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
Where Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez made their money
The duo, who bought the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx this week, made their wealth via blockbuster deals and benefited from key partnerships.
June 26, 2025
General Mills’ profit falls 47% as weary shoppers continue to look for bargains
Sales for the Golden Valley-based company continued to slide as economic uncertainty continues to pressure consumer goods companies.
June 25, 2025
What to know about Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez
A-Rod and Lore came from similar backgrounds, followed starkly different career paths, and met through a mutual friend five years ago.
June 24, 2025
General Mills launching Blue Buffalo fresh pet food nationwide
The Golden Valley-based company’s pet food brand is entering a fast-growing refrigerated dog food category later this year with its Love Made Fresh line.
June 23, 2025
Hormel brings back Jeff Ettinger as interim CEO for retiring Jim Snee
Ettinger was chief executive at the Austin, Minn.-based food company from 2005-16. His second term will partly focus on mentoring likely successor John Ghingo, Hormel’s current retail head who is becoming president.
June 23, 2025
High bean costs hitting Bizzy’s Brooklyn Center coffee brewery at busy time
In this end-of-week roundup of Minnesota food and agriculture news, take a wild guess how high coffee prices are affecting a company that plans to brew 66 million cups of cold brew this year.
June 20, 2025
Minnesota’s Hormel sues Wisconsin’s Johnsonville alleging stolen sausage secrets
A former employee at Austin, Minn.-based Hormel emailed recipes and proprietary information to his personal account before joining brat-maker Johnsonville, a federal lawsuit alleges.
June 19, 2025
Cyberattack on grocery supplier reveals fragility of U.S. and Minnesota’s food supply
As Cub parent company UNFI continues to rebound from the hack earlier this month, security experts advocate for prevention and a sharper response to future threats.
June 19, 2025
Hormel brings back Jeff Ettinger as interim CEO for retiring Jim Snee
Ettinger was chief executive at the Austin, Minn.-based food company from 2005-16. His second term will partly focus on mentoring likely successor John Ghingo, Hormel’s current retail head who is becoming president.
June 23, 2025
High bean costs hitting Bizzy’s Brooklyn Center coffee brewery at busy time
In this end-of-week roundup of Minnesota food and agriculture news, take a wild guess how high coffee prices are affecting a company that plans to brew 66 million cups of cold brew this year.
June 20, 2025
Minnesota’s Hormel sues Wisconsin’s Johnsonville alleging stolen sausage secrets
A former employee at Austin, Minn.-based Hormel emailed recipes and proprietary information to his personal account before joining brat-maker Johnsonville, a federal lawsuit alleges.
June 19, 2025
Cyberattack on grocery supplier reveals fragility of U.S. and Minnesota’s food supply
As Cub parent company UNFI continues to rebound from the hack earlier this month, security experts advocate for prevention and a sharper response to future threats.
June 19, 2025