Weekly Digest #25

19.01.2026

Welcome to The Fork’s Lens

Every week, we serve up a quick, flavourful dose of what’s cooking at the intersection of food, drink, and entrepreneurship.

Expect:

🍴 Sharp founder insights

📊 Bite-sized industry trends

🛠 Tools & tips to level up

🔥 Events & openings worth your time

For those of you building food brands, launching products, or just hungry for what’s next – this one’s for you.

Brands, Buzz & Breakthroughs

📨 Weekly #25: Brands, Buzz & Breakthroughs

🍴 What’s Up?

January came in like a blender: deals getting signed and paused, pistachio still everywhere, lawyers sniffing around product ideas, and GLP-1 drugs shaking up what shoppers actually buy. Some brands are winning, some are folding, and others are realising old tricks won’t fly in 2026.

🇬🇧 UK Weekly Spotlight

• TTV invests in TRIP
  Growth equity firm TTV Capital has taken a minority stake in CBD drinks brand TRIP, which sold 20M cans in 2025 and is now stocked in 10,000+ UK outlets, supporting its expansion beyond CBD into broader functional beverages. (Startup Story Media)

• Curdie ceases trading
  The cottage cheese startup shut down after struggling to scale in chilled retail; founder cites the 30-day shelf life and strict 75% remaining shelf-life requirement made early-stage economics nearly impossible. (Founder Statement)

• Better Nature revamps packaging
  Tempeh brand Better Nature refreshed its packaging for improved shelf standout and clearer messaging, while also introducing a new Smoky BBQ flavour to excite consumers and broaden its appeal in the growing plant-based market. (PlantBased News)

• Coca-Cola aborts sale of Costa Coffee
  Coca-Cola paused plans to sell Costa Coffee, signalling renewed confidence in the RTD arm, which now operates in 40+ markets and remains one of the company’s fastest-growing non-sparkling categories. (The Grocer)

• Greencore completes Bakkavor acquisition
  Greencore has finalised its purchase of Bakkavor, forming a UK chilled food powerhouse with £4bn+ in annual revenues, strengthening supermarket relationships and scale. (FoodBev Media)

• Gü taps into pistachio craze
  Premium dessert brand Gü launched new pistachio-flavoured products, riding the UK pistachio trend, which has grown 30% year-on-year in new launches. (The Grocer)

• M&S sued over “Brain Food” range
  Marks & Spencer is facing legal action over its “Brain Food” range, accused of copying a creator’s concept, highlighting tensions between large retailers and content creators over product ideas. (Retail Gazette)

• Krispy Kreme launches matcha doughnuts and lattes with PerfectTed
  The chain partners with matcha challenger PerfectTed, tapping into matcha’s double-digit growth on café menus and Gen Z’s preference for “clean energy” drinks. (BakeryInfo)

• Retailers scramble to keep up with weight-loss jab demand
  GLP-1 users are reportedly buying up to 15% fewer calories per shop, prompting UK retailers like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Asda to expand smaller portion meals, high-protein ready meals, and nutrient-dense snack lines such as Tesco’s Balanced Choices, Sainsbury’s Nutrient Dense range, and Asda’s High-Protein Power Pots to meet shifting shopper needs. (Retail Week / The Grocer)

💭 The Fork and The Flame

In food, trends don’t kill brands, inertia does.

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About Forks & Founders
We believe bold food brands deserve bold support. That’s why we’ve built a collective of seasoned foodies, retail rebels, creative storytellers, and numbers nerds – people who’ve been in the kitchen, the boardroom, and the shop floor. We jump in where you need us most, helping you turn big ideas into bites people can’t stop talking about. Because building a food brand isn’t just business – it’s passion, flavour, and a little bit of chaos. We’re here to make sure it’s the good kind.