Singapore upcycled beer brand CRUST Group has seen a CAGR of over 70% since its first year of business, which has catalysed its overseas expansion plans and diversification into categories beyond beverages.
Nestle China’s is looking to capitalise on consumer confidence in its longstanding brand as well as its capabilities to overcome the challenges faced by its dairy business.
Alcohol heavyweight Diageo believes that the rising demand for premiumisation in APAC, and in particular economic growth in China, is placing the category in a strong position.
Dubai-based ice cream brand House of Pops has detailed how its product development is being influenced by consumer trends in the Middle East’s snacking space, including plant-based and clean eating, functional foods, and personalisation.
Cultivated meat company Cell AgriTech says it is benefitting from Malaysia’s advantage as a cost-competitive manufacturing hub as it outlines plans to roll out its first cultivated meat product by 2025.
Amway China has revealed plans to reduce the use of artificial colouring, preservatives, and sweeteners in its dietary supplement range as part of its sustainability efforts.
Thailand’s Brownie House believes that the local snacking sector is still strongly dominated by indulgence and premiumisation, making an overly-strong focus on healthier options difficult.
Candy specialist Ricola is benefitting from the growing popularity of sugar-free candies in APAC after ‘quietly’ undergoing a significant reformulation process and despite not shouting about it from the rooftops.
Danone has launched a dairy and plant milk powder blend designed for infants and toddlers in Australia and New Zealand – the first of its kind that the firm has introduced in Asia Pacific.
Prosecco specialist firm Bottega is looking to give the champagne sector in Asia Pacific and beyond a run for its money, banking on both its premium bottles and newly-launched RTD ranges to provide both affordability and high quality.
New Zealand oat milk pioneers Otis Oat Milk believes that its first production plant in the country will boost growth and provide ‘huge’ cost reductions.
Better-for-you beverage trends and ingredients are starting to see a convergence between markets in the Asia Pacific and United States as comsumer awareness grows, according to energy tea brand YATE.
Singapore’s Shandi Global has developed a range of plant-based products that it says are equally, if not more, nutritious than regular chicken meat, which will soon be brought to market both locally and overseas.
Delhi-based digital retailer Wellversed says evolving from a distributor model to now also creating its own products has been key to gaining a more holistic understanding of the Indian consumer, as it outlines plans to expand its brand portfolio.
PepsiCo has launched the first edition of its Greenhouse Accelerator programme in the Asia Pacific region, seeking inventive solutions focused on sustainable packaging and climate change reduction.
Australia-based brand The Mad Foodies is aiming to satiate growing demand for ready meals that are not only convenient and tasty, but also infused with science-backed nutritional benefits.
Ice cream brand Heritage Kulfi is preparing to take its portfolio of South-Asian flavors to the Midwest and Northeast with the help of KeHE’s ELEVATE program, as brand founder Mansoor Ahmed told FoodNavigator-USA.
Singapore start-up Jungle Kitchen is targeting growing interest in sustainable eating and indigenous ingredients, with ambitions to bring its vegan ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products beyond Asia.
Seaweed snack giant Taokaenoi has launched several new format innovations of its products to capitalise on rising consumer demand for convenience and flavour intensification in its various target markets.
Thai plant-based firm Mantra is positioning itself as a viable alternative for seafood allergy sufferers, while also hoping to change consumer perception of “high-sodium” alt-protein products with its MSG-free offerings.
Chocolate specialist Ritter Sport believes that a focus on prominent packaging and experiential textures is important to overcome the challenge of lower chocolate consumption rates in the Asia Pacific region.
Philippines-based plant-based firm WTH Foods is in the process of expanding into both the European and South East Asian markets with its new low-sodium, clean label plant-based seafood products.
Malaysia-based Miaow Miaow says taste still tops health claims in the snacking category as it prioritises marketing campaigns for greater brand awareness in its key regional export markets.
Japanese trading company Moacal Co., Ltd has introduced a new beverage brand that focuses on decaffeinated coffee products, with plans to dip into other drink categories as well as functional beverages.
Sydney-based precision fermentation firm All G Foods is doubling down on R&D and consumer insights research to complete its first finished product, as it sets sights on the APAC, Middle East and US markets.
Singapore mint specialist firm Haldy recently hit the market with its turmeric-based, Ayurvedic-inspired mints, which it believes has the potential to appeal to both younger and older consumers alike.
China-based cultivated meat firm Jimi Biotech foresees that it will take a few more years before the alternative protein obtains regulatory approval in the country, although it is optimistic about investor interest and consumer acceptance.
Coconut specialist Thai Coconut is expanding its horizons beyond its traditional milk and coconut water strongholds to enter the alternative protein sector, including with plant-based calamari.
Innovators in the South East Asia ag-tech space need to devote as much time and resources into building trust among smallholder farmers as they do on developing their products, if climate-smart practices are to be more widely adopted.
The China plant-based sector has lost ‘some of its hype’ and is far from a ‘quick win’, claims one of the category’s pioneers in the country, which has recently announced a significant new distribution deal.
Delhi-based Rage Coffee has embarked on a ‘keep it simple’ strategy for its first RTD coffee launch as it seeks to tempt Indian consumers to the category and away from tea.
Singapore beer giant Tiger’s latest product innovation is driven by Korean culture, and aims to appeal to young consumers seeking progressive flavours and easy-to-drink options.
3D printed cultivated meat firm Steakholder Foods is targeting cost parity with conventional products by 2028, while also exploring new partnerships to boost its 3D printing capabilities, which it hopes to fully commercialise next year.
Joint research by Kirin Holdings and Nagasaki University has found that Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (LC-Plasma) could hasten recovery of smell and taste dysfunction caused by COVID-19, which will further drive R&D in the postbiotic’s use in pharmaceutical...
Singapore-based Confetti Snacks’ fruitful venture in the US has given the firm a better understanding of differing consumer demands in the East and West, as well as a boost for its APAC expansion ambitions.
Healthy snack brand SnackRight is seeking to withstand wider economic uncertainties by focusing on product improvement and shelf-life extension, in order to increase its sales channels.
Sapporo Breweries and IBM Japan have jointly established an artificial intelligence (AI) system that significantly reduces the time and cost of new product development, and which is poised to play a key role in the alcohol firm’s future innovations.
Bali-based Stark Craft Beer has revealed how it is differentiating its marketing strategy between regions, while cautioning that the fledgling Indonesia market is not yet ready for excessive flavour innovation.
Korean start-up TissenBioFarm highlighted greater enthusiasm among local governments to push for regulations and support for the cultivated meat industry, and has set a ‘realistic expectation’ to bring cultivated meat to Korean market by 2025.
Amino acid specialist Ajinomoto has predicted that more cost increases are likely in FY2023 due to continuous inflationary pressures, even though the company reported record-breaking sales and profits last year.
Fonterra has launched a probiotic powdered drink in Singapore, and is looking to scale up SEA distribution to cover the ‘growing middle class’ in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Suntory Beverage & Food, the company behind health supplement product Brand's Essence of Chicken, has reported a decline in its health supplement business in Asia-Pacific (APAC) as a result of inflation during Q1 this year.
Dutch-based plant-based meat and seafood firm PLNT believes that its sodium-balanced, high-digestibility alternative protein products are well-placed to gain it entry into APAC and Middle Eastern markets.
Middle Eastern food and beverage giant Agthia has seen its snacking business grow leaps and bounds to secure company profitability in the first quarter of 2023, despite ongoing challenges from the Egyptian currency crisis and its protein business.
Children are the ‘toughest food critics’ meaning that healthy snack firms have to pay equal attention to taste and nutrition if they are going to attract mass appeal and help improve the diets of young people.
South East Asian biscuit heavyweight Julie’s is looking to capitalise on the rising trend of indulgence as well as the longstanding demand for chocolate products in the Malaysian market with its new range Charm.
South Korean food tech company Armored Fresh is launching its plant-based cheese direct-to-consumer on Amazon and via its own site in the US after notching-up over 150 sales accounts in the country since launching just six months ago.