December 19, 2025

Please see below for a listing of what the North Point Food & Beverage Team has been tracking this week. We hope that you find the content insightful and a nice way to summarize the most noteworthy Food & Beverage events of the week.

Happy Holidays!

Glen Clarke

Head of Food & Beverage

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Patriot Pickle buys Cosmo’s Food Products.

• Patriot Pickle, a leading manufacturer and distributor of fresh pickles for foodservice and retail customers, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Cosmo’s Food Products, a West Haven, Connecticut-based manufacturer of premium pepper products and antipasto specialties. The acquisition brings together two longstanding, family-rooted businesses and expands Patriot’s product portfolio. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Source: Mergermarket

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Luckin Coffee to consider potential bid for Nestlé’s Blue Bottle Coffee – report.

• Luckin Coffee and its investor Centurium Capital are considering a bid for Nestlé’s Blue Bottle Coffee to boost their presence in the premium coffee market, a newswire reported citing sources familiar with the matter.

Source: Mergermarket

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Akoya Capital preps for sale of Devansoy.

• Akoya Capital is gearing up to explore a sale of portfolio company Devansoy, according to several sources familiar with the situation. The sale process is set to launch next year, Devansoy, a manufacturer of soy, oat, and pea protein ingredients for plant-based beverages, generates about USD 20m in EBITDA. In the event of a deal, the company could fetch a high single to low double-digit multiple of EBITDA.

Source: Mergermarket

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Church Bros. marks major expansion with Mann Packing acquisition.

• Church Brothers Farms has completed its acquisition of key assets and operations of Mann Packing from Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., solidifying the company’s leadership position in value-added vegetables and accelerating its long-term retail growth strategy.

Source: Produce News

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Greenfood to sell its Fresh Produce business to Dole Nordic.

• Greenfood AB announces that it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Dole Nordic AB regarding the sale of Greenfood’s Fresh Produce business.

Source: Mergermarket

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Sysco acquires Ginsberg's Foods.

• Sysco has acquired Hudson, New York-based food service distributor Ginsberg's Foods for an undisclosed amount, Albany Business Review reported, citing confirmation of the deal from Sysco. The family-owned business employed 241 employees in March. Ginsberg's posted USD 194m revenue two years ago.

Source: Mergermarket

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Unifrutti acquires Peruvian grape firm.

• Unifrutti Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of 100% of Safco from Rio King and other minority shareholders.

Source: Blue Book

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FDP Group acquires UNFI Canada Produce.

• Vancouver, Canada – December 12th, 2025 – The FDP Group, a leader in the distribution of ethnic, organic, and conventional produce, has acquired the UNFI Canada division.

 Source: Blue Book

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IDAK Food Group to acquire Onoré – report.

• IDAK Food Group, a Swiss frozen food specialist backed by the investment company TowerBrook Capital Partners, has won the auction for France-based specialty food company Onoré news portal l'Informé reported without citing its source.

Source: Mergermarket

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Parrish & Heimbecker to acquire GrainsConnect Canada for CAD 150m.

• GrainCorp Limited today announces the sale of GrainsConnect Canada and provides a trading update on the 2025-26 East Coast Australia winter harvest.

Source: Mergermarket

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ICL Group acquires Bartek Ingredients.

• ICL today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bartek Ingredients. Bartek is the global leader in food-grade malic and fumaric acid and serves hundreds of customers and distributors in the food, beverage, confectionery, bakery and other end-markets worldwide. These functional food ingredients are used by food and beverage companies to enhance flavor profiles, extend shelf life and improve overall quality. These additives also contribuate to the quality, safety and efficacy of personal care products.

 Source: Mergermarket

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Brothers International acquires Food Partners.

• Brothers International Food Holdings, LLC continues its rapid growth trajectory with its latest acquisition of Food Partners, a global fruit ingredient supplier specializing in best-in-class citrus supply, superior one-on-one customer service and seamless end-to-end logistics coordination. This move follows the acquisitions of Dennick FruitSource in 2021 and Hosh International LLC in 2023, and reinforces Brothers’ position as a comprehensive global sourcing network for its customers and suppliers.

Source: Mergermarket

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Leg days: Delving into drumsticks.

• Turkey leg processing lags behind chicken due to lower production volumes and wide size variability, leading equipment manufacturers to prioritize R&D elsewhere and forcing processors to rely on older, adapted technologies.
• Most turkey leg and drumstick meat are punched, deboned, and ground for domestic further processing, with rising ground turkey demand since COVID shifting sales away from export and whole-drumstick markets.
• Processors like Butterball and Farbest are waiting for next-generation automation—especially a single-step whole-leg deboner—which could significantly improve efficiency and yields as ground turkey continues to grow in popularity.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Kraft Heinz names former Kellanova leader as CEO.

• Kraft Heinz named former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane as CEO effective Jan. 1, positioning him to lead the higher-growth Global Taste Elevation unit ahead of the company’s planned split in late 2026, while current CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera steps down and remains as an adviser.
• Cahillane brings experience managing major corporate breakups, having overseen Kellogg’s split into Kellanova and WK Kellogg, as Kraft Heinz seeks to reverse its decade-old mega-merger and sharpen focus amid weak sales, inflation pressures, and changing consumer eating habits.
• The split will create two companies: Global Taste Elevation with about $15 billion in sales focused on sauces and shelf-stable meals, and North American Grocery with roughly $10 billion in sales housing legacy brands, with analysts viewing the former as a potential acquisition target.

Source: Food Dive

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Taste no longer trumps all: How functional foods are changing the rules on flavor.

• Consumers are increasingly prioritizing health, wellness, and personal goals over pure indulgence, accepting flavor trade-offs in functional foods if products credibly deliver benefits like protein, gut health, or low sugar.
• Taste still matters, but expectations have shifted: functional products are judged within their health context, not against indulgent counterparts, with “less sweet” or “earthy” flavors often reinforcing a health halo and boosting purchase intent.
• Brands that succeed are testing products against the right competitive set and focusing on why consumers choose them, recognizing that functional snacks now serve roles tied to identity, mood, and social signaling as much as enjoyment.

Source: Food Dive

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V&V Supremo starts construction on new plant in Wisconsin.

• V&V Supremo Foods acquired 39 acres in Jefferson, Wisconsin, and has begun construction on a new production facility to support growing demand for its Mexican food products.
• The family-owned company said the expansion underscores its confidence in future growth and its commitment to serving retail, foodservice, industrial partners, and local communities.
• Founded in 1964, V&V Supremo manufactures Chihuahua brand cheese along with signature products including chorizo and cremas.

 Source: Meat + Poultry

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How MAHA transformed the food industry in 2025.

• The “Make America Healthy Again” movement drove major regulatory changes in 2025, with bipartisan lawmakers targeting ultra processed foods and artificial ingredients through state bans, labeling rules, and FDA pressure to phase out synthetic dyes.
• Food companies split in their response, with some reformulating products to remove artificial dyes or seed oils, while others pushed back through lawsuits and lobbying, arguing state laws are misleading and conflict with federal authority.
• A growing patchwork of state regulations has created uncertainty heading into 2026, setting up continued legal battles, supply chain challenges, and accelerated reformulation across the food industry.

 Source: Food Dive

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Unlocking supply chain success.

• Effective supply chain logistics are critical to manufacturing success, as inefficiencies anywhere from sourcing to distribution can disrupt operations, increase costs, and undermine overall performance.
• Logistics should be addressed early, especially when building new facilities, with network analysis guiding site selection based on transportation costs, labor availability, customer demand, and supplier reliability.
• Partnering with specialized, solutions-based logistics providers can help manufacturers optimize inventory, transportation, forecasting, and risk management, particularly when logistics is not a core internal strength.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Coca-Cola manufacturer to build $475M plant.

• Swire Coca-Cola plans to build a $475 million, 620,000-square-foot bottling plant in Colorado Springs to replace its 90-year-old Denver facility and meet growing demand for sports drinks, teas, and other beverages.
• The plant, expected to break ground in 2026, will produce more than 230 beverages across 60 brands, create about 170 jobs, and pursue LEED Gold certification to support sustainability goals.
• The investment reflects Coca-Cola’s strategy of relying on regional bottlers to expand production and profitability, as growth in water, sports, coffee, and tea offsets softer demand for traditional soda categories.

Source: Food Dive

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Why Keurig grounded its new brand platform in post-pandemic realities.

• Keurig launched a new brand platform, “Great Coffee Without the Grind,” positioning itself as a simple, humorous alternative to overly complicated coffee culture, with creative grounded in post-pandemic realities like work-from-home habits and long café lines.
• Developed by the bespoke Publicis unit KDPOne, the campaign enables faster creative development and highly targeted marketing, using technology and AI to scale thousands of personalized content pieces across streaming platforms.
• The rebrand comes as Keurig prepares for major changes, including new machine launches, its first branded coffee line, and Keurig Dr Pepper’s planned split into independent coffee and beverage businesses following the JDE Peet’s acquisition.

Source: Food Dive

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J&J Snack Foods to close 3 manufacturing sites in business revamp.

• J&J Snack Foods is closing three manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, Holly Ridge (North Carolina), and Colton (California) by early 2026 as part of a broader business transformation called Project Apollo.
• The closures are expected to generate about $15 million in annualized savings and contribute to at least $20 million in total operating income gains by 2026 through manufacturing consolidation and portfolio optimization.
• The Icee and SuperPretzel maker is also revamping its distribution network, shifting to a regional distribution center model that has already reduced distribution expenses and is projected to deliver additional cost savings.

Source: Food Dive

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The biggest food and beverage layoffs in 2025. 

• Food and beverage manufacturers carried out widespread layoffs and plant closures in 2025 as declining profits, inflation pressures, and shifting consumer preferences forced companies to cut costs and streamline operations.
• Major companies including Nestlé, General Mills, Molson Coors, PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, ADM, Hormel, and Beyond Meat announced job cuts affecting tens of thousands of workers across manufacturing and corporate roles.
• The restructurings reflect a broader industry reset, with companies hoping leaner operations in 2026 will improve efficiency, sharpen portfolio focus, and better position them for changing consumer demand. 

Source: Food Dive

JUST FOR FUN

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Leftovers: McCormick reveals 2026 flavor of the year | ‘Call Her Daddy’ host enters energy drink market—Food Dive

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