Adam Cohen

F&B innovation doesn’t initiate at Google. It commences in the lab. Most food & beverage brands believe innovation comes from Google searches, trend reports, and competitor analysis. While online research can spark ideas, true F&B innovation begins where Google searches end, inside the lab. Analytics-oriented innovation rarely reflects real manufacturing conditions. Google cannot predict how ingredients react under heat, pressure, carbonation, storage, or transportation, especially in Indian market conditions, where temperature and logistics play a vital role. Online research may inspire concepts, but it cannot test:- -Ingredient interaction -Sensory balance -Shelf-life stability -Scalability at the production level Without lab validation, brands often face:- -Ingredient incompatibility -Poor taste consistency -Shelf-life failure after launch Difficulty in scaling from trial to commercial batches At Foodsure, every product idea is validated through structured lab trials before moving toward market launch. Acknowledgement to all the brands that experience fewer failures, manage costs better, and have more certainty before going into large-scale production. Planning a new food or beverage product? Comment “Innovation” or DM us to start with lab-backed development. #FBInnovation #FoodRND #FoodStartup #BeverageDevelopment

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What’s 3 Key Beverage Trends to Watch in 2026 As the beverage industry evolves, 2026 is poised to be a transformative year. Driven by technological innovation and a deeper understanding of consumer health, the landscape is shifting beyond traditional categories. Here are three key data-backed trends set to redefine the market. First, Precision Functional Beverages will move beyond general wellness to targeted solutions. Expect a surge in drinks formulated with clinically-backed ingredients for specific health goals like stress resilience, sleep quality, or focused energy. The global nutraceutical market, a key indicator, is projected to reach USD 722.49 billion by 2030, with beverages as a primary growth vector. Brands will leverage biometric data to create personalized nutrition plans, making the drink a precise health tool. Second, Climate-Conscious Formulations will become a primary purchasing driver. Consumers will seek out brands with verifiable sustainability credentials, particularly those using low-water-footprint ingredients. For instance, the alt-milk market continues to innovate with barley and chickpea bases, as producing oat milk requires approximately 80% less water than almond milk. This extends to upcycled ingredients, turning what was once waste into valuable nutritional content. Finally, Sophisticated Adult Non-Alcoholic Drinks will solidify as a major category. Moving beyond simple mocktails, these beverages offer complex flavor profiles through botanical extracts and fermentation. The global non-alcoholic beverage market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2024 to 2032, reflecting a permanent shift in social drinking habits. This trend caters to a growing health-conscious demographic seeking premium, adult-oriented experiences without alcohol. In summary, the future of beverages lies in hyper-personalization, environmental accountability, and sophisticated adult alternatives, setting a new standard for the industry in 2026. --------------------------------------- EZVAN 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 & 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐂𝐨.,𝐋𝐭𝐝 ✈️𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀: www.ezvanbeverage.com ☎️whatsapp: (86)13826199963 📧𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹: gdyizhiban@163.com 📍𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: No.15, Phoenix Mountain Fourth Road, Long Dragon Industrial Zone, Taishan City, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, China 529222) #Beverage #EzvanFoodAndDrink #Soda #BoldEnergy #NewRelease

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Premium spirits are having a difficult year. Travel retail is telling a different story. The $100-plus bottle segment in the US fell close to double digits in the first quarter alone. Tequila, the category which has been popular for a decade now, dropped too. People are choosing less expensive bottles. Except for one channel - #TravelRetail. IWSR's latest numbers show travel retail spirits grew 7% in value last year. Scotch was up 10% by volume. Japanese whisky was up 37%. So what's actually different at the airport, which is driving the numbers up? It's the thirty minutes before a flight. Someone walks you through a whisky you've never tried. There's a story behind the bottle, not just a price tag. The traveller is in a good, shopping mindset. This does not happen in a supermarket or an app. If your brand is already in duty-free, this is the reason to put your special edition front and centre, not your regular bottle. The environment is already doing half the work of selling it. The same bottle from the local store doesn't belong there. If your brand isn't in travel retail yet, this is worth thinking about. People are still willing to pay more for a premium bottle, and travel retail gives brands the best environment to make that happen. Of course, travellers still trade down when the value isn't clear. That hasn't changed. But travel retail rewards the brands that make premium feel personal, rare, and easy to choose; not just expensive. Waiting for the home market to bounce back could take a while. In travel retail, the job is simpler: give travellers a reason to discover and pay for something they can't get at home. What are you seeing in your category? #TravelRetail #GlobalTravelRetail #DutyFree #PremiumSpirits #PlatinumLiquids

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Non-Alcoholic Spirits #Market Growth: Aplós Raises $5M to Scale #Distribution #Aplós, a US-based #nonalcoholic spirits brand, has #raised $5 million in fresh funding from undisclosed #investors, signaling continued investor interest in the #growing non-alcoholic beverage #sector. The capital infusion is expected to support #expansion into additional retail and #hospitality channels and further strengthen the #brand’s footprint in premium and #experiential settings. Ashu Agrawal | Aplós #Aplós #Market #Distribution #Brand

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I have written a lot lately about protein and where the category is heading. This deal is another data point worth paying attention to. Second Nature Brands, the PE-backed snacking platform behind Brownie Brittle, Sahale Snacks and Voortman, just agreed to acquire Tillamook Country Smoker. Tillamook generates more than $175 million in annual sales and makes clean-label zero-sugar jerky, beef sticks and sausages. This is Second Nature's first move into protein snacks. The category numbers explain why. Dried meat snack sales excluding jerky rose 10.7% to $3.3 billion in 2024. PepsiCo entered this year with Good Warrior. Chomps, Jack Link's Protein Snacks and Archer Meat Snacks are all scaling. The category has gone from a niche better-for-you play to one of the most competitive aisles in the store in a very short window. For Second Nature, Tillamook gives them a platform in a category with real consumer tailwinds. For CapVest, the PE firm backing Second Nature, this is the roll-up playbook working exactly as designed. Buy castoffs and undermanaged brands, add distribution muscle and retail relationships, and let the category growth do some of the work. The harder question is whether clean-label meat snacks can hold their positioning as the category gets crowded with scaled players. Full article: https://lnkd.in/gvsRjjzQ

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What do the protein LEAD test results mean for the CPG Industry? As some may already know, Consumer Reports (CR) released their latest testing on protein powders and found, according to them, high amounts of lead. What this means for the industry is that you may suddenly see an INFLUX of questions from customers and consumers. It is not a time to panic, but a time to take action and strengthen some programs. So here are some key steps to consider and prepare: 1. Develop a STANDARD RESPONSE that is comprehensive yet simple to explain. Use this as a chance to EDUCATE your consumers. 2. Test for heavy metals in your product, not to alarm but to UNDERSTAND potential risks or areas for improvement. This is especially important if you sell in California (where Prop 65 applies). 3. Become familiar with both federal and local REGULATIONS related to heavy metals. 4. Understand CONSENT JUDGMENT LEVELS, which are negotiated safe use levels that take into account real world feasibility. For example: 📌 Protein supplements and powders: Typically around 3 mcg of lead per day 📌 Chocolate and some mass gainers: Up to 4 mcg per day 📌 General supplements with NSF certification: up to 10 mcg per day 📌 FDA interim reference level for adults: 8.8 mcg per day 📌 Consumer Reports target: 0.5 mcg per day, mirroring Prop 65 threshold, and as you can see, mostly unfeasible 5. Test frequently and review results often to spot trends or supplier changes. ADJUST your TESTING PROGRAM based on new seasons, growing regions, and ingredient sources. 6. Consult with a food attorney or regulatory compliance professional for actual guidance or simply a second opinion. Note: This post is not legal advice, just general information and practical guidance you may use. Questions? Comments? Let us know below 👇

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TODO VERDE, TUYYO, AND NEMI MERGE UNDER TUYYO FOODS The trio of female-owned consumer brands are coming together: 👉 Todo Verde was founded in 2015 and started selling DTC after the pandemic focusing on taco seasoning blends. 👉 Nemi Snacks was founded in 2019 and sells dried snacks made from Nopal Cactus. 👉 TUYYO was founded in 2020 and produces Latin American inspired beverage mixes. The consolidation reminds me of Bettani Farms acquiring NUMU Food Group, Stockeld Dreamery, and Hungry Planet last month. But with a twist of being oriented to Hispanics. Lots of these food brands that focus on a specific ethnicities are flying high like Bachan's, Dumpling Daughter, and Mother-in-Law's. Neither of the brands have record of raising institutional capital. Curious to see if that's the next move after consolidating portfolio.

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Coffee companies continue to trade at a premium — often well above the restaurant sector median. From Starbucks with a $90B+ market cap to the newly public Black Rock Coffee Bar, investors are rewarding the category’s combination of brand power, daypart diversification, and asset-light scalability. But the headline numbers obscure the nuance. Even within coffee, performance varies widely. Same category, different stories — some are growing fast but chasing margins; others command consistency but face saturation; and new entrants are yet to prove their brand. The spread reflects not hype, but differences in system sophistication, throughput, and capital discipline. Premium multiples in coffee aren’t just about caffeine (or beverage) culture — they’re a proxy for planning and execution. As valuations diverge, investors are leaning harder on diligence to separate durable growth from over-caffeinated projections. For emerging brands, understanding what drives those multiples — and engineering the systems behind them — will define who becomes the next Starbucks, and who stays local. #restaurants #valuation #coffee

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