WeWork Launches Bodegas, Kosher Bacon + More

Source: WeWork

Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

WeWork has launched its in-house convenient store, dubbed WeMRKT, in partnership with SnackNation which will exclusively house its member’s products.

Rabbi Gavriel Price, head of the largest kosher certifying organization in the world, is in charge of deciding how it should deal with cultured meat. This brings him in touch with a possibility for Jewish cuisine that had previously seemed impossible: kosher bacon.

Check out our weekly round-up of last week’s top food startup, tech and innovation news below or peruse the full newsletter here.

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1. Meat Labs Pursue a Once-Impossible Goal: Kosher Bacon – New York Times

A rabbi at the world’s largest kosher certification agency is leading an effort to determine if and how meat grown from animal cells can satisfy Jewish law.

2. WeWork Does Bodegas – The New Yorker

The company’s new in-house convenience stores, called WeMRKTs, aspire to carry products made by members. It hosts a pitch night to stock its stores.

3. China’s Tech Giants Drive Investment in Chinese AgriFood Startups – AgFunder

Chinese AgriFood Startups raised $1.8b in funding in 2017 with participation from 198 investors over 177 deals.

4. Campbell in Talks to Sell Fresh Unit to Investors Led by Former Bolthouse CEO – Wall Street Journal

Jeff Dunn, who helped a private equity firm sell Bolthouse to Campbell in 2012 for $1.6b, subsequently co-founded and remains an investor in Campbell’s VC fund, Acre Venture Partners.

5. Billionaire-Backed Fund Invests in Pivot Bio’s $70M Series B to Address ‘One of Largest Sources of GHGs on Planet’ – AgFunder

Breakthrough Energy Ventures has invested in the startup, which produces microbes applied to crops to make nitrogen available. Funding will support the launch of its debut product PROVEN in 2019 as well as support expanded R&D for its second-gen product.

6. Our Dirty Secret: Soil is on the Endangered List

FoodShot Global has launched a $30 million investment platform to transform the food system, starting with sustainable soil.

7. India: Agritech Startup Origo Commodities Raises $10.9M Funding – Inc42

Oikocredit Triodos Investment Management and Caspian SME Impact Fund IV led the round. Origo Commodities, post-harvest management services for agricultural commodities, plans to utilize the funds to strengthen its product offerings.

8. Dutch Cell-Based Meat Startup Meatable Emerges from Stealth Mode – Food Navigator

BlueYard Capital led the $3.5m funding round, with support from Atlantic Food Labs, Future Positive Capital, Backed VC and angel investors. The new capital will help the company scale its cultured meat platform.

9. Dirty Lemon CEO Zak Normandin on Conversational Commerce [ Video]

Co-founder and CEO Zak Normandin joined us at our Rethinking CPG meetup in August to share insight about Dirty Lemon’s technology and business strategies.

10. Keurig Dr. Pepper Makes Premium Water Play with $525M Acquisition of CORE Nutrition – Food Navigator

The premium bottled water trend has presented manufacturers with further growth opportunities.

11. Canada: Trait Biosciences Raises C$12M Seed Funding to Make Cannabis Consumption More Predictable – AgFunder

The company’s incoming executive team led the round, joined by Green Acre Capital, CannaIncome Fund and executives from Canada’s largest licensed producers. The funding will be used to enhance the scientific team and to establish a research facility.

12. Snack on This, Cargo Raises $22.5M – The Spoon

VentureBeat led the round, which will go towards fueling expansion both domestically and internationally.

13. Women, Women of Color & Gender Non-Conforming Innovator Database

We created this open-source list to increase representation, support and investment in women, women of color & gender-nonconforming innovators in food. Join the list & help us spread the word using #womxninfood

14. Join the Alpha Food Labs Community

We’re rethinking the way food is made, starting with community. The Alpha Community. Join us to help develop, test, and get early access to food designed for your tastes and values.

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