NPD trend tracker: From ‘boozy’ plant-based burgers to broad spectrum gummies

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©GettyImages/Kirillm (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

This week’s new product development gallery brings you an R&D partnership between The Meatless Farm Co and Orchard Pig, a new flavour from energy drink challenger brand Tinzing, and the launch of a new vegan gummy company in the UK.

This week’s new product development gallery brings you an R&D partnership between The Meatless Farm Co and Orchard Pig, a new flavour from energy drink challenger brand Tinzing, and the launch of a new vegan gummy company in the UK.

NPD trend tracker:
NPD trend tracker: (Kirillm/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

This week’s new product development gallery brings you an R&D partnership between The Meatless Farm Co and Orchard Pig, a new flavour from energy drink challenger brand Tinzing, and the launch of a new vegan gummy company in the UK.

Image source: GettyImages/kirillm

‘Boozy’ plant-based burger
‘Boozy’ plant-based burger

Plant-based producer The Meatless Farm Co has teamed up with Orchard Pig to create the ‘Porkie Burger’.

The meatless pork and apple burger was developed by both companies’ R&D teams to ‘perfectly pair’ with Orchard Pig’s vegan certified beverage.

According to the partnership, the burger looks and tastes like pork with a ‘spicy sweet kick’. The Porkie Burger is formulated from The Meatless Farm Co’s plant-based sausages – made from pea, soya and rice proteins – and is being served with a cider-infused apple & chilli jam and vegan cheese at Orchard Pig’s meat-free kitchen pop-ups in London and Bristol this month.

“It’s more important than ever that we are working together to reduce our meat consumption, it’s positive for our health and the planet,” said founder of the Meatless Farm Co Morten Toft-Bech. “If we can all make simple swaps, like opting for this Porkie Burger, then collectively we can have a huge impact.

“Swapping just one more meat meal to plant-based a week reduces the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 8.4% - the equivalent of taking 16 million cars off the road.”

Orchard Pig’s Zoe Atkinson said the cider producer was ‘thrilled’ to partner with the plant-based producer. “And we think you’ll be happy as a pig in mud with the delicious result.”

Orchard Pig meat-free kitchen pop-up locations can be found here.

Image source: Orchard Pig/The Meatless Farm Co

Sports nutrition brand enters grocery sector
Sports nutrition brand enters grocery sector

US-based sports nutrition brand Myprotein is launching into the grocery sector via a listing at Co-op UK. The first three SKUs to hit grocery shelves have an RRP of £2.50.

Myprotein’s six-layer bar, in ‘birthday cake' flavour, is regarded the brand’s ‘most indulgent’ protein bar. It contains 20g protein and is designed to provide ‘guilt-free’ snacking to support fitness ambitions.

The ‘carb crusher’ triple-layered protein bar is topped with crispies and coated in chocolate. Each bar contains 23g protein as well as magnesium and zinc.

The Double Chocolate and Caramel Filled Protein Cookie contains 20g protein and less than 1g sugar. It has a ‘gooey caramel centre’ and contains chocolate chips in a rich dough.

According to founder and CEO of parent company The Hut Group Matthew Moulding, the time is ripe to launch protein bars into the conventional retail sector.

“The Sports & Nutrition category has experienced considerable growth over the past three years as high protein bars and snacks have diversified beyond its core audience. As we see a shift in consumer attitudes towards protein and a bigger focus on lifestyle choices, sports and nutrition has become less niche and now appeals to more mainstream shoppers.

“This change in consumer behaviour is something we have seen through our online audience and the demand for our bars and snacks in an easily accessible on-the-go format is in higher demand than ever as people see them playing a role as a healthy alternative to traditional confectionery.

Launching into retail presents the perfect opportunity to cater to those consumer demands and move beyond that to a broader audience.”

Image source: The Hut Group

CBD gummies and jellies
CBD gummies and jellies

Co-founder of confectionery start-up Smith & Sinclair, Melanie Goldsmith, has launched a new brand in the UK: Pollen.

Pollen’s vegan gummies contain 10mg of broad spectrum hemp oil alongside a range of flavours, including grapefruit, turmeric, cherry, and cacao.

“Instead of spraying or coating the CBD onto our gummies, we use a proprietary recipe which infuses the CBD into the gummy itself, ensuring an equal distribution of CBD across each gummy,” explained Goldsmith.

When speaking with sister publication ConfectioneryNews, Goldsmith said the company’s aim is to ‘drive innovation’ and ‘credibility’ in the sector.

“We have dedicated time and resource into both research and legal guidance to ensure our brand has longevity in a fledgling industry projected to undergo explosive growth,” she continued.

A packet of 30 gummies are available for £35 online via Pollen or in-store at TheDrug.Store in London.

Image: Pollen

‘Slow coffee’ offerings in France
‘Slow coffee’ offerings in France

French coffee roaster Malongo, headquartered in Nice, is releasing three new coffee flavours to use with the Chemex Coffee Maker.

The device - which is made from non-porous, borosilicate glass - was invented in 1941 by Dr Peter Schlumbohm in the US. Its design enables coffee to be brewed without imparting any foreign flavours. 

Malongo’s latest offerings, to be used with the Chemex, include a Zimbabwe Farfell product (RRP €7.90), which it describes as lightly acidic with a medium body and long-lasting flavour. The coffee beans are sourced from a plantations on volcanic soil and pair well with refined and balanced desserts.

The roaster’s Mexique Veracruz product is made from coffee beans grown between 1000 and 1250 metres above sea level. The finished product offers a ‘aromatic complexity’ and acidic flavours with notes of dried fruit and nuts. The offering is designed for pairings with fruit-based desserts and has an RRP of €8.90.

Malongo’s third offering, the Brésil Quati, is also lightly acidic, while being smooth and well balanced, according to the firm. Notes of cereal grains are also present in the Brésil Quati, which has an RRP of €8.90.

Image source: Malongo

Raspberry & Yuzu ‘natural energy’
Raspberry & Yuzu ‘natural energy’

UK energy drink challenger brand Tenzing has added a Raspberry & Yuzu SKU  to its line of energy drinks.

With an ingredients list including Himalayan rock salt, Indian gooseberry, green coffee, lemon juice, green tea, beet sugar, British raspberry, and Japanese yuzu, the 250ml can contains just 48 calories and is devoid of artificial sweeteners and additives. The SKU has an RRP of £1.29.

According to Tenzing founder Huib Van Bockel, who used to head up Red Bull UK’s marketing team, the new flavour profile is not synthetically sweet, but ‘light and refreshing’.

Three years on from launching Tenzing, the brand is the fastest growing brand in the energy market, he continued, “so we felt now was the right time to launch a new blend”.

Tenzing Raspberry & Yuzu is available online, as well as in Tesco, Whole Foods, As Nature Intended, and in Planet Organic, among other retailers.

Image source: Tenzing

Happy Meat
Happy Meat

UK brand Happy Meat is launching ‘climate friendly’ meat offerings via a delivery service nationwide.

According to the company, the premium grade beef can be traced to a single free range cow.

Happy Meat is available in five ‘easy-to-cook’ cuts which are hand-crafted by butchers then aged for 21 days. A 3kg box contains 1 x 220g sirloin/rib-eye steak, 1 x 460g roasting joint, 1 x 290g stir-fry strips, 4 x 240g mince, and 8 x 120g burgers.

By using 100% ‘natural beef’, the company claims – and uses UN research to support its stance – that beef’s global climate footprint can be reduced by up to 76%.

“Happy Meat Red Tractor Assured British cows are free range, always nourished naturally and never fed on soy or corn associated with deforestation,” noted the firm.

According to spokesperson Iman Fatehi, Happy Meat is Britain’s first climate-friendly beef. Further, the dual-purpose cows live longer lives in the outdoors than typical beef cows, he said. “This promises them a greater quality of live, which means you can feel better about eating beef and creates a more naturally, well marbled, tender beef for you to enjoy.”

The cuts are available to purchase and are delivered direct from the producer in a 3kg box for £39.99 plus delivery.

Image source: Happy Meat