The California farmer-led producer of upcycled dried fruit snacks has completed a $9m Series A round of funding, which it will use to expand processing capacity to meet surging demand.
The funding round was led by Sun Valley Packing and Value Creation Strategies, along with the participation of pop star Justin Timberlake.
Founder and fourth generation farmer Ben Moore is proud the majority of the funding – like its ingredients – was sourced locally from the San Joaquin Valley.
“The millions of pounds of fruit that gets thrown away every day in Central California is heart-breaking,” said Moore.
“My dad is a farmer that raised me on the seat of a tractor, but it wasn't until I returned home from the army and working as a truck driver that I looked at food waste from a new perspective.
“I felt called to action to ensure every piece of fruit grown in the Valley is consumed by people, not landfills and livestock. This Series A funding is huge for us. We can finally address our infrastructure needs and expand sales nationally.”
Last year, The Ugly Company prevented more than 2.17m pounds of food waste by upcycling.
This year, it aims to turn 3m pounds of perfectly good fruit – which otherwise would have gone to waste, tossed or become cattle fodder – into dried fruit.
The popular snack portfolio currently includes dried cherries, peaches, white nectarines, apricots and kiwis that are all-natural, non GMO, single ingredient and grown under conditions that are good for the environment.
“My family invested in The Ugly Co. because we share Ben's passion for solving food waste at our farm,” said Casey Jones, CEO of Sun Valley Packing.
“We know that Ben has the hand-in-the-dirt, altruistic work ethic that it takes to solve this enormous problem.”
The Ugly Company snacks are available in Sprouts, Whole Foods, HyVee stores and select Kroger Banners across the US.
The popular Kellogg’s brand has launched a new Barista Edition with a Chocolate Mocha flavour.
With Crunchy Nut holding the number one spot as Kellogg’s biggest cereal brand (IRI data), the expansion of the range has been inspired by a favourite among coffee lovers.
The launch follows on from a range of NPD for the Crunchy Nut brand: Crunchy Nut Salted Caramel Flavour Twist was introduced at the end of last year.
The latest addition is infused with aromatic coffee notes in each bite and features milk chocolate curls and sliced almonds. It is naturally high in fibre and contains no artificial colours or flavours.
“We know coffee is one of the UK’s favourite morning drinks, so it seemed like the right next step for us to look into how we could combine the crunch of our Granola with the delicious flavour of coffee,” said Rui Frias, senior brand activation manager from Kellogg’s UKI.
“We’re proud of our tasty new Barista Edition and delighted to welcome it to the Crunchy Nut Granola range with the launch of our Chocolate Mocha Flavour. We are sure this will be a breakfast staple across the UK that coffee lovers won’t be able to resist.”
Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Granola’s new Barista Edition is rolling out in Waitrose in the UK, with other stores to follow, for an RRP of £2.99 for a 380g pack.
The specialist in dairy and non-dairy concentrates has launched Milk Buds Plus, a concentrated dairy ingredient that helps manufacturers mimic the taste of American-style chocolate.
Milk Buds Plus deliver a fatty mouthfeel, making it ideal for a variety of confectionery, bakery toppings and fillings and beverages.
“Milk Buds Plus is made from real milk to optimise rich dairy taste and helps manufacturers enhance richness in formulations while delivering the full-bodied mouthfeel, taste and texture of dairy,” said Michael Ivey, national sales director of Butter Buds, Inc.
“The beauty of this ingredient solution is that it delivers the functionality of fresh milk, while masking off-flavours and rounding out harsh notes, to help manufacturers reduce the use of lipidised milk and cream.
“Milk Buds Plus is crafted from real dairy to provide consumers with the true dairy taste and nutrition they want, yet contains virtually no fat, trans-fats or cholesterol. It can also help to standardise dairy taste and is shelf-stable, requiring no refrigeration. Plus, the low application level means you can help your brand stand out with shoppers as a good value for their money.”
Milk Buds Plus is water-soluble, making it easy to add to existing formulations. It requires low usage rates (recommended rate being 0.25% to 1.0%), so producers can reduce total ingredient costs. Also, due to stable pricing compared to dairy commodities, Milk Buds Plus can help control costs and protect profit margins.
“With Butter Buds’ real dairy, you get more than just authentic flavour,” added Ivey.
“You also get real functionality, real cost savings and real speed to market. Our customer-focused R&D department and team of experienced food scientists at our state-of-art production facility in Racine, Wisconsin, develop customised solutions to meet the challenging needs of our customers. We are committed to consistently serving up high-quality ingredients with exceptional customer to keep today’s consumers coming back for more.”
Hitting the UK professional bakery market for Easter, British Bakels’ Fudgy Brownie Mix is a sure-fire way for busy bakers to wow their customers.
Made with Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa, the mix can simply be baked on either a sheet or in foil trays. Simply add water and oil to deliver the iconic American-style fudgy brownies with a chewy centre and cracked top.
It’s also extremely versatile, allowing bakers to add their signature touch and create Instagrammable collections. Hybrid combinations are gaining traction, with the UK’s top five flavours for sweet baked goods, according to Innova, being milk chocolate, dark chocolate, red raspberry, vanilla and chocolate chip. Orange, white chocolate, salted caramel, raisin and almond are also gaining in popularity.
British Bakels allows bakers to capitalise on these trends with its Millionaires Caramel or Fudgice in rich chocolate, white or toffee.
“This is the perfect time to be bringing out our new Fudgy Brownie Mix,” said Michael Schofield, marketing manager for British Bakels.
“Familiar and comforting sweet treats like brownies remain extremely popular with British consumers, especially at a time where consumers are turning to food that can give them that little ‘lift’. With British Bakels’ new Fudgy Brownie Mix, bakers can give their existing customers a boost, win new fans, and get shoppers coming back for more.”
British Bakels’ Fudgy Brownie Mix is available in 12.5kg bags from bakery wholesalers across the UK.
Jnck Bakery aims to prove that health and indulgence can co-exist with a range of chewy cookies that have been created to rising demand for HFSS-compliant (high in fat, salt and sugar) treats.
The cookies – which come in with a nutriscore of zero – contain 90% less sugar, 50% less saturated fat, 3x protein and 5x fibre than existing products on the UK market.
Made from ingredients such as pea protein for satiation, prebiotic fibre for gut health and a bespoke, low sugar, protein chocolate, the cookies also tick the sustainability box, with no palm oil and sold in fully recyclable packaging.
Almost two years of research and over 2,500 documented trials and taste tests went into the development, led by Alex Brassill, a biomedical scientist who was head of NPD for the Nutrition Division at The Hut Group.
“The growth of the protein snacks market shows there is a demand for a much healthier approach to grab and go food, but we felt strongly that we could create products that still tasted, felt and looked like indulgent treats, as opposed to high-protein gym products,” said Brassill.
“Our cutting-edge sweetness modulation means Jnck Bakery products deliver without all the sugar and fat: no mean feat, as these elements bring so much more than just taste and texture. We have used a range of techniques to develop the desired high quality, sweet, chewy, crunchy, cookie. And by tripling the protein and adding prebiotic fibre, we have enhanced the nutrition and looked after gut health. The results have to be tasted to be believed, and we are delighted to bring these products to market.”
Available in four flavours – Milky Chocolate, Trippel Chocolate, White Gold Chocolate and White Ruby Chocolate – the 48g cookies are supplied loose in pre-baked or unbaked cases of 24, or pre-baked in single and multipacks for foodservice.
Added brother and co-founder Sean Brassill, “We believe the food industry has to take more accountability for improving the nutrition of the nation, but that doesn’t mean people should be denied tasty treats.
“Market-leaders in other sectors, such as crisps and doughnuts, are all making great strides in healthier eating, but the cookies sector has remained relatively stagnant. Jnck Bakery will change this: we believe we can remove 800 tonnes of sugar from the UK supply chain over the next three years – and that’s just the start.”
Jnck Bakery Cookies are available online for an RRP of £1.99-£2.60. It is also in talks with a wider group of UK retailers and foodservice operators.
The UK foodservice wholesaler has launched a new range of artisan sourdough breads under its La Boulangerie brand.
The company worked closely with specialist bakery Nicholas & Harris to create the range, which uses a sourdough starter culture that was created in 2012 and subsequently fed daily.
The result is a range of subtle flavours and fermented characteristics that are required to produce high quality artisan breads.
The breads are made using traditional methods, with the majority of each loaf being hand produced, including folding, moulding and bulking. No commercial yeast is used and the bread has a long fermentation, with the loaves rising naturally, giving the typical sour flavour and open-textured crumb. Each loaf is bulked in a bespoke ‘Brakes’ room before being baked.
Leading the range of products is a pre-sliced Sourdough half boule, which uses only three ingredients, flour, water and salt, and is hand-mixed to provide a unique, but commercially sustainable product. Others in the range include:
- Artisan Plain Sourdough Loaf
- Artisan Seeded Loaf
- Artisan Cheese & Onion Sourdough Loaf
- Artisan Sundried Tomato & Herb Sourdough Loaf
- Artisan Beetroot & Spelt Sourdough Loaf
“We wanted to create a range of products that any chef would be proud to serve,” said Vanessa Baker, senior category manager, Bakery, Brakes.
“Working with Nicholas & Harris, we believe we’ve created a range of really good breads that use traditional methods, but are also commercially viable.”
Added Paul Bown, process and development manager for Nicholas & Harris, “These products are among the first that will be nationally available for foodservice. We have a team of more than 30 craft bakers, so we understand the care and attention that needs to go into each and every loaf we create. We believe that we’ve created a really exciting range that will be a wonderful addition to any menu.”
Available from Brakes, part of the Sysco Group, which services more than 20,000 customers from 30 distribution centres across GB.
The Hostess-owned zero sugar cookie brand has introduced Zero Sugar Mini Wafers, in two variants: Vanilla and Chocolate.
Baked with real vanilla or cocoa, the poppable, shareable wafers contain no artificial flavours or colours, no high-fructose corn syrup and are packaged in resealable stand-up pouches.
They join Voortman’s portfolio of zero sugar mini treats, such as the Zero Sugar Mini Cookies that were launched last year in two flavours: Iced Oatmeal and Vanilla Shortbread.
And the timing couldn’t be better. A recent survey commissioned by Voortman revealed that consumers are viewing spring as the perfect time to renew their eating habits with better-for-you treats:
- 84% of respondents are planning health-related refreshes this spring, such as getting outside more and improving their fitness routine, with 60% noting that eating better is their top priority.
- 84% say small indulgences can help keep them on track with healthier overall eating habits.
- 55% say reducing sugar will be the biggest change they want to make in their snacking habit
- 80% agree 2023 will be the year they cut back on sugar.
The entire portfolio of zero sugar products delivers on Voortman’s promise that great taste without sugar is possible.
“Our goal with the expansion of our zero sugar portfolio is to provide consumers with great-tasting, fun-sized snacks that make balancing health and indulgence easy and delicious,” said Adam Lisook, GM of Voortman Cookies.
“We’re excited to offer sugar-conscious consumers more of what they want: easy, portable snacks that deliver all of the flavour without all of the sugar.”
The cookies are available in 6.5oz pouches for on-the-go snacking and are available now at grocery retailers across the US.
Minecraft is beloved by a community of millions for its endless creative potential, engaging survival gameplay and iconic mobs – and now there’s a new way for players to further immerse themselves in its blocky universe.
Following the success of Kellogg's first Minecraft cereal, players and cereal fans are invited into another adventure-filled virtual world with Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Minecraft.
The limited edition cereal features Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and green squares of ‘Creeper Bit’ marshmallows that evoke Minecraft's famously pixelated block look. Every box of the cereal also includes a code to redeem 350 Minecoins to build on the fun at the breakfast table.
“There was such incredible fan reaction following our first partnership with Minecraft, we had to bring it back again – this time with Kellogg's Frosted Flakes,” said Laura Newman, senior director of brand marketing for Kellogg Company.
“Many Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes fans are gamers, and Tony [the tiger] made his streaming debut last summer, which is why we're so excited to introduce another flavourful gaming-inspired experience with this new Minecraft collaboration.”
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Minecraft is available for a limited time at retailers across the US starting in April (until 31 July 2023) for an RRP of $5.29 (8.4oz) and $6.49 (13.5oz).
Mush has introduced the perfect canvas to elevate traditional morning meals.
Known for its clean, plant-based, ready-to-eat overnight oats in both fruity and decadent flavours, Mush’s rapidly growing brand continues to expand and innovate, with today's launch bringing their portfolio to 10 everyday flavours with limited edition seasonal releases.
Joining a portfolio of flavours that spans Apple Cinnamon, Peanut Butter Chocolate and Peach (with fresh peaches and dried apple), Original brings the brand back-to-basics, giving consumers the freedom to customise their oats to their liking.
Whole rolled oats are soaked in almond and coconut milk and blended with dates for a touch of sweetness, the Original variant offers a hearty base of 7g of protein and 0g of added sugar. Each cup of Mush is made with eight real ingredients or less. No gluten or dairy and nothing artificial.
Available in single-serve cups (5oz) and a multi-serve tub (18oz) – a first for the brand – Mush’s overnight oats are also a great base for better-for-you pancakes.
“For years, our community has shown us how much they enjoy customising Mush with their own toppings to layer in extra flavour, texture and nutrients,” said Ashley Thompson, CEO and cofounder of Mush.
“Our new Original flavour is a response to that – we created the perfect base flavour for consumers to play with.”
Since its early days – sold in small batches at local farmers markets in San Diego – the women-founded brand has grown into a category leader, with products on the shelves of over 13,000 stores across the US, including Whole Foods Market, Wegman’s and Publix for an RRP between $2.49 and $5.99.
