An inaugural CPG event, Austin Consumer Week, happening next week
Austin Consumer Week, a five-day event, was put together serendipitously by super connector Marc Nathan. It will feature a conversation with Clayton Christopher and Brian Goldberg, two CPG powerhouses, a BevNET Taste Radio chat with the founders of Torchy's Tacos and more. And Austin Consumer Week could be a catalyst for an annual CPG gathering in Austin.
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Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
First-Ever Blueberry Boost Accelerator Seeks Next Generation of Food and Consumer Product Innovation
U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and VentureFuel Team Up to Spotlight Inventive, Up-And-Coming Blueberry Products; Applications Now Open FOLSOM, Calif., June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), in partnership with VentureFuel, today announced the launch of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator — a new program designed to discover and support emerging startups that are redefining the future of blueberries. Applications are now open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis through July 11, 2025, at 11:59 pm PT. The nine-week hybrid accelerator program will connect early-stage, revenue-generating companies of products using blueberries as a prominent ingredient with top blueberry, food and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry leaders to fast-track growth through expert mentorship, tailored commercialization support and strategic guidance. Participants will receive professional brand assets like video commercials and sales materials; gain media exposure; and connect with buyers, investors and innovation leaders. Startups will refine their pitch with 1:1 support and showcase their product at The Blueberry Convention, Oct. 8-10 in Seattle, where the grand prize winner will receive $20,000 and the runner-up will win $10,000. To be eligible, companies must have a safe, working product prototype that has been reviewed under USDA oversight. "USHBC's vision is to make blueberries the world's favorite fruit by fueling demand through innovation, partnerships and research," said Kasey Cronquist, president of USHBC. "Blueberries are packed with possibilities — from health and nutrition to snacking, culinary creativity, functional ingredients and beyond. This program is about uncovering the next generation of ideas that will help blueberries earn a larger role in consumers' everyday lives." The Blueberry Boost Accelerator is seeking startups of CPG products across a wide range of categories, including but not limited to: Snacks Frozen Beverages (including alcoholic options) Confectionery Personal care items (e.g., skincare, cosmetics) Wellness/performance Ready-to-eat meals Sauces and dressings Pet products Interested entrepreneurs are invited to RSVP for a virtual information session on June 25 at 12 pm ET to learn more about the program, areas of interest and the application process. "Blueberries are beloved by consumers for their taste and health benefits, yet there is so much untapped potential when it comes to new formats, uses, and applications," said Fred Schonenberg, founder and CEO of VentureFuel. "Our accelerator connects the best startups working with blueberries with industry leaders and commercial opportunities to fast-track their innovations and unlock new growth opportunities for the category." The Blueberry Boost Accelerator underscores USHBC's commitment to leadership in the food system through innovation. By investing in new ideas, technology and entrepreneurs, USHBC continues to unite stakeholders to strengthen the industry's global competitiveness. For more information or to apply, visit For more resources on using blueberries as an ingredient or to find supplier, visit About the U.S. Highbush Blueberry CouncilEstablished in 2000, The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) is a federal agriculture research and promotion program with independent oversight from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USHBC represents blueberry growers and packers in North and South America who market their blueberries in the United States and overseas, and works to promote the growth and well-being of the entire blueberry industry. USHBC is committed to providing blueberries that are grown, harvested, packed and shipped in clean, safe environments. Learn more at and About VentureFuelVentureFuel is an independent innovation advisory firm that helps the world's best organizations commercialize innovation to ignite change by working with startups. Its innovation programs help enterprise organizations learn, test, build and invest in emerging technology to solve their biggest problems today and unlock new sources of growth. VentureFuel provides organizations the tools to drive transformative change with less risk, more speed, and greater proximity to the consumer than traditional innovation models. Learn more at LinkedIn, X, and Instagram, and listen to The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast wherever you get your podcasts. PR ContactsAnna WalshA-Corner PR / VentureFuel396017@ USHBC396017@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
The Surprising Ways AI Is Reshaping Your Favorite Brands
Your favorite snack didn't end up on that shelf by accident. Neither did the perfect shade of lipstick or the limited-edition cold brew flavor you didn't know you needed until you saw it. Behind it all? AI. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands aren't just experimenting with AI. The forward leaning ones are rebuilding themselves with it. Shopper behaviors are shifting fast. Supply chains? Fragile. Attention spans? Shorter than ever. To keep up, CPG brands aren't tweaking around the edges. They're using AI to enhance everything from how products are imagined to how they're delivered, priced, and personalized. AI is fueling margin growth, streamlining operations, and reshaping how brands connect with customers. AI is in product development. It's powering how factories run. It's optimizing supply chain operations. It's in the algorithms behind pricing. It's in the tone of that personalized ad you just scrolled past. AI is fundamentally changing the way brands create, compete, and connect and sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways. AI is helping CPG brands build smarter, sell faster, and waste less. AI tools are able to look at large amounts of data quickly and help humans make better predictions and data-driven decisions. By scanning massive datasets including everything from consumer preferences, emerging trends, or suggested ingredient combinations, AI doesn't just identify what's popular now. It predicts what's next. Formulations that once took months to create can now be simulated in minutes. AI fine-tunes everything from flavor profiles to packaging appeal, helping brands launch with precision, not guesswork. But it's not just about what gets made. AI is overhauling demand forecasting by analyzing historical sales data, market shifts, and even weather patterns. The result? Leaner inventories, less waste, and products that show up right where and when customers expect them. Figuring out the right price for goods has long been a moving target, that used to come down to best guesses and luck trying to perfectly match supply with demand. Now, AI is able to track multiple data points in real time from real-time fluctuations in demand, competitor pricing, and consumer behavior. CPG brands can now adjust prices dynamically to boost revenue and stay competitive without missing a beat. Behind the scenes, AI is rebuilding how CPG products get made and moved. AI tools are able to help predict when there might be spikes in demand. AI tools are able to map the fastest, most efficient delivery routes. They can also spot potential bottlenecks in supply chains before they become major issues. With AI analyzing data across suppliers, factories, and retailers, the entire supply chain becomes leaner and faster. Shipping delays? Cut. Fuel costs? Trimmed. Inside the plant, AI-powered computer vision systems are able to catch things that human eyes often miss. Everything from misplaced labels, inconsistencies, contamination risks, or imperfections in products are now able to be caught and corrected in real time. Quality control isn't just better. It's smarter. Then there's sustainability. AI doesn't just help companies say they're green—it shows them how. It uncovers where resources are wasted. It provides recommendations on how to cut excess packaging. It recommends where energy usage can be reduced. These small tweaks across many areas of operations can have big impacts. For CPG manufacturers, AI isn't just a tech upgrade. It's the engine behind cleaner, faster, more resilient operations. AI doesn't just shape what's made or how it's shipped. It's also changing how brands talk to, engage with, and respond to customers. By analysing customer data such as browsing habits, purchase histories, and demographic data, AI turns guesswork into precision. Promotions can now feel timely. Product recommendations feel intuitive. And content feels more personal, because it is. Across channels and various touchpoints, AI helps brands meet customers where they are, with the right message, at the right time, with what they actually want. But engagement isn't just about outreach. It's about awareness. AI tools are able to scan reviews, social media posts, and feedback loops to gauge real-time sentiment. Are customers excited? Confused? Losing trust? Brands no longer need to wait for quarterly reports. AI surfaces patterns fast, flagging risks and revealing opportunities in real time allowing brands to react immediately. CPG brands are also increasingly using chatbots and virtual agents for customer support help. AI-powered bots are able to answer frequently asked questions, resolve order questions, and diffuse complaints before they escalate. They're fast, friendly, consistent, and always on. When AI handles the routine, human teams can focus on the more complex and nuanced inquiries. AI is being shown to provide quicker resolutions to customer questions and problems, help with customer service agent burnout, and improve the overall experience on both sides. Even in physical stores, AI is showing its value. AI can decipher foot traffic patterns, optimize shelf placement of different products, and fine-tune promotions based on real-world behavior allowing for better product placement and visibility, smarter merchandising, and ultimately driving more sales. The future of CPG isn't just efficient. It's responsive. Adaptive. Personalized at scale. AI makes this future possible at scale.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Forbes
How Tag Americas' CEO Uses People And Product To Build Profit
The economic uncertainty of the last few months has been difficult on brands of all kinds, but consumer products—food, beverages and personal care items—have faced the challenges faster than other industries. Consumer packaged goods (CPGs) have relatively short shelf lives, tend to be purchased by a large proportion of consumers, and face steep competition. The fast consumer cycle makes CPGs among the first products that need to raise their prices, the first to experience new tariffs (especially because some products must be imported), and the first to fight for sales among financially squeezed consumers. EY released a report this month looking at the state of consumer products and found that, above all else right now, CPGs need to build their brands through disruptive optimism—simplifying their portfolios and experimenting with different kinds of engagement with consumers and retailers in order to rebuild loyalty. The future for CPG brands appears pretty grim to those who work with them. Nearly four out of five retailers told EY they believe that in the long run, only one mass-market brand will remain on their shelves. The rest of the shelf space will go to private label products, premium items and niche brands. About two-thirds of CPG companies also see this future, but the retailers are the ones who control what goes on the shelves. Most consumers still want to be brand loyal, but they're looking for greater benefits. Several attempts to keep customers loyal have been unsuccessful: 78% of consumers said they've noticed package sizes getting smaller and prices staying the same, and 42% believe that product 'improvements' is just code for cost-cutting measures. Currently, over half of consumers only buy branded products when they're on sale. The product side of these companies can help fight the negative perception drift by digging into consumer interests and needs, and looking for ways to innovate in those areas. CMOs will play an important role by telling the brand's story in an authentic way. One of the best methods for doing that, EY suggests, is employing technology like AI to create sharper consumer targeting, bring more personalized messages to customers, and create loyalty programs that meet their needs and create new repeat buyers. Discovering what consumers want out of products and making sure that message is delivered can help keep products on shelves, even as people are becoming more careful with their money. Tag Americas has been using technology to bring innovative marketing solutions to brands, and its new CEO Stephen Kiely has plans to continue moving forward through uniting people and new innovations. I talked to him about his first few months heading the agency. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter. VINCENT FEURAY/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Ever since companies began to use enterprise AI, advocates have continually said that the technology wasn't out to replace jobs, and that humans would always be a necessary part of the equation. But in practice, some companies have moved toward automating everything. Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a future like this for digital advertising in an interview earlier this month with the Stratechery podcast. Zuckerberg suggests that Meta will be able to use AI so that companies can come to them with just a link to their bank account and a list of the business outcomes they want to achieve. The AI system that Zuckerberg wants to see at Meta could produce the creative, target the correct users and produce measurable outcomes. 'I think it is a redefinition of the category of advertising,' Zuckerberg said on the podcast. Forbes contributor Kiri Masters writes that Meta isn't the only player that's considering giving the keys of advertising systems to AI. Google has been moving in that direction with PMAX campaigns, which consolidate advertising across its platforms into a single algorithm-managed campaign type—though advertisers still need to provide some creative basics. Amazon is working toward making its advertising arm a standalone business, and while it has the internal data that could provide a robust all-AI advertising platform, analysts say the company's history indicates it is more likely to pursue a more transparent approach of people working with AI. A Target store in Jersey City, New Jersey. Target continues to face challenges brought on by a downturn of its brand image, which comes on top of declining consumer confidence during an unpredictable economic situation. In its earnings report last week, the retailer saw its sales drop 2.8% year-over-year, with total transactions down 2.4%, basket sizes dropping 1.4%, and traffic down 4.8%, according to Part of the reason is that Target has been singled out for rolling back its DEI program at the beginning of the year, and a group of Black faith leaders called for a boycott of the retailer during the 40-day Lent period leading up to Easter. In their earnings call, Target leaders didn't mention the boycott as a reason for the decline in store traffic and sales, and instead highlighted their strategy for brand-building, pricing and value going into the rest of the year. Last Sunday, the Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant called for another one-day boycott of Target, writes Forbes senior contributor Pamela Danziger. Sunday was the five-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, which kicked off the recent racial reckoning movement—and at the time had moved Target CEO Brian Cornell to increase the company's support for the Black community. Players can speak with AI Darth Vader in Fortnite. AI is being used in many places, but not everywhere. One industry that has mostly stayed away: video games, writes Forbes senior contributor Paul Tassi. With the exception of the much-hyped introduction of AI Darth Vader in Fortnite—which came through a voice rights deal with late actor James Earl Jones' estate—many publishers have steered clear of using the technology. Game developers Take-Two, EA and CDPR have all said generative AI might infringe on copyright issues, but it also could bring about 'reputational harm.' Tassi writes that the gamer community is very defensive of the actual people who make video games: artists, writers, developers, musicians and voice actors. If AI-generated options are added to games, they run the risk of being roasted on social media as 'slop.' As AI video, music and storytelling improve, these opinions could change. But for now, gamers aren't necessarily giving the AI that is being used reverential treatment. Tassi writes that social media is full of videos of gamers making AI Darth Vader do and say silly things. Tag Americas CEO Stephen Kiely. Last October, Stephen Kiely was named the new CEO of Tag Americas, the full-service digital production and sourcing firm owned by international advertising powerhouse dentsu. Kiely, a marketing veteran who has worked with dentsu companies since 2016, started his time at Tag Americas with renewed strategies and commitment to technology. I talked to him about his first few months and what he sees in the future. This conversation has been edited for length, clarity and continuity. When you became CEO of Tag Americas, what did you see as the priorities and the challenges? Kiely: There's three priorities for me: People first [and] foremost, our product, and then there's profit—the actual business behind what we do. Our people [includes] a great collection of folks across the Americas, Brazil, United States, Canada. There was some unifying that was required, and some culture that we needed to build amongst folks. Over the last five months, we've put an emphasis on re-engineering how we get together every single month. We've branded it a Tag Up, and it's not a one-way conversation. It's us having a conversation and bringing in all aspects of the business so we can learn from each other. We've got a lot of regularly scheduled programming, including something called a Tag Spotlight, where we're bringing in stellar partners from inside and outside of our industry so we can learn as a collective. We have launched 'Meet the Humans of dentsu.' Dentsu acquired Tag two years ago, and our strength exists in how we leverage all the best parts of dentsu along with Tag. I would say we've built a lot of community and trust amongst one another, which I think is the basis for good work. From a product standpoint, we are on fire in all the best ways. Over the last couple years, we've invested about $50 million in really innovative technology to help our clients get to content automation at scale without sacrificing craft. We've built a tool. It will launch in the summer and it is unlike anything the world has ever seen. It's fully built [starting with] AI up. We are winning new business left, right and center. My estimation is this year we'll grow 12% through the product that we're delivering on behalf of clients versus last year. And that's huge in this economy. We're publishing work that I think is getting noticed in the world in ways that maybe it hadn't before. We deeply believe in the spirit of co-creation with our product and that no one partner can do it alone. It's about: How do you bring in partners from media? How do you bring in partners from creative? How do you underpin all of that with data to get to communication that offers utility? Modern communication should be two-way with the audience you're looking to reach. I look at a project for tentree, we built that and we detected [more than 200] wildfires [before they became problems in] the Canadian marketplace. That's something to be proud of. It's good commerce, good brand work and being a force for good. From a profit standpoint, we are growing in a very challenging economy. We're helping our clients figure out ways to be more efficient. We are in challenging economic times. What does that do for Tag Americas, and what is your plan to get through it? Tag is uniquely positioned, particularly in challenging economic times, because we are the only production partner that offers a true end-to-end solution, both content production and the sourcing part. We can blend the physical and digital worlds, and oftentimes we can realize on the sourcing side savings for our clients that can then actually fund the content side. Clients are nervous about spending money. They don't know where business is heading, and the ability to offer value without sacrificing quality is very attractive, and that is Tag's sweet spot. Where do you see Tag Americas in five years? Great question. We should ask AI. (laughs) I think the marketing industry needs companies like Tag on steroids. I think production needs to be the great neutralizing force in marketing so that media agendas don't go too far on one extreme, or creative agendas don't go too far off on [another] extreme. Production and being an intellectual blood bank for clients from a production standpoint keep that pendulum right in the middle. And that's got to be the goal of production. Oftentimes, production partners have been thought of for the last mile, and it's kind of been like an Easy-Bake Oven. A brief goes in and, ding: Three weeks later, there's content and assets and they're trafficked out. That's kind of to me [something from] yesteryear, and where it's going in five years is to be the equalizing force so that no agenda runs wild and every dollar is in check. And then I would say that in five years, we need to be guaranteeing outcomes for the clients that we're paid to represent. We need to deeply understand what is going to change their business, what their KPIs are, and then we need to be able to model using technology work that's going to win in the world. Creators are a big part of today's marketing strategies, but using AI in conjunction with them can make influencers' work more impactful. Here's how to take advantage of creator data to elevate your influencers' work. When you're looking for examples of successful companies, it's tempting to look at tech firms in Silicon Valley. While they have done well in terms of profits and products, many have a 'bro culture' that may not be worth emulating. Here's how to use the best parts of Silicon Valley's growth playbook—and still value diverse viewpoints. Which reality TV show franchise just named the cast for its 50th season in 2026? A. The Bachelor B. Big Brother C. Survivor D. Real Housewives See if you got the answer right here.
