Weekly Roundup – Week of 5.9.2022

May 13, 2022

This week’s roundup includes our top 5 attention-grabbing stories curated from our team of strategists and food enthusiasts:

Sushi At Risk Due to Reduced Fish Populations

Global and local sourcing challenges, overfishing debates, and unsustainable practices have plagued the sushi industry. U.S. chefs are starting to look at alternative sources, including potentially swapping real fish for plant-based substitutes, but find themselves dealing with unhappy consumers who fear quality will suffer as a result. Today’s $27.5 billion dollar U.S. sushi industry is at risk as many species are being harvested at higher rates than can be recovered. Learn More.

Divested CPG Brands Prosper Under New Ownership

Jon Sebastiani, the founder of Sonoma Brands Capital, purchased back the once top-selling, premium jerky brand, Krave, with a goal to regain lost market share and improve quality. Sebastiani says the transition is gradual and adds, “the business is being built one brick at a time, one account at a time and the improvements are more subtle.” This is just one example of a large CPG company divesting and selling brands back to original owners that proved not to be a natural fit with their business models. Read how more CPGs are making comebacks after failed M&As, here.

M&M’S Candy Meets Adidas Sneakers

Adidas Originals and M&M’S collaborate and launch six new M&M’S inspired colorways for the Forum Lo 84b launch this week. This is the second partnership between these two notable consumer brands. These sweet kicks come in classic M&M’S colors: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Brown, and Orange. Interested consumers will receive a special edition box and find premium leather uppers and printed characters inside. What’s your favorite sneaker flavor? See Article.

Iconic Brands Introduce Unconventional Products With A Challenger Brand Mentality

Kraft Heinz’s internal marketing team, The Kitchen, develops unique product and flavor pairings by mashing popular consumer brands with consumers’ favorite products. Their team has created products such as Grey Poupon Wine, MayoChup, and unique mac and cheese spinoffs like Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ice cream and a candy-flavored mix-in for its Macaroni & Cheese. Kraft Heinz is shifting its business model to a challenger brand mindset and using strong social messaging efforts to reach targeted consumers. Discover More.

New RTD Canned Cocktails Support Budding Musicians

Leveraging the popularity of ready-to-drink products and craft cocktails, industry vet, Adam Kost, has launched Country Luau, a line of canned cocktails he says puts a “tropically-inspired twist on classic cocktails.” Through its Mixed for Music™ Program, the brand donates 2% of sales to aspiring musicians. Professional musicians can apply for a grant for as little as $250 to help fund equipment, studio time, videography, and more. Read More. Subscription Required.

Come back next week to read more of our weekly picks!