In 2009, when Daiya Foods first started selling cheese alternatives, the addressable market (based on what was selling at the time) was an uninspiring $10m, a figure most investors and CPG brands won’t even get out of bed for. Fast forward six years,...
By Steve Osborn, Principal Consultant, Food and Beverage, The Aurora Ceres Partnership, Banamex Mexico City, Mexico
What are the hottest trends in food and beverage in Latin America? Steve Osborn, principal consultant, food and beverage, at The Aurora Ceres Partnership, headed to the Food Tech Expo and Summit in Mexico City to find out...
Finding the right partners to guarantee long term supply is the key to success in the super foods game, said the executive of a bulk chia and quinoa supplier based on Florida.
OK, so the Declaration of Independence was not, as urban myth would have it, written on hemp (the said document was written on parchment). But 239 years later, this ultra-versatile super seed is finally gaining traction as a food ingredient in the United...
When Vermont Creamery debuted aged goat cheese 15 years ago, almost no one in the U.S. had heard of this French-style cheese with its telltale wrinkly rind and creamy interior. But the risk paid off, as the line is now the company’s fastest-growing, prompting...
While we’re often told that millennials are rejecting the brands their parents grew up with, the same rules don’t necessarily apply in the candy aisle, notes the CEO of Ferrara Candy Co (est. 1908), who says millennials and Gen Z-ers are driving the double-digit...
Impossible Foods, one of a new wave of Silicon Valley-backed companies promising to “transform the global food system”, has raised $108m in its latest round of financing, and says its first product – a plant-based burger that precisely replicates the...
Can a bunch of food-tech start-ups really ‘fix the broken food system’, feed 9bn people by 2050 and ‘disrupt’ the food industry with a killer app? Maybe, but they might be better off focusing on more tangible goals, according to investment experts gathered...
DuPont has thrown down the latest gauntlet in the sports nutrition protein contest with the launch of a rapid dispersing form of soy protein aimed at fortification beverages and powdered workout products.
Kite Hill - the plant-based brand on a mission to disrupt the dairy case - has moved beyond cheese with the launch of a cultured almond milk yogurt at Whole Foods stores nationwide, which will be followed by single-serve cheesecakes and a seasonal pumpkin...
Consumer purchases of packaged food and beverages in key major categories are down substantially from a year ago due partly to demographic shifts, but mostly because of “self-inflicted wounds” by retailers and manufacturers, according to the third annual...
As demand for natural colors and flavors increases, so too does the sales opportunity for the relatively unknown and underdeveloped organic candy segment, according to a leading executive in the category.
While cynics observe that biodynamic cane sugar is still sugar, and gourmet Himalayan pink salt is still good old sodium chloride, it’s a fact that trends which might seem to have niche appeal are increasingly heading to the mainstream, and that a small,...
For years the nutrition bar category was mostly limited to sweet flavors, but now that is changing, thanks in part to Mediterra – a pioneer in making savory snack bars.
Microalgae specialist Solazyme has moved into the consumer packaged goods (CPG) arena with the launch of Thrive, a culinary oil from algae that will make its debut at upmarket grocer Gelson's Markets in southern California this week.
One key to a successful Kickstarter campaign is to create “stretch goals” that incentivize existing backers to find more investors to help unlock additional rewards, advises Michael Salguero, founder of the grass fed meat delivery service Butcher Box.
Transparency on sustainability needs to go beyond data on packaging if it is to really engage consumers, says Nescafé, as it partners with Google to launch a virtual reality coffee experience.
Part 2: One-on-one with The Tea Council of the USA on Emerging Trends
Sales of tea in the US are booming, but the industry still faces tough competition and must continue to innovate to capture a larger “share of throat,” according to Peter Goggi, president of the Tea Council of the USA.
Seaweed snacks are riding a rising tide in the U.S. with sales swelling between $250 million and $500 million in 2014, according to an industry trends expert.
‘Challenger’ brands – anarchic, agile brands which disrupt established categories – are Davids outmaneuvering industry Goliaths. And Chobani is probably the perfect example, going from zero to a billion dollars in less than a decade. But what happens...
The long-awaited Keurig KOLD system is now available to order on Keurig.com and will be in select retailers online and in six cities beginning in October, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York, bosses revealed today.
Part 1: One-on-one with the Tea Council of the USA on emerging trends
America may be a nation of black tea drinkers, but increasingly they are reaching for green tea for its health benefits, rich cultural experience and diverse flavor profile, according to a research by the Tea Council of the USA.
If GoGo SqueeZ and Munk Pack have proved that fruit pouches aren’t just for babies, nomva, a new food brand co-founded by Suja Juice founding member Caroline Beckman, is hoping to take the concept one step further with HPP (high pressure processed), organic...
Retailers that initially warned Enjoy Life Foods not to enter the baking mix segment are now clamoring to stock the manufacturer’s new line of five ready-to-use mixes in large part because they go beyond the convenience of competitors to include hot functional...
Hemp and sacha inchi – two ‘ancient yet modern’ sources of protein from seeds – are gaining traction in the burgeoning plant-based protein set, although their premium price tag means they are unlikely to become as big as rice or pea protein – at least...
High protein, easy-to-eat foods are no longer limited to bars and shakes – now they can also be found in familiar baked goods that appeal to carb-loving consumers, thanks to companies like Flapjacked.
Jackfruit, a previously hard-to-find but popular meat substitute among vegans, is going mainstream in the US with two manufacturers launching ready-to-eat product lines featuring the fibrous plant as a main ingredient.
San Francisco-based ready to eat popcorn maker 479 Degrees has raised a new round of capital from some high profile investors including KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky and Emil Capital Partners, which has also pumped cash into fast-growing brands including...
60-second interview: Vicky Fligel, business development manager, Glanbia Nutritionals
Glanbia Nutritionals has expanded beyond its dairy roots to add pea, chia and flax protein concentrates to its portfolio to meet growing demand for vegan protein, says business development manager Vicky Fligel, who caught up with us for our special edition...
Ancient grains continue to gain traction in the US food retail and foodservice market, with quinoa leading the pack. However, lesser-known grains such as teff, amaranth and freekeh are starting to picking up some steam as well, according to a new report*...
One brand of bottled water is much like another, right? Wrong. Whether your preference is 'artisanal' spring water naturally filtered through volcanic rock or electrolyte infused ‘performance’ water, the premium segment is “on fire”, and celebrity-backed...
A product only aficionados – and hipsters - had heard of a couple of years ago, cold-brew coffee is rapidly becoming an established part of any forward-thinking retailer’s beverage set. But the market has grown so explosively that a shakeout seems inevitable,...
Facing a slew of unsavory Chicago food truck regulations in 2011, Amar Singh opted to park his Curry Cruiser truck for good to pursue a line of Indian-inspired cooking sauces and spices that had flavored his street food eats.
The US market for sports nutrition plus energy/nutrition bars and sports drinks is set to cruise past $20 billion by 2020, says Euromonitor International, but which segments are driving growth, and how is the ‘regimentation of fitness’ influencing product...
'The frozen smoothie packs have been generating triple-digit growth for the past three years'
It’s flaming pink, packed with fiber and magnesium, fruity, but not too sweet, and growing like crazy in the frozen smoothie pack market, says Chuck Casano, who is on a mission to do for Pitaya what Sambazon did for açai berries and KonaRed is doing for...
Data from Label Insight* shows that one in five (21%) snack, energy or granola bars in the US now makes a non-GMO claim of some kind – making it the leading category for non-GMO claims, compared with an average of 4.2% for all the grocery products in...
Plant-based beverage firm Califia Farms has secured a $50m investment from New York-based private equity firm Stripes Group, capital it says will be used for “deepening production and distribution capabilities, R&D, new hires, and sales and marketing”.
Dynamic Cellular Disruption – a novel process that breaks up plant matter without using chemicals, enzymes or blades - could enable manufacturers to create new, more nutritious foods and beverages, or produce existing products more cost-effectively, according...
Sometimes the most disruptive food products are less about blue-sky innovation than taking something familiar, adding a new twist, and creating a completely new category, says Ripple Brand Collective founder and CEO Scott Semel, who has seen his latest...
While the meteoric growth of plant-based beverages such as almondmilk is well-documented, WhiteWave Foods has identified $2.7bn worth of business in other plant-based categories in the US retail market, including yogurt, creamers, and frozen desserts,...
Coca-Cola-backed high-protein milk brand fairlife isn’t sharing any numbers, yet. But if you’re wondering how it’s performing, the answer is very nicely, says communications director Anders Porter, who says the firm is also working on a suite of products...
New sources of protein from edible insects to hemp are being incorporated into a growing number of products from bars to beverages. But does microalgae have what it takes to become a serious player in the so-called ‘alternative proteins’ market?
Indulgence dominates the August edition of Instantly's shelf score ranking of new products, with Oreo Thins (mint) and Pepperidge Farms butter rum cookies notching up the strongest purchase intent scores.
'As awareness grows, more people get the chance to taste it and have that ‘aha’ moment'
With several new ready-to-drink cold brew coffee products in the pipeline and a growing retail footprint, private equity-backed Stumptown Coffee Roasters is betting on a big future for the hottest thing in cold coffee.
Minnesota-based Angie’s Artisan Treats will be opening a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Reno, Nevada this month for Boomchickapop as popcorn's popularity rises in the US.
