will be our first launch partner in Southern California! We were able to announce the new partnership on Good Morning America on Wednesday, August 13th! We also appreciate the partnership with GOURMET MERCHANTS INTERNATIONAL, who is moving quickly with us to get Harry's on store shelves! The CPG Collective is thrilled to partner with The Open Food Company, founded in 2024 by Emmy‑nominated actor Harry Hamlin and his classically trained chef niece and food industry veteran Renée Guilbault. They’ve launched what’s widely recognized as the first-ever open‑source packaged food company—and their flagship product, Harry’s Famous Sauce, sets a new standard for transparency and purpose ! What makes The Open Food Company unique? Radical transparency: Every ingredient, recipe, and cooking method is openly shared—scan a QR code and you’ve got the full recipe at your fingertips! Clean, accessible food: Sauces are crafted with simple, kitchen-found ingredients—no preservatives, no synthetics—delivering rich, restaurant-quality flavor in just minutes!  Impact built-in: Half of the net profits from Harry’s Famous go directly to hunger-relief organizations, including the LA Regional Food Bank, Project Angel Food, Food Bank for NYC, and The Open Door Food Pantry. To date, over $80K has been raised!  Ongoing innovation: From the beloved Rosemary Red Wine sauce to bold new flavors like Spicy Tarragon Vodka, Marinara No. 7, and Lemon Pepper Dill, the product line is rapidly evolving!  What truly stands out is how Harry and Renée have combined culinary expertise, mission-driven business, and radical openness to shift how we think about convenience foods. It’s refreshing, it’s purposeful—and it’s just the beginning....and we are so excited to be on the journey with this amazing team!

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I'm so proud of the Almond Board of California, and specifically the most energetic and committed team member, Guangwei Huang, on getting GRAS approval for using almond hulls in human foods and beverages. It's been a long journey of discovery and regulatory approval, but the final result is a testament to ABC's commitment to sustainability. This will be an upcycled ingredient with multiple uses once commercialized. We at Mattson: Innovation for the Food & Beverage Industry are proud of the small contributions we were able to bring to this endeavor. And we're hoping there will be more, because we can't wait to start using this new and novel ingredient for our clients!

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California Milk Advisory Board selected 14 emerging brands for its 2025 Real California Milk Excelerator and Incubator programs—now split into two tracks to better support both growth-stage and early-stage innovation. The cohorts span clean-label desserts, high-protein dairy, functional creamers, sustainable packaging, and global flavor formats. The mix of concepts signals where dairy innovation is headed: leveraging A2 and ultra-filtered milk, collagen and functional ingredients, compostable packaging, and premium indulgence rooted in authenticity. With mentorship, retail exposure and up to $100K in support on the line, these launches could shape broader category direction. 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wWwgQ #FoodInnovation #DairyInnovation #ProductDevelopment #CPGTrends #CleanLabel #FunctionalFoods #FoodAccelerator [ IMAGE COURTESY OF: The California Milk Advisory Board ]

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Butter has slipped below $1.50, cheese feels heavy and futures point toward $13 milk. 🐻 So why are whey proteins still trading like the lone bull in the barn? 🐂 I sat down with Gus Jacoby, Josh White, Joe Maixner and Diego Carvallo to unpack: -      How long can strong farm balance sheets delay cow culling -      Why Western cheese regions and Europe may feel low prices first -      Why WPC 80 and WPI remain tight despite all the extra milk 🎧 Listen in before you set your 2026 plan. Check out The Milk Check episode 88: One Bull in a Barn Full of Bears. #Dairy #DairyMarkets #DairyFutures #Whey

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