Three emerging brands awarded $20,000 grants at the Emerging Brands Summit – press release

CHICAGO, IL (December 16, 2022) – The Emerging Brands Alliance, an organization focused on helping new brands scale manufacturing, recently awarded three $20,000 grants at the Emerging Brands Summit in Chicago. The grant program was started to help growing CPG companies scale their operations through investment in manufacturing and packaging. 

Grant Winners 

Sarilla (General Category) - Sarilla is an award-winning 0% alcohol sparkling beverage made with organic, fair trade tea leaves and botanicals that are grown using regenerative farming. Flavors range from 0-90 mg naturally occurring caffeine and serve as an excellent alcohol or soda replacement. Sara Stender Delaney, Founder & CEO, said, “Winning the Emerging Brand Alliance grant this fall came at the perfect time and we were able to put the funds to use immediately. Only two months later we are coming away from BevNet Live with a Best in Packaging award! This sets Sarilla up for a successful 2023 with strategic grocery, foodservice and distribution partners, and expanded online offerings. Don’t ever let anyone tell you something is too competitive or crowded to be successful. Stay true to you and maintain a clear vision of what you know can happen.”

Pescavore (Self-Manufacturing Category) – Pescavore (Healthy Oceans Seafood) is a category disruptor of MSC Certified Sustainable, single-serve, shelf-stable, whole cut, smoked ahi tuna strips that contain 14-15 grams of protein, heart, and brain-healthy omega-3s, and less than one gram of sugar. Clarice Owens, CTO and Co-Founder of Pescavore, said, “Our first trip to PACK EXPO at McCormick Place was in 2016. We were pre-revenue with a packaging concept that the sector experts at the show were highly impactful to commercializing. Today, Pescavore is a first-in-kind sustainable seafood snacking innovation. We are incredibly humbled to be recognized by the Emerging Brands Alliance and believe that the Alliance is perfectly timed to serve a need for brands of every stage navigating the complexities of turning concepts into reality - either through owned capacity or through co-manufacturing - Emerging Brands is an incredible resource.”

YiShi Foods (Women or Minority Owned Category) - Yishi’s Asian-inspired Oatmeal innovates with popular Asian dessert flavors and functional ingredients that are also trendy. As a POC women-led brand with an emphasis on wellness, Yishi's mission is to provide fun-yet-healthy alternatives to overly sweet cereals and overly bland oatmeals. Yishi's products contain zero added sugar and are all available in convenient cup or pouch forms also ideal for snacking. The product is certified organic, and the packaging is made from post-consumer recycled fiber.

More than 400 companies applied for a 2022 Emerging Brands Grant, and the three winners were selected from 50 finalists. Comments Kim Overstreet, Director of the Emerging Brands Alliance, “It was very interesting to learn about the innovative brands who are creating new and exciting products, and to get to know some of them better through the grant program, and the Emerging Brands Summit. We look forward to watching the growth of these brands, and to continue to provide resources for all brands that are scaling up their operations.”

The 2023 grant program will open in the spring, and winners will be announced at the September 10 Emerging Brands Summit in Las Vegas, the day before PACK EXPO. More information on the program can be found here.

The Emerging Brands Alliance draws on the editorial knowledge of PMMI Media Group, a market-leading B2B media company that produces information for packaging, processing, and automation decision makers. Additional support is provided by PMMI, the Association for Packaging & Processing Technologies, and other industry partners. The Alliance offers year-round education, community support and business growth opportunities to help advance growing CPG companies.

About the Emerging Brands Alliance 

The Emerging Brands Alliance provides year-round education, resources, and growth opportunities for brands looking to scale operations. The EBA is a community where member brand owners can ask questions, network with each other, find educational content and news, and take advantage of resources such as the ‘ask an expert’ forum, co-manufacturers/co-packagers or machinery and materials suppliers' directories, and much more. Membership is free.  

Learn more at EmergingBrandsAlliance.org 

About the Emerging Brands Summit 

The Emerging Brands Summit will take place one day before the PACK EXPO Las Vegas trade show, on Sept. 10, 2023. By purchasing a registration for the Emerging Brands Summit, attendees will automatically receive a complimentary registration for PACK EXPO Las Vegas and can attend all four days of the trade show (Sept. 11-13).  

To learn more, visit EmergingBrandsSummit.com. 

About PMMI Media Group 

PMMI Media Group is a market leading B2B media company that produces information for packaging, processing, and automation professionals, bringing together solution providers and end-users and facilitating connectivity throughout the supply chain. Its world class media brands —Packaging World, ProFood World, Healthcare Packaging, OEM, and Mundo PMMI—are proven leaders in covering this diverse and dynamic marketplace, and its digital products incorporate leading edge media technologies to deliver informed, actionable business intelligence to the industry.

PMMI Media Group is owned by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, a trade association representing more than 950 North American manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, components, and materials as well as providers of related equipment and services to the packaging and processing industry.

Learn more at PMMIMediaGroup.com