News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
Singaporean brand Re.juve’s ability to navigate cold pressed juices’ transition from being a trendy detox drink to a daily staple for meeting nutrient gaps, as well as support from loyal customers, have been crucial for its survival.
Indonesia’s Haldin is seeking to expand in Asia and the Middle East by uses '12 natural building blocks' for over 200 ingredients as leverage.
Nicaragua-based Grupo Aquamar is looking to strengthen brand awareness in Singapore and Hong Kong, while aiming to attract more consumers in Asia for its premium produce.
Singapore-based manufacturer and distributor Siam Coconut is actively exploring new products and categories to add to its portfolio, as coconut-based products experience a slowdown in growth.
Singapore-based Jääde is actively strengthening its presence in the local market for its packaged Finnish spring water, while working to expand across the region in the long run.
Singapore-based Hey! Chips says that its switch in business strategy from overseas expansion to building presence in the local market has enabled it to gain a foothold in the healthy snacking category and a spurt in brand awareness.
Singapore-based HaruPlate aims to fill gaps in the better-for-you snacks category, targeting children’s nutrition needs and parents’ pain points through reformulation of existing products and development of fortified treats.
Singapore-headquartered OATSIDE attributes its meteoric rise in Asia to a marketing strategy encompassing targeted campaigns and strategic partnerships, and constant innovation of flavours to satisfy myriad consumer preferences.
India snack specialist Farmley has revealed new data showing that makhanas and dry fruits are popular across generations, with chocolate and vanilla flavours among the top favourites in its 2024 Healthy Snacking Report.
Artisan brand Sila wants to elevate Indonesian tea by targeting health conscious consumers who will pay for indulgent blends.
Singapore start-up Strictly Nuts is hoping to convince consumers that fox nuts are versatile go-to snacks for all ages, with a focus on heath and versatility to grow its reach in the market.
Japanese tea company ITO EN is gearing up to set foot into the Indian market for the first time with its flagship ready-to-drink green tea brand Oi Ocha.
Austrian ketchup brand Curtice Brothers says a focus on natural ingredients, heritage and sustainability is helping it compete with local and international condiment giants in Asia, with the firm seeing success in China, Singapore and Japan.
Australian-based start-up Heartful Flavours is on a mission to educate consumers that their taste buds can get used to less salt, as it ramps up promotion of its salt-free Asian staples.
Singapore-based Gold Kili has launched a new product format for its coffee range and expanded into the thriving healthier beverage category, as part of the firm’s growth strategy.
Singapore start-up Jiro-Meat is scaling up production of its plant-based meat made from upcycled soy pulp, with the aim of commercialisation within the next six months.
Dutch brand Nightwatch is aiming to ride the plant-based wave in Asia by launching an all-natural, and caffeine-free energy drink for ethically-minded consumers.
Dubai-based snacks firm SMITHS is pursuing a bigger share of the Asian market by banking on its long brand history, and introducing products that are cleaner and tapping on evolving flavour trends.
Estonian oat milk brand YOOK is looking to capitalise on the pureness, nutritional value and “superior” taste of its products to break into the Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
Tokyo-based NEXT MEATS’s latest innovation claims to offer several advantages over existing plant-based products, including improved taste and texture despite minimal use of ingredients, and being ambient storage-friendly.
Dubai-based frozen desserts brand House of Pops has identified three key drivers to propel its next stage of growth, namely expansion of product line-up, increasing market presence, and offering of private label services.
Middle Eastern snacks firm Hunter Foods has expanded its product range and repackaged its best-sellers amid booming consumer demand, in a bid to stay ahead of rising competition in the category.
Singapore-based Gryphon Tea Company has updated its cold-brewed tea range with “no added sugar” formulations, which the firm says has helped it keep up with the better-for-you trend and reach out to a bigger pool of health-conscious consumers.
India-based The Brooklyn Creamery is making headway in the Middle East by catering to the buying behaviours and eating habits of consumers in the region, including healthier options and innovative flavours.
China-based clean label brand Haofood is putting extra efforts into innovation while maintaining focus on taste and affordability to boost consumer adoption of plant-based diets.
Food and beverage brands that are able to convey microlocal tastes and tap into consumer pride with a strong domestic production chain are best-placed for success in the APAC region, according to Kerry.
The crucial combination of freshness and clean label is emerging as an important flavour strategy that food and beverage brands need to hit in order to cater to APAC consumers’ increasingly exacting demands.
NZ-based Off-Piste Provisions has outlined how consumer demands for healthy convenience food and a ‘chewing experience’ are key drivers guiding its product development strategy amidst plans for Australia and United States expansion.
Healthier snacking brand Hey! Chips is looking to overcome the dominance of ultra-processed snacks in the market by innovating with whole ingredients to make scalable clean label products.
The founder of a pioneering China plant-based firm will reveal how the challenges can be overcome to create clean label and additive-free products at our Growth Asia Summit 2023.
Chinese researchers have said that plant protein beverages are characterised by low protein content and added sweeteners.
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.
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.
Middle Eastern consumers’ rising interest in foods and beverages that are healthy and indulgent, yet still easy to recognise, have led to increased demands for brands to focus on clean label ingredient lists, according to Olam Food Ingredients (ofi).
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.
Chinese firm Haofood says that the convergence of right ingredients with its proprietary tech was key to creating its first clean-label plant-based product - Carefree Pulled Chickless.
Singapore’s Hey! Chips says it is hoping to benefit from first-mover advantage with its whole-ingredient snacks, which the firm says is an untapped category in Asia’s healthy snacking space.
Trends and Innovation Opportunities Across the Life Stages
Delegate tickets are now on sale at a special earlybird rate for our Growth Asia Summit 2023, as we also announce a raft of new content themes and high profile keynote speakers from Danone, Nestle, H&H and Dole.
NZ supermarkets Foodstuffs and Countdown say reinforcing direct partnerships with egg producers is crucial to tackle widespread supply chain disruptions given the government’s ban on battery-caged hens coming into force.
Expanding seaweed farming would help address the planet’s food security and could contribute up to 10% of future diets, an ‘ambitious’ model by Australian researchers has shown.
Organisers of the Future Food Asia (FFA) Awards 2023 have revealed a whole new awards track targeting start-ups based outside APAC, hoping that this will bring more expertise and technologies into the region.
Indian dried fruits and snack brand ProV foods says affordability is key for better-for-you brands to take a bigger slice of the country’s rapidly developing snack market.
Rising awareness amongst Thai consumers regarding the potential unhealthy connotations associated with long expiry dates is a key factor driving up the demand for clean label food ingredients in the country, according to leading industry experts.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE TRAILBLAZERS EP 37
The interest in cleaner and better-for-you snacks shown by big food and beverage brands, including Mondelez, Nestle and Vitasoy, is paving the way for a new specialised area of plant-based proteins to enter the market, namely the RuBisCo leaf protein.
Vietnam-based fruit multinational Les Vergers du Mekong is banking on its centralised production location and fresh fruit-only guarantee to expand its presence in retail markets across Asia, on the back of a successful leap from HORECA to modern trade...
Regulatory pressure from Asian governments will drive food and beverage firms to use natural colours, with it rapidly becoming less of a trend and more of a necessity.
Global and regional plant-based protein brands should be prepared to face a reticent crowd should they plan to enter Japan at this juncture, according to the CEO and co-founder of alternative egg firm UMAMI United, Hiroto Yamazaki.
Guaranteeing the supply chain stability of natural colours to ensure manufacturers can be assured of product consistency has taken on extra importance in the post-COVID-19 era, claims GNT.
Consumers in the Asia Pacific region will continue to be strongly driven by products with clean label and positive nutrition claims moving into the new year, with food and beverage brands also set to boost innovation to meet these demands.
Malaysian plant-based protein firm the Ultimeat Group plans to tailor its formulation and packaging to every market it intends to enter from 2023 to 2024.