Regenerative farming was an oft-cited marketing buzzword, as was “clean label” though the definition is often unclear, and monk fruit (as a sugar substitute) was everywhere. Grab-and-go convenience items were all the rage, as were gummies of every variety. Read on for more cherry-picked morsels:
Welcome to the club
If the goal is to go from cult favorite to mainstream—and for most companies it most definitely is—brands in the plant-based products space cannot continue the regrettable practice of preaching only to the choir, as some marketers have publicly acknowledged.
Executives at Impossible Foods have been outspoken on the issue recently, using it as a hook for a brand revamp that includes new packaging and an arms-wide-open message for flexitarians.
The move coincides with Impossible’s new hot dog launch ahead of summer barbecue season, and came to life in a massive blood-red, meat-themed booth at Expo West. (The purveyors of faux meat have been particularly hard hit by the criticism, and one of the segment leaders, the beleaguered Beyond Meat, was conspicuously absent from the show.)
Meanwhile, collaborations are bringing the plant-based and animal product worlds closer together. Kraft Heinz showed off its expanding line of plant-based products with partner NotCo, such as a dairy-free take on the iconic blue-box mac and cheese. And companies like Umaro Foods, which makes seaweed-sourced bacon, is debuting a breakfast sandwich at Whole Foods with real egg and cheese.
Gail Becker, founder of Caulipower—which promoted new products at the show like pizza bites and chicken bites—noted a communication problem in the industry when she launched her brand in 2017.
“There was a lot of preciousness—it was so exclusive,” Becker said. “I really wanted to create a welcoming brand, something that’s for everybody. We don’t food shame.”
The positioning, which Becker attributed to listening closely to consumer feedback, has helped the brand sell as well at Walmart as it does at Whole Foods.
Turning the tide for some brands may prove challenging, if they’ve established themselves even informally as products for only a select group of buyers.
