After a two and half year hiatus, Plant-Based World Expo North America (PBW) returned triumphantly to the Javits Center in New York on December 9 and 10. Attendees at the 100% plant-based B2B industry event were treated to best-in-class plant-based products, remarkable product innovations, informative and inspiring speakers, and exclusive networking opportunities. The exhibit space grew by more than 65% and the B2B audience more than doubled from the 2019 event.

“The turnout and response to PBW 2021 were better than we expected,” said Chris Nemchek, General Manager. “You could feel the energy and excitement on the expo floor as exhibitors, buyers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors networked, made deals, and discovered how far the plant-based industry has come since our 2019 show and where we are headed.”

Trends on display included:

Plant-based chicken everything including nuggets, southern fried bites, patties, shreds, and more from VFC, Gardein, CHKN Not Chicken, Future Farm, Beyond Chicken, Plant-It, and Tindle.

Plant-based cultured butters from Naturli’, Beurremont, and Wild Creamery.
Women-owned businesses including Plant Perks, Nomad Dumplings, Miyoko’s Creamery, No Bones Beach Club, and Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots.

Global cuisine from Thai Union, Brotalia, Century Pacific Foods, Naturise Singapore PTE. LTD, More Foods Innotech Co., Ltd., and OmniFoods.

Whether they were sampling creamy plant-based butter and cheese and mouth-watering plant-based pork filled dumplings, or listening to expert speakers, celebrity chefs, and industry leaders, attendees agreed that this was the not-to-be-missed B2B event of the year.

“The Plant-Based World Expo was amazing! The organizers were really efficient about connecting the right people with the plant-based industry. It’s a very beneficial trade event for the booming plant-based business, and it’s the right place to connect with the right people from the trade, retailers, distributors, brokers and non-profits. You can meet colleagues, share information, and improve products,” said Henrik Lund, CEO of Naturli` Foods.

“PBW was a great show this year! The energy in the room was electric,” added Katie Grobman, VP of Marketing, Abe’s Vegan Muffins. “It was a great turnout–we had buyers from Giant Eagle, Misfits Market, University of Michigan, DOE NYC, Freshly and many others—our entire team is very happy.”

Organigram Holdings Inc. is pleased to announce it has acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Laurentian Organic Inc., in a cash and share transaction for aggregate consideration of $36 million, plus earnout consideration payable, if applicable, based on Laurentian surpassing certain EBITDA thresholds in calendar 2022 and 2023. The Laurentian acquisition further strengthens Organigram’s position in the Canadian market through the expansion of the Company’s portfolio into premium products, including hash and craft cannabis, in addition to providing an important presence in the province of Quebec through scalable cultivation and operational footprint.

Laurentian was co-founded by Eric Brosseau, Mathieu Lahaie and Eric Verdier, a trio of highly passionate Quebecers who parlayed their love of cannabis into a successful cannabis company operating near the iconic Mont-Tremblant, specializing in high-quality, artisanal craft cannabis and premium Afghan hash. Organigram is excited to have a foothold in the Quebec market and is committed to building on the great progress made by the team at Laurentian through further investment in people and facilities in the province. The Company also plans to leverage its strong internal field sales force and national distribution capabilities to build on Laurentian’s existing momentum.

“The Laurentian acquisition marks yet another important milestone for Organigram as we continue to deepen the focus of our core business on delighting consumers with innovative products and brands that deliver unique and memorable experiences,” said Beena Goldenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Organigram. “Not only does Laurentian add two great new brands to our portfolio, it also brings us new premium product offerings with its Afghan hash and artisanal craft flower, as well as a footprint in the important market of Quebec. We look forward to building on the momentum that Laurentian has established to bring these products to even more Canadian provinces and territories.”

“We founded Laurentian with the goal of bringing the highest quality hash and cannabis to consumers across Canada. We are thrilled to be joining Organigram where we will have the opportunity to leverage their expertise and distribution capabilities to make this expansion goal a reality,” said Eric Brosseau, Co-Founder of Laurentian. “The Organigram team has an unrivalled customer service experience through its rigour and professional standards and dedicated national sales force and we are thrilled to be able to work with their team through the next phase of growth.”

Source: Financial post

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. is pleased to announce the appointment of Louis Sterling to the Board of Directors effective today, subject to the receipt of any necessary regulatory approvals.

Since 2017, Mr. Sterling has been a private investor targeting small-cap public equities and select fast-growth private companies, particularly in the health, wellness, and cannabis industries. Prior to this, he was a managing director of BondFactor, a firm specializing in insuring municipal bonds. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Sterling also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an undergraduate degree from Howard University, and has extensive experience in investment banking and private equity, having worked at Lincolnshire Management and Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Mr. Sterling will be replacing Mr. Jeffrey Scott who is resigning from his position as Board Member effective immediately to focus on other business interests.

“On behalf of the entire TGOD organization, I’d like to welcome Louis to TGOD’s Board. He joins us at an exciting time as we continue to grow revenues and execute our plan to profitability. We are confident that Louis will provide valuable perspectives as we explore opportunities in the U.S. and increase our market share domestically,” said Angus Footman, Chair of the Board. “I would also like to thank Jeff for his contribution to the Board since 2018 and wish him well in his future endeavours,” added Mr. Footman.

In connection with the Appointment, the Company has granted Mr. Sterling options to purchase an aggregate of up to 300,000 common shares of the Company. Each Option is exercisable into one common share at an exercise price of $0.11 per common share. The Options are granted in accordance with the Company’s share option plan adopted by the board of directors of the Company on May 12, 2021.

The Supreme Court of Canada issued its decision on the appeal of the tax matter relating to Glenhuron Bank Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Loblaw Companies Limited (TSX: L) that was wound up in 2013.  The Court affirmed the decision of the Federal Court of Appeal in favour of Loblaw. The Company is providing the following statement in response to the decision.

“Canadians expect us to pay our taxes fully and fairly and we do. We are pleased that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in our favour and that this matter is now behind us.”

Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest baking company, led the investment round and will partner with LiveKuna on joint product launches with traceable ingredients.

Naturiste is overjoyed to announce the opening of the very first Naturiste Plus boutique, located inside Metro Plus Beaumont in the Town of Mount Royal.

This new store offers the best sellers in Naturiste’s product line, in addition to a wide range of products from national brands sought after by natural health consumers. The opening of this store in a busy and well-known Montreal neighbourhood like TMR brings a lot to the local economy, especially with the creation of new jobs.

“When we see the new shopping trend of consumers wanting to find all their products under one roof, and Metro being the favourite destination of Quebecers, it was relevant for Naturiste to work in partnership,” proudly stated Mr. Stephen Rosenhek, President. Naturiste is very proud to have the opportunity to partner with such an important industry leader to contribute to the expansion of its product offering and to distinguish itself through its consulting services.”

The association of two leading brands in Quebec can only lead to great success. In collaboration with Metro, Naturiste plans to open other Naturiste Plus stores within the Metro network across Quebec, with the objective of expanding its reach.

“We are delighted to welcome the first Naturiste Plus store in one of Metro’s flagship locations. We are constantly on the lookout for innovative Quebec companies that distinguish themselves by the quality of their products, but also by their ability to adapt to the ever-changing lifestyles and needs of our customers. Our agreement with Naturiste allows us to offer our customers an additional way to consume health and wellness products while contributing to the development of a recognized local company,” said Martin Turcotte, Vice President, Retail Marketing, Metro.

At Metro Plus Beaumont, customers will be able to do a complete grocery run while shopping for their natural health products in one place. This grocery store, which is already the destination of choice for local purchases, will undoubtedly become a reference for all residents of the area and surrounding areas who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Why Naturiste PLUS?
Currently, Naturiste has more than forty natural health product stores throughout the province of Quebec. The new store will be known as Naturiste Plus to reflect a much broader product offering, in addition to matching the name of its partner, Metro Plus.

Naturiste’s strength is to offer high-quality natural health products combined with a sustained and adapted consulting service to accompany the consumer in their search. This model has always been at the heart of the company’s success and will be replicated in Naturiste Plus, in order to continue to offer the best to Metro’s customers, not only in the selection of high-quality products but also in terms of customer service and advice.

As in Naturiste stores, Naturiste Plus employees are either naturopaths or people with a strong interest in natural health, who regularly attend training sessions with Naturiste’s head naturotherapist. They are therefore knowledgeable in the field and are ready to guide customers who want to prioritize their health through natural products.

With the partnership between Naturiste and Metro, being at the top of your health has never been easier! Find everything you need under one roof while having the most enjoyable experience, only at Naturiste Plus.

The episode debuts on Friday, January 21 on the CBS Television Network and can be viewed online at CBS.com, including bonus scenes, and streamed on Paramount+

The company announced that it would cut its stake in L’Oreal (OREP.PA) to about 20% by selling shares worth 8.9 billion euros ($10 billion) back to the French cosmetics brand, moving to reduce the weight of the beauty giant on its books for the first time in 7 years.

The Nescafe maker’s holding in the beauty giant has been subject to intense scrutiny over the years, and the Swiss company has maintained its interest was both financial and strategic, even when activist investor Third Point urged disposal in mid-2017. Since then, L’Oreal shares have more than doubled.

Launched in 2018, SiMoGel enables the production of nutraceutical gummies using a starch-free process – providing the hygienic conditions needed for supplements. The gelatin-based solution not only helps optimize the production process of nutraceutical gummies, but also enables producers to bring tasty, innovative and competitive delivery forms to the market.

“We’re delighted to have achieved this important step in protecting our innovative SiMoGel solution,” says Randall C. Stuewe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Darling Ingredients. “The patent grant by the EPO strengthens our current patent portfolio and confirms that we are delivering truly innovative solutions to the market. In securing this patent, we are able to offer our customers even more opportunities for secure product development, allowing them to tap into the growing nutraceutical gummy market.”

Over the past few years, nutraceutical gummies have proven to be a popular delivery form achieving a CAGR of 37.3% from 2016 to 20202. As the market continues to expand, so too do the opportunities. To further improve gummies as a delivery form, Rousselot recently launched a new SiMoGel-based process solution, which enables the production of center-filled nutraceutical gummies – also known as gummy caps. This unique concept combines the benefits of soft gels and gummies in a single delivery form – making it the first of its kind to be launched on the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets.

Marit van der Heijden, Global Marketing & Project Manager at Rousselot adds, “We are committed to using gelatin as the preferred excipient in this application, as we believe its many functional benefits and natural origins bring endless possibilities for consumers to enjoy their daily vitamins, and even medicines. Rousselot’s team is looking forward to applying the SiMoGel concept in collaboration with our customers to create innovative products, such as 3D gummies, coming with visually appealing and palatable shapes. Our teams of food and nutrition experts are particularly eager to provide formulation support and help nutraceutical and pharmaceutical players reach their new product development goals.”

The patent granted by the EPO (ref. EP3570680B1) is effective in all major countries in Europe and is pending in Brazil, Japan and the United States.