Agriculture & Food Production

Minneapolis – September 21, 2026 -- Proterra Investment Partners has hired Jennie Park as Head of Capital Formation and appointed Matt Coad as Head of Investor Solutions, expanding leadership as the food value chain-focused alternative asset manager grows its institutional investor base.

Park joins from H.I.G. Capital, a $75 billion global alternative investment firm

At H.I.G. Capital, Park served as a Principal responsible for capital raising and investor relations across the firm's credit strategies in North America. She previously held Managing Director roles at Briarcliffe Credit Partners focused on private credit fundraising, and led North American business development and investor relations at Vantage Infrastructure. Earlier stops include Apollo Global Management, Anchorage Capital, and leveraged finance at Goldman Sachs, where she began her career.

Hyderabad – September 21, 2026 -- The global soybean oil market is set to expand from $43.87 billion in 2026 to $57.66 billion by 2031, a 5.62% compound annual growth rate, according to Mordor Intelligence. Renewable diesel mandates and the EU Deforestation Regulation are reshaping demand and sourcing patterns across the value chain, while new crushing capacity in Brazil and Argentina offsets slower North American expansion.

US biofuel mandates lock in record demand floor for soybean oil

The EPA finalized record-high Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for 2026 and 2027 in March 2026, with biodiesel and renewable diesel production projected to grow more than 60% versus 2025 levels. The rule strengthens crush margins for domestic processors and guarantees a structural demand base that buffers the market against swings in food consumption, according to the report.

Chicago and Lyon – September 21, 2026 -- Mérieux NutriSciences has secured Peugeot Invest and Continental Grain Company (Conti) as new strategic minority shareholders to help finance its acquisition of Certified Group, a North American testing, inspection and certification (TIC) operator generating approximately $300 million in revenue.

Certified Group deal adds 31 laboratories across North America

The acquisition expands Mérieux NutriSciences' footprint in the world's largest food TIC market, which the company estimates at more than $2.5 billion for outsourced services. Certified Group's network brings capabilities in animal protein, dairy and packaged foods, alongside adjacent sectors including cosmetics, health supplements, over-the-counter drugs and reduced-harm nicotine products.

Johnston, Iowa and Ghent, Belgium – September 21, 2026 -- Vylor, the seed and genetics company set to spin off from Corteva on October 1, 2026, has partnered with Belgium's Rainbow Crops to develop climate-resilient corn traits using AI-driven multiplex gene editing.

Rainbow Crops' Trait Foundry platform edits hundreds of genes simultaneously

The collaboration will deploy Rainbow Crops' AI-supported Trait Foundry™ technology, which combines multiplex genome editing, precision breeding and automated phenotyping to accelerate development of corn hybrids resistant to heat, drought and flooding. Mat Muller, who will lead Vylor Edge, Vylor's investment arm, said the platform allows scientists to make hundreds of gene edits simultaneously while validating performance through phenotyping facilities and field trials.

New York – September 20, 2026 -- More than 600 importers, distributors and HoReCa operators have registered for the third edition of Vinitaly.USA, set for October 26-27 at Pier 36 on Manhattan's Lower East Side, with organizers Veronafiere and the ITA – Italian Trade Agency now extending buyer recruitment into Canada and Mexico.

Exhibition space sells out at 118,400 square feet

The full exhibition floor at Pier 36 is officially sold out, with Italian participation reaching 300 exhibitors and approximately 2,500 wine labels on display. Regional groups including Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Sardinia and the Enoteca Regionale dell'Umbria are represented alongside consortia such as Asti DOCG, Brunello di Montalcino, Prosecco DOC, Lugana DOC and Delle Venezie DOC.

Cheyenne, Wyo. – September 20, 2026 -- Wuffes, the dog supplement brand that has served more than 1.3 million dog parents, has launched a Dental Powder range built on SuperYolkTM IgY Technology, a proprietary ingredient the company says is the first of its kind in the US canine dental supplement market.

Phoenix – September 19, 2026 -- SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) will present at the Lytham Partners Fall 2026 Investor Conference, a virtual event scheduled for September 29-30, 2026.

SenesTech schedules webcast for September 29 at 2:00 p.m. ET

The rodent birth control company will host a live webcast presentation at 2:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Investors can access the session via the conference website or a direct webinar link, with a replay to be made available following the event.

Management to hold one-on-one investor meetings during the conference

SenesTech executives will conduct virtual one-on-one meetings with investors throughout the two-day event. Interested parties can arrange meetings by contacting Lytham Partners directly or registering through the conference portal.

New York – September 19, 2026 -- Beast Philanthropy and The Rockefeller Foundation will fund regenerative school meal (RSM) programs reaching approximately 4,000 children in Ghana's Eastern Region and Kenya's Bomet County over the next five years, providing lunch five days a week sourced from local farmers.

Partnership targets ten schools in Ghana, three in Kenya at launch

In Ghana, the initiative starts across ten schools serving nine communities in the Eastern Region, working with CARE, Fairtrade Africa, West Akyem Co-operative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union, and Gold Coast Nutrition Fund to expand agroforestry and intercropping among cocoa farmers. In Kenya, the program begins in three schools in Bomet County, linking fortified bean producers to school supply chains through The Rockefeller Foundation's existing work with AGRA and deploying solar-powered clean-cooking infrastructure.

Riyadh – September 19, 2026 -- Tanmiah Food Company (TADAWUL: 2281) has inaugurated an Innovation Center at its Riyadh headquarters, consolidating its entire product R&D lifecycle into a single micro-laboratory-scale facility.

Tanmiah merges consumer insight, prototyping and market launch into one facility

The center integrates consumer insights, concept creation, project evaluation, prototype development, pilot trials, consumer validation and market launch within one ecosystem, replacing processes previously split across separate functions or external suppliers. By replicating Tanmiah's further-processing and marination capabilities at micro-laboratory scale, the company aims to cut lead times and move products from development directly into production.

Los Angeles – September 19, 2026 -- Anheuser-Busch [NYSE: BUD] is investing $21 million in its Los Angeles and Mira Loma, California facilities to expand production of Michelob ULTRA and Cutwater Spirits, the company announced.

Investment targets canning, bottling and rail capacity upgrades

The funding will upgrade canning and bottling operations, boost output of Cutwater, the top-selling spirits-based cocktail brand in the U.S., and Phorm Energy, and increase rail capacity to strengthen transportation and route-to-market logistics.