September 26, 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.

Have a nice weekend!

Glen Clarke

Head of Food & Beverage

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ADM, Alltech form North American animal feed joint venture.

• ADM (NYSE: ADM), a global leader in innovative solutions from nature, and Alltech, a global leader in agriculture, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to launch a North American animal feed joint venture, bringing together decades of experience and unparalleled capabilities to create new advantages for customers.

Source: Mergermarket

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888 Midas joins Fruitist as investor.

• Fruitist, the global superfruit brand inspiring the world to snack healthier, today announced a new partnership with 888 Midas, the strategic investment firm founded by quarterback Caleb Williams.

Source: Mergermarket

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Feast & Fettle receives inbound inquiries from strategics – CEO.

• Feast & Fettle, a fully prepared meal service company, has been receiving acquisition inquiries from strategics, CEO Carlos Ventura told Mergermarket. 

Source: Mergermarket

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Slate Milk raises USD 23m in Series B funding round led by Foundership Ventures.

• Slate Milk, a Westwood, Massachusetts-based producer of higher protein, lactose-free chocolate milk, has raised USD 23m in a Series B funding round, Forbes reported, citing co-founders Manny Lubin and Josh Belinsky.

Source: Mergermarket

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Thomas Foods International purchases former Tyson facility in Jacksonville.

• Thomas Foods International USA (TFI), was recently confirmed as the company that purchased the former Tyson Foods facility in Jacksonville, Fla., which previously closed.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Roundabout Catering interested in acquisitions – CEO.

• Roundabout Catering, a family-owned catering and party accessories rental services company, is interested in acquiring event venues and bakeries, said MaryBeth Smith, founder and CEO.

Source: Mergermarket

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A matcha shortage is coming for social media’s latest obsession.

• Social-fueled demand is exploding: market $478.8M (2024) → $762.6M (2030); U.S. retail sales +86% vs. three years ago; matcha is only ~7% of Japan’s tea output, tightening supply.
• Supply crunch + costs: record heat/drought and labor demographics strain Tencha; Kyoto Tencha +265% (’24→’25); U.S. 15% tariff adds pressure; lead times stretching to ~6 months; scalpers/low-quality resellers prompt purchase limits and producer blacklists.
• Near-term outlook: Japan shifting acreage to matcha; China/Kenya/India ramping but new plantings take ~5 years; high-grade ceremonial likely to stay constrained while lower-grade (lattes/desserts) expands; consumers can sub other green/black teas.

Source: Food Dive

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What food and beverage manufacturers can show other industries about the future of data management.

• Real-time monitoring and analytics of CIP cycles consolidate siloed data, improve visibility (“did it run/was it effective?”), and can deliver ~15% efficiency gains in trials—reducing downtime, chemistry overuse, and food-safety risk.
• Predictive scheduling and intelligent alerts optimize wash cycles and flag anomalies in-process, turning compliance data into throughput/cost levers.
• The playbook generalizes: unify operational data and layer AI onto repeatable workflows to unlock capacity without adding new lines or capex.

Source: Food Dive

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Standard Meat Co. cuts the ribbon on its fifth meat plant.

• Opened 5th plant in Fort Worth Stockyards (166k sq. ft.), a rebuilt 1955 facility bought in 2023; includes a scalable sous-vide line plus searing/portioning and room for new tech.
• Sept. 17, 2025 ribbon cutting aligned with 90th anniversary; hosted by co-presidents Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld and Ben Rosenthal with local dignitaries.
• Strategic aim: flexible platform to serve new customers, launch new products, and expand capabilities (sous-vide, cast-iron searing, meal-kit packaging, sustainable ice manufacturing), building on legacy innovations (’60s Cryovac, automated steak portioning).

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Kroger debuts protein-focused private brand products.

• Kroger launches “Simple Truth Protein,” an ~80+ SKU high-protein line (meals, beverages, chips, desserts)—the brand’s largest expansion to date.
• Plays to sustained protein-first trend and Simple Truth’s role as on-trend private label (past moves: carbon-neutral cage-free eggs, upcycled breads; ~900 new Our Brands items targeted this year).
• Private brands are outperforming national brands at Kroger; Simple Truth + Private Selection led >$32B in store-brand sales last year, per the company.

Source: Food Dive

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From hamburger stand to $1B beverage brand: A look inside Milo’s sweet tea empire.

• Family-owned Milo’s grew from $6.5M (2014) to $730M (2024) and is pacing to >$1B by 2027; now #1 U.S. liquid tea by sales (Nielsen) with the fastest-growing lemonade.
• 55k+ doors; pushing into convenience/club/foodservice; opened a $200M Spartanburg, SC plant (4th facility) boosting output to ~1,800 units/min.
• Simple recipe (tea, water, sugar) + innovation flywheel: new flavored lemonades & Lemon Sweet Tea; zero-sugar lemonade in Q1’26; staying family-owned (no sale planned).

Source: Food Dive

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Mason Dixie’s shift from foodservice to retail.

• Clean-label frozen breakfast focus (biscuits, new burritos & chicken sandwiches); pivoted from restaurant to CPG during 2020 surge; now in ~8,500 retail doors plus strong foodservice (~3,000 Marriott), with ~35% YoY growth.
• Asset-light production via >20 Midwestern co-manufacturers for central distribution, ingredient proximity, and lower cold-chain footprint.
• GTM: crowded frozen aisle → emphasis on foodservice & grab-and-go convenience/club to “flank” big brands; declines private label to protect premium brand equity and category growth.

Source: Meat + Poultry

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Kraft Heinz pilots AI agent to streamline ketchup production.

• Kraft Heinz is piloting “The Cookbook,” an Azure OpenAI–built agent giving workers chat access to 150 years of ketchup production know-how (thickness/color troubleshooting, process efficiency), currently limited to a small U.S. cohort with plans to scale to more use cases.
• Part of a broader AI stack (e.g., TasteMaker for faster R&D/marketing); the team pressure-tests use cases and tracks quant + qual KPIs to avoid dead-end projects—key as many firms abandon AI initiatives.
• Pilot coincides with major corporate changes: Kraft Heinz plans to split into two companies (sauces/seasonings vs. grocery staples), creating tech/AI migration and governance complexity but also a chance to embed these agents across supply chain and factory ops.

Source: Food Dive

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Hershey defeats lawsuit over Reese’s Halloween candy lacking ‘cool’ designs.

• Hershey won dismissal of a class action over Reese’s Halloween packaging; judge found no injury since buyers still received the candy, and packaging showed undecorated versions with a “decorating suggestion” disclaimer.
• Suit had sought $5M; plaintiffs’ counsel called the ruling procedural and said they’ll pursue steps for “truthful, non-misleading labeling.”
• Context: Hershey rolled out new Halloween items; earlier this year flagged double-digit price hikes due to cocoa; latest quarter showed $2.6B sales (+26% YoY) aided by early “summer-ween” shipments.

Source: Food Dive

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The Magnum Ice Cream Company taps NotCo AI for product innovation.

• Unilever’s Magnum Ice Cream Co. will use NotCo’s “Giuseppe” AI to speed product development and tweak nutrition/formulations, with scope to expand to other markets/brands.
• Deal lands ~1 month before Unilever’s ice cream spin-off; the division did $9.3B in 2024 (Klondike, Breyers, Talenti), positioning AI as a growth lever post-separation.
• Context: Unilever already applies AI across shelf-life/texture/taste and flavor forecasting; NotCo has prior Kraft Heinz JV (since 2022) for plant-based innovation.

Source: Food Dive

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Nestlé names coffee insider to oversee Nespresso brand.

• Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen named CEO of Nespresso, effective Nov 1, filling the role after Philipp Navratil was elevated to lead Nestlé following Laurent Freixe’s dismissal.
• Gonzalez Loeschen has led Nespresso North America since 2020 and is described as results-focused with deep expertise in portioned coffee across multiple geographies.
• Nespresso H1’25 sales ~$4B (+5.8% YoY), with North America posting strong double-digit growth—setup suggests continuity and execution focus under the new leader.

Source: Food Dive

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General Mills outlines marketing spend increase to help return to growth.

• Q1 FY26: Organic volume -1%; organic net sales -3% (period ended Aug 24). Results beat Street but highlight category headwinds.
• Playbook: Leaning into “remarkability” — product, packaging, messaging, omnichannel, value — with Q2 spend up behind Old El Paso, Cheerios, Pillsbury, Nature Valley; culture/sports tie-ins (Netflix’s Wednesday, Universal’s Wicked: For Good, NFL GameDay with Jefferson/Chase/St. Brown).
• Proof point: Cinnamon Toast Crunch “Must Cinnadust” (launched June) drove +500% social engagement and gains in pounds, pound share, and dollar share; media ROI improving via more data-driven, social-first campaigns.

Source: Food Dive

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Lifeway to double production capacity at Wisconsin kefir factory.

• Lifeway is doubling kefir capacity in Waukesha, WI via a multi-phase capex project (phase 1 done; full completion Q3’26); fermentation tanks already doubled YTD.
• Demand tailwinds: 22 straight quarters of growth; unaudited Jul–Aug Q3 net sales $39.1M (+20% YoY); distribution expanding (Target, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, others); GLP-1 users boosting protein-rich dairy.
• Strategic context: Uses ~100MM lbs of WI milk annually; positions expansion as win for state dairy; Danone dropped pursuit after two failed attempts—Lifeway refocusing on standalone growth.

Source: Food Dive

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Utz Brands joins food giants in pledge to remove artificial colors.

• Utz will remove all artificial colors by YE2027; already ~80% of its portfolio is dye-free, with several brands fully transitioned.
• Move aligns with broader CPG pledges (Campbell’s, Nestlé, General Mills, Kraft Heinz) amid White House pressure; many firms targeting 2026–2027 timelines.
• Utz will spotlight “real & simple” attributes on packs starting this fall; mirrors PepsiCo’s strategy of natural versions of core snacks (e.g., Cheetos, Lay’s, Tostitos).

Source: Food Dive

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Coca-Cola reports jump in packaging deemed recyclable.

• Coca-Cola says 99% of its primary packaging was “recyclable” in 2024 (vs. 90% in 2022–23) and reset targets to 2035: ≥35% recycled material in primary packaging, ≥30% recycled plastic use, and 70% collection of bottles/cans.
• Reported 28% recycled content across primary packaging in 2024; PET is the largest substrate with 18% rPET. Virgin plastic rose to 2.94MM metric tons (from 2.83MM in 2023). Reuse hit 14% of beverage volume.
• Company frames progress as dependent on policy and infrastructure; backing EPR and deposit return systems to raise collection rates; note that both Coke and PepsiCo recently revised/extended sustainability goals timelines.

Source: Food Dive

JUST FOR FUN

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Ben Stiller gets into the better-for-you soda space – Food Dive

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