Brooks Johnson
Business Reporter
Food and manufacturingRaised in Fargo and educated at the University of Montana, Johnson worked at newspapers in Idaho, Washington and Duluth before joining the Minnesota Star Tribune at its relaunched Duluth bureau in 2019. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and their young sons.
Latest from Brooks Johnson
Take two: General Mills taking artificial colors out of its food
The Golden Valley company will have dye-free cereal and food in schools by next summer and a completely naturally colored portfolio in 2027. Competitor Kraft Heinz made a similar move Tuesday.
June 17, 2025
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell ordered to pay $2.3 million for defaming voting machine employee
A federal trial for the Minnesota businessman’s claims about Eric Coomer, formerly of Dominion Voting Systems, wrapped up in Colorado on Monday.
June 17, 2025
Minnesota startup Huxley prioritizes taste to break into macho energy drink market
Minneapolis-based Huxley is just a year old but has already reached Target shelves and is going on a trial run in Costco as it tries to compete with behemoths Red Bull, Monster and Celsius.
June 16, 2025
The last bite: How a Minneapolis brand innovated on the mini corndog
In this new weekly roundup of Minnesota food and agriculture news, Minneapolis brand TotDogs shares how its creativity helped it into Target’s freezer section.
June 13, 2025
Cyberattack on grocery wholesaler empties shelves at some Twin Cities stores
A hack on wholesaler UNFI’s IT systems last week has created stocking problems at grocers across the country. Cub, which UNFI owns, said pharmacies were back online Wednesday but still experiencing delays.
June 12, 2025
Report: General Mills might sell Häagen-Dazs ice cream stores in China
The potential sale comes as the Golden Valley-based food company restructures, including cost-cutting, potential layoffs and selling off businesses like Yoplait.
June 11, 2025
The Twin Cities’ northwest metro is a magnet for manufacturers. That’s no accident.
Recent moves — like Graco exiting Minneapolis for an HQ in Rogers or Dayton, and Boston Scientific selling its Minnetonka campus so it can move more workers to its growing Maple Grove presence — have cemented the suburban area as an industrial hub.
June 11, 2025
Cub pharmacies, Twin Cities grocers facing disruptions in cyberattack on major distributor
UNFI, Cub’s parent company, also distributes food for other area grocery stores like Whole Foods, Kowalski’s and Lunds & Byerlys. It is still working to restore its systems after last week’s breach while its grocers deal with unstocked shelves and immobilized pharmacies.
June 10, 2025
Cyberattack on grocery wholesaler empties shelves at some Twin Cities stores
A hack on wholesaler UNFI’s IT systems last week has created stocking problems at grocers across the country. Cub, which UNFI owns, said pharmacies were back online Wednesday but still experiencing delays.
June 12, 2025
Report: General Mills might sell Häagen-Dazs ice cream stores in China
The potential sale comes as the Golden Valley-based food company restructures, including cost-cutting, potential layoffs and selling off businesses like Yoplait.
June 11, 2025
The Twin Cities’ northwest metro is a magnet for manufacturers. That’s no accident.
Recent moves — like Graco exiting Minneapolis for an HQ in Rogers or Dayton, and Boston Scientific selling its Minnetonka campus so it can move more workers to its growing Maple Grove presence — have cemented the suburban area as an industrial hub.
June 11, 2025
Cub pharmacies, Twin Cities grocers facing disruptions in cyberattack on major distributor
UNFI, Cub’s parent company, also distributes food for other area grocery stores like Whole Foods, Kowalski’s and Lunds & Byerlys. It is still working to restore its systems after last week’s breach while its grocers deal with unstocked shelves and immobilized pharmacies.
June 10, 2025