Weekly Roundup – Week of 8.15.2022
August 19, 2022
This week’s roundup includes our favorite newsworthy food-and-beverage-related stories of the past week – all curated from our team of strategists and food enthusiasts:
Will No/Low-Alcohol Outperform Full-Alcohol Products?
Findings in the 2022 IWSR No- and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study, shared by The Food Institute, revealed that the market value of no/low alcohol in 2021 was nearly $10 billion and is forecasted to grow by an 8% compound annual growth rate through 2025, compared to regular alcohol volume growth of 0.7% during the same time period. Millennials and higher-income consumers are more likely to drink no- and low-alcohol products according to the IWSR report. Non-alcohol beverage brands are reaching and connecting with targeted consumers through effective social media efforts and engaging messaging, impactful graphics, and packaging to pique interest and drive purchases. Read More.
Brazilian Brand Future Farm Now Available In U.S. Retailers
Latin America’s leading plant-based meat provider Future Farm launched its brands Future Burger, Future Beef, and Future Sausage nationwide at Amazon Fresh locations with a few products being offered in select Sprouts Market locations in California. CEO Alexandre Ruberti stated, “We know the customers at Amazon Fresh and Sprouts are aligned with our brand values — sustainable and 100% clean label products. We are delighted to invite them to change the way the world eats.” Future Farm products are made from GMO-free soy, peas, and chickpeas, and the items are also gluten-free, non-GMO, Kosher, and Halal certified. The company also made the restaurant scene by taking over four L.A.-based restaurants for four weeks, curating plant-based menu items using its vegan meat to encourage patrons to eat more plants. Get The Story Here.
Are Micro-Fulfillment Centers The Answer For Grocers?
Automated micro-fulfillment centers (MFC) are slowly gaining ground in the grocery industry but still have a long way to go in proving their ROI. Tom Furphy, CEO venture capital firm Consumer Equity Partners said, “I think the ROI is still there if the volumes are there. Even as the grocery industry has found ways to manage e-commerce demand manually, retailers have yet to find ways to turn their online grocery operations into consistently profitable ventures.” Retailers’ biggest concern is how long it will take to earn back the cost of installing an MFC. According to the article, factors like geography, customer preferences, and promised fulfillment speeds all play a role in determining how and if automation could benefit a retailer’s e-commerce operations. Read The Article.
Eat The Change Raises Funds To Launch Just Ice Tea
As Coca-Cola announced the discontinuation of its Honest Tea brand, Seth Goldman, Eat The Change co-founder, saw an opportunity to fill the void, raising $14.5 million to create and launch Just Ice Tea in a matter of months. Just Ice Tea varieties are Fair Trade Certified™ and certified organic and will be available nationwide through major retailers. The company has yet to indicate which retailers or which flavors will fill the shelves. Learn More.
In Other Weekly News….
Actor, comedian, and health and fitness guru, Kevin Hart, will open his first plant-based restaurant in Los Angeles on August 25th. Hart House will menu healthier fast food items featuring plant-based BURG’R and CHICK’N sandwiches, salads, sides, and shakes. Ten percent of its proceeds on opening day will go to Inner City Arts, a safe place for students in underserved communities to create and explore.
Two beer brands have launched new products with interesting food mashups. Miller High Life has partnered with Tipsy Scoop to create the Ice Cream Dive Bar. Infused with High Life, this ice cream offering has a peanut swirl (to mimic the peanut shells always found on dive bar floors), a hint of tobacco smoke flavor, and a caramel swirl. Then the bar is dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with carbonated candy. Starting August 15, Ice Cream Dive Bars can be purchased at TipsyScoop.com, Goldbelly, and in-person at Tipsy Scoop’s three New York City Barlours locations. And just in time for Oktoberfest, Auntie Anne’s and the Evil Genius Beer Company have paired up to launch an Oktoberfest-style lager made with imported German hops and malts and fresh-baked soft pretzels. Interestingly called, Is Butter A Carb?, the flavor profile of this lager claims to include a “rich malt backbone balanced by delicate hop character, and a prominent toasty flavor profile that is rounded out with pleasant salinity.”
Stop back every Friday for more weekly favorites!
