General Mills outlined its plans for growth in the coming years—it should come as no surprise that the corporation is putting a lot of stock in the potential of its organic and natural brands like Annie’s Homegrown and Larabar. ~ Ad Age
Did you know that some web domains allow the use of emojis in URLs? Coca-Cola Puerto Rico knows, and bought up several web addresses featuring “joyful” emojis as part of a new promotion. ~ The Daily Meal
The Sysco-US Foods merger isn’t the only acquisition under scrutiny for possible antitrust issues right now. The European Commission is taking a hard look at Cargill’s plans to acquire Archer Daniels Midland Co.’s chocolate business, out of concern that the acquisition could lead to less competition and higher prices. ~ Reuters
Mondelez International and DE Master Blenders 1753 are in a similar boat over a proposed merger of their coffee businesses. In this case, the hope is that selling off Mondelez International’s French coffee brand Carte Noire will appease European antitrust regulators and allow the merger to move forward. ~ Reuters
Denny’s has really succeeded in connecting with Millennials over social media, and it’s taking that connection to the bank with its fast-casual alter ego The Den. After the success of its initial locations, the restaurant chain is making plans to expand the concept. ~ Eater
The chasm in ideologies between craft breweries and macrobreweries continues to widen. Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione recently sounded off to Men’s Journal on these issues, addressing Budweiser’s anti-craft beer stance and AB InBev’s acquisition tactics. ~ Men’s Journal