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Big League Chew Becomes Official Bubblegum of USA Baseball

USA Baseball and USA Baseball Sports Properties within LEARFIELD have partnered with Big League Chew, baseball’s favorite bubble gum, to become an official partner of the organization as the Official Bubble Gum of USA Baseball.

Rooted in baseball culture for over four decades, Big League Chew has been a staple for generations of players and fans of America’s pastime. The partnership unites one of America’s most beloved and iconic bubble gum brands with the nation’s premier amateur baseball organization.

“USA Baseball looks forward to teaming up with Big League Chew on and off the diamond,” said USA Baseball COO David Perkins. “Big League Chew has become an iconic part of the game of baseball, and we are excited about this new relationship that will help to elevate the two brands in the amateur baseball realm.”

Big League Chew and USA Baseball are excited to team up in various capacities, such as USA Baseball branding being featured on every pack of Big League Chew, product placement in dugouts during USA Baseball events, and collaborative social media content showcasing how the country’s top young talent has fun with the gum as they chase their big league dreams. Additionally, Big League Chew will provide product to participants at USA Baseball events and to USA Baseball national team athletes annually.

“Joining forces with a prestigious organization like USA Baseball to help promote amateur baseball across the country is something Big League Chew and I can get behind completely,” said Rob Nelson, founder of Big League Chew.

“The momentum for the Big League Chew brand is accelerating rapidly, and our new partnership with USA Baseball will only help us round the bases faster. We are excited to work with the amazing USA Baseball team in 2024 and beyond.” said CEO of Ford Gum Scott Lerner.

USA Baseball Sports Properties within LEARFIELD is dedicated to representing USA Baseball by developing and managing sponsor relationships with brands looking to align with USA Baseball and its events and programming.

Sitting in a bullpen in Oregon in the summer of 1977, Portland Maverick lefthander Nelson came up with an idea that has had a lasting impact on the game of baseball: shredded bubble gum in a stay-fresh pouch. Since hitting the shelves in 1980, Big League Chew has produced and sold more than one billion pouches and is designated as the “Hall of Fame Bubble Gum” by the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum.

Big League Chew is made in the USA by Ford Gum, a top manufacturer and co-manufacturer of assorted gums, confections, and health-related products for leading American brands.

USA Baseball is the national governing body for baseball in the United States and is committed to serving, protecting, and supporting the game of baseball and its 15.6 million participants. Founded in 1978, USA Baseball fields six national teams annually and is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

On the diamond, USA Baseball is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and its national teams have won 67 gold medals in international competition. Off the field, the organization is dedicated to the proliferation and health of the sport through the creation and management of numerous development initiatives including BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education), Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL and the Prospect Development Pipeline.

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NPEE Ending; Newtopia Now to Take Its Place

Natural Products Expo East’s doors have opened for the last time. After nearly four decades of serving the natural and organic CPG industry, Informa MarketsNew Hope Network announces that the 2023 Natural Products Expo East will be its final edition.
Natural Products Expo West will continue to take place annually in Anaheim, Calif.
Since its inception in 1985, Natural Products Expo East has stood as a pillar in the natural and organic CPG sector, providing an invaluable platform for thousands of retailers’ product sourcing needs, propelling emerging brands onto the national stage, and fostering partnerships between buyers and brands that have empowered consumers to make more conscious choices. The show has found homes across the East Coast, including Washington, D.C.; Boston; Baltimore and Philadelphia, where the final edition of the show is taking place.
“We are enormously proud of the legacy of Expo East and are grateful that it has served as a valuable destination for the organic and natural products industry for many years. We thank our exhibitors, buyers, attendees, and partners for their many years of support and look forward to continuing to work together as champions of regeneration and prosperity across the natural and organic CPG community,” said Carlotta Mast, SVP & market leader, Informa Markets’ New Hope Network.
The sunset of Natural Products Expo East coincides with a positive and transformative development for the natural and organic products industry – the introduction of an entirely new event format next year that leverages a more tailored and intentional approach to connection and product discovery. The event, Newtopia Now, is designed to provide more opportunities for brands to meaningfully participate, regardless of where they are in their lifecycle.
Newtopia Now will offer curated matchmaking within a diverse community of buyers, brands, and partners, increased avenues for new and emerging brands to participate, imaginative new product discovery opportunities, and the chance for industry leaders to co-create the future of the CPG industry alongside their fellow Newtopians.
“The needs of the industry are changing—and the experience we provide our community must adapt to meet those needs,” says Mast. “It’s with a spirit of innovation that we announce the next era of the New Hope Network journey: Newtopia Now, which invites passionate co-creators from across the industry to join us in building a more responsible, prosperous, and regenerative world. Through personalized matchmaking, imaginative content, and curated product discovery, Newtopia Now provides a platform for brands, retailers, and champions of conscious CPG to cultivate growth for good.”
Newtopia Now will launch Aug. 6-8, in Savannah, Ga. Natural Products Expo East takes its final bow this week in Philadelphia, with performances by Brett Dennen and Wyclef Jean, a keynote by Jay Shetty, and an unforgettable farewell celebration which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 23.
For further details on the launch of Newtopia Now, highlights from the final edition of Natural Products Expo East, and information on Natural Products Expo West 2024, follow @NatProdExpo on Instagram and Tiktok!, visit Natural Products Expo on LinkedIn, or check out the @New Hope Network’s YouTube channel.
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Sports Figures Added to Yerbaé Advisory Board

Yerbaé Brands Corp., a plant-based energy beverage company, has named six sports luminaries and leaders to its new Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment. In an advisory capacity, Board members will provide guidance and support to fuel Yerbaé’s rapid growth and introduce Yerbaé to new groups of consumers, focusing their input primarily on Yerbaé’s strategic decisions, brand positioning, marketing campaigns and product innovation.

Introducing the Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment:

  • Richmond Flowers III – Founder of QB Collective and Collective Sports Advisors, former NFL player and coach, and chair of the Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment
  • Kyle Shanahan – Head coach, San Francisco 49ers
  • Annie Thorisdottir – Professional CrossFit champion and two-time “Fittest Woman in the World”
  • Lincoln Riley – Head coach, University of Southern California, USC Trojans
  • Ejiro Evero – Defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers
  • Ben Johnson – Offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

“Yerbaé supports champions with plant-based energy, whether in sports, entertainment or everyday pursuits. Our new advisory  board members know what it takes to excel,” said Todd Gibson, co-founder, chief executive officer and chair of the board of Yerbaé. “We are drawing on their expertise to inspire our fast-growing Yerbaé community to greater achievement and wellbeing.”

“I’m really particular about what I would even consider endorsing. So the fact that I’m not only joining the advisory board at Yerbaé, but an actual investor in the company, should tell you how unique I think this product is,” said Shanahan. “The taste, the ingredients, the fact I don’t feel like crap after drinking it — this is the best caffeinated beverage I’ve ever tried and it’s not really close.”

“I’m excited to be joining the board at Yerbaé because I finally now have a caffeinated product that doesn’t negatively affect my body,” said Riley. “Everything about Yerbaé is exactly on point – healthy, effective and enjoyable. There’s simply nothing else like it.”

“My whole job revolves around recognizing the perfect fit — in football and beyond,” said Flowers. “Not only do I love how Yerbaé tastes, it’s uniquely suited to the daily lives of both coaches and players. They have demanding jobs that require them to be at their best every day, mentally and physically. Yerbaé helps them achieve those goals with healthy energy to keep going all day. And if it’s good enough to help athletes to achieve peak performance, imagine what it can do for everyone else.”

Yerbaé’s Q2 earnings results show a 122 percent year-over-year gain in net revenues along with other indicators of strong, positive market momentum, including expanded partnerships with key distributors and retailers. Yerbaé has disclosed the successful close of two tranches of its Celebrity Investment Round announced Aug. 21.

Harnessing the power of nature, Yerbaé’s key ingredient (yerba mate, a South American herb) is known to produce 196 different vitamins, minerals and nutrients as well as caffeine.

By combining yerba mate with its premium ingredients and flavors, Yerbaé provides consumers with a no compromise energy solution. All Yerbaé energy beverages are zero calorie, zero sugar, non-GMO, and gluten free.

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