Food Entrepreneur - January 7, 2020 - 3

FOOD ENTREPRENEUR

Food Entrepreneur gives vibrant start-up
community its own stage
BY MONICA WATROUS

dazzling number of start-ups have entered the food and
beverage marketplace in the past decade, triggering
profound change across the industry and upending the
consumer packaged goods landscape. Food Entrepreneur, a
new supplement publishing six times a year in Food Business
News and throughout the year at foodbusinessnews.net, offers
a deep dive into the disruption effected by up-and-coming
brands.
Food Entrepreneur will offer an inside look at the fundamentals of launching and scaling a food business, featuring
exclusive interviews and highlighting the strategic issues
affecting the industry while profiling its most successful and
intriguing founders.
For many decades, the largest food and beverage brands
appeared untouchable - until recently. Consumers' changing
and more adventurous tastes, a burgeoning digital marketplace and a growing discomfort with the bland, homogenous,
cookie-cutter approach to innovation of large corporations
were factors creating a breeding ground for start-ups armed
with thoughtful ideas and, over time, increasing access to
capital. Emerging brands began capturing market share and
adding significant pressure on mainstream brands and traditional retail channels.
Venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators focused
on food and beverage have proliferated in recent years to
nurture these promising upstarts. Large companies, seeking
new paths to growth, are funding or acquiring early-stage
businesses, particularly those positioned around transparency,

January 7, 2020

sustainability, health and authenticity.
As a result, multiyear product development cycles have
been compressed to a matter of months. Teams within large
organizations are tasked with developing and incubating
new brands that respond to consumer trends. Suppliers must
scramble to keep pace.
This phenomenon is occurring across industries, from
fashion to fitness to health care. A widespread fascination
with innovation and entrepreneurship is underscored by the

'The goal of Food Entrepreneur is
to shine a light on the movers
and shakers at the ground floor
of innovation.'
popularity of National Public Radio's podcast "How I Built This"
and the television show "Shark Tank."
The goal of Food Entrepreneur is to shine a light on the
movers and shakers at the ground floor of innovation while
tracking related activity in the investment community and
consumer packaged foods sector. Content will include many
of the activities and topics relevant to start-up companies,
such as funding, co-manufacturing, influencer marketing,
regulatory matters, food safety and more. Food Entrepreneur
will cover the latest news, trends and events surrounding small
businesses.
The inaugural issue taps the wisdom of RXBAR founder
Peter Rahal, who sold his protein bar business to Kellogg
Co. for $600 million two years ago. He shares his perspective
from both sides of the spectrum, as an innovator as well as an
investor.
"I think there are a lot of entrepreneurs who are trying to
make foods that solve a problem that doesn't exist," Mr. Rahal
said. "It's hard for investors, retailers, suppliers, all stakeholders
to filter through what is real and what isn't."
Over the past 15 years, Food Business News has offered
readers comprehensive and authoritative coverage of a rapidly
changing food and beverage industry. The launch of Food Entrepreneur represents a sharper focus on the most exciting and
consequential force in the sector today, offering the unparalleled reporting and analysis of developments critical for food
industry executives to understand. ▪

Food Business News

http://www.foodbusinessnews.net

Food Entrepreneur - January 7, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Entrepreneur - January 7, 2020