Takeaways from the Winter Fancy Foods Show

By Sameer Shah

John Craven, from BevNet, lists a few general takeaways from the show. I’ll add a couple of my own:

1. Whole30 is a growing trend, and brands are putting the Whole30 Approved logo on their packaging. If a brand’s product meets the requirements, I think it’s a great idea. Whole30 is gaining popularity, and because it’s based on a 30 day cycle, it’s less intimidating than other diet programs. Well, if you can get past its tough restrictions!
2. Ethnic flavors and mashups are also growing. I saw more and more brands featuring ethnic offerings, and in many cases mixing up tastes from different cultures. The entrepreneurs behind these brands are also more diverse than before, and more often not from the country of the food.
3. Everyone is scrambling to figure out ecommerce, and it’s not just shelf stable brands anymore. I talked to an ice cream company that’s doing a solid ecommerce business! Companies seem to be taking chances on drop shipping with a cooling agent, and then platforms like Amazon Prime Now provide another means to deliver a frozen product. I’m curious to see if the frozen drop ship model changes as the weather gets warmer. Back to general ecommerce, Amazon is now selling Whole Foods’ and Sprouts’ items via its Prime Now app. With free shipping over $35, it is definitely going to challenge Instacart, Shipt, and other similar services.