A key benefit of the program is the mentorship founders receive throughout the track. Each brand is paired with a carefully selected mentor team dedicated to helping them scale their business. SKU Elevate mentors are a who’s who of CPG leaders, successful founders and subject-matter experts who are all dedicated to helping to level the playing field for people of color in the consumer products industry.  

LesserEvil, the better-for-you snack brand on a mission to make healthy, organic, less-processed, and sustainable snacks more accessible, has teamed up with A Dozen Cousins, Cappello’s, Primal Kitchen, and RIND Snacks to create the Clean Oil Crew— a coalition of brands joining forces for an educational campaign, limited-edition starter pack available for purchase, and a special giveaway to educate about clean oils and inspire others to join the movement.

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., the agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 farmer families, and Canomiks, a startup technology company transforming the functional food and beverage industry, announced research leveraging Canomiks' A.I. based technology platform to test and certify the biological efficacy of the cranberry. 

Want to listen to industry news and views on the way to work? Catch a quick video on a lunchbreak? Prepared Foods now goes anywhere—and everywhere—to cover critical topics.

Riviana Foods Inc. announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of InHarvest, Inc. which specializes in the production, marketing and sale of premium specialty rice, quinoa and grains.

PROVA announces the acquisition of an industrial site sold by BOIRON Laboratories, expanding its production facilities to France’s Centre-Val de Loire region. Officials say the acquisition is part of PROVA’S global investment and international growth plan.

The Kraft Heinz Company and Simplot Food Group, a division of the J.R. Simplot Company, announced that the two companies have signed a long-term agreement naming Simplot as the exclusive manufacturer and supplier of Ore-Ida. Kraft Heinz will continue to own the Ore-Ida brand. 

Both Kraft Heinz and NotCo share a desire to change the world for the better and believe that working together they can and will accelerate adoption of plant-based foods.

The acquisition will serve as a platform to build a North American business-to-business salty snack manufacturer in the BFY and Hispanic segments. 

Michael Freitas Finete has taken the helm as president and chief executive officer of SupHerb Farms, an agriculture-based business specializing in the production of individually quick frozen (IQF) herbs, specialty vegetables, purees and globally-inspired culinary pastes and blends for foodservice operators and food manufacturers.