A family-owned Yorkshire potato supplier is investing £1.65m in automation and future growth as its long-standing partnership with Aldi UK continues to expand. Cockerill, which is based just outside York, has supplied the discount supermarket since Aldi first entered the UK market. The business now provides potatoes across bagged and loose lines, including more than 16 million loose baking potatoes each year. The supplier said the volume of potatoes it provides to Aldi has more than doubled since 2023, giving the family-owned business greater confidence to invest in technology, people and its farming operations. The £1.65m investment is focused on new technology and automation designed to improve productivity as the business scales its operations. Alongside investment in its packing capabilities, Cockerill is continuing to develop regenerative farming practices, including the use of cover crops. The company is also pursuing initiatives aimed at reducing waste both in the field and throughout its packing operations. Cockerill supplies traditional varieties such as Maris Piper, alongside a wider range of fresh potatoes sold in 1kg and 2.5kg packs and loose baking potatoes. Joanne Forster, account manager at Cockerill, said: "As a family business, we're incredibly proud to supply quality British potatoes to millions of Aldi customers and we're excited to bring our produce to even more shoppers across the country as the partnership continues to grow.” The investment highlights the role that long-term supermarket supply partnerships can play in giving food producers and agricultural businesses the confidence to invest in capacity and operational improvements. For Cockerill, the growth in Aldi volumes is supporting a combination of automation and on-farm investment, while also creating opportunities to increase the availability of British-grown potatoes across the retailer's estate. Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: “It’s fantastic to work with family businesses like Cockerill, who have been growing quality British produce for generations. It's rewarding to see the business continue to invest in the local community as our partnership goes from strength to strength.” As retailers continue to focus on strengthening domestic supply chains, Cockerill's investment demonstrates how sustained volume growth can support further investment in technology, productivity and farming practices within the UK's fresh produce sector.

Yann Bottoli Most people rarely think about the processes, facilities and engineers that make the production of their favourite foods possible. Particularly underappreciated is the role of electric motors: the machines that help to pump, mix, chill, and shuttle the food and drink we consume daily. Yann Bottoli, global sales manager, ABB, explores these invisible workhorses humming away in the background of practically every industry, and how they shape successful F&B production. While the role of electric motors generally is understood, what is even less acknowledged is the environmental toll these motors can carry. Food and beverage production ranks among the most energy- and resource-intensive industries, with food production alone responsible for an estimated 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Our World in Data. Many F&B processes run on legacy direct-on-line (DOL) induction motors. These fixed-speed motors operate at full capacity and are adjusted by mechanical throttling or dampers. It’s a bit like driving a car with the accelerator floored and using the brake to control speed. In the F&B sector, this issue hits even harder, with energy now ranking among the highest costs across the food supply chain. Processes such as beverage and dairy pumping, dough mixing and agitation and refrigeration or packaging compression are inherently highly dynamic, with loads that fluctuate continuously. For a large plant, electricity demand can top hundreds of megawatt hours a month. Cutting consumption is therefore simultaneously an operational necessity and a sustainability lever. Major food producers are pursuing ambitious Scope 1 and 2 decarbonisation targets, and minimum motor efficiency regulations based on IEC standards continue to raise the bar on minimum motor efficiency. For manufacturers, sticking with legacy DOL motors risks higher compliance costs today, and inevitable upgrades tomorrow. Control and quality work in unison Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) deliver substantial energy savings by matching motor speed precisely to process demands, typically reducing power consumption by 25% or more in pumping, mixing and conveying applications. They allow smooth ramp-up and ramp-down sequences, sparing equipment from the jolt of sudden starts and stops. This reduced mechanical stress results in less wear on gearboxes and bearings, fewer breakdowns, and longer equipment life. More critically for food production, precise motor speed control underpins consistent product quality. In dairies, gentle pump operation prevents foaming and protein denaturation. In bakeries, torque‑accurate mixing delivers consistent dough texture and batch uniformity. And on bottling lines, variable speed conveyors handle products more carefully during start‑ups and changeovers. Packaging lines highlight the flaw of fixed speed: demand constantly shifts with container sizes, filling rates and pack formats. Yet traditional fixed-speed motors still operate at full power, wasting energy during standby or part‑load operation. That wasted energy is released as heat, while the motor racks up wear as if it were running under peak load, a sure recipe for premature fatigue. So why aren’t VSDs everywhere by now? Despite being proven for decades, adoption lingers around 26% worldwide, even though roughly half of all industrial motors would benefit from speed control. The barrier isn't performance, but practicality. Traditional drives need external cabinets, extra wiring, installation downtime and expert commissioning. In hygiene-critical facilities with tight layouts and minimal tolerance for downtime, these complexities can be a dealbreaker. This is where variable speed motors (VSMs) offer a smart alternative. Presenting the VSM Inefficiency may be baked into much of the F&B sector, but the VSM offers an effective solution. Instead of treating motor and drive as separate components, VSMs unite them in a streamlined, single plug-and-play solution. With plug-and-play functionality, the motor and drive are commissioned and optimised to work together before leaving the factory, making installation fast and easy with no need for cabinets or electrical rooms. These systems pair a permanent magnet motor with an axially integrated drive, enabling them to achieve the IEC’s IE5 ‘Ultra-Premium’ efficiency rating. An IE5 motor has 40% lower energy losses than commonly used IE3-level products. Paired with speed control, the motor only draws the power the process actually demands. For example, a typical 15 kW centrifugal pumping application in beverage or dairy facilities can save over €121,000 on electricity costs over a 15-year lifetime, with a lifetime avoidance of 174,000 kg in CO₂ emissions. Scale that across fleets of equipment and you're quickly uncorking savings worth millions of euros, with an equally substantial emissions reduction. Variable speed also dovetails neatly with automation. Motors can dynamically adapt to viscosity changes or process stages, ensuring consistency without over-processing. Production agility gets easier, from recipe tweaks to line speed adjustments. VSMs are designed to complement this agility with compactness: up to three frame sizes smaller than equivalent induction motors, they cover power ranges from 1.1 to 30 kW, with rated speeds up to 4,500 rpm, making them suitable for pumps, agitators, compressors and conveyors. Their permanent magnet design delivers high power density and high efficiency over the entire speed range, with low-speed, high-torque operation ideal for viscous or stop-start processes. A lever for change F&B producers face several hurdles, including severe energy intensity, regulatory scrutiny, uncompromising hygiene standards, and relentless productivity demands. Given that motors are the single biggest users of electricity on the floor, they’re also the single biggest lever for change. The variable speed motor shows what’s possible when efficiency and practicality converge: measurable drops in energy use and emissions, extended equipment lifetimes, and operational resilience. A fleet-wide rollout can deliver the scale that Scope 1 and 2 decarbonisation targets demand, while keeping operations cost-competitive. Ultimately, investing in streamlined motor drive technology isn’t just a hardware upgrade, but a step change in the quest for sustainable food production.

Pringles is expanding its snack portfolio this September with two new product launches aimed at giving consumers more variety in both format and flavour. The headline innovation is Pringles Dippers, the brand's first thicker, sturdier and wavier crisp, developed specifically to hold dips without breaking. Alongside the new format, Pringles is also adding Sweet & Salty to its growing Mingles range of puffed snacks. Pringles Dippers feature a thicker construction and a scooped, curvy shape designed to pick up and hold more dip. The new product is intended to address a common challenge in the sharing-snack category, where thinner crisps can struggle to support heavier dips. The range will launch in three varieties: Pringles Dippers Original – the brand's classic salty and savoury Original flavour in the new thicker, wavier format. Pringles Dippers French Onion – combining sweet, caramelised onion notes with a tangy and creamy flavour profile. Pringles Dippers Bacon Cheddar – blending cheddar cheese flavour with smoky bacon notes. The new range can be eaten on its own or paired with dips, positioning the product for entertaining, sharing occasions and at-home snacking. Eileen Flaherty-Yao, senior director of salty at Mars Snacking North America, said: “We know it can be frustrating if your typical salty dipping vessel prevents your perfect scoop or breaks as you dip, which is why we've created Pringles Dippers.” She added that the brand's iconic parabolic crisp shape has been reimagined in a thicker and wavier format designed to handle everything from lighter dips to heavier scoops. Pringles is also expanding its Mingles line with the launch of Pringles Mingles Sweet & Salty. The bowtie-shaped puffed snack combines a light and airy texture with brown buttery sweetness and a salty finish, adding a sweet-and-savoury flavour profile to the existing Mingles portfolio. The dual launch demonstrates a continued focus on format innovation within the salty snacks category, with Pringles moving beyond its traditional crisp format while also experimenting with different textures and flavour combinations. “With this innovation and the Sweet & Salty addition to our Mingles lineup, Pringles brings new ways to take on your favourite snack,” Flaherty-Yao said. Both Pringles Dippers and Pringles Mingles Sweet & Salty are scheduled to begin arriving on shelves in September.

Maash – a start-up with operations in Belgium and France, focused on developing mycoprotein ingredients for the food industry – has secured a €12.5 million funding package to accelerate its next phase of growth. The company, headquartered in Brussels, said the funding will support the launch of its demonstration plant in Carling-Saint-Avold, France, preparing the company for further scale-up of up to 10,000 tons of annual industrial production. The package includes a €5.85 million equity raise from five new investors – Ambra Capital, InvestPro, BPIFrance Amorçage Industriel, Nordzucker and Tereos. Additionally, BPIFrance has supported with €4.3 million through its Première Usine programme, supported by France 2030, and a €2 million BPIFrance loan through its Prêt d’Amorçage Investissement. Maash acquired the site in Carling-Saint-Avold, previously owned by former French biotechnology firm Metabolic Explorer (Metex), in 2024 after the company went into liquidation. LoCylia is Maash’s fermentation-derived mycoprotein ingredient, made from fungi and offering a high-protein and fibre-rich solution designed for multiple food applications. As a B2B ingredient supplier, Maash said it aims to differentiate itself through ‘industrial discipline, cost competitiveness and close alignment with customer needs’. The company aims to become a European leader in mycoprotein by combining its fermentation expertise with a ‘pragmatic approach focused on competitive capital investment and production costs’. Gaspard Gilbert, co-founder and current managing director at Maash, said: “Acquiring the former Metex site gave us an industrial base. Over the past two years, we have worked to turn that base into a credible and executable project. This financing marks an important step in that journey: we now have the partners, resources and leadership in place to move from preparation to industrial deployment.” In September, Maash also welcomes Samah Garringer to the role of chief executive officer. Her appointment aligns with the company’s shift into a new phase of development as it prioritises delivering the pre-industrial project and building commercial momentum. Garringer brings more than 25 years of international experience spanning food, ingredients, nutrition and industrial scale-up. Her background includes roles at DSM, Avril Group and fellow mycoprotein specialist Enough Foods. As part of the transition, MD Gilbert will take on the role of chief commercial officer, while also serving as acting chief finance officer. He said that Garringer’s appointment gives Maash the “industrial, human and commercial capabilities it needs to scale”. Commenting on her appointment, Garringer said: “I am thrilled to join Maash at this pivotal moment. Together with the team and our new partners, we will deliver the pre-industrial project, accelerate commercial rollout and build a resilient, cost-competitive platform to bring nutritious, sustainable mycoprotein to market at scale.” Top image: © Maash

Québec-based Prime Drink Group has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire Prime Capital Investments, owner of the Beach Day Every Day ready-to-drink beverage brand, in a transaction valued at CAD $10 million, approx. $7,203,500. The deal remains subject to due diligence, financing, shareholder and regulatory approvals, as well as the negotiation of a definitive purchase agreement. Founded in 2020, PCI produces, bottles and sells both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The company has expanded its presence through Québec's SAQ retail network and has also begun growing Beach Day Every Day's distribution footprint across the rest of Canada and the United States. For the year ended November 30, 2025, PCI reported unaudited, non-IFRS annual royalty revenue of CAD $2.1 million (approx. $1,512,724) and adjusted EBITDA of CAD $1.2 million (approx. $864,354). Prime Drink Group said the acquisition would add a premium, fast-growing brand to its beverage portfolio while giving the company exposure to BDED's expansion beyond its home market. Jean Gosselin, chief financial officer of Prime Drink Group, said: “The acquisition of Beach Day Every Day, a leading brand in the Québec ready-to-drink beverage market, was very attractive for Prime. Notably, this acquisition will enable Prime to add a premium, fast-growing brand to its portfolio.” He added that Prime expects to benefit from the brand's recent expansion activities in the wider Canadian and US markets. The transaction reflects continued interest in the RTD category, where established beverage companies and emerging brands are seeking opportunities to build scale through portfolio expansion and geographic growth. Under the proposed terms, Prime will pay C$10m for all issued and outstanding shares of PCI. The proposed acquisition will also require Prime to complete a minimum CAD $4 million concurrent non-brokered private placement. The financing will comprise units priced at CAD $0.05 each, with every unit consisting of one common share and one warrant exercisable at CAD $ 0.10 for two years. Prime said the proceeds will be used partly to finalise an agreed settlement with creditors, fund a portion of the cash consideration for the acquisition and support general working capital. Prime expects to complete due diligence on PCI by October 15, 2026. Other conditions include the delivery of audited financial statements for PCI's two most recently completed fiscal years, an independent valuation report and approval from the Canadian Securities Exchange. The transaction is classified as a major acquisition under CSE policies and will require exchange approval. However, the company said it does not expect the deal to result in a change of control. Because certain directors hold positions across Prime, PCI and Prime Affichage, the transaction is also expected to be treated as a related-party transaction under Canadian securities rules. Prime said it expects the transaction to qualify for exemptions from formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements. There is no assurance that the proposed acquisition will close.

General Mills has completed the removal of certified colours from its entire US cereal portfolio, marking the latest step in the food company's wider effort to reformulate products in response to changing consumer preferences. The Minneapolis-based manufacturer said all of its cereals sold in the U.S. are now made without certified colours, including brands such as Lucky Charms and Trix. The milestone fulfils a commitment the company had set for summer 2026. It follows General Mills' announcement in March that it had removed certified colours from all of its K-12 school food products. Bethany Quam, president of Big G Cereal at General Mills, said: “This achievement reflects how we are evolving with consumer needs while continuing to offer food that tastes great, delivers quality and provides value.” The cereal milestone means approximately 90% of General Mills' US retail portfolio has now completed the transition away from certified colours, according to the company. The remaining work will include categories such as fruit snacks and baking products, with General Mills targeting the removal of certified colours across its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027. The initiative forms part of a broader product innovation strategy centred on shifting nutrition preferences. General Mills said it expects to launch more than twice as many new products aligned with evolving consumer nutrition preferences during the current fiscal year compared with two years ago. That pipeline includes products with higher levels of protein and fibre, as well as foods featuring ingredients that consumers may view as more familiar and recognisable. The reformulation of major cereal brands also illustrates the technical and commercial challenge facing large food manufacturers as they seek to respond to changing expectations around ingredients without compromising the taste, appearance and brand recognition of long-established products. General Mills generated $18bn in net sales in fiscal 2026 and markets brands including Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Annie's. The transition to certified colours across the whole portfolio is set to be completed in 2027.

Land O’Lakes is expanding its cheese portfolio with the launch of Land O'Lakes Snack Cheese Cubes as consumers head into the back-to-school season, with the company positioning the new offerings around convenience for lunchboxes, after-school snacking and everyday meals. The new Land O Lakes Snack Cheese Cubes are available in three varieties: Colby Jack, Pepper Jack and Extra Sharp White Cheddar. Designed as single-serve snacks, each package contains eight 1-ounce packs of bite-sized cheese cubes. The products have an MSRP of $5.99 and are now available at key retailers across the Northeast, including Stop & Shop, Price Chopper and Giant stores. Heather Anfang, EVP and president of dairy foods at Land O’Lakes, said: "As consumers increasingly seek convenient, high-quality foods that fit today's busy lifestyles, we're focused on delivering products that make every eating occasion more enjoyable." The company says the Snack Cheese Cubes are currently rolling out across the Northeast, while Deli American is expanding into select Kroger locations nationwide.

Ben & Jerry’s has appointed three new independent directors to its board, bringing expertise in civil rights, racial and economic equity, environmental justice and free speech to the ice cream maker’s distinctive governance model. Nora Benavidez, Michael McAfee and Eva Schulte have joined the company as I Class Directors, effective this month. The appointments are intended to help safeguard and advance Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission, which combines product quality, economic sustainability and social impact. The move comes as the Vermont-based brand continues to position its governance structure as a central component of its values-led business model. The new appointments follow the removal of three board members in December 2025, who became ineligible to serve, after the brand's parent company announced changes to the structure of the board. The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) established a nine-year term limit for board members, with any director who has served longer than this period becoming ineligible for annual re-election in 2026. Ben & Jerry’s says its independent directors play a specific role in protecting the social mission and integrity of the brand, while providing external expertise, constructive challenge and connections to the communities and movements in which the company is active. Jochanan Senf, CEO of Ben & Jerry's, said: “Our growth and strength connect directly to social impact, all whilst making delicious ice cream. These directors understand that and will help us make it even more future-proof.” Benavidez joins the board from Free Press, where she serves as senior counsel and director of digital justice and civil rights. A civil rights and free speech attorney, litigator and legal strategist, she has worked at the intersection of law, technology and democracy for more than a decade. Her previous work includes leading PEN America’s national free speech agenda and developing programmes focused on disinformation and attacks on free expression. Her current work spans digital civil rights, privacy and free speech. “Freedom only means something if we are willing to defend it when speaking out is difficult or comes with consequences,” Benavidez said. “Ben & Jerry's has such an exciting role to play, leading with intention and integrity to stand with communities and movements when the easier choice might be to stay silent.” Michael McAfee, CEO of PolicyLink, brings experience in racial and economic equity, community development and public policy. During his career, he has worked on initiatives spanning neighbourhood investment, affordable housing, job creation and corporate racial equity. McAfee said businesses have significant influence over how opportunity and investment are distributed. “Businesses have real power to shape opportunity, investment and outcomes for communities,” he said. “On the board, I want to ask hard questions about who benefits from the company’s decisions and where its business can create greater opportunity.” The third appointment, Eva Schulte, is executive director of Friends of the San Juans. Her career has focused on the intersection of environmental protection, community health, economic opportunity and social justice. Schulte has worked on initiatives involving endangered species protection, shoreline restoration and industrial development, while her broader experience includes impact investing, partnerships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and board governance. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Sierra Club Foundation. “The company’s long-term commitment to environmental and social justice and standing with communities affected by environmental harm aligns closely with the work I’ve spent my life advancing,” Schulte said. Unlike many food and beverage companies, Ben & Jerry’s operates with a governance structure specifically designed to protect its social mission over the long term. The company’s I Class Directors are intended to provide independent oversight and ensure that the principles on which the brand was founded remain embedded as the business evolves. The appointments followed what the company described as a thorough selection process conducted with the support of a B Corp-certified executive search firm. Candidates were assessed on leadership and governance experience, alignment with Ben & Jerry’s mission and values, and the perspectives they could bring to issues central to the company’s business model. The three new directors will work alongside Senf and the company’s leadership team as Ben & Jerry’s continues to pursue that model. “Welcoming Nora, Michael and Eva to the board is a big moment for Ben & Jerry’s,” Senf said. “We need to keep showing up, keep listening and keep using the strength of our business and our voice to stand with communities that too often go unheard.” The company also said it remains committed to funding grassroots movements and progressive change through a future grantmaking structure. Ben & Jerry’s plans to announce a new organisation that will maintain the financial commitment of its previous foundation model, with a governance framework focused on independence, transparency and long-term resilience. With operations spanning more than 40 countries, Ben & Jerry’s remains one of the food industry’s most prominent examples of a brand seeking to formalise social and environmental objectives within its corporate governance structure, and the appointment of Benavidez, McAfee and Schulte signals a renewed effort to strengthen that approach for the future. The appointments come after a federal judge dismissed major portions of a lawsuit concerning governance, brought by Ben & Jerry’s against its former parent company, Unilever. The legal dispute continues.

The Clif brand is entering the high-protein snack bar category with the launch of its first-ever Clif High Protein Bar, combining 20g of protein with carbohydrates from ingredients including rolled oats to provide both protein and everyday energy. Developed in response to growing consumer demand for protein-rich snacks, the new range is made with ingredients including rolled oats, nut butters, almonds, soy and whey protein. Each bar also contains 5g of fibre and contains no artificial sweeteners. Joe Pellingra, senior director of the Clif and Luna brands at Mondelēz International, said: “Consumers are looking for protein-rich snacks to help fuel their busy lifestyles, and the Clif brand saw the opportunity to build on our energy bar portfolio with an innovation that offers a unique duality: 20 grams of protein with everyday energy." The new Clif High Protein Bars will debut in two flavours: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon French Toast. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip combines sweet and savoury flavour notes, while Cinnamon French Toast takes inspiration from the classic breakfast dish and incorporates almonds and almond butter. According to the company, the products were developed using consumer research and tested with consumers to refine their flavour profiles. “Not only is this new bar innovation created from consumer research insights, but it was tested with consumers to ensure we achieved delicious flavour profiles,” Pellingra added. The bars will be available at retailers across the US from August 2026, with a suggested retail price of $7.49 for a four-count box.

Mountain Dew and Trolli are teaming up once again with the launch of Mountain Dew x Trolli Mango Pineapple Punch, a limited-edition soda designed to pair tropical fruit flavours with the heat and chew of Trolli Spicy Crawlers. Available in the US from 24 August through October, the new carbonated beverage combines mango and pineapple flavours with a hint of strawberry. It will be sold in Regular and Zero Sugar varieties in bottles and cans at US retailers, while participating Pizza Hut locations nationwide will offer the Regular version in 20oz bottles. The launch builds on last year's Mountain Dew x Trolli Cherry Lemon collaboration, which the brands said became one of the fastest-selling products in the Mountain Dew portfolio. Michael Smith, VP of marketing, Mountain Dew, PepsiCo Beverages US, said: “Last year's Mountain Dew and Trolli collaboration showed just how much excitement there is when two iconic brands come together in an unexpected way." Smith added: “This year, we're taking that idea even further with a sweet-and-spicy flavour twist that taps into a growing consumer trend while delivering the bold, one-of-a-kind experience fans expect from both brands.” The latest collaboration has been developed specifically to complement Trolli Spicy Crawlers, with flavour notes intended to evoke the gummy candy. The pairing brings together the soda's sweet and tropical profile with the spicy and sour characteristics of the candy. Chad Womack, marketing director at Trolli, said, “Trolli is all about pushing the boundaries of what a sour gummy candy can be, so what better way to show consumers more ways to enjoy Trolli Spicy Crawlers than by pairing it with the bold, new fruit-forward Mountain Dew soda." The collaboration reflects continued experimentation with contrasting flavour profiles in the beverage and confectionery categories, as brands look to combine sweet, sour, spicy and tropical notes in new cross-category product experiences.

It’s easy to get caught up in the news and activities of the industry’s global giants, but what about the smaller firms pushing boundaries with bold ideas? In this instalment of Start-up of the Month – which celebrates small businesses and earlier-stage companies' innovations – we speak to Naomi Partridge, co-founder of Holos Kombucha, a handcrafted kombucha brand centred around campaigning for social change. Can you tell us a bit about Holos Kombucha, its journey and the mission behind the company? Holos is Brewed For Good – we brew authentic, award-winning and gut-friendly drinks whilst supporting survivors of exploitation and trauma through paid work placements and grants via our charity, The Holos Foundation. Our journey started with a life-changing moment in Cambodia, where co-founder Megan and I met whilst volunteering with women being exploited on the streets of Phnom Penh, and we saw the power of employment in helping them find freedom, for good. We decided to start Holos to create these kinds of safe, supportive work opportunities for the 120,000 people in exploitation in the UK. Kombucha became our social impact vehicle, and alongside our co-founders and husbands Tom and Joseph, our journey officially began in 2018. We brew our organic drinks in West Sussex, and are now stocked in Waitrose, Whole Foods, Selfridges, Ocado, Amazon, healthy wholesalers, independents and beyond. How did you navigate building a brand within the competitive functional beverages space? We are still learning how best to navigate this highly competitive and quickly evolving space. There is a real nuance to the balance of staying true to what makes you unique as a brand, including your founder story, your product and positioning, whilst responding to emerging consumer trends and the competitor landscape. Our big wrestle has always been about how we manage our messaging hierarchy – between our social impact and our product. We believe we’ve landed on the right direction with something far more focused on the theme of GOOD – both feeling good and doing good. A shout-out to Brand Growth Heroes Mini MBA, Fi Fitzpatrick and all sponsors for the transformative coaching support that helped us get to this point. How do you balance health benefits with flavour and taste when building a kombucha brand? From the start, we’ve been absolutely obsessed with taste – especially driven by our MD Tom, who, when he first tasted another kombucha back in 2016, thought it tasted like cheese water and wanted to create a drink people would choose on its own merit, not just as a gut health option. Our belief is that when you brew kombucha the authentic, traditional way, you don’t have to make the choice between taste and gut health. Fermentation, when done right, creates an incredible complexity of taste – and we’ve found a fantastic combination of flavour pairings that unlocks it. Our repeat purchase rate reflects this, alongside our wide range of taste awards, including the UK Soft Drinks 2026 award for Best New Concept Drink for our Mulled Spice chilled kombucha. What role has sustainability and social responsibility played within Holos Kombucha's story? We simply wouldn’t exist without our social mission – that came first, and kombucha was our vehicle of choice to make the impact we wanted. We are purpose architects. Equally, every choice we make – from being organic to our supply chain, our packaging and even to the quality of our product, has impact and sustainability in mind. We believe it’s just the way business should be done, and find the new wave of brands and businesses with purpose and sustainability embedded as a really exciting development – and a return to the original call of business to serve the people and planet, not the other way around. What has been the company's biggest achievement to date? Gaining a Waitrose listing that then grew seven times its size in just ten weeks was a huge achievement. They backed not only the quality of our product, understanding the nuances of the functional drinks space and where premium, authentic kombucha plays – but also our social mission, and through them we have now funded (at the time of writing) four grants for survivors of exploitation to help rebuild their lives through therapeutic interventions… and we’re just getting started. Can you tell us about any notable challenges on your journey so far and how you navigated them? So many challenges! At a personal level, two co-founding couples – and we’ve had six kids between us in the last eight years. That’s a lot to navigate whilst building a challenger brand that also manufactures in-house, requiring a relentless focus on quality production. Navigating Covid – we lost our brewer to return to New Zealand overnight, and the subsequent shutdown of the hospitality and on-trade. Winning and losing listings. Cash flow during challenging economic times. And all throughout whilst maintaining a commitment to our social mission and ensuring we continue to provide jobs for survivors. What do you think is the functional beverage category's next big trend? From a kombucha point of view, if the US and Australia markets show us anything, they tell us that a maturing of the market will come – mindful consumers are becoming more discerning in terms of 'health-washing,' ultra-processed foods and what is genuine kombucha, and are seeking simpler, cleaner solutions. In a more mature market, authentic brewing matters. The 'no and low' alcohol growth will continue and there is more space for craft functional drinks to play in that occasion, too. What's next for Holos Kombucha? Any exciting plans you can share with us? We remain committed to driving forward our chilled range – but we also know that our consumers drink us not only for gut health, but also as an alcohol alternative. This is an area that we are exploring further as we look forward. We’re also going to be moving towards a more playful approach as a brand, because consumers need those moments of feeling good when they drink Holos, not just doing good to their bodies. What advice would you give to other start-ups in the food and beverage industry? Firstly, don’t skimp on quality. A winning product has to be something that people will buy more than once, and taste is your passport to that. Immerse yourself quickly in the industry to get expert opinions – and find people who will give you brutal, honest feedback. Test and learn fast; don’t wait for perfection before you launch into the world – test quickly, direct to consumer. Check the market to find something that will actually expand the category rather than just compete with what’s already out there; this will make life a lot easier to get those initial conversations. Make sure you have the emotional bandwidth and ‘village’ in your lives to sustain the ups and downs of challenger brand life… especially if you are building other things at once, such as families and caregiving. Overestimate what it will take to do this – not just funding, but time, energy, etc. It’s rewarding, AND it’s a huge, risky commitment. Collaborate and find your people – not just consumers and stockists, but other brands – together we go further. And finally, don’t wait until you are ‘big enough’ to map impact into your business. Find that purpose up front, see what you can uniquely bring to the world with the platform you have; it’s a privilege – why not use it for real good?

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board has approved incentives for a $55.5 million expansion by Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) that will strengthen the company’s precision fermentation capabilities in Clinton, Iowa. The project is part of a wider package of assistance approved by the IEDA Board for manufacturing, community and strategic infrastructure projects across the state. Collectively, the two manufacturing projects supported by the board are expected to create 98 jobs and generate $57.2 million in new capital investment. For ADM, the investment will see an underutilised 463,503-square-foot fermentation facility at its Clinton complex converted into a precision fermentation operation designed to support the production of additional high-value biobased products. The project includes the installation of new processing equipment for separation, purification, drying and packaging, alongside upgrades to existing fermentation equipment, piping and supporting systems. The improvements are intended to enable large-scale production of proteins and enzymes, highlighting the growing role of precision fermentation in the development of new ingredients for food, feed and industrial applications. ADM, a major global processor of agricultural commodities and producer of food, feed and industrial products, expects the project to create 53 jobs. To support the expansion, the IEDA Board awarded ADM $2.23 million in tax credits through the state's Business Incentives for Growth (BIG) programme. The investment comes as precision fermentation continues to attract attention across the food and beverage industry, with companies exploring its potential to produce proteins, enzymes and other functional ingredients more efficiently and at greater scale. Beyond ADM's project, the IEDA Board also approved assistance for another manufacturing company, as well as Community Attraction and Tourism grants for projects in Forest City and Larchwood. In addition, three university-led Strategic Infrastructure Program projects received funding aimed at strengthening Iowa's advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defence innovation ecosystem.