May is Asian/Pacific Heritage month and we’d love to know about your favorite local brands to feature in our mid-May newsletter. Please send submission ideas here!
Don’t miss the upcoming The Consumer VC Summit in Dallas, May 23, hosted by Mike Gelb and Marc Nathan who are gathering leaders in the CPG industry to share insights and trends in the consumer investing landscape. DFW CPG is one of the sponsors of this event. The Summit will feature successful founders and top investors who will share their experiences with attendees. A great opportunity to connect with the CPG community. Click here for free registration.
Pipeline Angels is changing the face of angel investing and creating capital for trans women, cis women, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender, and gender-nonconforming founders. Their signature pitch summit series is an opportunity to present your for-profit social venture for a chance to secure funding from the Pipeline Angel members. Founders can apply here. $40 processing fee.
Emerging Brands Summit 2023 is a one-day event in Las Vegas on Sunday, September 10, 2023, prior to the start of PACK EXPO, designed for fast-growing emerging brands seeking to scale their manufacturing operations. One $50,000 grant will be awarded onsite at the Emerging Brands Summit. Learn more about the grant program at the Emerging Brands Alliance, or download a sample application.
Join SKU Austin (Virtually or In Person) for their Food & Beverage ’23 Showcase on May 23rd. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear pitches from six impressive founders including Dallas-based Roro’s Baking Company. A panel of investor judges will have $1M in “Monopoly Money” to invest in each company. The in-person event will be followed by a party with complementary food, drinks and a sampling pavilion from the featured companies. Click here for more info.
The SMU Venture Finance Certificate Course: Fundraising for Startups will be held on Thursday evenings in July on the SMU campus. Taught by, Dr. Simon Mak & Brian Bartles, this 4-week program, is designed to give entrepreneurs the tools to raise capital for their startups. This course is being offered for $495, half the usual cost due to a generous underwriter. Register early before the class fills up. Course starts on July 6, 2023. For more information, contact Nancy J. Hong or call 214-768-3330.
On May 24th, Naturally Austin will host its 4th Annual Pitch Slam, showcasing five early-stage brands in a shark-tank-style pitch competition. Attendees can watch the competition, hobnob with 300+ of the natural-products community’s best and brightest, and lots of other benefits. Tickets are $75 and include a one-year membership to Naturally Austin. Register here.
PepsiCo is supporting Hispanic-owned food and beverage businesses with its first-ever Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) accelerator, limited to 10 companies who will receive $20,000 in grant funding and personalized mentorship. One business will be awarded an additional $100,000 and the opportunity to continue collaborating with PepsiCo to pursue further growth. Must be a Hispanic-owned business with licensing in the United States and have net revenue between $250,000 and $2 million last year. For more information and to apply by May 15, click here.
Registration is now open for the 2023 Sweets & Snacks Expo from May 22 – 25 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The Sweets & Snacks Expo is the can’t-miss event for the candy and snack industries – the best place for attendees to discover brand new innovations, gain actionable insights and benefit from unparalleled access to category and retail industry professionals. Booth costs start around $50/sq ft.
The largest Dairy, Deli and Bakery food show (IDDBA) will be in Anaheim, CA on June 4-6. If interested in attending and you have questions – we can connect you to one of our Executive Committee members who has attended and can provide insights. Email us at admin@dfwcpg.com. A listing of past retailer participating companies from 2022 and a registration form can be found on IDDBA’s website.
The GO TEXAN Expo will be featured in the Dallas Market Hall during the Total Home & Gift Market taking place Wednesday, June 21, 2023 through Saturday, 24, 2023 with a special GO TEXAN Expo Featured Day on Thursday, June 22! Meet and sample Texas-made products, enjoy networking and workshops for GO TEXAN partners on topics geared for all types of food, health and beauty, home and textile product businesses. Registration is free. Learn more and register here. Just FYI, booth space is sold out
The Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show returning to the Javits Center in NYC, June 25-27. Promoted as the largest B2B gathering of U.S. specialty food makers and buyers, tens of thousands of products will be on exhibit. The show will also focus on everything from supply chain remedies to trending brands to new research, providing incredible insights into the state of our industry. Learn more here.
Social Media Specialist – Volunteer Opportunity with DFW CPG – Are you a social media expert and enjoy creating content? If so, we need you to help us spread the word on all things DFW CPG through Facebook, LinkedIn and InstaGram. Looking for approximately 4 hours of time per week. Please take a look at the job description and reach out to Matt Smith.