Year: 2024

Bids mount for Vintage Wine Estates assets

Vintage Wine Estates wine brand Girl And Dragon. Credit: Vintage Wine Estates

US wine group Vintage Wine Estates has received several offers for a number of its wine brands and wineries.

Dallas-based Adair Winery has bid $35m for the Clos Pegase and Girard wineries, according to a document filed with the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

South Carolina alcoholic drinks importer and supplier Vino.com, operating as Total Beverage Solution, also made a $6m bid for the Layer Cake, Tamarack and Cartlidge & Browne brands.

Meanwhile, Florida’s contract distiller Bartow Ethanol has made a $6.2m bid for Vintage Wine Estates’ Meier’s Wine Cellars winery.

The offers were made in the form of stalking horse bids, meaning the assets are still subject to higher offers, should they come in.

Earlier this month, Foley Family Wines had reportedly been granted court approval to sell the Cosentino wine brand, as well as the labels Bar Dog, Cherry Pie, Swanson, and SCV for a total of $15m, according to Bloomberg.

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In July, the Californian vintner announced it planned to file for bankruptcy and voluntarily delist its common stock after failing to pay off $60.5m in debt.

The company said at the time it intended to sell “all or substantially all” of its assets and said it had already received “multiple preliminary indications of interest” from buyers.

Vintage Wine Estates was set up in 2007 by Pat Roney, to “bring together” his fine-wine brand Girard and direct-to-consumer label Windsor Vineyards.

It had previously invested in and acquired a number of US wine businesses, including Girl & Dragon brand owner Canopy Management Wine and Kunde Family Winery owner Kunde Enterprises.

The group’s latest assets disposal follows a raft of attempts to salvage the publicly listed company’s bank balance – including a round of job cuts in May.

In July, it completed the sale of California-based Cosentino winery and equipment to Gene Wines for $10.5m.

In the six months to 31 December, Vintage Wine Estates generated net revenue of $141.3m, down from $156.5m a year earlier. Net losses were $64.4m, an improvement on the losses of $127.6m recorded in the corresponding period the previous year.

The group has said that as of 31 December it had $21.4m in cash and $305m of current debt outstanding.

In the company’s last full financial year, which ran to the end of June 2023, it recorded losses of just short of $189m on net revenue of $189.4m.






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East Coast Wings + Grill launches two new burgers

After seeing success with various summer limited-time offers, East Coast Wings + Grill, a full-service, family dining franchise, is announcing the addition of four new food options to its menu.

ECW+G is embracing current flavor trends with new menu additions at all participating ECW+G locations.

“Our new menu items showcase our commitment to offering our guests more than just our beloved wings,” said Sam Ballas, founder and CEO of ECW+G. “The two new burgers, flatbread, and quesadilla incorporate trendy flavors our customers have been asking for, reflecting our dedication to culinary innovation. These additions are yet another step in our efforts to ramp up our growth and continue to serve our customers with innovative and delicious options.”

ECW+G’s new food items:

  • Gochujang Burger: Two seasoned quarter-pound Angus beef patties basted with sweet and spicy Korean sauce, provolone cheese, pickled red onions, jalapenos and sesame gochujang aioli on a lightly toasted bun.
  • Fiesta Burger: Two seasoned quarter-pound Angus beef patties topped with warm Mexican street corn queso, loaded with fire-roasted corn, chili peppers and melted cheddar Jack cheese and topped with crispy tortilla strips, jalapenos and chipotle aioli on a lightly toasted bun.
  • “DILL”-icious Flatbread: Crispy flatbread, creamy dill pickle aioli, seasoned ground beef, chopped tomatoes and pickles, smoked bacon and melted mozzarella cheese blend, drizzled with 1000 island dressing.
  • Fiesta Quesadilla: Grilled flour tortilla, loaded with fire-roasted corn, melted cheddar Jack cheese, jalapeno, cilantro and spicy seasoned chicken, drizzled with chipotle aioli.

These new offerings are a direct byproduct of ECW+G’s responsive menu strategy, supported by three pillars: food quality, profits and guest preferences. In fact, the franchise actively hosts food focus groups monthly to garner feedback from its loyalty members. These guests taste-test a variety of menu options and provide constructive feedback on which potential offerings should be added to the menu.

Source: East Coast Wings + Grill



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Papa Johns franchisee doubles down on fast casual burger concept

Portland, Oregon-based Killer Burger has signed a second six-unit agreement with Cascade Dining, which owns 26 Papa Johns and opened its first Killer last year in Salem, Oregon, as part of a previous six-agreement deal.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Dave Edwards (of Cascade Dining) and his team to open six more Killer Burger units in the coming years,” John Dikos, CEO of Killer Burger, said in a company press release. “Dave and his team’s dedication to operational excellence ensures that we’re providing the ultimate burger experience that we promise each and every customer, and their recommitment to our brand demonstrates the value proposition we are able to offer franchisees. As we continue to scale our concept, we remain focused on expanding into new markets and filling out whitespace in the markets we’re currently in with incredible franchisees like Dave.”

Edwards also recently bought a company-owned Killer location in Gresham, Oregon, bringing his potential total to 13 locations.

“We were incredibly impressed with the immediate success we saw following our first opening in Salem, and are confident in our decision to extend the partnership to another six units,” Edwards said in the release. “Killer Burger is more than a great burger joint with high-quality food, it’s a truly unique experience. We were huge fans of the brand prior to partnering with John and the team, and view these agreements as a great opportunity to use our operational excellence to grow the brand and round out our franchising portfolio.”



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SpartanNash names new chief marketing officer

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Dive Brief:

  • SpartanNash announced Monday it has hired Erin Storm as its new senior vice president and chief marketing officer. 
  • Storm will oversee various aspects of the company’s marketing function, including its private label portfolio, retail marketing programs, e-commerce and digital experience, shopper insights, and loyalty.
  • The new executive onboard comes during a tough financial year for the food solutions company, which is looking to continue a “merchandising transformation,” CEO Tony Sarsam said during an earnings call earlier this month.

Dive Insight:

Storm brings nearly 20 years of food and CPG marketing experience to her new role at SpartanNash. 

Prior to joining the company, Storm spent the majority of her career working for the Kellogg Company holding numerous leadership positions, including senior director of marketing and senior director of sales. Last October, she was promoted to vice president of marketing with Kellanova, Kellogg’s spin-off company, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

Storm most recently held the position of vice president of commercial strategy for Kellanova, according to the announcement, which noted that she has provided leadership for leading brands and that her creative team at Kellogg’s won national awards and recognition for a 2024 Pringles Super Bowl commercial.

“[Storm] will play a pivotal role in driving brand awareness for our retail banners and OwnBrands portfolio, capturing market share, and leveraging consumer insights for product innovation,” Sarsam said in a statement. 

As SpartanNash’s sales continue to decline year over year, the company is focusing on bolstering and revamping things it “can control and not standing still in this environment,” Sarsam told investors earlier this month, noting how the effects of declining wholesale business with Amazon have hurt performance in recent quarters. 

SpartanNash’s private label growth, which Storm will now oversee, is included in areas the company is continuing to focus on to bring back a positive sales trend. Earlier this year, the company announced the launch of its new private brand called Finest Reserve by Our Family, offering pasta, sauces, dressing and more. 

Storm marks SpartanNash’s latest executive announcement. In early June, the company named a new vice president of merchandising and pharmacy.



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Black Creek Community Farm to Host Fundraising Dinner

Chef advocate Bashir Munye holding the flower of an okra plant | Photo credit: Rosanna Caira

TORONTO ─ On September 19th, the Black Creek Community Farm, a unique eight-acre urban agricultural space that engages, educates, and empowers in Toronto’s Jane/Finch community to re-connect to the land and provide dignity to its residents within our food systems, will be hosting its annual fundraiser called “Dinner at the Farm – A Night of Culinary Entertainment.”

The funds raised will go towards supporting the farm’s efforts to provide produce to its community members, while also offering farm education programming for all age groups. This year, the farm will be celebrating its 12th year in operation. During this time, it has done progressive work in enriching the community through a thriving farm, creating access to healthy food, providing holistic hands-on training, and intergenerational learning experiences. Central to the urban farm is the biodiversity in its growing spaces. The learning gardens are models of sustainable urban agriculture, which include the food forest, pollinator gardens of both native and medicinal plans, learning gardens for children, youth, and seniors, community garden plots and a sensory garden. The farm is a not-for-profit organization and a leader in urban agriculture and the community food sector.

The event is taking place during urban agriculture week (Sept 16-20). Those interested in purchasing tickets to the event, click here



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How’d You Like a Nice Glass of 2D Printed Oat Milk?

This week, Milkadamia, known for its range of macadamia-based milks, announced its first oat milk. However, this isn’t just any oat milk; the company is introducing Flat Pack oat milk, which are printed sheets of plant-based milk that are designed to be rehydrated in water overnight or blended for an instant beverage.

According to the company, these sheets are created by printing oat milk paste onto flat sheets using a proprietary 2D printing process. Each package contains eight of these lightweight sheets, reducing both packaging and weight.

But why print milk instead of shipping it as a ready-to-drink liquid? Although plant-based milk is more environmentally friendly than dairy, ready-to-drink beverages still have a significant carbon footprint and require substantial packaging to reach consumers. Research from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health highlights that the climate impact of bottled water, for example, can be up to 3,500 times higher than that of tap water. Milkadamia claims that their printed milk sheets will reduce packaging by 94% and product weight by 85%.

Milkadamia isn’t the first to venture into printed beverages, or even printed milk. Veganz, for instance, patented a 2D-printed milk product last year and began distributing it soon after. Given the similarities between Veganz’s product and Milkadamia’s oat milk, it raises the question of whether Milkadamia is licensing this technology from Veganz. (Editor update: Milkadamia confirmed via email that they are using the same technology as Veganz and are the first to introduce flat-pack milk in the US).

Another company in the printed beverage space is SmartCups, which prints energy drink concentrates directly into cups, allowing consumers to create their drinks by simply adding water. This approach to printed beverages seems to be gaining more traction than in-home beverage printing—a concept that Cana, a company that attempted to market it, struggled with before going out of business last year.

Milkadamia’s new Flat Pack printed oat milk is set to be available online and in stores starting January 2025.



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Thermo King’s E-Zone at IAA 2024

Hanover, Germany: Thermo King is set to present its latest innovations at the IAA Transport show in Hannover, Germany, from 17-22 September.

Thermo King will show its latest electric and sustainable refrigeration systems compatible with any van, truck or tractor drive technology and suitable for all logistics applications.

A major highlight will be the unveil of a new electric portfolio of refrigeration units for heavy commercial vehicles. This launch marks a significant advancement in Thermo King’s electric portfolio, exemplifying the company’s dedication to decarbonise urban and inner-city deliveries.

“Thermo King’s commitment to innovation and driving the decarbonisation of the cold chain is unwavering,” said Claudio Zanframundo, president Thermo King EMEA Truck, Trailer, Bus and Global Marine, Rail, Air.

“It is clear that electrification is no longer a future concept; it is our present reality,” Zanframundo said.



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Port of Seattle confronts 4th day of cyberattack outages

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Dive Brief:

  • Widespread system outages dragged into the fourth day at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the wake of a cyberattack that began disrupting services at the Port of Seattle, which operates the airport, Saturday morning.
  • Most flights are departing and arriving as scheduled, cruise ship operations are operating as normal, and security checkpoints and systems are not impacted, officials said in media briefings on Sunday and Monday. But many other services for the Port of Seattle remain offline, including the facilities’ primary websites, phone, email, Wi-Fi and flight display screens. In addition, the port’s maritime facilities’ phone systems remain down, according to a Monday update.
  • The Port of Seattle said there is no estimated time for a recovery and resumption of normal operations, in a Monday update.

Dive Insight:

Port and federal officials with the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s passenger terminal and airport security systems remain intact and all screening measures remain in place.

The most significant delays are occurring at check-in counters and bag check stations. Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and international carriers that use the airport’s common use check-in counters, gates and kiosks are especially impacted by the ongoing outages, Perry Cooper, senior manager of media relations at the port, said Monday during a media briefing.

The port did not describe the nature of the cyberattack and is conducting an investigation with assistance from outside experts, the TSA and federal agencies.

“We can’t yet say when this will be resolved,” Lyttle said. “We are working with outside resources, as well as the port’s robust information technology department and, believe me, we all want to handle this as quickly as possible.”

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport sees about 1,400 arrivals and departures on a typical day, and “even with the current challenges that we’re facing right now, we’ve only had four cancellations at this point,” Lyttle said Sunday.

The Port of Seattle did not return emails, and calls to the port and airport failed, including the non-emergency line for the airport police department. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. The FBI said it is aware of the incident and declined further comment.



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