Winter Fancy Foods Show Recap

The Specialty Food Association’s Winter Fancy Food Show returned to the Las Vegas Convention Center in February with plenty of new product innovations in the beverage set, including updated positioning for kombucha brands and growing prominence for outer space aesthetics.

Clocking in at over 1,100 booths and approximately 13,000 registered attendees, the show saw a rise of new ingredient trends and emerging brands, particularly in the non-alcoholic beverage space.

Hibisbloom, which produces a portfolio of African Hibiscus Flower-based beverages, recently moved into the mocktail space after switching manufacturers. Currently available in two flavors – White Hibiscus Citrus Peach and Hibiscus Passion Fruit Mango – the line is slated to expand with limited-edition drops, with founder and owner Affouet Price teasing a seasonal “Love Potion” set to drop in February.

Newton-based sparkling water maker Spindrift also made its first foray into the mocktail set with the launch of its Nojito. The brand was inspired to create the new product while experimenting with the addition of mint, an ingredient that is also featured in its new Mint Green Tea variety.

South African non-alcoholic spirits and aperitifs brand Abstinence splashed into the U.S. with its six-SKU lineup. The line, which is available to consumers nationwide through the brand’s website, includes Cape Citrus, Cape Floral and Cape Spice spirits, Blood Orange and Lemon Aperitifs and an Epilogue X product. Founded in 2020, the brand has expanded into 13 international markets, which also includes the UK and Australia.

Elsewhere, functional beverage makers switched up positioning and moved beyond kombucha. California-based brand Marin Kombucha highlighted its eight-SKU line of refrigerated kombucha products. According to CEO Mike Stern, the brand has seen recent success in the foodservice channel, positioning the drinks as alcohol alternatives. In fact, the brand has been picked up by multiple beer and wine distributors and made available on-tap at several foodservice outlets. Currently, products are also available direct-to-consumer, but Marin is hoping to expand into natural retailers in the near future.

Canadian kombucha brand Gutsy unveiled its new line extension, Adapt2. The sparkling probiotic beverage was crafted to appeal to a broader demographic than the brand’s kombucha products, as co-founder Pierrich Picard noted the fermented beverage can often be polarizing. Available in two flavors at launch – Orange & Turmeric and Passion Fruit & Hibiscus – the probiotic drink features three adaptogenic plants: ashwagandha, holy basil and maca. A new Mango flavor, which made its debut at the show, will soon be available online for nationwide shipping across Canada.

Cosmic themes have captured food and beverage brands exhibiting at the show. Oregon-based nut butter, seed, dried berry and trail mix company Wilderness Poets has extended into the beverage category with the launch of a new space-themed brand, dubbed SPIN.

After learning some customers were attempting to make nut milk with its nut butters, the company began working on a ready-made product and landed on nut milk concentrates, which were revealed for the first time at the show. Packed in 8 oz. squeeze pouches for retail, the product comes in four almond milk varieties – Original, Unsweetened, Chocolate and Vanilla – as well as in Macadamia Milk and Cashew Milk & Cream. Each pouch makes up to the equivalent of three, 32 oz. cartons of nut milk by simple blending or mixing with water.

SPIN is also targeting foodservice where it sells large formats of the concentrate. According to Wilderness Poets co-founder John Bannerman, the product can be used to make anything from smoothies to plant-based sauces and baked goods. The team also exhibited its new miso-based nutritional yeast “nooch” product, branded under its parent company.

Lafayette, Indiana-based family roastery Copper Moon Coffee currently markets a line of space-themed coffee products including Artemis 1 Reserve, Bean Me Up, Stargazer and Dark Sky roasts following a rebrand in 2020. Most recently, the brand expanded its foodservice presence through a partnership with Purdue University’s Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, a propulsion testing facility that has received grant funding from NASA.

Beyond outer space and back on the show floor, drinkable konjac jelly brand Tastelli showcased its squeeze pouches in four flavors – Mango Pineapple, Peach, Green Apple Grape and Double Berry – while emphasizing the product’s low calories, flavor-forward attributes. Konjac, a regenerative root vegetable native to Asia, is used in a range of products from food and beverages to personal care.

According to Tastelli’s co-founders, one of whom is from South Korea, the product is a popular snack in the country. In January 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added konjac to the soluble dietary fibers list for food and beverage and the brand’s co-founders claim the ingredient has steadily gained traction in the United States ever since. Tastelli products also contain added collagen, vitamins A, C, and E as well as erythritol.

The brand currently sells through its direct-to-consumer website and on Amazon and is looking to expand into retail.

Yves Potvin, founder of plant-based brands Gardein and Yves Veggie Gourmet, used this year’s Fancy Food Show to debut his next CPG venture, Konscious Foods, a line of konjac-based seafood products.

The Canadian brand showcased 12 SKUs of plant-based seafood items including sushi rolls, poke bowls and kits and onigiri, a grab-and-go style sushi that’s popular in Japanese c-stores, said a spokesperson for the brand. Backed by a team of CPG experts and chefs working on R&D for nearly two years, the brand recently began rolling out products for soft launch at select Whole Foods and Choice Market locations in the Vancouver area, with U.S. expansion being the next target.