CPG Connect // Vol. 2: Trade Shows, Flavor is king, and Ferrero Moves
Your weekly pulse check on what’s happening across CPG, commerce, and the brands breaking through.
This week, we’re diving into what stood out (and what didn’t) at Fancy Food, who’s making real noise in the functional soda space, and why these upcoming NYC events should be on your radar. Plus, we’ve got fresh rebrands, retail shakeups, and one tool that might just save your checkout flow.
Let’s get into it.
Upcoming NYC Events
Bring Your Brand – CPG Morning Hangout (NYC)Wednesday, July 16 | 8:00–10:00 AMA casual kickoff with great founders, coffee, and conversation.RSVP
Growth Labs: Retention Is the New Acquisition (NYC)Wednesday, July 16 | 5:00–7:30 PMJoin leaders from 32 Degrees, Attentive, and LSG as they unpack what’s actually driving revenue through CX and retention.RSVP
Pong, Games & Drinks Hangout (NYC)Thursday, July 17 | 6:00–9:00 PMHosted by Lunar Solar Group and Superfiliate. Bring your A-game.RSVP
Summer Hang @ Thread HQ (SLC)Tuesday, July 23 | 5:30–7:30 PMWrap up the day with light bites, summer drinks, and laid-back vibes.RSVP
Unwrapped w/ Kelly Bennett Fancy Food Edition
Last week, I got the chance to walk Fancy Food for the first time and if I’m being honest, it was overwhelming in the best way. So I wanted to process the experience a bit differently.
I sat down with Kelly Bennett: Brand Strategist for emerging CPG food & beverage brands, host of The Emerging Brands Podcast, and one of the best in the game when it comes to helping founders find their voice, to break it all down.
Here’s what stood out.
Clarity Wins
The biggest thing Kelly said that stuck with me: if you're going to invest in a trade show, you'd better have a clear point of view.
Not just a solid product. Not just great branding. But real clarity around who you are, why you exist, and how that shows up across every touchpoint—from your sampling experience to your booth design to your founder story.
“The brands that stood out had a clear perspective. You could feel it through their energy, their setup, their team, and how they told their story.”
It sounds simple, but that clarity is what separates brands that attract attention versus the ones people just walk past.
Flavor Still Matters (A Lot)
We talked a lot about differentiation and Kelly made it clear: just being “plant-based” or “gluten-free” isn’t enough anymore. Those attributes might get your product in the conversation, but they won’t keep you there.
If you want to win in today’s market, you need:
- Functionality that solves a real problem
- Flavor that gets people to come back
“Gone are the days of leading with ‘vegan’ or ‘zero sugar.’ If it doesn’t taste good, it’s not going to stick.”
Who Showed Up and Showed Out
Kelly and I swapped notes on the brands that really stood out this year! Whether it was their booth setup, their product, or how they engaged people. A few of our favorites:
- Sour Milk – A yogurt brand building a fun, smart world around gut health and the microbiome (No booth but was handing out product)
- Aajis – A tomato spread rooted in Indian heritage, with a tart-sweet flavor that stood out instantly
- Salad Sprinkles – Bright branding, a killer sample moment, and just a fun product to try
- Figa Foods – Brazilian-inspired bars with bold packaging and a launch that felt big
- Ginny and For Bitter For Worse – Two non-alc brands that finally nailed complexity and flavor
- Sourcery – An herb and spice company focused on beautiful sourcing and standout aroma
- She’s the Sauce – Functional sauces (yes, really) with protein and fiber built in, inspired by the founder’s own health journey (No booth but was walking the show)
- Cravers – They built a whole booth around getting into Whole Foods—and owned it
- Eat Rotten – Hidden in a weird corner, but had some of the most talked-about tote bags at the show
On Hot Sauce and the Bigger Trend
We couldn’t ignore the fact that every aisle seemed to have a new hot sauce. Kelly had an interesting take:
Sauce is one of the easiest ways for consumers to keep meals exciting at home and from a brand perspective, the margins are strong and the formats are endlessly creative.
Plus, with more people cooking at home post-pandemic, there’s demand for low-lift upgrades to everyday meals. Sauce is the new star.
Final Advice for Founders
As we wrapped up, I asked Kelly what advice she’d give to a first-time exhibitor heading to Fancy Food or any major trade show. Here’s what she said:
- Get clear on your story and make sure it comes through in every detail
- Manage your energy: these shows are exhausting
- Talk to everyone: you never know who’s behind the badge
- Make sampling easy and meaningful: give people a reason to remember you
- Don’t follow up too fast: let buyers breathe before reaching out
- And maybe most importantly: make it taste good.
Ferrero Eyes WK Kellogg in $3 Billion Buyout
WK Kellogg stock jumped more than 50% on reports Ferrero may acquire the cereal giant.
Why this matters:
- Kellogg (Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes) has struggled with declining sales and consumer shifts toward healthier options
- Ferrero continues its U.S. expansion and sees an opportunity to modernize legacy brands
- Ingredient transparency is driving change—most players have pledged to remove synthetic dyes by 2027
Takeaway:There’s still big upside in turning around dated categories. But it starts with modern values and a cleaner product stack.
Brand Spotlight: VUUM 2.0
VUUM just launched its next-gen sparkling plant protein drink—lighter, brighter, and more functional.
What’s new:
- Improved formula, easy on the stomach
- Four fresh fruit-forward flavors
- Green tea caffeine + L-theanine = clean energy
- Clear protein, no bloat
- Vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO
If you're building in functional beverage, this is worth studying.
Tech Tool Spotlight: Checkout Pulse
Checkout Pulse is a real-time checkout analytics tool built specifically for high-volume Shopify brands. It monitors every stage of the checkout flow—surfacing hidden errors, friction points, and drop-off trends before they become revenue leaks.
Used by operators who’ve optimized over a billion checkouts, the tool sends live Slack alerts when something breaks or slows down: payment failure spikes, discount code issues, stalled sessions, or abandonment at key form fields like zip code or phone number.
Recent examples from brands using Checkout Pulse:
- Payment failures up 312% from average
- “FALL25” discount code failed 15 times in one day
- Shipping-step drop-offs spiked after new delivery options were introduced
- Adding autofill to the zip code field led to a 6% lift in conversion
It takes less than a day to install, runs with no performance impact, and comes with a free 14-day trial.
For fast-growing CPG brands where every checkout counts, Checkout Pulse turns invisible errors into visible wins.
More at → checkoutpulse.com
Product Watch: Tidal Protein
Two new ready-to-drink products launched:
- Protein Shot – 4oz, 21g protein
- Protein Refresher – 12oz, 25g protein
Both are sugar-free, low-carb, and designed for high-protein, on-the-go lifestyles.
That’s a Wrap
Whether you’re scaling shelf space, rethinking your story, or just here to stay sharp, the brands breaking through don’t happen by accident.
Whether you're launching your first SKU, scaling into Walmart, or trying to stay ahead of what’s breaking through, CPG Connect is here to help you keep pace.
See you next week✌️
— Zach
P.S. If this was helpful, feel free to pass it along to a friend, teammate, or founder in your orbit. And hit reply anytime—I read every note.