Member News & Headlines Blog

Introducing our member, The Kraft Heinz’s Springboard Incubator Program -- a platform dedicated to nurturing, scaling and accelerating the growth of emergent brands within the food and beverage space – is preparing to launch it’s 3rd cohort.

To be navigated to the application click here.

The Springboard Incubator Program was created to accelerate local food and beverage start-ups with emergent, first-to-market products and brands into thriving companies. The Incubator Program offers a wealth of resources inclusive of dedicated learning, mentorship from Kraft Heinz leadership, infrastructure access (including state of the art pilot plants and culinary kitchens at the Kraft Heinz Innovation Center in Glenview, Illinois), and funding. Kraft Heinz wants to learn from start-ups who are solving consumer pain points in a world of fragmented needs.

The Springboard team is currently seeking applicants that fall within one of the following four consumer trend pillars: natural and organic; specialty and craft; health and performance; and experiential brands, are already in market or have at least a ready-to-order product and a hunger for growth. 

Before applications for this new cohort close on Friday, June 14^th, come meet White Space Platforms Head, Elizabeth Obbard, and the new Springboard Incubator Lead, Kelsey Courser at CFBN’s first Founders Series Event on Wednesday, May 15^th. 

Following that event, Springboard will also be hosting “Office Hours” on Wednesday, May 29^th.  Elizabeth, Kelsey - along with several members of the Springboard team and graduates of the 2^nd Incubator class – will be on hand to share their learnings, answer questions on the program, and assist with the application process.

So Save These Dates for opportunities to learn about this incubator making a splash in the Chicagoland food scene (more information and registration is coming soon, please send us an email if you’d like to be added to the invite list)!  In the meantime, learn more about The Springboard Incubator Program here from the first incubator class!

FoodBoss, a Chicago-based food delivery search engine, has secured more than $2 million in funding led by former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson’s venture-capital firm, Cleveland Avenue.

FoodBoss aggregates food delivery services, including Uber Eats and Postmates, to help users find the cheapest and fastest delivery options. The service is available online and in an app.

The company will use this new round of funding to focus on several major metropolitan markets and expand its marketing, according to FoodBoss founder and CEO Michael DiBenedetto. FoodBoss currently serves about 50 markets.

Read the full article here 

At the start of their loose leaf tea business in 2010, Tiesta Tea founders Dan Klein and Patrick Tannous said they knocked on an estimated 500 doors within 20 days to sell their product.

The pair, friends since preschool, aimed for their business to capture their experience drinking loose leaf tea in a Czech tea house during a European vacation while college students. Like many Americans, they were not familiar with tea outside of bottles (even bagged tea significantly lags behind ready-to-drink tea).

Read the full article here 

Pre® Brands, a leader in branded beef, is pleased to announce that Kevin Ponticelli, former Chief Operating Officer and President of Mizkan American Inc., has joined as Chief Executive Officer. He brings more than 30 years of diverse consumer packaged goods (CPG) experience across sales, marketing, and strategy. 

Most recently, Ponticelli was the Chief Operating Officer and President of Mizkan American Inc., an operating subsidiary of Japan-based Mizkan Group, a leader in condiments and sauce distribution across the United States and Canada. Prior, Ponticelli was the Group Vice President and President of Kraft for their North American Cheese and Dairy Sector.

Read the full article here 

Geneva, IL, May 16, 2019 – For the first year, FONA International, family-owned creator and manufacturer of complete flavor solutions, has been named one of Inc’s Best Workplaces of 2019. The list is national, and FONA is one of only four manufacturing companies — and the only flavor company — to make the cut!

“It is an incredible honor to be named an Inc Best Workplace. To be recognized on the national stage is a testament to every member of the FONA Family,” said President Amy McDonald. “We strive to create a workplace where people feel respected and cared for. That’s why recognition like this means so much.”

Inc. is working to acknowledge the importance of a positive corporate culture. Employees from nearly 2,000 companies of all sizes and industries took part in a survey on topics including trust, management effectiveness, perks, and confidence in the future. See the full list here.

Part one of our Founders Series revolved around the subject of finance. The series took place at the beautiful Pre Brands office in the Wicker Park area. As our guests arrived, they were given the chance to sample innovative, Tumeric-infused beverages from Zyn. KitchFix also sampled their grain-free, paleo friendly granola. Our audience was riddled with new faces, which was exciting for us to see! We were joined by CEOs, entrepreneurs and founders in every stage of business development. 

Our panelists were diligent in acknowledging the different stage start-ups in the audience. The conversation was referenced by a presentation, which evaluated the leveling stages of a Food & Beverage start-up. The ranges started from "Proof of Concept" to a "Sizeable/Maturing" company. Each panelist weighed in on topics that looked at how to acquire finances, build capital and scale your business. 

The panelists ended the discussion by opening the floor for questions from the audience. The questions asked ranged from what investors look for in an emerging business and how a start-up can set themselves apart or create a unique niche for their businesses. 

[The Connecting Vets] Employer of the Week series features one company each week that has made a commitment to hiring and supporting veterans. This week’s employer is the Kraft Heinz Company.

Kraft Heinz is the third largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth largest in the world with a portfolio of more than 200 iconic brands — eight of which are $1 billion-plus brands. With such large-scale products, it might be surprising to hear that Kraft Heinz also focuses on the individual employee — like veterans. 

To read this story from Connecting Vets click here 

As a teenager, self-described "fat kid" LaForce Baker decided to lose weight. Already at home in the kitchen, where he grew up cooking beside his grandmother, Baker figured out how to make his favorite foods less caloric. He also got serious about exercise. Living on the Far South Side, Baker didn't feel safe running at night, so he did it in the early morning. Hooked on healthy eating and running, he became a marathoner in college.

Read more here from Crain's Chicago 

Stereotypes are s h i f t i n g from lazy drug users to engaged, healthy users of a plant that improves well-being, athletic recovery and helps to relieve pain and insomnia without side effects.  The recognition of health and wellness as a leading influencer of cannabis consumption is driving of industry sales projections to $80 Billion by 2030.

As cannabis and hemp products enter the mainstream, it’s clear that consumer adoption is aligned to current behavioral and attitudes. Consumers increasingly view the kitchen cabinet as a factor in proactive health management. As consumers re-educate themselves on nutrition, they are making changes to what they eat.  We compared results with our recent research study

See the infographic from Aclara Research here 

How much do you need to offer to land the best candidate? What’s the standard pay increase job changers can expect in the food & beverage industry?

These are great questions – and ones we encounter nearly every day. Obviously, employers want to know the “magic number” they need to present, to ensure their first choice accepts the offer. Likewise, job seekers want reassurance that the offers they receive are fair – so that they know they’re making the right move.

But without accurate salary increase data, the process of determining “how much is enough” can feel about as scientific as reading tea leaves.

Read the full article and download the full food beverage salary data here