Indian yogurt brand Epigamia has raised debt funding of INR 350 million (approx. $4.3 million) from Grand Anicut Fund. Owned by Drums Food International, Epigamia offers a wide range of all-natural Greek yogurt, smoothies, ghee-based spreads and curd. Rohan Mirchandani, CEO and co-founder of Epigamia, said: "We plan to use the funds to expand our production capacity and invest in machinery to meet the growing demand". In 2019, Drums Food International secured INR 1.82 billion (approx. $25.6 million at the time) in funding, which included an investment from Danone Manifesto Ventures Mousse Partners.

Hackney Gelato has announced the launch of a limited-edition gingerbread-flavoured gelato in the UK. The new flavour contains a hint of cinnamon and clove blended with cold pressed organic ginger juice and topped with caramelised biscuit crumble. Hackney Gelato's co-founder, Enrico Pavoncelli, said: “We wanted to capture the depth and warmth of this combination of ginger and spices but bring out the complexity in a creative, gentle way. We love the result – a creamy, warming gelato that is above all totally different and delizioso.” Hackney Gelato's gingerbread flavour will be available at the online grocery retailer Ocado, until the end of the year, for an RRP of £5.49 per 460ml tub.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has reintroduced familiar flavours to its portfolio, available in pint tubs and ice cream bars. The brand has created a Vegan Banana Bread Pudding ice cream, available in pint format, with fudge swirls and brown sugar bread bites. Black and White Layer Cake and Strawberry Shortcake are both available in bar formats, the flavoured ice cream is wrapped in vanilla ice cream and dunked in cookies. Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, said: “Knowing how much ice cream lovers crave a bit of childhood nostalgia, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to innovate two ice cream bars that so many people loved growing up. The bars were created in typical Van Leeuwen fashion, by featuring our signature premium quality single-fold vanilla and sustainably sourced cocoa. “We also wanted to put a unique twist on another nostalgic treat, Banana Bread Pudding, but create this as a vegan flavour. We love providing top-quality ice cream for all, so we are thrilled to be offering vegans another delicious flavour to add to their freezers,” he added.

Belazu Ingredient Company and Miso Tasty have announced the launch of Miso Harissa Cooking Paste, a combination of each brand’s most popular product. The limited-edition cooking paste is a fusion of North African and Japanese cuisines, combining peppery warm spices with deep umami notes. The paste is balanced with balsamic glaze and honey notes to increase its versatility. Founder of Miso Tasty, Bonnie Chung, said: “This is a truly unique and delicious combination. I love pairing spicy notes with my miso as it naturally balances the deep tones of umami – this combination is magical and I love using it as a quick marinade too.” “Being given the opportunity to bring together two different worlds of flavour to innovate this new cooking paste is what we are passionate about and the results speak for themselves – a punch of flavour like no other”, added Henry Russell, innovation chef at Belazu.

Stellar Pizza, a mobile pizza restaurant powered by robots, has secured $16.5 million in a Series A funding round, led by rapper Jay-Z's venture capital firm, Marcy Venture Partners. Previous fundraising rounds, led by Root Ventures with participation from Crosslink Capital and Collaborative Fund, raised a total of $9 million. The start-up, which is led by former SpaceX engineers, Benson Tsai, Brian Langone and James Wahawisan, says the funds will be used to make strategic internal investments ahead of its launch at the University of Southern California this autumn. Stellar Pizza is an automated, robotic pizza truck that aims to serve high-quality pizzas at affordable prices. Consumers can use an app to order their pizza, immediately after which, a ball of dough is dispensed from an integrated refrigerator and pressed into a circular shape. Homemade sauce and fresh toppings are added and the pizza is sent to a 900°F oven. Once it has finished cooking, a conveyor retrieves it from the oven where it is sliced and packaged. The company says its mobile restaurant has the capacity to make 420 pizzas, with a single pizza taking less than five minutes to prepare. Stellar Pizza is currently building a fleet of mobile restaurants with hopes of becoming a nationwide brand in the incoming years.

AB InBev has announced that its beers across Western Europe will be brewed using 100% renewable energy, following the opening of a 148p solar park near Granada, Spain. The Verbund Pinos Puente Solar Park sits on 161 hectares of land in southern Spain, generating solar power for climate-friendly brewed beer. The solar park was developed in partnership with BayWa r.e and Verbund. The three companies have partnered on a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement for the energy transition. The park will generate approximately 260-gigawatt hours of emission-free electricity per year with a planned total capacity of 147.6 megawatts-peak. AB InBev will produce brands such as Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois at the park, all of which will be supplied with 250-gigawatt hours of renewable electricity annually – the drinks giant says "this is enough electricity to brew over 10 billion beers per year or enable an electric car to drive around the whole of Europe 1.2 million times". The deal covers 14 of AB InBev's breweries in Western Europe ad more than 50 brands across 12 countries. It will also support the company to reach its 2025 climate action goal and achieve net zero in its full value chain by 2040. Erik Novaes, VP of procurement and sustainability Europe at AB InBev, said: “With a global energy crisis and the growing impact of climate change keenly felt across much of Europe this summer, we are focused to be building climate resilience and driving forward our push towards decarbonisation”. Matthias Taft, CEO, BayWa r.e, added: “We are simultaneously experiencing a global climate and energy crises. Addressed together, we have an opportunity to propel forward the renewable transition, increase energy security and transform energy markets. To do this, we must realise many more renewable projects and sign many more PPAs. Great projects and collaborations like this show the way forward.”

HKScan Corporation has announced that its CEO, Tero Hemmilä, will step down from his position, effective immediately. Hemmilä has been replaced by Juha Ruohola as interim CEO. Ruohola is a member of the company's executive team and has previously worked as EVP for the business unit of HKScan's Baltic and Polish business. Hemmilä joined as CEO in February 2019. He previously worked at HKScan between 1997-2010, holding several leadership roles such as SVP of its meat business and SVP of strategy and development. The resignation came as Reijo Kiskola, chairman of the board of HKScan, announced that “urgent measures” were needed “to improve the profitability of the core business and to strengthen the balance sheet in a rapidly changing operating environment”. Kiskola added: “The interim CEO, Juha Ruohola, has versatile and international expertise in the industry, which provides excellent support for HKScan's measures to significantly improve the company's profitability. In the longer term, the strategic change from a meat company into a versatile food company opens up new opportunities for growth.” The Swedish meat producer says that it has already begun the recruitment process for a new CEO.

Path, a US-based sustainable bottled water brand, has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round led by Altos Ventures. The funds will support the company in its expansion across the US and globally. Americans purchase around 50 billion plastic water bottles per year, according to a report carried out by Grand View Research. Path claims that by using its refillable bottle, consumers can save an average of 156 plastic bottles annually. The company says it is on a mission to prevent 10 billion plastic bottles from ending up in landfills and oceans by 2025. The funding will allow the company to grow the business by: Scaling production – Path recently expanded its production on the East Coast with new production lines running in a manufacturing facility in North Carolina. Expanding Path's reach – The funding will help the company reach more consumers to teach them about its mission to bring the plastic crisis to the forefront and change consumer buying behaviour. National expansion – Already available in 350+ distribution points and 50,000 retail doors around the US, the expansion hopes to lead to increased shelf presence and access to independent non-chain retailers across the country. "We are excited to partner with Altos Ventures. This partnership brings the beverage industry and Silicon Valley together to usher in a new era of bottled water. This funding will accelerate our mission to bring the plastic crisis to the forefront and create a scalable platform for sustainability," commented Path co-founder and CEO Shadi Bakour. Ho Nam, managing director and co-founder of Altos Ventures, added: "At Altos, we strive to lead by example by integrating sustainability in our investment and business practices. We hope that our partnership with Path will encourage other organizations to follow in our footsteps." As part of the Series A funding, Path has recently announced distribution deals with retailers, including CVS, Costco, 7/11, and Walmart.

Jelly Belly, in partnership with Warner Bros has announced the addition of two new flavours to its collection of Harry Potter-inspired confectionery. New additions include Butterbeer-inspired chewy sweets and milk chocolate bars, available in creative packaging ranging from festive barrel tins to glass mugs. The additional Butterbeer flavours feature the following; Butterbeer Chewy Candy, served in the shape of a traditional glass mug and Butterbeer Milk Chocolate Bar ⁠– decadent milk chocolate with a Butterbeer-flavoured filling. Rob Swaigen, vice-president of global marketing at Jelly Belly Candy Company said: "We're thrilled to celebrate the magic of the festive season with five new additions to our Harry Potter collection. At Jelly Belly, we pride ourselves on true-to-life flavour in every sweet we create, so we're excited to offer Harry Potter fans the taste of Butterbeer in a candy form for the first time ever."

Fever-Tree has brought back its limited-edition Damson & Sloe Berry tonic water after a successful launch last autumn. Damson & Sloe tonic water is made from damsons and wild sloes together with a blend of warming spices, including cardamom, star anise, nutmeg and cinnamon. Ross Haddow, Fever-Tree’s head of innovation, said: “Damson & Sloe was crafted together with local suppliers from here in the UK, and it’s their expertise and passion for nature’s best ingredients which makes this liquid so special. For me, it's everything you want in an autumn/winter drink. Rich, warming and spicy, it makes for the ideal welcoming drink when friends and family arrive for festivities." Damson & Sloe tonic water is replacing Fever-Tree's summer limited edition, Passionfruit and Lime, which is said to be back on shelves next March. The limited-edition flavour is available at major retailers for an RRP of £1.90 per 500ml bottle.

Packaging solutions company Lamipak is investing over $400 million to expand its facility in Kunshan, China. The new plant will help the company meet growing demand for aseptic packaging. It will house a new 6,200 metres-squared research and development centre, designed to create the next generation of sustainable products to reduce Lamipak's carbon footprint by 50% and make its food packaging 100% recyclable. Additionally, the company says that the facility will also provide an automated warehouse "that will use the latest technology to streamline and expedite the on-site production process". The warehouse will have a solar array installed on its roof to reduce the company's reliance on non-renewable resources. Anil Kaul, vice chairman of Lamipak, said: “As the world shifts towards a future where demand is increasing for more innovation in packaging, Lamipak is committed to investing into developing the next generation of sustainability products through its research and development centre that not only reduces its impact on the environment but also can create circular economies for future generations to come. The expansion will set a new chapter for the company as we begin to diversify our products to increase our range of sustainable packaging solutions for the consumer.” Song Jun, general manager of Lamipak, added: “Lamipak’s expansion plans mark another significant milestone in our company’s growth, as it brings our vision of becoming the world leader in the packaging food industry one step closer. Our phase two expansion will boost our existing site capacity from 12 billion packs per annum to 39 billion, but also will bring a new era of automated features to streamline and increase the energy efficiency of our production processes.” The site is expected to be ready for commissioning by April 2023.

Mediterranean food brand, unearthed, has entered the premium chilled savoury pastry category with a range of four new products and flavours. The food brand hopes to build on its deli and antipasti offering through combining the British pastry with Mediterranean ingredients. Designed around Spanish flavour, the Manchego and Serrano Rolls are packed full of outdoor-bred pork, Serrano ham, Manchego cheese and finished with a cheese and parsley crumb. The second roll in the range, Spicy ‘Nduja, brings a touch of heat with its blend of Calabrian flavours, containing outdoor-bred pork, spicy ‘Nduja sausage and Fireroasted™ peppers, hand finished with a fennel seed sprinkle. Joining the rolls are two authentic mini empanadas recipes, thinly rolled all butter pastry parcels that are packed full of flavour and draw on South American and Spanish influences. The Chicken and Chorizo Mini Empanadas are filled with slow cooked chicken and chorizo in a sundried tomato and smoked paprika sauce and topped with a nigella seed and paprika sprinkle. The Smoky Beef Mini Empanadas are stuffed with beef and sweetcorn in a sundried tomato and harissa sauce and completed with a paprika and fennel seed sprinkle.