In this week's food innovation round-up we focus on Wahaca's sleekly designed taco kits, London beer maker Nirvana Brewery's revamp for the 'mainstream market', and profile an eco-packaged chocolate hitting the shelves.
In this week's food innovation round-up we focus on Wahaca's sleekly designed taco kits, London beer maker Nirvana Brewery's revamp for the 'mainstream market', and profile an eco-packaged chocolate hitting the shelves.
Image source: GettyImages/peshkov
UK pea snack brand Podberry has securing a listing with supermarket retailer Morrisons across 28 stores in Scotland.
Sold in single serve packs, Podberry will be available as of 19 August in two flavours: sea salt and balsamic vinegar, and sweet chilli.
Two additional flavours are expected to launch later this year.
According to Podberry, the product is the UK’s first freeze-dried seasoned snack made with Scottish-grown produce.
The product is harvested and frozen in under two and a half hours before undergoing a freeze-drying process.
“Created with understanding around a growing demand for healthy and convenient food products, Podberry are high protein, low in fat, gluten free, vegan friendly and on of your five-a-day with no compromise on flavour,” noted the firm.
Image source: Podberry
Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca has revamped the brand and packaging of its taco kits range for the supermarket.
The final product is the result of a collaboration between Wahaca and design studio Without.
According to Without's creative director Roly Grant, the idea was to celebrate the sense of occasion, the ritual, and the format of the eating experience.
“These tacos are the real deal. And by referencing the brand and identity work that we did in the restaurant space, we have created a sense of cohesion that will engender trust and confidence in consumers perusing the supermarket aisle,” he said.
Wahaca food kits are being rolled out at Tesco street-food fixtures this month, as well as at Waitrose and Ocado, with an RRP of £3.69 for eight tacos.
Start-up Earlybirds is launching two ready-to-drink snacking beverages in the UK market.
Available in ‘Berry Bircher’ and ‘Mango & Oats’ flavours, the products are described as a ‘nutritious snack’ or ‘breakfast drink’ that aim to ‘make mornings easier’.
“[They provide] healthy and convenient solutions to breakfast/snacking while minimising the environmental impact with a compostable bottle made from sugarcane,” noted the company. Earlybirds will roll out a sugarcane lid in October 2019.
The RTDs are vegan-friendly, contain no added sugar, and make up 20-30% of the recommended daily intake of fibre.
"In a market that is so full of innovation, it’s very difficult to stand out. At Earlybirds we are committed to being as innovative as possible for the time poor, health conscious consumers we aspire to please, both with the products we create and the packaging we use,” said founder Amrit Hathiramanim.
“We've stripped back our brand design to be sleek and easy to understand at a glance, ensuring it can cut through all the noise".
Selling for £2.25 per bottle, the drinks are available online and have secured listings at selected Sainsbury’s stores.
Image source: Earlybirds
Original Beans is rolling out new eco packaging designs made from FSC-certified wood cellulose paper.
The design, which comes from the hand of Californian artist Kimberly Varela, aims to convey a message of both luxury and sustainability.
Each packet features an animal native to Original Beans’ chocolate growing region. These include a gorilla from DR Congo, an elephant from Tanzania, and a condor from Peru.
“These are the animals whose habitats are protected by the production of each and every one of the award-winning single origin chocolate bars. And that's why they are at the centre of the brand-new, colourful eco packaging…” noted the firm.
The new ranges will be available from 1 September, 2019.
Image source: Original Beans
East London beer house Nirvana Brewery is revamping its product range to ‘suit international growth’ and ‘enable expansion into mainstream markets’.
Nirvana Brewery, which launched in 2017, produces low or no alcohol beers. The company says it appeals to teetotallers, health-conscious Millennials, and those keen to avoid a hangover.
After two years in service, the brewery is changing the names, product descriptions and graphics of its beers.
Examples include ‘Dark & Rich’ – a stout with 0.0% ABV. The description reads: “Dark roasted malts take centre stage in this rich and chocolatey stout. Bold enough to pack a punch, light enough to enjoy any time of year”.
The ‘Traditional’ – a non-alcoholic pale ale, is described as: “A timeless classic, reinvented for the mindful beer drinker. Think cask ale for the modern era.”
Nirvanas range is all low-calorie and vegan friendly.
Image source: Nirvana
The Groovy Food Company is launching a range of new oils aimed at health and environmentally conscious cooks.
The range includes an organic virgin coconut oil infused with chilli and garlic (RRP £4), a one-calorie virgin avocado oil cooking spray (£2) and an organic coconut oil cooking spray (£2). All the products, currently available at Tesco, offer a high smoke point.
According to The Groovy Food Company, the range allows consumers to purchase convenient high-quality alternatives to butter, margarine and other oils.
“These new products will meet the growing demand for healthy cooking oils and fulfil our mission to bring innovative, natural and sustainably sourced products to consumers and our retail partners,” said company founder Rosie Hayward.
Image source: The Groovy Food Company
US food and drink giant PepsiCo has launched a high-fibre ‘drinkable fruit’ in the UK.
Thanks to the company’s ‘new and unique’ processing techniques, Tropicana Whole Fruit contains 50% more fibre than traditional smoothies and juice.
The juice is available in both apple and orange flavours and sold in fully recyclable 150ml bottles made from 50% recycled PET plastic.
PepsiCo says the product delivers Public Health England’s recommended daily juice serving.
“We’ve made more of the Whole Fruit drinkable and use everything but the pips and peel to retain fibre which is a key nutrient lost during traditional juicing,” explained Tropicana marketing manager Caroline Wilding.
“Our new pressing process helps us to bridge the nutritional gap, aiding the two in three Brits who are not managing to consumer their five-a-day and, the 90% who are not achieving their daily fibre intake.”
Image source: PepsiCo
