Innovation

Sial 2024 Paris

Are you a trend setter in the food industry? What we learnt at SIAL Paris 2024

Export, France, Innovation / By

It is no surprise that one of the world’s biggest food exhibitions is held bi annually in Paris. French gastronomy is listed by Unesco as “intangible cultural heritage” and French cooking techniques such as sautéing, braising and baking are fundamental in many cuisines, plus taught in culinary schools globally.  Food presentation is an art developed […]

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Eclectic, bustling and exotic. London’s Borough Market showcases new UK food trends!

Ethnic food, Free Trade, Innovation / By

I’ve spent much of July in the UK. In this time I was in Norfolk, the Chilterns, Chester, Scotland and of course London. Whilst I have never lived nor worked in London, it’s a city that grabs you, and grows on you too.  By far the biggest impression I have is of its diversity, simply

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Are the venture funds launched by giant food & beverage firms the best way to accelerate growth?

Innovation, Management, Start-up / By

Most consumer goods companies drive growth through gaining penetration (new users, new points of distribution), upping frequency (often through occasion based marketing) and trading up (premiumisation). I’ve worked with many clients in multiple categories and there are always white spaces of untapped revenue, often close by. For many managers, sweating existing assets is less risky

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Haleon Panadol

Headache? Toothache? Is Haleon’s OTC portfolio immune from attack?

China, Health, Innovation / By

Haleon is the spin off of GSK’s OTC (over the counter medicine) business. This month it was reborn as a stand-alone company independently listed on the London stock exchange. Haleon has a market valuation of £30.5b (US$36.2b) and a portfolio of brands including Sensodyne (oral care) and Panadol (pain relief). The company makes 63% gross

Headache? Toothache? Is Haleon’s OTC portfolio immune from attack? Read More »

Does your ‘clean label’ marketing message hit the bull’s eye? Nova knows

Innovation, Marketing, Regulation / By

‘Clean label’ is the antithesis of ultra processed food. Jump back 30 years or more and food was all about taste and texture, ingredients panels were present, largely unread and certainly not understood. Not many knew, or cared whether packaged food was healthy. Clean label is an off shoot of the ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ food

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Photo Kyodo News

Hungry in Japan? Über Eats ‘new verticals’ wants to eat your lunch

Food Delivery, Innovation, Japan / By

Über Eats has just celebrated its fifth anniversary in Japan, its eighth global market. As in other markets it started focusing on restaurants. In Japan these were in up-market districts of Tokyo like Aoyama and Akasaka. Now the business claims to cover all 47 prefectures, facilitated by 100,000 delivery riders. Über Eats is steadily eating

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Huel, an edgy food nutrition start-up, going global advocate, puts itself on the IPO dinner table

Branding, Health, Innovation / By

Huel is an acronym for HUman FuEL. The company sells powder based meal replacements diluted with water. The ingredients are 100% vegan and include oats, pea, rice, flaxseed, coconut, and sunflower. It’s a brand for active and wealthy millennials, a target group similar to Peleton or even Go-Pro. Like the latter, it has a similar

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Cheesecake Factory pivots to take-home & dials up indulgence. Naughty but nice!

Food Delivery, Innovation / By

American icon the Cheesecake Factory is navigating the pandemic by dialling up take home sales and using its 208 restaurants as delivery depots. It also chalked a deal with Doordash to smooth online order cycles and relieve staff pressures. ‘Talk triggers’ and ‘viral marketing’ are key components of the company’s playbook. There’s a menu that

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Hollywood celebrities-cum-investors hunger for plant food start-ups, but does it matter?

Food Delivery, Funding, Innovation, Start-up / By

There is no shortage of celebrities who besides the day-job, are turning green and punting big on plant food. Madonna has invested in Vita Coco, a coconut water business, Leonardo DiCapriccio owns a stake in Impossible Foods (and is a brand ambassador) and Serena Williams has gone into Baby food. A few months ago news

Hollywood celebrities-cum-investors hunger for plant food start-ups, but does it matter? Read More »

SkyLark banks on Shabu Shabu hotpot to launch its US business

Innovation, Japan, Market entry, QSR / By

Skylark may not be a household name in Japan but it has a plethora of well-known fast food restaurant brands from Gusto to Yumean to Tonkara Tei that are found across the country. It’s a big company with sales in excess of $3b, although its revenues dropped 23% in the pandemic. Like many Japanese corporates,

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