OTA.COM 59 News Bites BUSINESS MILESTONES Ardent Mills LLC in late September announced its intent to acquire Firebird Artisan Mills, a leading gluten-free specialty grain and pulse milling company that is part of operating holding company Agspring. The move continues Ardent Mills’ focus on emerging nutrition, building upon its existing wheat flour and plant-forward business. The parties expected the deal to close by the end of 2021. Bonterra Organic Vineyards, owned by Fetzer Vineyards has achieved Climate Neutral certification for its entire business and publicly published its climate footprint. The company has a history of sustainable practices, including 100% green power use at the winery. Meanwhile, Fetzer Vineyards has achieved Regenerative Organic Certification for all of its Mendocino County vineyard holdings and winery. Organic certification is the foundation for regenerative organic certification. The J.M. Smucker Co. is selling its R.W. Knudsen and TruRoots businesses to private equity firm Nexus Capital Management LP. In addition, Nexus Capital Management LP is entering into a licensing agreement for Santa Cruz Organic beverages. The agreement also includes the acquisition of manufacturing plants in Chico, CA, and Havre de Grace, MD. It does not include the Santa Cruz Organic nut butters, fruit spreads, syrups, or applesauce businesses. Taylor Farms has acquired Curation Foods’ fresh packaged salads, green beans, and fresh, cut vegetables business from Landec Corporation. United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) entered into an agreement to bring on-demand grocery delivery solutions to independent retailers nationwide through the DoorDash marketplace. Through the arrangements, consumers can order groceries and essentials on DoorDash’s marketplace, and independent grocery retailers can then leverage DoorDash’s existing logistics network. The aim is to empower local grocers to build e-commerce and delivery. MARKETING Change Your Food—Change Your Life has marketed its GOOD LiViN CD to stream around the world in 195 countries to extol the joy of eating organic food. It has attracted fans from Medellin to Memphis, Tokyo to Tulsa, Hong Kong to Houston. Rudi’s Rocky Mountain Bakery, a leader in small batch organic baking, promoted its bakery products in a consumer “Slice of Home” celebration in November. Rudi’s teamed up with Colorado resident and founder of Generous Coffee and the star Ben Higgins of “The Bachelor” to encourage consumers coast-tocoast to share their stories and recipes that embody what a slice of home means to them. Consumers then had a chance to enter giveaways throughout the month. Uncle Matt’s Organic has debuted a new look featuring a redesigned logo and packaging. The refresh comes as the company continues its rapid expansion within the juice, functional beverage, and shots categories. TAKING PART IN ORGANIC FRAUD PREVENTION SOLUTIONS Pro-Cert, North America’s leading certifier of organic, gluten-free, and grassfed products, is now an official Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions Supporting Partner, becoming the sixth accredited certifier to sign on as a partner. Other Supporting Partners include Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Quality Assurance International, California Certified Organic Farmers, Oregon Tilth, and Quality Certification Services. A Supporting Partner is a stakeholder in the organic industry committed to organic integrity and fraud prevention, and not otherwise eligible to enroll directly in the program. Meanwhile, two companies have completed the nine-step enrollment process in Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions: Sunrise Food International and Naturepedic Organic Mattresses. There are an additional 41 companies that are currently enrolled in the program to make their way through the process. An additional 170 companies have inquired about enrolling or supporting the program, but have not yet enrolled or applied for a supporting partner role. Companies that are currently engaged in this trade association program are preparing themselves to be compliant with requirements in USDA’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement final rule that is expected to be released this spring.
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