Plant-based food company sells Howl™ brand to Penguin Natural Foods Inc.
Los Angeles, CA: Eat Howl Inc, a chef-driven, plant-based foods company that introduced the first shelf stable cashew-based mac and cheese, is excited to announce it is selling the Howl brand to Penguin Natural Foods Inc, a leading manufacturer of innovative packaged foods. Howl, backed by Crush Ventures, first hit market in May 2020, with a fast start, launching nationwide at Whole Foods Market. It also achieved strong distribution at Thrive Market, Wegmans, GIANT, Winn-Dixie, and more. Eat Howl sold over half a million boxes of nutritious mac and cheese and donated over ten thousand additional boxes to communities in need during the height of the pandemic. The brand was also selected as a NEXTY Finalist for Best New Meat or Dairy Alternative by the New Hope Network.
Penguin Natural Foods owner, Scott Nairne, said, “We are excited to grow Howl into the premier plant-based brand that we know it can be. We are looking forward to building upon the strong partnerships developed by Eat Howl by providing quality products on time at a great price!”
Penguin, which already manages much of the manufacturing of Howl, will now take over the entire production process, including producing the cashew sauce. Not only will this improve the brand’s consistency and quality, but it will also accelerate innovation, and open up the ability to sell private label versions of Howl.
Fred Michaels, CEO at Eat Howl Inc, said, “Having worked with Penguin for nearly 4 years, we are thrilled to deepen our partnership with them. With Penguin stewarding the brand and consolidating the production process, there is unlimited upside to grow the brand, not just within mac and cheese, but also into adjacent categories.”
“It’s exciting to get back into product development,” said Eat Howl co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Chef Thornton. “there’s just so much more we can do with the brand under the Penguin umbrella than what we could previously. Penguin has our same mindset of creating innovative food products that are better for you and the planet.”
Armed with three years of feedback on the Howl products, Penguin and the Howl founders plan on releasing a new lineup of plant-based mac and cheeses, as well as other items, including Gluten Free options. The first two new flavors of Howl mac and cheese will be available this summer! More details on the flavors and other product lines will be coming soon.
The Eat Howl founders, Chef Craig Thornton (best known as the creative mind behind LA’s Wolvesmouth) and Fred Michaels (formerly of Unilever) will stay on as advisors to help ensure the brand stays true to its chef-driven, plant-based mission.
About Penguin Natural Foods Inc.: Penguin Natural Foods is a family-run, private label manufacturer that supplies products to some of the largest National and International grocery chains. They’ve helped to develop and launch hundreds of new and innovative products into the marketplace. With a vast knowledge of industry mechanics, supply chain, logistics, and a well-built index of partners the company prides itself on quality and speed to market.
About Eat Howl Inc.: Eat Howl is a chef-driven, plant-based food company based in Los Angeles, CA. Founded from within cutting edge restaurant kitchens, Eat Howl empowers chefs to reimagine your favorite foods using plant-based ingredients to unleash incredible flavors and textures while striving for a more sustainable future. One we can Howl about.
Penguin Contact: Wavid Willigrod • www.penguinfoods.com • Email: info@penguinfoods.com
Eat Howl: Fred Michaels • www.eathowl.com • Email: info@eathowl.com • Social: @eathowl
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