CPG Daily Brief - July 11, 2025
Dairy growth, almond boom, undeclared hazelnuts, and more
Today in CPG, capital is flowing into U.S. dairy infrastructure, retailers are racing to rethink the in-store experience, and producers up and down the value chain are girding for a bumper almond crop even as they chase regenerative-ag credentials. Investor reshuffling at Hormel, top-deck leadership changes at Hindustan Unilever’s ice-cream arm, and a general-manager swap at storied Spanish winery Familia Torres signal an active week on the executive front. Meanwhile, food-safety vigilance remains high after a multi-state hazelnut allergen recall hit Walmart and Kroger bakeries, and cross-category brand mash-ups such as Baskin-Robbins × Laneige continue to blur the line between snacking and self-care. The cumulative takeaway: operational resilience, premium experiences and ingredient integrity are the day’s watch-words as C-suite leaders juggle cost discipline with innovation imperatives. Expect heightened competition for shelf space—and consumer attention—heading into Q3 as fresh capacity, novel formats and sustainability claims flood the market.
🧀 Lactalis USA will pour $75 million into expanding two New York plants that make Galbani cheese and Breakstone’s sour cream, boosting output and efficiency to meet rising U.S. demand.
🛒 Publix sets July 19 for the debut of a two-story prototype in Port St. Lucie, Florida, complete with mezzanine seating and a giant promotional shopping cart roaming the streets.
🐶 Sam’s Club is adding unlimited 24/7 tele-vet access and discounted pet-pharmacy perks to its Plus memberships, aiming to deepen loyalty among 70 million pet-owning households.
⚠️ Walmart & Kroger bakeries pulled 883 loaves of Lewis Bake Shop Artisan Style bread across 12 states after undeclared hazelnuts triggered an FDA Class I recall; one minor illness reported, no hospitalizations.
🌰 California Almond Board projects a record 3 billion meat-pound harvest for 2025, up 4 % year on year and poised to pressure global pricing if export logistics hold steady.
🌱 RIPE’s new study ties regenerative farming to 8 – 15 % higher micronutrient density in produce, a data point grocers say could justify future premium SKUs.
💰 Bank of New York Mellon trimmed its stake in Hormel Foods by 3.2 % to 2.83 million shares, citing portfolio rotation; Hormel’s dividend yield now stands at 3.7 %.
👔 Unilever tapped company veteran Jochanan Senf to head Ben & Jerry’s, effective September 1, as the ice-cream giant doubles down on plant-based innovation and U.S. distribution.
🍷 Familia Torres appointed Fabrice Ducceschi as general manager, tasking the ex-Adam Foods chief with accelerating global sales while advancing the winery’s regenerative-viticulture agenda.
🍨 Baskin-Robbins & Laneige unveiled a limited-edition Rainbow Sherbet Lip Sleeping Mask, leveraging National Ice Cream Day tie-ins and Sephora exclusivity to cross-pollinate beauty and dessert fans.
The Dive of the Day: Lactalis USA’s $75 million New York expansion
Lactalis, the world’s largest dairy group, is injecting $75 million into its Buffalo and Campbell, NY facilities to boost capacity for Galbani mozzarella, ricotta and string cheese, alongside Breakstone’s cultured products. The spend covers new vats, packaging lines and cold-storage upgrades and is slated to come online by late 2026, adding roughly 110 jobs and increasing throughput by an estimated 15 %.
For CPG leaders, the move underscores both sustained U.S. appetite for premium-priced “authentic Italian” cheeses and the strategic value of domestically controlled supply chains as import costs stay volatile. Competitors such as Saputo and Bel Brands may feel margin pressure if Lactalis flexes its scale to negotiate milk contracts or promotional slots, while retailers gain a buffer against potential EU-U.S. tariff flare-ups.
Executives should monitor local milk-shed dynamics—particularly Class III pricing—plus Lactalis’ downstream co-pack arrangements, which could open private-label white-space. Ahead of the 2025 holiday pizza surge, securing mozzarella allocations and assessing co-marketing alliances with the expanded plants could be a timely hedge against supply tightness elsewhere.