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.

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that two Russian drone strikes have hit a Mondelēz International facility in the country’s Sumy Oblast region. In a statement shared on X, Sybiha said the drone strikes damaged the plant’s premises and injured several employees. “Fortunately, there were no casualties,” he added. “These systematic and deliberate Russian attacks on American business interests in Ukraine demonstrate that Russian aggression is not only a threat to Ukraine, but a direct blow to American economic interests in Europe.” Mondelēz – headquartered in the US and operating worldwide, with a portfolio of brands that includes Oreo, Milka, Philadelphia and Toblerone – has operations in both Ukraine and Russia. Two of the company’s facilities in Ukraine were reportedly damaged amid the conflict in 2022 – the Suby Oblast plant, which produces biscuits, and a potato chip plant located on the outskirts of Kyiv. The company has defended its decision to continue doing business in Russia following criticism and consumer boycotts, with CEO Dirk Van de Put telling BBC News that withdrawing from the country would impact thousands of jobs and leave the business vulnerable to the Kremlin taking control of its local operations. Despite this, Mondelēz said it has scaled down operations in Russia, including discontinuing new capital investments and suspending advertising spending in the country. Its operations and activity in Russia accounted for 3.7% of 2025 consolidated net revenues, according to its 2025 Annual Report, while Ukraine accounted for 0.4%. In 2023, Mondelēz announced it would reorganise its Russian operations to be stand-alone with a self-sufficient supply chain. It emphasised that suspending its Russian operations entirely would mean “cutting off part of the food supply for many families who have no say in the war.” Several other F&B giants, including Danone, Unilever, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, have exited Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched in February 2022. Top image: © Robson90/Shutterstock.com

Graeter’s Ice Cream is getting a head start on the autumn season with the launch of two seasonal flavours, including the return of its Harvest Pumpkin ice cream and a new limited-edition Apple Strudel variety. The Cincinnati-based ice cream company will launch Harvest Pumpkin on 28 August, followed by the debut of Apple Strudel on 4 September. Both flavours will be available in Graeter’s scoop shops and online for nationwide shipping. Harvest Pumpkin marks the return of a fan-favourite seasonal offering. The flavour combines pumpkin ice cream made with real pumpkin with a blend of warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger, delivering a profile inspired by pumpkin pie filling. The new Apple Strudel flavour draws inspiration from the traditional southern Bavarian dessert and is timed to coincide with Oktoberfest celebrations. The ice cream features a cinnamon-flavoured base loaded with baked apples, cinnamon pastry pieces and an icing drizzle. Both varieties are produced using Graeter’s signature French Pot process, with ice cream crafted in small 2.5-gallon batches. The launches reflect the continued appeal of limited-edition and seasonal flavours in the ice cream category, with pumpkin remaining a staple of autumn product innovation and apple-based desserts offering another route into the season. With the August and early September releases, Graeter’s is aiming to bring classic fall flavour cues to consumers ahead of the peak autumn season, combining a returning favourite with a new dessert-inspired addition to its portfolio.

Royal A-ware has announced the proposed acquisition of LaBan Foods, a move that would expand the dairy company’s product portfolio into butter specialities and support its broader strategy of diversification. The proposed transaction would bring LaBan Foods’ specialist knowledge and distinctive butter range into Royal A-ware’s business, allowing the international family-owned company to offer a broader range of products to its customers. Jan Anker, Chairman of the Board at Royal A-ware, said: “With LaBan Foods, we are bringing specialist knowledge and a distinctive range of butter products in-house, enabling us to serve our customers even better and more comprehensively." For LaBan Foods, the proposed acquisition is expected to provide the scale and resources needed to support its next phase of growth. René Laban, CEO of LaBan Foods, said: “Through the proposed acquisition, we will become part of a major international player in the dairy market, enabling us to focus more on product innovation and to grow both in terms of product range and volume." Karel van Driel, managing director of LaBan Foods, added: “To take the next step as a company, scale is essential. Under the umbrella of Royal A-ware, we can certainly take this step.” The acquisition remains subject to approval by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). The proposed transaction has already been notified to the competition authority.

Hormel Foods Corporation has appointed Ash Bhumbla as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective 8 September, as the global branded food company continues its efforts to modernise its business and position itself for long-term growth. Bhumbla succeeds Paul Kuehneman, who has served as interim chief financial officer since October 2025. Kuehneman will work with Bhumbla to support a smooth transition and remain a senior leader within Hormel Foods' finance organisation. In his new role, Bhumbla will lead Hormel Foods' finance function and join the company's senior leadership team. His responsibilities will include guiding financial strategy, capital allocation and the company's long-term growth objectives. John Ghingo, president of Hormel Foods, said: "Ash is a highly accomplished finance executive with a proven record of driving performance, leading transformation and creating long-term shareholder value. His broad experience across finance, operations and strategy, coupled with his expertise across consumer-focused, value-added protein businesses, gives him a unique perspective on our business and the opportunities ahead." Bhumbla joins Hormel Foods from Tyson Foods, where he served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for the company's Chicken segment. In 2025, he also concurrently served as CFO of Tyson's International segment. During his time at Tyson, Bhumbla played a leadership role in initiatives focused on operational transformation, finance modernisation, strategic planning and business performance improvement. His previous experience includes senior finance and corporate development positions at Perdue Farms and International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), following an early career in strategy consulting with Marakon Associates. Bhumbla holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar. The appointment brings an executive with experience across value-added protein and broader food and ingredients businesses into Hormel Foods' senior leadership team. The company, whose portfolio includes brands such as SPAM, Planters, Skippy, Applegate, Columbus and Jennie-O, generates more than $12 billion in annual revenue. Hormel Foods also highlighted the continued role of Kuehneman, a long-serving company executive who joined the business in 1993. Over more than three decades with Hormel Foods, Kuehneman has held accounting and controller roles across the company's manufacturing facilities and headquarters. He became director of internal audit in 2009 and was appointed vice president and CFO of Jennie-O Turkey Store in 2016. He was subsequently named assistant controller in November 2020 and controller in January 2022 before taking on the interim CFO position in October 2025. "Paul has been an exceptional steward of our business and a trusted advisor to our leadership team," Ghingo said. "His deep knowledge of Hormel Foods, financial expertise and commitment to our people have been invaluable." Kuehneman will continue to contribute to Hormel Foods' finance organisation following the transition.

Agropur is expanding its high milk-fat dairy portfolio with the launch of a new 6% M.F. product under its Québon brand in Quebec. The launch follows the introduction of Sealtest 6% M.F. in Ontario in April and Island Farms 6% M.F. in British Columbia in June, extending the company’s 6% M.F. offering to a third Canadian province. Described as a first for Quebec, the new product is designed to respond to evolving consumer needs and create new consumption occasions, while reflecting Agropur’s continued focus on evolving its product portfolio in line with market trends. Québon 6% M.F. dairy product will be available in a 4L format and sold through major retail banners across Quebec. The launch further expands Agropur’s regional brand strategy, bringing the higher milk-fat offering to consumers under the Québon name following earlier launches under the Sealtest and Island Farms brands.

Häagen-Dazs will no longer be sold in Brazil following a decision by owner General Mills to withdraw the ice cream brand from the market as part of a wider portfolio restructuring, according to Brazilian media reports. The move comes months after General Mills agreed to sell its Brazilian operation to coffee company 3corações for R$800 million ($147 million), in a transaction announced in March 2026. The deal included a portfolio of General Mills brands in Brazil, including Yoki and Kitano, as well as manufacturing facilities in Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso. Häagen-Dazs, however, was not included in the transaction and will now leave the Brazilian market. The premium ice cream brand first entered Brazil in 1997, with its first physical store opening in São Paulo the following year. Its departure marks the end of almost three decades of Häagen-Dazs presence in Brazil. The exit forms part of a broader effort by General Mills to reshape its portfolio, streamline its presence in the country and focus resources on its strategic priorities.

UK sourdough brand Jason’s Sourdough has launched its first-ever fibre-focused range, featuring a Seeded Fibre Loaf and Every Day Seeded Fibre Rolls. While the UK government’s Recommended Daily Allowance for adults is 30g of fibre per day, data shows that 96% of UK adults fall short of this target, consuming an average of just 16.2g daily. Jason’s developed the new range in response to this ‘fibre gap,’ aiming to help consumers ‘naturally and effortlessly’ increase their daily intake through staple daily meal options. The Everyday Seeded Fibre Loaf delivers 5g of fibre per average slice. The sourdough is fermented for up to 24 hours and made with no yeast, additives or preservatives. Meanwhile, the Every Day Seeded Fibre rolls deliver 8g of fibre per roll and contain a blend of mixed seeds, such as sunflower seeds, golden linseed, poppy seeds and pumpkin seeds. The range rolls out exclusively at Tesco stores nationwide on 31 August, designed to broaden access to convenient and healthier bakery options without compromising on taste, authenticity or quality. It builds on the strong performance of Jason’s Sourdough’s existing ‘bread with benefits’ range – a line-up of bread products that tap into the growing demand for F&B products with added functionalities and health claims. Following the success of its Protein Loaf, the brand expanded last year with the launch of Everyday Protein Rolls format, centred around convenience. Jason Geary, master baker at Jason’s Sourdough, said: “We’re constantly evolving our range to reflect how people are eating today…By combining innovation with our baking heritage, we’ve created high-fibre recipes with carefully selected seeds that deliver the flavour and quality consumers expect from Jason’s, while fitting seamlessly into modern lifestyles.” Nichola Ludlam-Raine, specialist registered dietician, commented: “Fibre is not a single ingredient with a single job: different fibres support our digestion, gut bacteria and wider long-term health, which is why variety matters”. “A higher-fibre version of a food you already enjoy, such as bread, can make progress feel much more achievable. Switching your usual bread for a genuinely higher-fibre option such as Jason’s Sourdough Seeded Fibre Loaf and Rolls is a small, realistic change that can make a meaningful contribution to your daily fibre intake.” Jason’s is the UK’s number one sourdough brand and the third biggest supermarket bread brand according to Nielsen data. It is known for its range of premium bakery offerings centred around simple ingredients, aligning with increasing consumer interest in ‘clean-label’ options. The new Seeded Fibre Loaf is priced at an RRP of £2.80 per 580g loaf, and the Every Day Seeded Fibre Rolls at £1.90 per 320g pack.

Estonian biotechnology start-up Äio has teamed up with research organisation TFTAK (Center of Food and Fermentation Technologies) to launch a three-year R&D project focused on microbial oil production. Äio develops fermentation technologies that transform low-value, organic side-streams from the food, agricultural and wood industries into high-value oils and fats with applications across food, cosmetics and other industries. These can provide alternatives to conventional ingredients such as tropical oils and animal fats, reducing dependence on agricultural land, climate conditions and volatile supply chains. The project, DigiFoundry 2.0 – Bioprocess Efficiency Increase via Digitalisation (DF2.0), has received €1.94 million in funding through the Applied Research Programme of the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS). With a total budget of approximately €2.53 million, the initiative was ranked first among the applications approved in the programme’s 10th funding round. DF2.0 builds on the results of the original DigiFoundry project, an existing collaboration between Äio and TFTAK that ran from 2023 to 2026. The first project focused on creating a prototype platform for automated microbial strain design and establishing a Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle to accelerate the development of microorganisms capable of producing specialised fats through precision fermentation. It also included pilot-scale precision fermentation, sensory analysis and techno-economic assessment of the production process. Äio said DF2.0 goes further by connecting biological development with improved fermentation, automation and digital process control. It aims to establish the technological foundation for efficient, scalable and cost-competitive production of Äio’s microbial oils while reducing development and manufacturing costs and enabling faster new ingredient development. According to Äio, its company data shows that its fermentation process can reduce land use by up to 97% and water consumption by up to 90% compared with conventional production methods. Petri-Jaan Lahtyee, co-founder and COO of Äio and professor at Tallinn University of Technology, said: “Our goal is to make microbial oil production not only sustainable, but also highly efficient and economically competitive at an industrial scale”. “By combining improved fermentation with automation and data-driven process development, we can learn faster, optimise faster and ultimately produce better ingredients with fewer resources.” TFTAK is a privately owned Estonian research organisation focused on accelerating food and biotechnology innovation. It works across bioprocess optimisation, food research, analytics and product development, supporting projects from laboratory research and pilot-scale development through to testing in industrial production. In the original DigiFoundry project, TFTAK contributed to developing the Design-Build-Test-Learn workflow and methods for evaluating microbial products, including sensory analysis and identification of unwanted flavours and aromas. In DF2.0, it will continue contributing its synthetic biology expertise, precision fermentation and bioprocess development to help connect strain engineering with automated and data-driven production. Steven van der Hoek, scientific lead at TFTAK, said: “By integrating synthetic biology, fermentation and digital tools, we can generate much more information from every development cycle and use that knowledge to make the next cycle better. This collaboration allows us to build technologies that are scientifically ambitious but, importantly, designed from the beginning with industrial application in mind.”

Pillsbury is making homemade-style croissants more accessible with the launch of two new freezer-to-oven products: Butter Grands! Croissants and Chocolate Grands! Croissants. Joining the brand’s permanent line-up, the new products are designed to remove the time and preparation associated with making croissants from scratch. Both varieties come pre-shaped and can be baked directly from frozen, with no thawing required. Each croissant features 48 layers, with the Butter Grands! Croissants made with real butter for a classic flavour profile. The Chocolate Grands! Croissants, meanwhile, are made with real Belgian cocoa, offering a sweeter alternative for chocolate lovers. Each pack contains eight large pastries, which can be baked individually or as a full batch, giving consumers flexibility to prepare fresh-from-the-oven pastries for different occasions. The launch sees Pillsbury tap into demand for convenient bakery-inspired products that offer consumers an easier route to freshly baked treats at home, while eliminating the rolling, shaping and lengthy preparation traditionally associated with croissant-making. With Butter Grands! Croissants and Chocolate Grands! Croissants joining the permanent portfolio, the brand is positioning the new range as an accessible option for consumers looking to bring a little more bakery-style indulgence to the table.

Hotel Chocolat is expanding its autumn range with a new limited-edition Spicy Maple drinking chocolate, tapping into the growing appetite for sweet-and-spicy flavour combinations. The new £11.95 drink combines sweet maple with habanero heat, translating a flavour profile already used in the chocolatier’s filled chocolate range into a new format. It will be joined by the return of Pumpkin Spice Drinking Chocolate, also priced at £11.95, as well as three limited-edition seasonal Selectors. Spicy Maple reflects the continued momentum behind “swicy” flavour profiles, bringing a combination of sweetness and heat to the drinking chocolate category. Pumpkin Spice, meanwhile, returns with a blend of cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin, targeting consumer demand for warming and nostalgic seasonal flavours. Yiotis Panagiotou, Specialty Chocolatier at Hotel Chocolat, said: “Food innovation is increasingly about identifying what's already resonating with customers and finding new ways to deliver it. Spicy Maple started life as one of our filled chocolates, and we saw an opportunity to translate that into a completely different format, pairing the sweetness of maple with habanero heat to bring a ‘swicy’ twist to drinking chocolate.” The autumn line-up will also extend across multiple consumption occasions. Consumers can prepare the drinks at home using a Velvetiser, steam wand or hob, while Hotel Chocolat’s Velvetiser Cafés will serve the recipes as hot chocolate, choc shakes and mochas. Alongside the drinking chocolates, the brand is reintroducing three seasonal limited-edition Selectors: Nuts for Praline, Rustle & Crunch and Pumpkin Pie, with the latter featuring spiced pumpkin ganache, almond praline and a crunchy corn-flake crust.