As promised, I am continuing my blog mini-series on the Fancy Food Show. The event was a great experience and could definitely help entrepreneurs. Not only are contacts made during the three-day event between industry members, but producers can generate new food product ideas while retailers can determine what products complement what they already offer.
Another popular trend was portioning/individual servings. Both Party Partners (www.choc-o-lait.com) and Edelman & Paulig (http://www.edelmann-paulig.com/) have developed “hot chocolate on a stick.””Hot chocolate on a stick” consists of a 1-inch cube of chocolate attached to the end of a wooden stick, like a lollipop. To enjoy this treat, the customer merely has to dip the stick into a hot cup of milk and stir for a minute. The chocolate melts and combines with the milk to make hot chocolate. L.T. Blender’s Frozen Concoctions (www.ltblender.com) packages margarita, daiquiri, mojito, and other frozen drinks in portable, pourable bags. L.T. Blender designed its packages to allow customers to have frozen drinks without the blender. To prepare and serve, liquor and water are poured into the bag, shaken together, placed in the freezer for a few hours, and then the frozen drink can be squeezed into a glass and enjoyed. The bags come in different sizes depending on the number of servings needed. The Great San Saba River Pecan Company (http://www.greatpecans.com/) has also developed a quick and easy “semi-homemade” type product. They have designed a pecan pie in-a-jar. To make their own pecan pie, a customer just needs to add eggs and butter to the mix and pour into a pie crust. Another portioned treat seen at the show were Lollibons. Developed by Philip R’s Frozen Desserts (http://www.icecream-desserts.com/), Lollibons are ice cream bonbons served on a stick for a small, convenient snack.
Another trend seen at the Fancy Food Show was an emphasis on “healthy” foods. Loaded Smoothies (http://www.loadedsmoothies.co.za/) are individually packaged and made only with fruit and water, contain zero preservatives, zero stabilizers, zero colorings, and are sugar-free. Another health-conscious fruit product seen at the show was Tropicube. Tropicube (http://www.tropicube.co.za/) is a dried fruit product that is preservative, fat, gluten, and nut free. La Vita Health Foods (http://www.lavitahealthfoods.com/) was also promoting health-conscious products. La Vita sells eight flavors of cookies that are gluten, wheat, sugar, lactose, cholesterol, and trans fat free. The cookies are also prebiotic, vegan, and diabetic friendly.
As an ag entrepreneur, do you currently use any of the above trends (portioning/individual servings and/or health-conscious)? If you do, is this a recent implementation to your product line or have you been doing this for a long time? If you don’t, are you considering these trends?
