Jeff Nobbs

The Beans (Bean Crunchy), a Korean foodtech company, secured seed funding from Newkids Investment, leveraging 300% sales growth and export plans to Southeast Asia and China for further expansion.

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🚀 The rise of functional beverages is more than just a trend—it's a movement reshaping how we think about what we drink. 📖 Great piece by Keren Landman at Vox on why the better-for-you beverage category is surging, with the market set to surpass $200 billion by 2027. Millennials are leading the charge, consuming these beverages at twice the rate of other age groups.   🌱 This is just the beginning. The rapid innovation and demand we’re seeing are a testament to consumers seeking healthier, more mindful alternatives to traditional drinks.   🌵 We look forward to continuing to pave our own unique path forward for MAGIC CACTUS and provide consumers with a refreshing, healthier beverage that can be enjoyed by a broad base of drinkers nationwide. ✨   Link to full article below:

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When we asked CPG founders who they wanted at Founderland... Their answer was clear: People who can help them grow their business & achieve their goals. Specifically: - The top retailers - The most founder-friendly investors, and - Other founders they can learn from and share with This conversation that I'm hosting at Founderland is a perfect representation of this group, plus one BIG bonus. We're also including Joel Toledano and ChargeUp.ai which is one of my favorite tech companies that is supporting consumer brands today. They automate the retail deduction and chargeback process for brands, saving them an insane amount of time and money. Such a cool co. Excited to teach, share and connect...and get some deals done, while of course having lots of fun. Joel Toledano Jen Zeszut Kim Coffin Deb Conklin

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3 key tips for first time founders: 1) you must be a salesperson everywhere at all times so if you are not - learn (hiring won't help) 2) nobody cares about your "game changer" solution, especially at the start when you get excited, so be patient 3) sell your vision to investors, dream to your team, and product to the market shortly discussed all these with a serial tech entrepreneur - Garret Flower 花嘉來 https://lnkd.in/eRmKBQRv

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Food content creator Danielle Brown just did an equity deal with plant-based Salmon Company Oshi, becoming their Chief Culinary Officer. Danielle Brown, better known as HealthyGirl Kitchen (12M+ followers), has been officially named the Chief Culinary Officer of Oshi. Oshi promotes itself as the world's tastiest premium whole-cut seafood filets made exclusively from plants. After searching high and low for many years, Brown could not find a plant-based salmon or many plant-based seafood alternatives that she felt passionate about. When she finally discovered Oshi, she became obsessed with the product and its brand messaging and knew that Oshi products would change people's lives. After Danielle met with Oshi's founders, she knew she wanted to be a major part of the company and go beyond a typical brand partnership. "I was never a big meat eater, which made the transition to a vegan diet easy. The one thing I miss is a good salmon filet. When I heard about Oshi creating the first plant-based salmon filet that actually tasted like salmon and was made with real ingredients, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it, and I knew that it would change the world," says Brown.  In this partnership, Brown will help Oshi launch in the United States and accelerate growth, expand its social media presence, and secure retailer partnerships. This is not Danielle’s first equity deal. Previously, she also did an equity deal with Azuna, a Buffalo-based startup. I love it when creators are taking a portfolio approach and doing equity deals with multiple startups instead of putting all their eggs in one basket. Kudos to her and her team. 

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I had such a great time chatting with Molly Wood for the latest episode of her Everybody in the Pool podcast about Daily Harvest’s mission, how we're evolving our business strategy (including our retail expansion), and how partnerships can help drive innovative sustainability initiatives in the food and agriculture sectors. Have a listen here: https://lnkd.in/gcN6Ahpj #organic #organicagriculture #podcast #regenerativeagriculture

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Actress Eva Longoria has joined Siete Family Foods in an equity deal with the goal of building a billion-dollar brand Siete Foods was founded in 2014 and quickly became popular for its vegan, grain-free Mexican-American snacks. Since its launch, Siete has raised more than $90 million in funding. Now Actress Eva Longoria is also part of the brand. Longoria is best known for her work as an actress, but she's no stranger to the food world. She co-founded the tequila brand Casa Del Sol and the cookware brand Risa. Now she is adding Siete Foods to her portfolio. "I'm a long-standing fan of Siete's products, but more importantly, I feel deeply aligned with their mission," Longoria said. "As a fellow Texan who is dedicated to elevating Latinos in business, I'm very excited to partner with Siete and contribute to their next chapter." Siete Foods expects to hit $500 million in annual sales in 2024 and sells its products at 37,000 stores, including Target, Walmart, and more. With this partnership, the goal is to double that revenue to a billion dollars per year, Longoria said. This partnership makes a lot of sense for a few reasons: 1) Longoria had been an ‘organic’ customer of Siete Foods, long before they began to explore a collaboration. It enables her to speak authentically to her +10M followers about the brand. 2) Longoria founded a foundation in 2012 to help Latinas build better futures for themselves through education and entrepreneurship. Siete Foods could function as a flywheel for all the other Latino-owned businesses in her portfolio. 3) (Might be obvious) Longoria is a Latina and has a dedicated following of other Latinos. Clear celebrity-product-market fit if you ask me. 

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The time is NOW for food traceability! With the FDA Food Traceability Rule set to take effect in January 2026, food industry leaders are being urged to prioritize transparency and consumer safety. This is exactly where Starfish—the newest addition to Branded Hospitality Ventures portfolio—comes in. Starfish is on a mission to revolutionize food safety and transparency by enabling real-time traceability across the entire food supply chain. Their innovative technology ensures that food products can be tracked from farm to table, improving safety, efficiency, and accountability. We’re proud to support Starfish as they lead the way in providing the tools companies need to meet and exceed these traceability standards. The future of food safety is here, and we’re excited to be part of it. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gfzhhN6X Food Dive Brian Ronholm #FoodSafety #FDA #Traceability #FoodTech #Transparency #FSMA #FoodIndustry Hospitality Hangout Podcast Wiggs Civitillo 史美凡 Jimmy Frischling Mark Garbin, CFA, PRM Mackenzie Mikkelsen Alex Pomerenk

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Great article on Fast Co covering Oishii. This gets a little deeper into our strategy and shares some of my views on where we’re going if you are interested! https://lnkd.in/emWTWeCd

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Indoor farming has attracted over $6 billion in investments since 2019: It's a year-round method of crop production that optimizes space through its use of vertically stacked layers. It’s projected to grow (10% by 2032, reaching $96 billion*), yet many are struggling to deliver returns. Notably, AppHarvest recently filed for bankruptcy after reporting a net loss of $177 million, highlighting the challenges in achieving profitability in this sector. ⬆️On the up - Plenty® is one to watch - they are flush with funding from SoftBank and have formed a JV with Abu Dhabi-based Mawarid Holding Investment .They are building a network of indoor farms, likely starting with an indoor strawberry farm in Abu Dhabi. If successful, it would help elevate indoor farming as a more marketable proposition - particularly in locations that are too dry for traditional farms. Indoor farming has appeal for sure..but they an infrastructure-heavy, pricey endeavor that has proven incompatible with venture exit time frames. This begs the question around the sustainability of funding models in industries focused on longer-term growth. #VentureCapital #IndoorFarming #Investment #Sustainability #Agriculture *Statista

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What’s going on with the food and beverage tech industry? 🍔 Over the past decade, MAGNiTT has seen a increase in VC investment for F&B startups. However, the momentum slowed after mid-2022. Fast forward to H1 2024, and there's cautious optimism in the air. Early signs of recovery are showing, with 33 deals totaling $84M. Grubtech’s $15M raise and Anabolic's $9M seed funding from the MENA region are two of the standout investments leading the way. 🥙 Local investors are playing a pivotal role, contributing to 79% of all investments in the MENA F&B space since 2010. While international players like 500 Global made early waves—becoming the first to back an F&B startup in 2016—their activity has since declined. On the local front, key players like Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), Flat6Labs, BY Venture Partners, Vision Ventures (VV), and Shorooq Partners are actively shaping the industry. Compared to other regions we cover, including Southeast Asia and Africa, MENA also leads in F&B exits, with the UAE accounting for eight exits 🇦🇪 🍦 Get the full scoop on F&B trends cooking in EVMs, MENA, and the GCC: https://lnkd.in/dhWPeirb Are you attending Expand North Star in 10 days? Let us know as the team will be around... #VC #FoodAndBeverage #StartupEcosystem #MENA #F&B #Investment #Innovation #Tech #Entrepreneurship #UAE #SaudiArabia #Egypt #EmergingMarkets #VentureCapital

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For founders, the number of companies that will shut down after a few years shouldn't be "jaw dropping" at exit, but something that should be known or expected at the outset. I don't think this is even unique to plant based companies, but any food brand. Let's be honest: the system is not designed for all to win. Our consolidated food system is designed only for a small handful of winners, determined by how much shelf space is available, and therefore creates mostly losers. It has little to do with how good the product is (although that plays a part) but is really a numbers game. VCs know that 9 out of 10 companies will fail, and hope that one of them makes it big. This is something founders should also know. You are one of those 10 companies spinning the wheel. I liked Akua -- I participated in the crowdfunding because I liked the ingredients and wanted to support women founders (I liked many other companies as well that have disappeared). But the reality is this: over the decades, the food system has become increasingly consolidated, with big retailers largely controlling the conversation. They don't care about you, the founder, or even the product. They care about margins, efficiency, velocity. And they are only going to allocate so much shelf space to a category. So if a retailer wants to carry only 4 brands of burgers and there are 100 out there (I remember hearing from a retailer that they had been pitched by over a hundred vegan cheese brands one season), then it literally boils down to relationships, marketing, and dollars. In the "good old days," individual stores, even those that were part of a chain, had more autonomy and could order what they liked. I used to deliver my vegan cakes to stores all over the Bay Area out of the back of my Volvo stationwagon. There were also dozens of small, independent distributors that carried local or regional brands. You could actually make a living -- maybe not a killing, but a living -- with a small brand. Not now -- you have to shoot for the stars to get one of those coveted spots on the shelf. You either go big or go home. I'm not sure that's the future I want to see. I don't want to see the same brands in every part of the country. I want to taste the regional flavor (if any remains), see what small producers are doing, what variety I can find. Retailers and distributors couldn't care less about that. At the outset of the "plant based revolution," there were high hopes of quickly taking over supermarket shelves. Everyone thought they had a chance, and greedy investors partly drove the craze. We thought there would be massive expansion of shelf space, and while it has expanded, it has not kept up with the number of brands. We literally need to redesign the market if we want small producers and startups to have a chance. I have a lot more to say about this but am out of space.

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How did jackfruit become a plant-based success? It took strategy, innovation, and understanding consumer drivers: taste, health, and sustainability. The Jackfruit Company shows how combining natural benefits with market insights can break barriers. Can jackfruit inspire more breakthroughs in sustainable food systems? https://lnkd.in/eJaF_Jgc

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"We want to focus on a mordern tech stack that is meant to power the future of the entire wine industry" New OFFBounds episode is live with Sommsation's CEO Danielle Diliberti 🍷 Danielle shared her incredible journey from CPA to tech-driven entrepreneur, explaining how she built Sommsation with a legacy-free architecture designed for sustainable growth which is their competitive advantage. We also talked about Sommsation's innovative approaches, such as the Rebel Wine Club and digital tasting experiences, which enhance accessibility and foster a vibrant community of wine enthusiasts. To watch the full episode head to offbounds.tv #retail #retailtechnology #digitalcommerce #marketplace

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Hey Board Members - do you experience your brand/company WITH the team? Do you meet them where they are? That’s what I just did with the Tosi Team in Anaheim. Tosi Snacks is the official snack for Pickleball … therefore the theme of this post. This was our day: 1. Went through key opportunities and issues. Built resolution and go-forward plan | aligned … pressed GO on the acceleration. 2. Identify ways we/Board could help break down barriers so the team could accelerate and thrive. 3. Lived the brand playing a Pickleball tourney together (the entire Tosi team not only leadership) The result? More Confidence More Trust More bonds And a collective sense of belonging. Now we will be a force to bring true nutrition back to snacking. How does your board do this with their teams? Let’s go! #cultureFIRSTleadership

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I undertand everyone wants to increase profits in the CPG but at what cost? Working with large natural food distributors like KeHE and UNFI can feel like a double-edged sword for emerging and independent brands. On one hand, they offer the reach and shelf space that smaller players desperately need. On the other, their fees and markups—sometimes 30% or more—can create serious challenges. Does a distributor really need to make a 30% markup just to move a box to a retailer they’re already servicing? Consider this: If their load for a single drop-off is valued at $1,000 or more, slapping on a 30% markup means tacking on an extra $300 to the cost—well above what it might actually take to cover the delivery expenses (often closer to $150 or so). That difference doesn’t just vanish; it ultimately shows up on the consumer’s receipt and squeezes margins for small brands. When the media talks about inflation, they often gloss over how many layers of corporate markup are built into the grocery supply chain—layers that can include sheltered income streams, administrative fees, and other hidden costs. If we want a healthier and more transparent grocery landscape, we need to shine a light on these markups. Supporting local supply chains, demanding fair distribution policies, and insisting on clearer pricing structures can help remove these unnecessary barriers. Otherwise, small brands and consumers alike will continue to pay the price of an overly complex—and often inflated—system. Share your thoughts and lets start a conversation to make it better for everybody. Is the system broken? #NaturalFoods #FoodIndustry #SmallBusiness #Distribution #CorporateGreed #GroceryIndustry #Transparency #Inflation Alex BayerMatt Weiss, CFAKenny HausmannWayne WuSteven KaplanJohn ForakerPeter GialantzisAdam SiskinAdam LejaChris RobbStephen GaitherBrenda SteeleJim SimonPeter RahalMelanie KahnWill NitzeAlan MurrayWade Yenny

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Why we invested: Gratsi Wine 🍷💸 We led the seed round of Gratsi back in November of '22. At the time, they had zero distribution and their ecommerce revenue was modest. But we were blown away and ultimately decided to partner with the team for a few key reasons: 1. Metrics and efficiency: the underlying metrics of the business were unlike anything we've seen in the space. Gratsi's ability to acquire and retain customers (online and in retail) is unrivaled. 2. Potential for premium boxed wine: we remain convinced that premium boxed wine will continue to become one of the most important categories in the wine space. The volume, margin, and customer experience implications are massive. 3. Founder vision and execution: Stephen Vlahos has been executing relentlessly against his vision since day 1. As we met and got to know Stephen in the early days, it quickly became obvious to us that he would stop at nothing in his mission to build one of the most important wine companies in the world. It's been an amazing two years for Gratsi since we invested and I'm incredibly proud of what the team has accomplished. But I'm perhaps even more excited for the years to come. This team is truly just getting started. Exciting times ahead for Gratsi and the team! cc: Top Shelf Ventures Noah Slakter Jason Sherman

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🤩 The new Foodbevy website is launching and I need your help choosing what layout we should use for our home page. Could you help me decide? Over the past few years we've helped thousands of CPG founders with inspiration, education, and partnership as they grow food and beverage businesses. We've created some really valuable content, but our original website was stale, and information was hard to find. So we gave it a face lift to put our content front and center. Here's where I need your help. Would you prefer to have the home page categorized by each media type (CPG news, articles, podcast, and webinar)? or would you prefer a running feed with everything together? Check out the two live links and let me know which version you prefer in the comments and why! Organized by Media Type: www.foodbevy.com Organized by Running Feed: https://lnkd.in/g6yYeH-v #CPG

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Sometimes it's hard to get excited about building a clean-label, nutrient-dense, social mission-based brand when this is what sells for $1B. This is why we set out to build a profitable and sustainable brand, so even though this kind of Sh&* is going on, you can keep building and shipping, because luckily there are enough people in the US who will support the clean label, BFY, plant-based protein snacks that we are building with Amrita Health Foods #cpg #sustainablegrowth

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