In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Inari, a seed gene-editing company, raised $144 million in its Series G round.
- Flowers Foods, the manufacturer of Wonder Bread, plans to purchase Simple Mills, a healthy snacks company, for $795 million.
- Fermata, a data science agritech company, raised $10 million in its Series A round.
- Arborea, an Anglo-Portuguese startup that cultivates microorganisms in a sustainable manner, announced that it raised 5 million Euros in funding.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is Be8 Ventures.
- Be8 Ventures is a Berlin-based growth stage venture capital fund focusing on food and beverage chain with a strong commitment towards innovation throughout the entire food and beverage value chain (i.e. Innovative Food, E-Grocery, Retail & Gastro Tech, Packaging & Waste).
- Be8 Ventures is funded by the Oetker group, the leading food producer in Europe.
- This VC fund invests in growing companies that shape tomorrow's food ecosystem located in Europe, Israel, and North America.
- Some of the portfolio companies include:
- New Culture
- Planted
- Bluu
- Blue Horizon Ventures
- Atlantic Food Labs
- Synthesis Capital
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Flowers Foods to Acquire Simple Mills
- Seed Gene-Editing Startup Inari Eyes Commercialization With $144 Million Round: 'It Puts Us in a Robust Financial Position'
- Fresh Nugget of Cash: Plant-Based Chicken Maker Rebellyous Foods Raises $2.4 Million
- BioConsortia and H&T Partner to Launch Nitrogen-Fixing Microbial Seed Treatment in New Zealand
- Biosphere Emerges From Stealth, Raises $8.8 Million for UV-Sterilized Bioreactors it Claims Can Slash Bioproduction Costs
UPCOMING EVENTS
Naturally North Bay
2025 Legal Update for HR Professionals
Tuesday, January 21 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT
Tune in to Naturally North Bay's lunch time Human Resources Forum, where their guest speakers will share insight into new employment laws. This legal update, presented by Marissa Buck from Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty and Sarah Hirschfeld-Sussman from CMPR Law, will provide this information with our entire Naturally North Bay membership to ensure your human resource management team is up to date for 2025.
Speakers:
- Marissa Buck, Partner at Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty Law
- Sarah Hirschfeld-Sussman, Attorney at CMPR
Naturally San Diego
Pre-Party for the UNFI Show, presented by Modifly
Tuesday, January 21 | 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. PT
Location: Venue808, 808 J St., San Diego, CA
Join Naturally San Diego for an exclusive evening of networking and celebration, presented by Modifly. Connect with 20+ buyers, UNFI staff and leading natural product brands from across the country while enjoying food and drinks before the show starts.
BevNET will be on site with a live media activation. Stay tuned on details for how your brand can be interviewed 1x1 by Ray Latif, Producer and Editor of Taste Radio.
Naturally New England
Meet The Maker: A Tasty Tour of CommonWealth Kitchen
Wednesday, January 22 | 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: CommonWealth Kitchen, 196 Quincy Street, Boston, MA
Join Naturally New England for an exclusive opportunity to connect with the passionate makers shaping the future of New England's food scene. This is your chance to explore exciting new products, forge valuable connections, and see firsthand where innovation meets flavor.
Naturally Colorado
Q&A Session with Ben Bacon, 2024 Pitch Slam Winner
Wednesday, January 22 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. MT
Are you interested in applying to pitch at Naturally Rising but have questions about the process? Join this hour-long Q&A session with last year's Pitch Slam winner, Ben Bacon. Ben will guide you through the application process, answer any questions you might have, and provide tips on making your submission stand out. This interactive session is designed for prospective applicants, so come ready with any questions about eligibility, requirements, and how to best approach the application.
Naturally New England
Coffee & Connections: Morning Meet-Up
Thursday, January 23 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. ET
Location: The Ditty Bag, 7 Roosevelt Avenue, Mystic, CT
This casual coffee meet-up is the perfect opportunity to connect with fellow members of the Naturally New England community. Non-members are also welcome to join us to learn more about our community.
This gathering is intended to share ideas and spark inspiration in an inviting, relaxed setting. While the event is free to attend, it is BYOC (Buy Your Own Coffee), therefore participants are encouraged to purchase their favorite brew at the counter to support this wonderful local business.
The gathering will be led by Naturally New England's board member and Connecticut Ambassador, Maddie Conkey, who will facilitate introductions and ensure everyone feels welcome.
Whether you're here to network, share insights, or simply enjoy great coffee with like-minded individuals, this event is not to be missed!
Naturally Minnesota
Community Day: Amazon Essentials for CPG Success
Thursday, January 23 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Mid City Kitchen, Raymond Avenue 693, Saint Paul, MN
Unlock the potential of your brand on Amazon with Community Day: Amazon Essentials for CPG Success! This event is designed to help CPG entrepreneurs and businesses elevate their Amazon strategy and achieve growth in today's competitive marketplace.
Featuring:
- Education Session with Brady Digital Consulting: Gain expert insights into Amazon best practices, from optimizing product listings to leveraging advertising tools and analytics for success.
- Founders Forum: An interactive discussion where experienced CPG founders share actionable tips and firsthand experiences on transforming their Amazon presence.
Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your approach, this event provides the tools, knowledge, and community to propel your brand forward.
Who Should Attend: CPG entrepreneurs, founders, and anyone looking to excel in e-commerce on Amazon.
Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and grow with industry experts and fellow founders!
Speakers:
- Molly Clark, CEO of Taking Stock Foods, LLC
- Lenny Lee, Founder of Rave Superfoods
- Charles Lovejoy, Founder of Lovejoy Brands
Naturally Colorado
Streamlining Success: Affiliate and Influencer Marketing
Thursday, January 23 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. MT
Join your Naturally Colorado community for a dynamic webinar on the essentials of using Influencer and Affiliate Marketing to achieve key business goals in 2025. The session will cover how both early stage and emerging brands can use Influencer Marketing to drive critical business results, including how best to execute against revenue goals, build awareness and engagement with your audience(s), as well as use influencers for content creation. The panel will include both agency and brand-side perspectives, as well as a real-life influencer, all of whom will speak from the different sides of this ever-evolving industry.
- An introduction to Influencer & Affiliate Marketing
- How and when to make this part of your marketing plan
- Pros/Cons of agency involvement vs doing it in-house yourself
- How best to create win-win influencer partnerships
- Budgeting and analytics
Speakers:
- Penny Andino, Chief Big Red at Big Red Marketing
- Erin Costa, Founder of Queen Consulting
- Elexis Schroder, Founder, CEO of SchroderHaus LLC