Lori Gitomer, co-founder and CEO of Whipnotic, presented the brand’s Vanilla Salted Carmel Swirl Whipped Cream in front of a panel of industry leaders at Whole Foods. Judges included John Lawson, senior forager for local & emerging brands, Charlie New, global category manager, refrigerated beverage, Ellen Gorra, investment principal, and Joanne Neugebauer, senior category merchant, beverage, who based their decision on presentation, storytelling, innovation, social impact, branding, packaging and market viability.
Whipnotic’s swirled whip cream innovation features a patented cap that contains all-natural fruit juices and flavor essences. When pressed, the flavor blends with the whipped cream as it leaves the canister. Each of the four SKUs are gluten-free and keto-friendly and in addition to the winning flavor come in Strawberry Swirl, Brownie Batter and Peach Mango.
“Having Whipnotic selected as a finalist for the Pitch Slam was a huge victory for us. Now, being recognized as a winner is a tremendous honor and will open many new doors as we continue forward in building our brand,” said Gitomer in a statement.
Whipnotic’s $150,000 prize package includes services and support from industry partners, along with a $25,000 cash prize.
Jack & Friends, maker of jack-fruit jerky, won the Audience Choice Winner award and was rewarded with a $50,000 prize package, which included a $10,000 cash prize. The vegan jerky is free of the top nine allergens and contains up to 15 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber per bag with no added sugar, according to the company’s CEO Jessica Kwong.
Kwong’s goal for the company, which has “doubled current retail velocity,” is to continue expanding into retail, which started “with about five stores [and] by the end of this month, we will be at 60,” in addition to “pending activations to continue growing our store count by the end of the year.”
Food and beverage CPG startups highlight taste, nutrition, indulgence
Maker of ready-to-drink lemonade and iced tea, Brooklyn Best featured its Arnold Palmer, which is a blend of the two beverages. Co-founder and CEO Mac Petrycki explained that the “not too sweet iced tea and lemonade line” was created in response to other beverages in the category that were “overly sugary [with] zero fruit juice, some have artificial colorings and flavorings, even high fructose corn syrup.”
The brand focuses on popular and familiar flavors that contain natural juice flavors and organic cane sugar for its six SKUs, including Pink Lemonade, Peach Half & Half, Lemonade, Lemon Tea, Mango Tea and Peach Tea.
Another competitor, SEEDLY, which makes better-for-you indulgent chocolate bark, addresses consumers who are looking for healthy snacks, explained the company’s CEO and co-founder, Mateen Pouyafar.
With 5 grams of protein per serving (1/4 cup), SEEDLY combines paleo chocolate with coconut sugar, organic hemp, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. The seeds also are grown by Cornell University, which strengthens SEEDLY’s commitment “to educate farmers and how to grow, process and harvest seeds,” Pouyafar said.
The last competitor was Struesli’s superfood granola, which contains “zero added sweeteners of any kind,” the company’s Founder Adrienne Lufkin explained. The company uses a variety of nuts, seeds and superfoods – from pecans and walnuts to sunflower seeds and hemp hearts – for its three SKUs, Original, Savory + Seed and Cacao + Coffee.
The granola’s sweetness comes from tiger nuts, which are “not actually a nut but a tiny root vegetable rich in prebiotic fiber,” she said.
Each serving (1/4 cup) contains up to 13 grams of fat and up to 4 grams of protein in 9-ounce bags.
