Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Permission granted by Hershey
Gum manufacturers turn to innovation to keep sales from popping
With demand falling from its 2011 peak, Hershey, Mars Wrigley and other companies are turning to unique flavors, ingredients and formats to boost consumption.
Christopher Doering • Sept. 4, 2024 -
Courtesy of High Noon Spirits Company
Hard seltzer started a new category, but will canned cocktails sustain momentum long term?
The push for premium RTD beverages is relying on real spirits and unique flavors to keep the ball rolling.
Chris Casey • Aug. 19, 2024 -
Christopher Doering/Food Dive
You can’t ‘replicate a Celsius’: How the energy drink maker evolved from an unknown to category giant
Revenue has doubled each of the last two years as its beverage’s functional attributes, better-for-you halo and novel flavors resonate with mainstream consumers.
Christopher Doering • Aug. 13, 2024 -
Retrieved from Instagram on July 10, 2024
How influencers are changing the way food and beverage companies harness social media
The days of relying on expos and conventions are long gone. Companies are now embracing Instagram and TikTok and working with influencers to stay relevant.
Elizabeth Flood • July 11, 2024 -
Courtesy of Hershey
Confection giants find gummy sales anything but soft
The squishy treats provide Hershey, Ferrara and Mars Wrigley with opportunities to boost sales of well-known brands while offering them a nearly unlimited canvas for innovation.
Christopher Doering • July 9, 2024 -
Courtesy of Torani
How Torani identifies the next ‘it’ flavors as homemade beverages diversify
The flavoring and syrup maker is expanding its innovation pipeline to capitalize on Gen Z trends and eccentric concoctions from coffee to energy drinks.
Chris Casey • June 24, 2024 -
Christopher Doering/Food Dive
Surging air fryer popularity leads Nestlé, other CPG giants to rethink food
Once a novelty, the gadget’s presence in nearly two-thirds of U.S. homes has forced manufacturers to play catch-up and flood the market with compatible products.
Christopher Doering • May 7, 2024 -
Scott Olson via Getty Images
Is plant-based meat more sustainable? Experts question the data
Researchers have struggled to replicate life-cycle assessments commissioned from companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, and are calling for more transparency.
Nithin Coca • April 24, 2024 -
Retrieved from Food and Drug Administration on February 23, 2024
How the FDA traced the WanaBana lead outbreak to a single food processor
The investigation into the applesauce pouch maker highlights efforts to tighten lead regulation in food production.
Joelle Anselmo • Feb. 26, 2024 -
Permission granted by Keurig Dr Pepper
Inside Keurig’s evolution from single-serve novelty to coffee powerhouse
The platform is aiming to more than double its nearly 40 million household user base by adding features and increasing the system’s versatility.
Christopher Doering • Feb. 12, 2024 -
Courtesy of Beyond Meat
Plant-based meat needs to beef up its messaging in 2024
Between slumping sales and shifting consumer mindsets, 2023 proved difficult for the sector. Here’s what analysts and experts say the category can do to recalibrate.
Elizabeth Flood • Jan. 30, 2024 -
Getty via Getty Images
Booze or bust: How 2024 will reshape alcohol
As tastes evolve and people imbibe less, producers are revamping their portfolios with strategic investments in new categories and nonalcoholic offerings.
Chris Casey • Jan. 25, 2024 -
Courtesy of Vita Coco
Two decades after its founding, Vita Coco is still fighting to silence skeptics
After weathering a demand downturn in coconut water and competition from Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, co-founder Mike Kirban said the brand can still avoid the same fate that doomed other once-trendy drinks.
Christopher Doering • Jan. 22, 2024 -
Courtesy of Nestle
The key for growth in 2024 is innovation. Will more CPG companies embrace it?
Analysts said new products are more important than ever as consumers curtail their spending, seek items loaded with attributes important to them and navigate through a plethora of choices.
Christopher Doering • Jan. 16, 2024 -
Retrieved from Post Holdings.
Inside Post Holdings’ transformation from cereal slinger to a diversified CPG giant
The company's unconventional approach has created a nearly $6 billion operation that has a competitive presence in peanut butter, eggs and pet food.
Christopher Doering and Jasmine Ye Han • Oct. 23, 2023 -
Michael B. Thomas for Industry Dive
The quiet dealmaker: How Post Holdings’ CEO went from selling men’s clothing to closing billion-dollar deals
Rob Vitale’s penchant for M&A and reputation as a strategic thinker has proven to be a shrewd fit for a 128-year-old business once looking to define its future. Nearly a decade in, he’s not done yet.
Christopher Doering and Shaun Lucas • Oct. 23, 2023 -
Permission granted by Cameron Hodgins
Why General Mills is embarking on a farmer-driven regenerative agriculture strategy
The CPG giant said its projects are less about setting stringent rules and more about listening to the producers who are familiar with their land.
Chris Casey • April 21, 2023 -
Photo illustration: Bazooka Candy Brands; Industry Dive
How Bazooka Gum uses nostalgia to drive sweet success
More than 75 years after the iconic pink bubble gum first launched, it’s still popular for the flavor, texture and comics that made it famous — and that isn't likely to change.
Megan Poinski • April 19, 2023 -
Permission granted by Hain Celestial
The ambitious plan by Hain Celestial’s new CEO to restore growth and evolve the better-for-you food giant
In her first interview since taking over in January, Wendy Davidson said her strategy at the Greek Gods yogurt and Terra chips maker prioritizes increasing innovation, boosting brand awareness and expanding distribution.
Christopher Doering • April 11, 2023 -
David Silverman via Getty Images
Why cage-free eggs could be on shaky ground
Industry leaders are still on a path to wider adoption of cage-free systems, but consumer expectations, bird flu and an upcoming Supreme Court decision could impact whether they continue to invest in the practice.
Chris Casey • Feb. 28, 2023 -
Courtesy of Eat Just
Will 2023 be the year food plays a role in sustainability policy?
Policymakers are starting to connect the dots between the sector — which represents roughly a third of all emissions — and climate change. But traditional ideas about food are hard to change.
Megan Poinski • Jan. 31, 2023 -
Courtesy of PepsiCo
Food companies say they can reduce their emissions this year. Experts are skeptical.
Academics and environmental groups say CPGs’ reliance on regenerative agriculture and carbon credits may not be enough to realistically hit their time-based goals.
Chris Casey • Jan. 30, 2023 -
Permission granted by Vita Coco
Here’s how CPGs are bracing for more volatility in 2023
After a year of inflation, war and supply chain disruptions, companies are taking steps to prepare their operations to weather a period of prolonged uncertainty.
Christopher Doering • Jan. 17, 2023 -
Permission granted by Mondelez International
Mondelēz launches new strategies to refresh iconic Toblerone and Milka brands
The snacking giant made changes to the packaging of both century-old chocolate offerings, and in the case of Milka, altered its shape and flavor, to keep the products relevant.
Christopher Doering • Jan. 11, 2023 -
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
7 trends shaping food and beverage in 2023
The year begins with a new focus on giving consumers what they want, from RTD cocktails to tech-enabled products to sustainability to better labeling.
Christopher Doering, Chris Casey and Megan Poinski • Jan. 10, 2023
