Top 10: Toll of wildfires on wine, Conagra's strategy and an investment for Culver's - SmartBrief

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Top 10: Toll of wildfires on wine, Conagra’s strategy and an investment for Culver’s

Stories about the wildfires in wine country, new candy launches and a fresh investment for Culver's struck a chord with readers this week.

2 min read

By Torrey Kim 10/19/17

Food

Toll of wildfires on wine, Conagra's strategy and an investment for Culver's

David McNew/Getty Images

As wildfires worked their way across Northern California, SmartBrief readers were drawn to news about how the devastation will impact the wine industry. Two stories about the fires and their effect on vineyards made the top-ten list among food and beverage readers, one of which was the week’s most-read story.

SmartBrief readers were also attracted to confectionery stories this week, including Nestle’s plan to open an office in Seattle dedicated to Amazon, the latest holiday candy debuts and the three new flavors that Snickers aims to introduce next year. Readers also found great interest in a story about how Conagra Brands is tailoring its products to an increasingly varied consumer base.

Restaurant stories also ranked high with readers, who were interested in the news of Roark Capital Group’s recent investment in 600-unit chain Culver’s. A story about how fast-casual concepts are gaining favor among pizza fans was a hit with SmartBrief readers as well.

In grocery retail news, Kroger’s plan to increase its health and wellness offerings struck a chord with readers, as did the news that Trader Joe’s appears to have opened fewer stores this year than usual.

Check out the full list of this week’s 10 most popular food and beverage stories from SmartBrief:

  1. Estimate: 16 Napa wineries now crippled as firefighters battle blaze
  2. Conagra VP: “Nobody wants to play the middle anymore”
  3. Number of wineries damaged by Calif. fires climbs to 12
  4. Nestle to open Amazon-dedicated Seattle office
  5. Family-owned Culver’s gets a capital infusion
  6. Snickers to roll out 3 new flavors in 2018
  7. New holiday products debut from M&M’s, Dove, Twix
  8. Kroger to beef up health, wellness offerings
  9. Fewer new stores for Trader Joe’s
  10. Pizza fans flock to fast-casual concepts

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