Member News & Headlines Blog

At last week's Industry Insights 2019 event, Technomic rounded up some top trends for the year regarding restaurant menus, service strategies and best practices. Explore the seven trends Technomic experts predict will have a lasting impact in these areas in 2019 - a key take-away from the night!

Beyond this, the night's keynote speaker, Joe Pawlak, and a panel of Technomic experts, examined the question, "What’s taking place worldwide?"  Are there similarities around the globe? Take a look at four global trends for restaurants predicted for 2019.  From plant-based menu items to empowered packaging, see what’s ahead for foodservice on a global scale.

The night rounded out with happy hour cocktails and bites at the downstairs bar - and some great networking with a well represented Technomic team!

Technomic has shared the evening's presentation for attendees and CFBN members - it is posted in the Member Perks area (under Meeting Resources)!

Thank you again to our host, Technomic, for their insight and support for the night!  Technomic’s services encompass cloud-based B2B research tools, and consumer and menu trend tracking, as well as other leading strategic research and analytic capabilities, to prioritize and size business opportunities. From general industry overviews to specific predictions, Technomic has the data and guidance you need to make informed decisions to support business growth. Visit technomic.com for more information or contact us today at info@technomic.com or 312.506.4060.

Thank you again to everyone who joined us for this event!  We are looking forward to seeing you at more great events this calendar!

2018. A tremendous year for the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network! The growth of our organization, the many people we connected, and the education we shared was far beyond what we could imagine...

This growth could not happen without our CFBN partners and members. Because of you we are building up amazing connections within Chicagoland’s food and beverage industry. We look forward to utilizing these 2018 experiences as momentum for 2019. 

Some key moments from 2018...

Q1 (January, February, March 2018)

Kicking off the first three months of 2018 with informative panel discussions. Our first event focused on remaining relevant in a digital grocery environment.” More than 100 people attended this event -- covered by Food Navigator.

Our industry leadership series continued with managing employment expectations for CPGs and start-ups. All event attendees discussed the ins and outs of these topics with our esteemed panel of experts. Thank you for the expert insights: Simple Mills, Kinsa Group and Enjoy Life Foods.

 

Q2 (April, May, June 2018)

One of our more unforgettable Innovation Breakfast this quarter was with member Tyson Foods  -- it sold out in less than 10 days! Tyson’s chief sustainability officer Justin Whitmore and guest speaker Derk Hendriksen from Coca Cola discussed strategy, sustainability and operationalizing big ideas. More than 150 people attended this event -- covered by Food Navigator.

  

 

Q3 (July, August, September, 2018)

In August, our unique rooftop event at the beautiful Roof Crop garden in West Loop Chicago shared a trues farm-to-table experience with fresh ingredients harvested straight from local farms. Speaker, Kathy Nyquist of New Venture Advisors briefed the large group on the importance of farm-to-table ingredients and local agriculture’s long-term effects on our ecosystem and economy.

Q4 (October, November, December, 2018)

Wrapping up the year with a bang, we presented our very first Innovation “Bar-fest” at the gorgeous Mitz. Speakers included local masterminds behind our region’s growing spirits industry -- of course, it was also refreshing to taste their innovative, craft cocktails. In December, we greeted the end of the year with a delicious networking event at Latinicity (welcoming over 140 members and guests). What a way to end the year!

CFBN is growing and flourishing -- and in such a short amount of time. Entering 2019, we’re excited to continue growing and evolving this organization. We look forward to hosting more exciting events, bringing more value to our members, and growing and connecting the network. Join us at any of our upcoming events: https://chicagolandfood.org/events

 

 

Mars Wrigley, the closely held company best known for treats like M&M’s and Snickers bars, looks to double the size of the business over the next 10 years as it expands deeper into pet care and non-confectionery nutrition.

Read full article here

Chief Executive Officer Grant Reid announced the goal in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, offering a rare peek into the ambitions of a family-owned company that isn’t required to disclose its financial data. Such an increase could push sales at the 107-year-old company beyond $70 billion, up from about $35 billion now, and it plans to do so without going public. That would make its sales about as big as Target Corp. or Procter & Gamble Co. are today.

Our member Amped Kitchens is looking for 20 companies who are interested in receiving assistance with shared kitchen space. These companies will be of the first 50 companies on their priority wait list. The interest form is here: https://www.ampedkitchens.com/more-info/

Amped Kitchens has signed letters from groups as diverse as Gaslight Coffee Roasters, Pleasant House Pies and Rumi Spice. Click here to fill out an interest form today. 

Alan Reed shares insight on small business strategies in the Food & Beverage Industry with Business First for their "Start Me Up" segment. Click here to be navigated to the YouTube clip. 

Mondelez International, maker of Oreo, Ritz, Triscuits and other brands, plans to move its global headquarters from Deerfield to Chicago’s booming Fulton Market neighborhood.

Read the full article here

The snack maker will move 400 employees into a five-story office building under construction at 905 W. Fulton Market, in the heart of what was once the city’s meatpacking district. The company, which said it signed a 15-year lease, will relocate employees in April 2020, joining the parade of corporate food giants abandoning the suburbs for the city.

The partial government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history. For 26 days, about 800,000 workers have experienced the impact of the shutdown firsthand. Many of the people live in the Washington D.C. area, so Kraft, part of food conglomerate Kraft Heinz, picked the nation's capital to launch this pop-up.

The company could be making a statement by giving away its products to government employees during this stalemate between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats. Politics and food is a controversial partnership. Studies have shown that consumers don't always like their food to be served with a side of political speech. But regardless, companies have become more political recently, like when Ben & Jerry's released a new flavor to fight Trump's agenda.

Read more here

For our first event of the 2019 calendar, Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network partnered with Fifty Gazelles for the first Innovation Breakfast event of the year.  Innovation Breakfasts are now headed into their 3rd year of offerings, under the guidance and content cultivation of Fifty Gazelles' Jeremy Anderson.  One of CFBN’s most popular series, Innovation Breakfasts examine “innovation” across all platforms and categories and offer attendees an insider’s look into the mindset, actions, and pursuits of companies who are innovating in product development, company culture, and more.

January’s event, held at the Fifty Gazelles/Blue Dog space in the West Loop, focused on three Chicagoland leaders who have been recognized for their “innovative” approach to company culture and team development.  Katlin Smith of Simple Mills, Barb Pegesk of FONA International, and Michelle Hayward of Bluedog provided insight into why their companies have been recognized as some of the best in Chicagoland to work for, especially for women.  

Katlin noted that her team strives to be both “internally collaborative and externally competitive”.  She has worked to develop a team of people who can “move faster”, and have the “safety to be bold, to make mistakes, and to have the hard and honest conversations” with one another.  At the end of the day, the culture and team she has built at Simple Mills understands that her goal is “growth, not perfection” which enables them to lead as they expand into new categories and channels.

At FONA, Barb noted, they are transitioning from a Founder-led company, and her team is working to capture all of the qualities that drove their growth and shaped their culture under that leadership.  She believes that FONA has built a team of “people willing to lift the heavy end of the box” - partly by reminding leadership to “stop hogging decisions” so that everyone can be a part of the decision making processes that shape FONA and encourage ownership and engagement.  FONA must be a a “non-elitist meritocracy” where the leadership and the full team understand that “innovation is not exclusive to any one part of the business.”

Michelle’s approach at Bluedog, is to emphasize that they are a team who values “boldness, curiosity and learning, and freedom.”  Here culture building begins from the moment she interviews, by finding professionals and individuals who are looking for “growth, high accountability, high ambition” and understand and respect the “opportunity” to explore how they want to operate.  This balance between autonomy and accountability, is at the core of her team’s approach to projects and drives innovation in all of their endeavors.

Thank you again to everyone who joined us for January’s Innovation Breakfast - we are looking forward to this year’s roster of events.  So check our Events page for updated listings and announcements.

PepsiCo's outgoing CEO Indra Nooyi is making one last major acquisition before her retirement, effectively doubling-down on her strategy of moving the company away from sugary drinks — a major focus of her time overseeing the snack and beverage giant. In her 12 years as CEO, Nooyi touted the need to reposition the company into better-for-you products that reflect changing consumer trends away from sugary drinks and into healthier teas, waters and juices.

In recent years, PepsiCo has introduced drinks like LifeWTR bottled water; acquired probiotics beverage manufacturer KeVita, a maker of kombucha and vinegar tonics; introduced new versions of its iconic Gatorade brand including an organic variety; and most recently launched sparkling water brand bubly to challenge LaCroix. CNBC's Jim Cramer said PepsiCo was the only bidder for SodaStream.

Read the full article here

Beyond Meat, which reportedly hired investment bankers last month to help with an IPO, made it official in its filing with the SEC. The company is nearing a stock sale as consumer demand for plant-based versions of meat and dairy grows. Investors tend to like a company with a long runway for growth, making now a perfect time for Beyond Meat to explore the public markets, when demand for its stock would likely be high.

Beyond Meat noted in its SEC filing that it expects growth to continue as more outlets in the U.S. and abroad carry the product at stores or offer it on restaurant menus. The cash the company raises from an IPO could offer early investors like Tyson Foods, Bill Gates or former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson the chance to exit their investment and most likely profit, though none have publicly stated their intention. The funds also could give Beyond Meat more money to fuel its expansion plans. As of Sept. 29, Beyond Meat had $50 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Read the full article from FoodDive here.