Expo West: Trending Flavors, Indian Cuisine and Clean Convenient Meals

Trending Flavors: Dill Pickle, Hot Honey and Ube

Among the sea of innovation at Natural Products Expo West, several flavor trends stood out, showing versatility in a broad range of applications.

Pickle is a big dill. This briny burger topper was belle of the ball, adding a tangy twist to snacks, condiments and more on display at Expo West. Caulipower’s latest launch is Dill Pickle Pizza, featuring a stone-fired thin and crispy cauliflower crust topped with white bechamel sauce infused with dill pickle brine, mozzarella, roasted garlic and dill. Hippeas collaborated with Grillo’s Pickles on co-branded Dill Pickle chickpea puffs sampled at the show. Nuts for Cheese debuted its Dill Pickle Creamy Cashew Dip made with cultured cashew cream, and Sunny showcased new dressings and drizzles that included a Dill Pickle variety made with avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil.

Hot honey is still blazing. The “swicy” duo put a sweet-heat spin on several new products on display, including Bezi Middle Eastern labneh dip and Lil Bucks Clusterbucks buckwheat snacks. Boulder Canyon partnered with Mike’s Hot Honey on co-branded, kettle-style potato chips, and Diamond debuted Hot Honey Walnuts made with Nature Nate’s Honey Co. branded hot honey. While not exhibiting at the event, NUFS’ Hot Honey almond flour crackers were served alongside dips at several booths.

Oooh, ube. Hailing from the Phillippines, this purple yam appeared in a number of new offerings at the show, including Pocket’s Chocolates coated almonds, Tuk Tuk Go Ube-Taro protein powder and Kuli Kuli’s Ube-Coconut powdered latte mix. Wella Foods presented crispy treats including an Ube Bliss flavor featuring organic whole grain brown rice and quinoa crisps, coconut butter and cacao butter.

International Private Labelers Eye The U.S. Branded CPG Space

The show floor is always full of new entrants, and while the entrepreneurial types were in full supply, we also stumbled upon a handful of international, legacy private label producers making a jump for the U.S. market via new CPG brands.

Thirty-year-old Thai Coco unveiled a new, updated look across its portfolio of coconut products, as the brand looks to accelerate its three-month-old relationship with Kroger. Headquartered in Thailand, Thai Coco is aiming to grow beyond its local prowess and share the story of the coconut-growing region with Americans through its wide array of product types including coconut milks, ready-to-drink beverages, snacks and frozen indulgences. The brand sources from a network of smallholder farms in the region where it has been manufacturing and selling its goods for nearly three decades.

Middle Eastern food producer Mezete showed off its shelf-stable selection of clean-label fare including dips like hommos and muhammara, tahini sauce and soups and stews. A spokesperson for the plant-based, gluten-free brand boasted about the line’s simple ingredient lists and authentic recipes, all of which have been made shelf-stable due to packaging and processing technologies. Sold in over 40 countries around the world, Mezete is now working to establish a foothold in the U.S. market.

South African Smul is also working to push more plant-based products into the U.S. The long-time private labeler operates nine factories in South Africa, and its portfolio currently features an array of fava bean-based protein powder, “tribiotic” gut health sodas, granola, protein bars and refrigerated, soy-free single-serve meals.

A spokesperson explained that the brand came to Expo West looking for feedback on its wide range of product types. Each of the recipes were specifically formulated for the brand, but derived from existing competencies garnered from its years of experience and supported by its existing manufacturing muscle, the spokesperson said.

Gluten-free food private label producer Paranice took to the show floor with a variety of breakfast products including granola, pancake and waffle mixes, and nut butters. The Colombian brand has been testing sales for its products on Amazon and is now working to expand accessibility in brick-and-mortar retail.

Indian Flavors On Fire?

Building off the proliferation of private label producers shifting focus into branded consumer goods, we stumbled upon Truly Indian, which is working to do just that while straddling the growing momentum behind Indian flavors at the show.

The brand, a division of ADF Foods, has been renovated with a new look and recipes that have resulted in a clean label, plant-based line of the private labeler’s top selling products. The new look features food photography and a light pink hue across its sauces, stews, naan and street wrap products.

As for the formulations, ADF SVP Rasa Kumar said she worked to remove ingredients like butter and heavy cream from the original formulations in addition to “toning down” the spice level on select products. Now, the brand is working to expand its base beyond ethnic grocery stores and into mainstream U.S. retail.

Elsewhere, Niramaya showed off its strategy to grow beyond its initial Indian-inspired “dips for dinner” concept with the debut of Naan Pretzels in four varieties: Jalapeno Chutney, Pink Salt, Sweet Jalebi and Tandoori BBQ. The snacks are grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free and will roll out at Sprouts stores nationwide later this spring.

Stuffed flatbread producer Bolani is also getting on the Indian-inspired flavor train, introducing a new Chicken Tikka Masala product at this year’s show. The addition represents the first animal-based protein product for the previously plant-based flatbread producer, containing 32 grams of protein.

Clean Convenient Meals Continue Cropping Up

The trend toward clean-label convenience meals continues. At the show, we saw the debut of ayurveda-inspired meal pack producer Cookma.

The Sonoma, Calif.-based brand sells refrigerated meal kits packed in compostable cups that include four servings or two cups of prepared food. The products come in varieties spanning Mung Bean soup, Red Lentil and Coconut Sambar, Jade and Ginger Congee and Saffron Kheer and contain rice, beans and a blend of medicinal spices.

Founder Lisa Chatham developed the products while compiling her own post-partum meal plan with the goal of focusing on healthy, nourishing one-pot meals. She began growing the business via gifting programs and currently sells the items in local California retailers.

Blue Zones Kitchen introduced two new varieties of its frozen meal bowls – Spicy Sweet Hawaiian and Basil Pesto Veggie – as it works to expand its reach across meal occasions and offer a wide variety of flavors. According to CEO Scott Marcus, the brand will continue to introduce new SKUs throughout the year with the next drops being inspired by founder Dan Buttner’s new one-pot meal cookbook launching later this year.

Ireland-based Urban Noodle showed off its Vietnamese ramen noodle cup kits in varieties such as Spicy Pho, Yaki Umami and Tom Yum. The vegan, just-add-water products are packed in fully-recyclable packaging and can be prepared in under five minutes.

Anti-Seed Oil Movement Continues

The anti-seed oil movement certainly isn’t new, but the continued consumer demand for products made without “The Hateful Eight” was abundantly clear by the number of callouts we saw at the show.

Dip and spread producer Cedar’s Foods introduced Cedar’s Reserve Hommus, a premium hommus line made with an “abundance” of tahini and topped with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients. Available in six varieties at launch – Olive Tapenade, Mediterranean Pine Nut, Herby Tomato, Lebanese Za’atar & Tahini, Roasted Red Pepper and Harissa Hommus – the product is crafted with avocado and olive oils, whereas the brand’s other lines contain sunflower oil. The organic version of Cedar’s Reserve line is rolling out at Whole Foods Market.

Elsewhere, Jackson’s showed off its fresh twist on the classic kettle chip, which, like the rest of the brand’s products, is made exclusively with avocado oil. Offered in Sea Salt, Barbecue and Sea Salt & Vinegar flavors, the snacks are available at Sprouts Farmers Market Stores nationwide. The new product comes on the heels of the brand’s accelerated revenue growth and international distribution gains.

Meanwhile, Hiker Coffee highlighted that it crafts its own flavoring using organic MCT oil as the carrier oil rather than seed oils or propylene glycol. Available in six flavors – Vanilla, S’mores, Hazelnut, Caramel, Medium Roast and Dark Roast – the coffee is roasted in-house in small batches and third-party-tested above industry standards for heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins.

Upton’s Naturals Tweaks Packaging

Chicago-based seitan maker Upton’s Naturals – visually known for its packaging illustrations of mustachioed gentlemen – has gone to the barber.

The brand has moved its facial-haired mascot to the brand name, bringing more focus to the photographs of the actual prepared products. Upton’s has also reworked its font and sizing, slightly altering its name and giving the product variety precedence over “seitan” on front-of-pack.

“What we found was people don’t really understand what [seitan] is,” said Natalie Slater, director of sales and marketing. “Now we are leading with the flavor names and bringing more focus to the product so consumers can understand the usage of the products.”

The company wanted to take a little of the emphasis from its vegan credentials and lean further into being a plant-based meat alternative. The new packaging was designed by COO Nicole Sopko.