Nosh Staff

At NOSH Live four executives — Nick Ajluni and Nick Guillen, co-founders of Truff; Sashee Chandran, founder and CEO of Tea Drops; and Matt Jung, CEO of Last Crumb — shared their perspectives on direct to consumer sales strategies.

In Taste Radio’s final episode of 2021, the hosts spoke about why entrepreneurs launching new and innovative concepts need to consider the addressable market for their brands and products going into 2022. They also discussed the news that a high-profile kombucha company has leapt into the growing pool of probiotic sodas, a fast-growing snack brand’s recent raise and a number of notable products that crossed their respective desks over the past week.

Food makers are celebrating the winter season with a wide variety of new products, ranging from limited edition peppermint-filled sweets to nostalgic, better-for-you innovations to a seasonal snack launch designed to help consumers forget about the winter chill. Check out the gallery below for the return of popular seasonal snacks, new brand debuts, celebrity collaborations and more.

From ongoing supply chain disruptions to economic instability, food makers continued to grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2021. However, the industry pressed onward embracing challenges and pivoting with new product lines, formats and strategies to keep their heads above water. Considering all of the upheaval of 2020, the theme of this past year is slightly more positive with plenty of new entries to the industry, investments in plant-based and strategic acquisitions.

In anticipation of Veganuary, food companies have been experimenting with a range of dairy alternative launches both sweet and savory. From collabs between Chance the Rapper and Ben & Jerry’s to partnerships between animal-free food tech company Perfect Day and General Mills, consumers have a range of new vegan products to choose from in the new year.

This special edition of the podcast features highlights from interviews with six founders, creators and innovators who joined us on the show during the second half of 2021. Our guests include award-winning television host, chef and writer Andew Zimmern; Vanessa Pham, the co-founder and CEO of Omsom; Erewhon chief growth officer Kabir Jain; Catherine Dockery, the founder of Vice Ventures; Foxtrot Market co-founder and CEO Mike LaVitola; and Danielle LiVolsi, the founder and CEO of Nuttzo.

Hector Saldivar, the founder and CEO of Tia Lupita, explained why the brand is focused on updating and innovating upon authentic Mexican food, how he’s educating consumers about esoteric ingredients, the retail strategy for three distinct product lines and what he’s learned as an immigrant entrepreneur.

Maxine Kozler Koven, co-founder of LDR Ventures & Consulting, discussed the venture capital firm’s investment philosophy and portfolio, which includes stakes in Sweetgreen, Thrive Market and Shaka Tea, the importance of nurturing the development of early-stage founders, the relevance of innovation when evaluating new concepts and the historical lack of funding for female-led companies.

Each year, NOSH’s annual Best Of awards honors companies, brands, individuals, products, ideas and trends from across the dynamic and ever-changing natural food landscape.

Food companies debuted a range of new better-for-you products in both the sweet and savory snacking categories this month, including the arrival of some newcomers such as Days Off and BodyBar. Additionally, the international aisle saw plenty of innovation with new Indian spice blend packs from moji masala and a Yuzu-flavored Japanese barbecue sauce from Bachan’s.