Startup CPG

INTERACTIVE WEBINAR WITH THE CATEGORY MERCHANT TEAM @ Thrive Market HAPPENING NEXT MONTH - October 13th at 1pm PDT / 4pm EDT Want your brand in front of Thrive Market's 1.7M+ members? Get to know its Category Merchant team -- the decision-makers who shape what lands on its virtual shelves! They'll share what they do, their merchandising strategy, what they look for in brand partners, and tips for navigating onboarding - then answer your questions live: ➡️ Natalie Wieder (VP of Category Mgmt) ➡️ Brooke Butler (Associate Director of Category Mgmt) - Core Pantry ➡️ Vanessa Quandt (Category Manager) - Condiments & Sauces, Ghee, Oil & Vinegar, and Grains, Pasta & Bread ➡️ Yasmin H. (Category Manager) - Bath & Body, Beauty, and Home ➡️ Nika Levinson (Sr. Category Manager) - Beverages 🎟️ REGISTER HERE TO ADD THIS WEBINAR TO YOUR CAL: https://lnkd.in/e_ys64cu And ICYMI, we're running another Grocery Run with Thrive Market on December 7! See details & apply to sample here: https://lnkd.in/e52MhPDD #StartupCPG #CPGCommunity #EmergingBrands #ThriveMarket

Hot Brands of 2026: Disco Cow 🪩🐄 Meet Disco Cow, one of Startup CPG founder Daniel Scharff’s favorite new entrants. They whip cottage cheese completely smooth and turn it into high-protein dips and spreads. We can’t think of a category going harder right now than cottage cheese. The main complaint we’re hearing? Buyers are having trouble keeping it in stock. And the flavors are FUN: Queso, Lemon Basil, Original, and Daniel’s favorite, Chocolate, which is basically like a pudding. You can dip it, spread it, or just eat it straight from the tub. This brand is EARLY - launched DTC just four months ago, self-distributing around Chicago, and already on shelves at Foxtrot and Agora Markets. And it's racking up the accolades: a 2026 Startup CPG Shelfie Awards finalist, selected for the Midwest Dairy Accelerator, and already featured on ABC7 Chicago. Fun fact: the name takes inspo from the '70s disco era, back when cottage cheese sales actually outranked yogurt. 🪩 Big congrats to founder Kate Colehour! Keep your eyes on Disco Cow🔥 #DiscoCow #StartupCPG #HotBrands #CPGCommunity

🛒🛒🛒 NEW WEBINAR ON OCTOBER 14 - HOW BRANDS CAN WIN IN RETAIL MEDIA 🛒🛒🛒 Our partners at Gawronski Media are BACK on October 14th at 11am PDT / 2pm EDT for another session, this time covering all things retail media for emerging brands! It's the highest ROI marketing channel and can be one of the biggest growth opps for your brand.... but one of the hardest to navigate if you don't know where to start. With Instacart, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Kroger, DoorDash, and more all competing for your budget, it's easy to stick with what's familiar, even when it's not working like it used to. You'll learn: ➡️The major retail media platforms & how they differ ➡️Where emerging brands should invest first (+ the metrics that matter when starting out) ➡️How things like distribution, budget & retailer priorities should shape your strategy ➡️How to build an effective cross-retailer plan w/o spreading your budget too thin ➡️Common mistakes emerging brands might run into 🎥 REGISTER HERE: https://lnkd.in/eaPjzmA6 #StartupCPG #RetailMedia #CPGCommunity #PaidMedia #EmergingBrands

First round of applications for Founders & Funders applications are CLOSING tomorrow💰 The average seed round takes 40–80 investor conversations. Every single one takes work to get on the calendar. You reach out, follow up, juggle schedules, follow up some more… and sometimes you get there only to find out they’re not even writing checks in CPG right now. We built Founders & Funders to condense months of that into a single day. On December 10th in NYC, you’ll be in the same room as 100+ of the most active CPG investors, and THEY request meetings with YOU. Not the other way around. We’ve already approved 50 out of 200 brand spots ‼️ and first-round apps close October 1st. 25% of the room is already filled. 👉 APPLY NOW: https://lnkd.in/gvVwBWTY #StartupCPG #FoundersandFunders #Fundraising #CPGBrands #CPGInvestor

📰 Our Newswire Roundup is here, featuring the latest press releases from across the CPG community! This week, we're highlighting the newest innovations to exciting retail launches happening nationwide. There's no shortage of fresh ideas hitting shelves. 🛒🎃 Discover what's new, who's launching, and the brands shaping the future of snacking. It’s been a busy yet exciting time for our emerging brand community, and these latest press releases are seriously worth celebrating. From nationwide launches to award-winning moments, there’s no shortage of big wins happening in CPG right now. See below for a peek at some of the headlines: ✨Better Organs Launches Gut Garden, a Liquid Dietary Supplement for Everyday Digestive Wellness ✨Well Rooted Launches Proactive Immune Support Powered by Biotics ✨Seaker Sun Co Launches Zinc-Based Sun Balm ✨Pluck Launches Lion Salt, a Sea Salt Blend Made With Seven Grass-Fed Beef Organs ✨Ciao Pappy Expands Retail Footprint Across California and Texas ✨ARLO Launches to Bring Culinary Argan Oil to American Kitchens ✨UNDO Gummies® Debuts at Target Stores Nationwide Following $1M Seed Round ✨Luba Libations - All-Natural Zero Proof Cocktails Expands Midwest Footprint with Breakthru Beverage Partnership in Minnesota ✨Everyday Dose Expands to Sam’s Club Nationwide and Appoints Kyle Thibaut as CEO ✨Nature's Wild Berry Enters Foodservice Distribution Through US Foods Direct ✨Breakin Snacks Renames Granola Bites to Oat Clusters, Launches Brownie Batter ✨Häppy Candy Launches Nationwide at Target with Limited-Edition “Haunted Edition” Halloween Variety Pack Got a milestone worth sharing? The Startup CPG Newswire is a FREE publishing service for emerging brands to get their news in front of the entire CPG community. Submit today: https://bit.ly/3WC9jsS #StartupCPG #NewswireRoundup #CPGNews #PressRelease #EmergingBrands #CPGCommunity #BrandAnnouncements #CPGFounders #CPG #HeathandWellness #FoodandBeverage

New Episode: The Rise of Gymkhana Fine Foods with Gulrez Arora "This is actually the restaurant sauce." Gulrez Arora left a decade at Mars to bring London's two-Michelin-star Gymkhana restaurant to grocery shelves, uncompromised. Host Daniel Scharff sat down with his longtime friend to talk building a global premium Indian food brand. A few highlights: No shortcuts, literally. Gymkhana's sauces are cooked multi-layer, restaurant-style, base then main then finisher, using the same custom spice supplier and tomatoes as the original restaurant kitchen. A category-growing machine. In the UK, Gymkhana drove 900% growth in its category, capturing 90% of it, with roughly 70% of that growth fully incremental to new shoppers who'd never bought Indian food before. Patience before launch. Gulrez and his partners waited over a year after conceptualizing the brand to launch, refusing to put anything on shelf until it matched the restaurant's exact standard. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/drqT3qyU #StartupCPG #IndianFood #CPGFounders #FounderStory #FoodAndBeverage

Our team hit the shelves at Foxtrot Market in Chicago! 🛒✨ We spotted so many community brands along the way. 👀 Do you see your brand on the shelves or discover a new favorite? Drop it in the comments below! 👇 #StartupCPG #FoxtrotMarket #FoodAndBeverage #ChicagoCPG

For emerging CPG brands, honey can do more than add sweetness and flavor it can also help simplify formulations while delivering multiple functional benefits. 🍯🐝 Keith Seiz explains how honey can help retain moisture and delay staling in baked goods and snacks, while its low pH and high sugar concentration can help delay mold growth. Honey can also contribute to binding, making it a versatile ingredient for food manufacturers. For brands looking to reduce the number of ingredients in a formula while maintaining functionality and a clean-label positioning, honey can offer multiple benefits in one ingredient. #Honey #CPG #CPGBrands #FoodIngredients #StartupCPG

We’re excited to welcome another group of incredible brands to the Startup CPG community! ✨Homecoming Matcha- specialty matcha company inspired by Cantonese tea culture, and source our matcha and hojicha with family tea farms in Japan ✨Ciccio's Olives Extra Virgin Olive Oil & More- single-origin, unfiltered Calabrian EVOO (Carolea cultivar) straight from a family estate in Vena di Maida, Calabria ✨Maple Craft Foods- maple-focused products including ice pops, flavored & infuse dmaple syrups, candies, spreads, jerkies, and more ✨Bake Sale- frozen, ready-to-bake cookie dough brand centered around big, warm, ooey gooey cookies made with simple ingredients you’d use in your own kitchen ✨MenoPantry- a functional protein powder for midlife women built around three pillars we see as non-negotiable for this life stage: protein, fiber, and polyphenols ✨Luna Maki Coffee- regeneratively grown coffee from Honduras ✨Yoli Pantry- Korean savory sauces ✨NouBon- small-batch snack and condiment brand rooted in Caribbean culinary heritage. Think coconut clusters, peanut brittle, and spiced peanut butters; the kind of treats you'd find in street markets across the Caribbean ✨Fox Puffs- family-friendly popped water lily seed brand ✨Simply So- fresh-frozen organic rice ✨dasso good- a crisped protein bar made without nuts, gluten, seed oils, soy, or anything artificial ✨Stella & Milo's Tallow Potato Chips- kettle-cooked chips made with just three simple ingredients and cooked in 100% grass-fed & finished beef tallow ✨Salt Trail Brands- single-origin salts that are naturally harvested, free from anti-caking agents, added coloring, and are screened using advanced technology to ensure exceptional purity ✨Better Organs- modern wellness brand focused on natural liquid supplements that make everyday health simple and enjoyable Want your brand featured? Join our Slack community and introduce yourself in the introductions channel. Be sure to share your socials, website, and have your product images live. Once you’ve checked all the boxes, you’ll be added to the feature queue. We’re welcoming new brands every day, so we appreciate your patience as we work to spotlight as many as possible. . . . #StartupCPG #NewBrands #CPGFounders #Community #EmergingBrands

New R&D RADIO: The Real Science Behind Sugar Replacement, with Icon Foods' Thom King “Sweetness is no big deal. You can find sweet things everywhere. But the functionality, making sure it works within your product, is key.” Thom King, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Icon Foods, has spent over two decades solving one of CPG's hardest problems: removing sugar without losing taste or texture. Host Adam Yee sat down with Thom to break it all down. A few highlights: Sugar does more than you think. Beyond sweetness, sugar drives eight different functions, from freezing point depression to browning to yeast activation. Replacing it means replacing all of that, not just the sweet taste. Stack, don't swap. Thom is a big proponent of layering sweeteners, like erythritol for water activity, allulose for viscosity, and monk fruit or stevia for the sweet pop, rather than relying on a single ingredient. Timing your ingredient buys matters. Monk fruit follows a seasonal harvest cycle, so the best prices typically land in the fall after harvest. Erythritol is trickier, with anti-dumping tariffs tightening supply heading into 2027. Thom's advice: plan your 2027 purchases now, especially with tariffs adding another layer of unpredictability. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gfbN8tuf #StartupCPG #RDRadio #SugarReduction #FoodScience #CPGFounders