Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

Amazon set the Internet aflutter when it announced its latest digital innovation the Dash Button. Major CPG companies like P&G, Clorox, Coca-Cola and Kraft are already on board with the e-commerce giant testing with Amazon Prime members. It is already being said that these in-home buttons could give big CPG players the 'leverage they've lacked in e-commerce.'

Many small, organic food companies start with a homegrown story that appeals to its consumer base, however, major consumer goods powerhouses have been recently vacuuming up these niche players. Giants like Coke, General Mills and Kellogg have recently expanded their organic portfolios through acquisition with rumors of more to come. With the risk of being called a sell out, is teaming up with bigger companies better for growth, or is it a death sentence for these smaller players?

Cokes North American vending fleet which dispenses an average of 15 beverages per second will include 100,000 Apple Pay-enabled machines by the end of 2015.

A couple of months ago, The Economist reported that the African economy, rather than being damaged by last years collapse in commodity prices, was actually standing its ground even despite its historical dependency on the extractive industry.

Disruption. A characterization of Coca-Cola's lower tech, but startling entry into fluid milk with its Fairlife brand -- presenting the potential to upend how business is done in the dairy case, but also in other highly commoditized supermarket categories like meat and produce.

Who are America's most powerful people in food? Here we identify five CG individuals that are most powerfully influencing the industry. These are the individuals that make things happen, rewrite the rules, change the conversation, and shift the paradigms.

Julie Hamilton will lead a worldwide organization responsible for growing sales and profits with more than 20 million customers who serve Coca-Cola beverages to 1.9 billion consumers a day in more than 200 countries.

?Changing consumer preferences, market predictions and big data dominated as conversations within the CGT community in 2014, alongside longstanding favorites, including TPM and anything to do with P&G. Before the hustle and bustle of the New Year begins, take a moment reminisce about the trends and challenges we faced in 2014.