Two former executives of Lily’s Sweets, which was recently acquired by Hershey for an estimated $450 million, have officially joined Monogram Capital as operating partners. Lonna Borden and Seth Monette — previously Chief Operating Officer and Chief Customer Officer, respectively, at the low-sugar chocolate company, promise to leverage their experience to provide guidance and value-add
Food & Drink
Let me begin with a quick recap. A few weeks ago, the organizers of ProWein in Düsseldorf, Germany, one of the wine industry’s largest and most-attended trade fairs, announced that they’ve rescheduled their fair dates for this year from late March (their traditional, typical “slot” in the calendar) to mid-May instead. The dates they chose
For the 12th year in a row, strong consumer demand for premium spirits drove significant market share gains for the US spirits industry. In its annual review and report on the state of the US spirit industry, the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS) highlighted the factors primarily responsible for the continued rise in
Last week, Upside Foods, which is developing cell-cultured meat, announced its acquisition of Cultured Decadence, a start-up that aims to make seafood from cells, starting with lobster. Yes lobster. Why? Of course, lobsters are over-fished, as is most seafood. But that reality alone does not create consumer demand. All that matters at the end
The Texas energy grid failed around this time last year. Now power outages are again hitting hundreds of thousands across the country as communities reel from another winter storm. And I’m curled up next to my space heater in New York City wondering whether the constant bouncing from crisis to crisis will finally give the food
A woman could feel her palms sweat as she entered the traditional fine wine store filled with dark, beautifully carved wood shelves that contained expensive wine bottles from all over the world. She had been reading about one particular bottle from Burgundy, France that she wanted to purchase but she was new to wine and
Having a big wedding can be cheesy, so one Brooklyn pizzeria is taking the micro-wedding trend into its own hands. This Valentine’s Day, Monday, February 14, L’industrie Pizzeria in Williamsburg is partnering with Honeybreak Officiants to sling out fourteen special pizza-centric weddings. The inclusive 10-minute ceremony with I Do vows and a license signing, can
The number of new foreign-born workers in the United States declined because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but U.S. workers were not better off, according to new research. That refutes a long-held anti-immigration argument and addresses a concern raised by some labor unions. Worker shortages, partly a result of restrictive immigration policies and made worse by
At this point, it’s safe to say most brands have a “signature” chicken sandwich to compete in the intensely competitive category ignited by Chick-fil-A and bolstered by Popeyes. Those sandwiches have generated sustained success throughout the past couple of years, illustrating a consumer set that’s not even close to getting tired of such options. Fortunately
Salty snacks company Benestar Brands, which operates across the U.S. and Mexico, has acquired premium pork rinds producer 4505 Meats. Insiders estimate the deal size is between $50 million to $100 million. 4505 Meats was founded in 2009 by San Francisco-based butcher and chef Ryan Farr as a way to utilize discarded chicharrones, and its
Wall Street has finally gotten the memo that healthier products equal healthier financials This month Unilever suffered a setback in its effort to transform itself into a more health-oriented company: its deal to buy GlaxoSmithKline’s Plc’s consumer health arm fell through after Unilever couldn’t meet the asking price. The pullout cost Unilever’s giant consumer product
Hey all you skeptics out there. British supermarket chain, Waitrose recently released its 2022 Food and Drink report in which it predicts that potato milk will be the biggest dairy alternative milk trend of 2022. Yes. Potatoes. “We’ve seen the popularity of soy, almond, oat, and pea milk in recent years,” said Waitrose. “Now it’s
Let me start with a few statements to set the stage of the wine business’ most recent dust-up. Trade fairs for the global wine and spirits industry are big business, both in their own right for the organizers and as locations for the facilitation of business for vendors and participants. Each trade fair has their
Nestled below the Aspen times building lies a reimagined Bad Harriets offering a bespoke cocktail experience, featuring innovative handcrafted libations and small bites, under the care of its master alchemists. The return of Bad Harriets at Hotel Jerome’s newest has been highly anticipated as it brings a lively, dynamic atmosphere to Aspen’s legendary social scene.
Achieving health and wellness of my mind, body, and spirit are a focus for me at the moment—and strengthening my immunity is part of that goal. With the gut playing such a prominent role in our immune health, I thought it would be the perfect time to embark on dietary reboot. So, I turned to
This weekend we’re playing with the idea of tasting the component grapes of wines from the Côtes du Rhône, with the twist of tasting them one by one rather than blended together as usual. This experiment isn’t scientific or perfectly constructed, in that it’s unusual to find a wine made from, say, one hundred percent
This is not how you’re supposed to enjoy Rhône style wines. One grape variety at a time, that is, which is what I’m suggesting today as a way to “play” with wine and maybe boost your experience and exposure to less-familiar grapes at the same time. The game here is to parse out some of
Get ready for a wheat market rebound. If U.S. president Joe Biden is correct about a pending war between Russia and Ukraine then expect prices for the grain to jump back to at least the price seen last November of $8.57 a bushel. That’s around 9% higher than recent levels of $7.89. Wheat is used
Many businesses have suffered very much under covid. Not so, at least not so much, the US wine industry, according to the recently published State of the US Wine Industry 2022 report (which is, to a large extent, a look back on 2021). This is the twenty-first year that this fascinating report is published by
How do you get through a week that feels like a never-ending slog? I’ve been making to-do lists for my to-do lists over here, but I want to hear your tips. I had some fun with the weird feature below. A duck breeder that spun off a Covid-19 vaccine developer? Yup, that’s right. Reporting on