Non-Dairy

As the assets of dairy conglomerate Dean Foods continued to be divided up following the company’s bankruptcy filing, plant-based dairy brand Good Karma announced today that it has repurchased the majority of the company once owned by Dean and also closed a “significant” amount of capital through new strategic partners.

In California, a revised FAW issued by the state Department of Public Health effectively prohibits the sale of hemp-derived CBD products, while the debate over defining an identity for the plant-based dairy category moves forward.

Anita Shepherd, founder of Brooklyn-based vegan yogurt brand Anita’s Coconut Yogurt, spoke with the NOSH team about her decision to go back to the basics after a year of growing pains.

The capital will be used to grow the company’s team beyond its current 10 employees, hiring food scientists and chefs to support a robust innovation pipeline. Although some efforts will go towards developing new flavors for its current pint line, Nicholson said an even bigger focus is to bring the brand into categories beyond pints and, potentially, beyond the freezer aisle.

Now under new — albeit temporary — leadership, a plant-based dairy leader is launching a new product set. Almond-based cheese and yogurt brand Kite Hill announced this week the launch of three new products to expand the brand’s presence in the dairy set.

Today dairy processor and distributor Dean Foods announced a minority investment in Boulder, Colorado based Good Karma, a producer of flaxseed-based, dairy alternative food and beverage products. Originally a private label manufacturer of dairy-alternative milks, Good Karma developed its own branded CPG line in 2014 and expanded beyond beverages to yogurt in late 2016.

Is there really confusion on the market as to whether these alternative brands actually contain animal products like cow’s milk? During the 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, we spoke with both dairy and alternative dairy brands to find out how they perceive the proposed Dairy Pride Act.

Millennium Products, Inc., the parent company of GT’s Kombucha, has acquired Tula’s CocoKefir, the maker of coconut-based kefirs and yogurts that are fermented with vegan probiotic cultures. The transaction took place earlier this year, according to Millennium Products founder GT Dave, who told BevNET, Project NOSH’s sister publication, that he has long had a fondness for Tula’s products.