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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.
Have a nice weekend!
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Glen Clarke
Head of Food & Beverage
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Castillo Hermanos to acquire Harvest Hill.
- Castillo Hermanos, a multinational diversified business group, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Brynwood Partners to acquire Harvest Hill Beverage Company, a leading beverage products player in the United States, with brands such as SunnyD®, Juicy Juice® and Little HUG®.
Source: Mergermarket
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The Hershey Company to acquire LesserEvil.
- The Hershey Company, a Hershey, Pennsylvania-headquartered snacks company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LesserEvil, a Danbury, Connecticut-headquartered maker of organic, delectable snacks.
Source: Mergermarket
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Fonterra receives bids from Lactalis and Bega for Mainland Group – report.
- New Zealand's Fonterra has received bids exceeding AUD 2bn (USD 1.25bn) for its consumer business Mainland Group, The Australian reported on 3 April without citing sources.
Source: Mergermarket
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UK food group Greencore to buy rival Bakkavor in $1.6 billion deal.
- Convenience food manufacturer Greencore, opens new tab on Wednesday agreed to buy rival Bakkavor in a deal valued at 1.2 billion pounds ($1.55 billion), to create a convenience foods giant in Britain.
Source: Reuters
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Taylor Farms and Foodiverse acquire Bonduelle’s salad operations in Germany.
- Taylor Farms and Foodiverse have completed the acquisition of two production plants specialized in the manufacturing of ready-to-eat salads, which belonged to the fresh business of Bonduelle in Germany.
Source: Produce Bluebook
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Hearthside emerges from Chapter 11 with Apollo, Oaktree among majority owners.
- H-Food Holdings LLC and certain of its affiliates, a leading food contract manufacturer, today announced that it has completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11 as Maker’s Pride LLC following approval of Hearthside’s Plan of Reorganization on March 11, 2025.
Source: Mergermarket
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California Olive Ranch in early stages of sale process.
- California Olive Ranch, a privately held producer of olives for extra virgin olive oil, is in the early stages of a sale process, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
Source: Mergermarket
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DDC Enterprise, Hewen form JV.
- DDC Enterprise, Ltd., a leading multi-brand Asian consumer food company, today announced a binding agreement to form a joint venture (JV) with Hewen Agricultural Technology Limited, a premium prepared-meal producer, to scale delivery of ready-to-eat (RTE) solutions for major e-commerce platforms, restaurant chains, and direct-to-consumer brands in Mainland China.
Source: Mergermarket
| | FOOD AND BEVERAGE MUSINGS | | |
March's Top 10 stories.
- Boar’s Head appointed Natalie Dyenson as chief food safety officer, bringing 30 years of experience to the role, while American Foods Group ceased operations at its historic South Dakota beef plant.
- The 2024 Power of Meat report showed record meat sales, and Smithfield returned to profitability driven by packaged meats after re-entering public markets.
- Major headlines also included Sustainable Beef’s ribbon cutting for a $400 million plant, ongoing US-China trade tensions, and the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate two food safety committees.
Source: Meat + Poultry
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Trump unveils sweeping tariffs, sparking further turmoil in food.
- The Trump administration announced a 10% universal tariff on all U.S. imports starting April 5, along with higher reciprocal tariffs on 60 countries—including a 34% tariff on China—set to begin April 9.
- The Consumer Brands Association warned these tariffs could raise food and manufacturing costs, urging exemptions for critical ingredients and inputs that aren’t available domestically.
- While some sectors like steel and automotive parts are excluded, trading partners such as China, Japan, the EU, and Vietnam are planning retaliatory measures, intensifying global trade tensions.
Source: Food Dive
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High egg, beef prices among consumer concerns.
- Egg prices have surged 41% year-over-year due to a major avian flu outbreak, making them a leading driver of food-at-home inflation in 2025.
- Drought and extreme weather in South America and Africa are pushing sugar and cocoa prices to nearly double their historical averages, while high input costs have kept beef prices elevated.
- Proposed tariffs are adding uncertainty, potentially raising prices on imported produce and packaging materials depending on how supply chains absorb the impact.
Source: Meat + Poultry
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Cargill report concludes US consumption of protein hits record-high levels.
- In 2024, 61% of U.S. consumers increased their protein intake, with animal proteins like beef, chicken, and eggs remaining the preferred sources due to their taste, nutrition, and versatility.
- Social media trends and the rise of GLP-1 users are influencing protein consumption, leading to increased interest in high-protein diets, smaller portion sizes, and convenient, trendy meal options.
- Inflation is reshaping buying behavior, with many consumers switching from premium cuts to affordable proteins like ground beef and chicken, buying in bulk, or seeking smaller packaging for cost savings.
Source: Meat + Poultry
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Smithfield sells off pigs as attention turns toward lunch meats.
- Smithfield is cutting back hog production by nearly 35% from its 2019 peak and shifting focus to its more profitable packaged meats segment after reporting major losses in hog operations.
- The company is moving away from low-margin seasonal products like holiday hams to high-frequency items like lunch meats, which are showing stronger consumer demand and higher profit margins.
- Inflation is pushing consumers toward private-label products, and Smithfield is capitalizing by supplying both private labels and premium branded options, with packaged meats generating $1.1 billion in profit in 2024.
Source: Food Dive
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Subway brings the heat with hot honey sauce, new sandwiches.
- Subway launched a limited-time Hot Honey sauce, blending sweet honey with cayenne, habanero pepper powder, garlic, onion, and cloves, available on any menu item at no extra cost.
- Two new sandwiches highlight the sauce: the Hot Honey Pepperoni and the Hot Honey Chicken, both served on toasted Artisan Italian bread with unique toppings like Creamy Sriracha and SubKrunch.
- The Hot Honey Pepperoni joins Subway’s $6.99 Meal of the Day deal, available on Thursdays with chips or cookies and a drink, with an option to upgrade to a footlong for $9.99.
Source: Meat + Poultry
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Kroger adds ‘trendy’ private label products, looks to launch 900 items.
- Kroger is expanding its private label offerings with over 900 new items in 2025, including mushroom tea, Hatch chile kettle-style tortilla chips, and new salad kits and muffins under its Private Selection brand.
- The grocer is leaning into flavor innovation and affordability to attract price-conscious consumers, using proprietary insights to differentiate from national brands and competitors.
- Private label performance has been strong, with sales outpacing national brands and more than 90% of Kroger households purchasing store-brand items in 2024.
Source: Grocery Dive
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Earthbound Farm expands organic offerings with new avocado oil dressing salad kits.
- Earthbound Farm launched three new Organic Salad Kits made with 100% organic avocado oil dressings, responding to consumer demand for healthier, non-seed oil options.
- The kits feature fresh greens, bold flavors, and convenient ingredients like feta, almonds, croutons, and Parmesan.
- Avocado oil is highlighted for its health benefits, with surveys showing it ranks among the top oils preferred by health-conscious consumers.
Source: Produce Bluebook
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The best April Fools’ pranks in food and beverage, from quiet Crunch bars to BodyArmor shampoo – Food Dive
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