Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/802137
trends & happenings 18 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com Top 10 Product Innovations from the Winter Fancy Food Show T he Specialty Food Association content team combed the exhibit floors at Moscone Convention Center dur- ing the 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show to select products best exemplifying innovation, whether through new market introductions, twists on traditional products or categories, new flavors, packaging, uses, or applications. Here are their picks for product innovation: ReGrained Bars. Two college students started home brewing and realized that throwing out all of the spent grain was a waste. They eventually landed on a business model to make small-batch granola. The spent grain granola bars are high in protein and fiber and low in sugar as sweetness is extracted from the grains during the beer making process. The granola bars are cur- rently available in two flavors: Honey Almond IPA, and Chocolate Coffee Stout. Bee Free Honee. This vegan honey alternative is made from apples but mimics the taste and texture of honey. Owner Katie Sanchez came about the recipe quite by accident while attempting to make apple jelly. Years later when learning about the decline of the bee popu- lation and the strain on remaining bees to pollinate and make honey, she revisited the recipe as a business idea, offering a percentage of sales to organizations helping to fight bee colony collapse. Blue Planet Chocolates. An Ohio-based chocolatier started a new line of 72 percent dark chocolates with superfood ingredients like baobab and chia. Each is also enhanced with probiotics, offering reported invisible health benefits to the digestive and immune systems without altering the taste of the dark chocolate treat. Dang Foods Sticky Rice Chips. The latest potato chip alternative is inspired by a popular Asian snack. Dang Foods takes steamed organic Thai sticky rice, soaks it in watermelon juice, and vacuum fries it to create a crisped snack. While traditional sticky rice snacks are often make from rice powder, this one uses the whole rice. Copper Cow Coffee Vietnamese Coffee Kit. Consumers can create Vietnamese coffee on the go without the associated equipment with this convenient, all-in-one kit. Roasted Vietnamese coffee is packed in a single pour over upright bag, along with a sleeve of sweetened condensed California milk and a stirrer, for minimal fuss. Baruvia Foods Hummustir. This shelf-stable kit decon- structs hummus, allowing for on-the-spot preparation in foodservice or home kitchen settings. The paper cup packaging also serves as a mixing bowl. Inside are pack- ets of organic chickpea puree, organic tahini, spices, an instruction card, and a sealed wooden spoon. (Read more about Hummustir on p. 58.) Primal Nutrition Macadamia Sea Salt Collagen Bars. The collagen protein used in these bars is collagen hydrolysate, which is broken down into individual amino acids and easier to absorb and digest. Eating collagen sourced from grass-fed bovines pasture-raised in Brazil, can help make up for the decreased production of col- lagen that happens with age. Plocky's Fine Snacks PrOTATO Crisps. While high- protein bean- and lentil-based chips are still going strong, Plocky's has created a better-for-you version of traditional potato chips by adding plant protein to its ProTato Crisps. With seven grams of protein per serv- ing, these chips are available in: Original with Himalayan Pink Salt, Spicy Honey BBQ, and Peppercorn Ranch. Tea Drops. These drops of pressed tea leaves dissolve in hot water for a waste-free tea experience. They are made from organic tea leaves that are not freeze dried. Tea Drops is releasing an unsweetened version in spring 2017. Other varieties in the line contain raw sugar and spices. Currently available in: Rose Earl Gray, Citrus Ginger, Vanilla White Tea, and Sweet Peppermint. Lotito Foods Cheese Folios. New Folios are lightly baked sheets of cheese made from Parmesan, Cheddar, or Jarlsberg. They are meant for foodservice applica- tions, allowing chefs to mold into a bowl or cup, cut for crisps, or for use in a roll.—Denise Purcell (continued on p. 73)