The J.M. Smucker Co. has elected Katie Williams as CMO, effective March 9, bringing more than 20 years of brand-building experience to the Orrville, Ohio-based food company. Williams most recently served as U.S. chief marketing officer for Haleon, a multinational consumer health company, where she led commercial and brand strategy for a portfolio that includes […]
Category: Center Store
Center store news for grocery retailers: dry grocery, pantry staples, merchandising and category trends in the aisles.
See more center store coverage in Aisle Watch.
Violet Foods Acquires Muir Glen Organic Tomato Brand From General Mills
Violet Foods, a portfolio company of Amphora Equity Partners, has acquired the Muir Glen brand of organic tomato products from General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition marks a significant expansion for Williamstown, New Jersey-based Violet Foods, which owns a portfolio of brands, including Sclafani, Fattoria Fresca […]
Rich Products Acquires Great Kitchens Food Co. From Brynwood Partners
Rich Products Corp. has acquired Great Kitchens Food Co. from Brynwood Partners VIII, a Greenwich, Connecticut-based private equity firm, in a transaction that recently closed. Financial terms were not disclosed. Great Kitchens manufactures pizzas, flatbreads, strombolis and calzones sold to grocery, club and mass retailers, as well as foodservice outlets nationwide. Brynwood VIII formed Great […]
Goya Foods Celebrates 90 Years As Largest Hispanic-Owned Food Company
Goya Foods is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2026, marking nine decades since Spanish immigrants Don Prudencio Unanue and his wife, Carolina, founded the company in 1936 inside a small storefront in Lower Manhattan. Jersey City, New Jersey-based Goya Foods has grown to become the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, establishing itself […]
B&G Foods Wins Del Monte Broth Brands For $110M In Bankruptcy Auction
B&G Foods has agreed to acquire Del Monte Foods’ broth and stock business, including the College Inn and Kitchen Basics brands, for about $110 million in cash following a competitive bankruptcy auction. The transaction emerged from Del Monte Foods Corporation II’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, where B&G Foods prevailed as the winning bidder for the […]
NIQ, Kodiak Expand Partnership With Retail Measurement Agreement
NIQ, a global measurement and data analytics company, and Kodiak Cakes, a maker of whole grain and high-protein foods, have begun a new retail measurement agreement designed to help drive growth in the breakfast category by leveraging insights into consumer behavior and retail performance trends. The partnership builds on both companies’ commitment to supporting category […]
Patriot Pickle Completes Acquisition Of Cosmo’s Food Products
Patriot Pickle has acquired Cosmo’s Food Products, a West Haven, Connecticut-based manufacturer of premium pepper products and antipasto specialties. The acquisition brings together two family-rooted businesses and expands Patriot’s product portfolio. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1944 by the Laudano family, Cosmo’s is a supplier to grocers, restaurants and foodservice distributors. […]
McCormick Names Black Currant As 2026 Flavor Of The Year
McCormick and Co. has proclaimed the 2026 Flavor of the Year as black currant, a berry it said has a balanced flavor profile that blends sweet, tart and rich taste notes. The announcement came alongside McCormick’s 2026 Flavor Forecast, an annual trend report that identifies emerging culinary flavors expected to shape how people prepare and […]
Kraft Heinz Names Cahillane CEO
Steve Cahillane has been named CEO of The Kraft Heinz Co., effective Jan. 1., where he also will join the company’s board of directors and serve as CEO of Global Taste Elevation Co. following Kraft’s separation into two companies. To ensure a transition, Carlos Abrams-Rivera will step down Jan. 1 and serve as an advisor […]
Albertsons Media Collective Introduces Inaugural Alby Awards
Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos., has introduced the Alby Awards to recognize advertising partners that delivered the strongest return on ad spend (ROAS) via the network’s platform in 2025. Winners were evaluated using a standardized framework that measured aggregated ROAS performance across each advertiser’s brands throughout the year. […]
Barilla Opens Innovation Center In Parma, Italy
Barilla Group has opened the Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience (BITE) in Parma, Italy, designed as a global hub to foster development across the company’s portfolio of pasta, sauces and bakery products The company said the 150,000-square-f00t center represents a more than $25 million investment, with an additional $2.3 million per year dedicated to equipment […]
True Salt Expands Private Label Offerings To Meet Growing Demand
True Salt, a provider of all-natural sea salt products, has expanded its private label program in response to increasing demand from grocery chains and foodservice distributors for premium, store-brand sea salt products. The Phoenix-based company manufactures private label salt products for five of the 10 largest foodservice distributors in the U.S. True Salt is scaling […]
The Campbell’s Co. Debuts 2025 State Of The Sides Report
The Campbell’s Company has released its annual State of the Sides report, a study that highlights Thanksgiving’s most popular side dishes. “Generations have turned to Campbell’s to create their holiday side dishes over the years, and this year’s report shows those classics are still at the heart of every holiday celebration,” said Marci Raible, VP of […]
PepsiCo Introduces New Corporate Brand Identity
PepsiCo is introducing a new corporate brand identity, one the company says “reflects who we are now and the future we’re building together.” “Our new identity boldly reflects who we are in 2025: a company with expansive reach, aiming for positive impact across the globe and an unmatched family of beloved food and drink brands,” said […]
General Mills Highlights Growth Initiatives At Investor Day
General Mills Inc. executives provided investors and analysts an update on its strategic priorities and plans to accelerate growth at its Investor Day Oct. 14 at the company’s world headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening, CFO Kofi Bruce and other General Mills executives outlined the company’s key growth initiatives focused on driving […]
Eagle Foods Commemorates 10th Anniversary
Cleveland, Ohio-based Eagle Foods, the CPG company with brands such as Hamburger Helper and Suddenly! (pasta sides), is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The company was founded in 2015 by Kelso & Co. acquiring businesses from J.M. Smuckers, including Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk, Magnolia Sweetened Condensed Milk, PET Milk and Milnot Evaporated […]
The Kraft Heinz Co. To Separate Into 2 Companies
The Kraft Heinz Co.’s board of directors has unanimously approved a plan to separate the company into two independent, publicly traded companies through a tax-free spin-off designed to enable stronger performance while preserving the scale to compete in today’s environment. The separation aims to maximize Kraft Heinz’s capabilities and brands while reducing complexity, allowing both […]
The Wonderful Co. Calls For Central Valley Community Grant Applications
The Wonderful Company has opened the application period for its Wonderful Central Valley Community Grants. Over the past 10 years, The Wonderful Company and its co-owners, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, along with their foundations, have awarded more than $8.5 million in grants to more than 142 nonprofits and 165 schools in the San Joaquin Valley. […]
Ferrero To Acquire WK Kellogg Co.
The Ferrero Group has agreed to acquire WK Kellogg Co. for $23 per share in cash, representing a total enterprise value of $3.1 billion. The acquisition, which includes the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of WK Kellogg Co.’s portfolio of breakfast cereals across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, expands Ferrero’s reach with renowned brands and strong consumer relevance. Upon the […]
Seed Oil Free Certified Products See Triple-Digit Growth
Seed Oil Free Certified, the world’s first certification for products made without seed oils, has entered a strategic data partnership with SPINS, a provider of data and analytics for the wellness-focused CPG industry. This collaboration provides the first empirical look into an emerging consumer preference: the growing demand for products made without industrial seed oils. […]
