“When we started Bonafide Provisions, bone broth was not something that was universally known. It was kind of a niche market, but what we are seeing now is that it is being incorporated in so many different ways from ready-to-drink to ours, which is frozen, to as an ingredient in different products,” Alex Rains, a spokeswoman for Bonafide Provisions told FoodNavigator-USA at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City in June.
“The category as a whole is really expanding, and it is just really exciting,” she added.
She explained that much of what is driving consumer interest in the category is a desire for products that will boost gut health, are paleo-friendly and are both protein-packed and easy to digest for athletes who need a quick hit of sustainable energy – all of which bone broth claims to provide.
But at the same time that consumer interest in bone broth is increasing, so too is the competition as newcomers such as Kettle & Fire, Zoup!, Ancient Nutrition and LonoLife are all drawn to the buzz-worthy category.
“There are a lot of different bone broth companies, but I think they are all executing it a little bit differently. So, for example, we are the No. 1 frozen bone broth company in the United States … but you certainly have the refrigerated broths, you have the shelf stable broths and so it is an interesting category, because all the products aren’t necessarily found in the same place,” Rains said, adding this is a benefit but also a marketing challenge for the category as a whole.
Drinkable Veggies targets new users
One way that Bonafide Provisions is setting itself apart from the competition, and expanding the category, is by launching a new line of Drinkable Veggies, which blend bone broth with organic vegetables.
The line was by active consumers who wanted to up their nutrition by doing a juice cleanse, but who didn’t want or need all the sugar typically found in those beverages, Rains said.
“With everything there is always an evolution. So, with juicers in particular, that have done their juices for a long time and people are starting to look at the nutrition panel and go, ‘Oh, wait. There are 33 grams of sugar in one bottle? I thought sugar was bad,’” Rains said.
She added: “Consumers are more educated than ever, so we are delivering a product that is a step beyond maybe what they were used to and has more functional benefits [because] there is protein in our Drinkable Veggies, collagen, protein, amino acids … good fat from the olive oil that we roast the veggies in. … I like to say it is an upgrade to juicing.”
Ultimately, Rains said that Drinkable Veggies is a reinvention “what we believe vegetable juice should be. It shouldn’t be veggies with a bunch of apple juice or kale juice. It should be vegetables and protein.”