Upon FoodBev Media’s return from Fi Europe 2022 – which took place in Paris from 6-8 December – the team reflects on the event’s aims to connect those within the food and beverage industry with new ingredients and solutions as well as with each other. Surrounded by beautiful architecture, from the Centre Pompidou to the 17th century Arc De Triomphe, and named the number one region in Europe for hosting the world’s top 500 corporate headquarters, Paris is one of the major global business centres. The event saw national and international companies displaying ingredients and applications, solutions and finished products, and new and emerging technologies spanning all areas of the F&B industry. With the worst of the pandemic behind us, FiE witnessed the biggest turnout since 2019. With travel restrictions almost non-existent for those within Europe, many guests and exhibitors noted the sense of ‘normality’ felt at the event. Those well-established within the industry, such as Prova, Kerry, Faravelli, Beneo, Ingredia, Nexira, Rousselot, Cargill, FrieslandCampina Ingredients, MartinoRossi (and many, many more), attended the event to display breakthrough and innovative ingredient solutions. With regards to themes this year, clean label/transparency, nutrition, functionality and, of course, sustainability, were most prominent. Innovative formats such as gummies and powders were popular, as well as a move away from sports-focused protein and energy ingredients to functional products for consumption by all. The plant-based category was, as always, booming, with an extensive list of companies showcasing applications – even those best known for their dairy- and meat-based products. Following its acquisition of Dutch plant-based ingredients company, Meatless, earlier this year, Beneo proudly debuted meat-free chicken chunks at the event. The new solution is made with mycoprotein and pea protein and is said to have a carbon footprint three times lower than regular chicken. Dominique Speleers, member of the executive board at Beneo, commented: "We are confident that our plant-based chicken chunks, combining sophisticated taste, texture and appearance with an easy-to-use approach, perfectly suit the needs of the market. They further extend our versatile toolbox for exceptional quality meat and fish alternatives that meet the high expectations of today’s consumers.” Cargill’s booth showcased 13 finished product prototypes, including burgers, donuts, crackers and chocolate spread, the majority of which were plant-based and designed to inspire discussion. Cargill’s René Berendse told FoodBev: “Our theme this year is ‘let’s meet,’ for two reasons, for people to meet again, but this is also the place where ideas and new business opportunities meet with trends, all of this is coming together”. Dutch company SVZ's focus at FiE was to promote the use of more fruit and vegetable ingredients in everyday applications, for example, the use of white pumpkin as a texturizer and carrots in confectionery. Commercial director Johan Cerstiaens told FoodBev how the company can replace part of the flour in wraps with beetroot, carrot or spinach and how it can use vegetables in ice cream, candy and baked goods to support healthy snacking, as the world emerges from the pandemic more health-focused. ADM spoke about its proprietary solutions, including botanical extracts, biotics, vitamins and minerals. The global nutrition company’s microbiome strains are all backed by pre-clinical and clinical research and enable customers to deliver science-driven supplements and F&B formulations to meet consumers’ evolving functional and health-centric needs. Nexira showcased ingredients for immunity and wellbeing, which marketing and communication manager Julie Imperato told FoodBev, is “here to stay”. She explained how consumer understanding, familiarity and clean labels are all increasingly important factors and that there is high demand for the company's acerola ingredient, which “works because it is well known and easy to understand for the consumer”. The vitamin C-rich superfood helps maintain the immune system and is traditionally used to support energy and vitality. FrieslandCampina Ingredients spotlighted its Biotis brand, which provides various solutions to support gut, brain and immune health for multiple applications, including mocktails, fast melts, powder sticks and gummies. The solutions provide a flexible dosage that can be altered depending on the desired health benefit claims. While functional gummies seemed to be very popular throughout the halls of FiE, collagen solution provider Rousselot’s functional ‘gummy caps’ stood out, owing to their soft, confectionery-like shell and liquid filling, enabling accurate dosages of active ingredients. Combining the benefits of capsules, soft gels and gummies in a single delivery format, the caps are produced using SiMoGel, Rousselot’s gelatin solution for starchless confectionery production. Stay tuned for some exclusive interviews from the event. The FoodBev team thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone in Paris at Fi Europe. Until next year! If you would like to advertise your latest ingredient development with FoodBev, please contact: sales@foodbev.com.

Carvel has introduced a new line-up of strawberry and holiday mint flavours, combined with hot fudge and KitKats. Consumers can choose between two Sundae Dasher options featuring Carvel's mint or strawberry soft serve, layered with crunchy KitKats and hot fudge. "The holidays are a time of celebration, and we want to give fans a way to 'Carvelebrate' all of the season's special moments and traditions," said Jessica Osborne, vice president of marketing at Carvel. "Mint is a quintessential winter flavour, and it's one of our top-selling flavours year-round. We've also seen a lasting love for strawberry, a flavour Carvel fans have been enjoying this year following our Strawberry Crunchies launch." Strawberry KitKat Duos Sundae Dasher features layers of strawberry soft serve, hot fudge and chopped KitKats, topped with whipped cream and chopped KitKats. Meanwhile, Mint KitKat Duos Sundae Dasher includes layers of mint soft serve, hot fudge and chopped KitKats, topped with whipped cream and chopped KitKats. Strawberry Flying Saucer and Mint Flying Saucer are two flavour variations of a soft serve sandwiched between two Flying Saucer chocolate wafers. The Carvel strawberry and mint treats are available at selected Carvel shops and online.

G Fuel has teamed up with Bandai Namco Entertainment to launch a new limited-edition energy formula flavour called Rage Drive. Rage Drive, which features a "sweet and juicy" cantaloupe flavour, was inspired by the 3D fighting game series Tekken. The new flavour is the fourth variant that G Fuel has created in partnership with Bandai Namco. G Fuel energy formula is sugar-free and packed with antioxidants from 18 different fruit extracts. Each serving has 15 calories and contains 140mg of caffeine. "Tekken has always had a huge spot in the heart of the fighting game community," said G FUEL founder and CEO Cliff Morgan. "I'm excited to bring Tekken into the G Fuel arena with a great new flavour." Rage Drive is available for pre-order as a collector's box and tub at G Fuel's website while supplies last.

Danish enzyme producers Chr. Hansen and Novozymes have entered into an agreement to merge, with the aim of creating a global leader in biosolutions. Chr. Hansen produces ingredients for the food, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, including cultures, enzymes and probiotics, while Novozymes describes itself as “the world's largest provider of enzyme and microbial technologies”. Ester Baiget, president and CEO of Novozymes, said: “The combination of two strategically complementary companies with a shared purpose and advanced capabilities will show the world the true power of biosolutions”. She added: “Novozymes and Chr. Hansen share the strong conviction that our combined scale, know-how, commercial strengths and innovation excellence will drive value for our shareholders, customers and society at large by providing the sustainable solutions the world so urgently needs”. The deal will see Chr. Hansen free-float shareholders receive 1.53 new shares in Novozymes (each nominally worth DKK 2, or approximately $0.28) for each individual Chr. Hansen share, implying a premium of 49% to the Chr. Hansen shares' closing price on 9 December. Offering a broad “biological toolbox,” the combined company is expected to have annual revenue of approximately €3.5 billion. With around 10,000 employees, the biosolutions group will operate a global network of 23 manufacturing sites and 38 R&D and application centres. Novo Holdings is the largest shareholder in both Novozymes and Chr. Hansen. Chairman Lars Rebien Sørensen said: “The two companies are a perfect match. Chr. Hansen with its expertise in microbials and Novozymes with its background in enzymes.” CEO Kasim Kutay added: “As long-term shareholders in both Novozymes and Chr. Hansen, we are in full support of the plans to combine the two companies. Due to our strong belief in the commercial, strategic and long-term financial merits of this transaction, we are willing to accept a less favourable exchange ratio for our shares in Chr. Hansen than what is offered to other shareholders.” Upon completion of the merger, Baiget will assume leadership of the combined group as CEO, while Novozymes’ current finance chief, Lars Green, will be CFO. Novozymes' free-float shareholders will own 44% of the total share capital, Chr. Hansen's free-float shareholders 34% and Novo Holdings 22%. The merger is contingent on approvals via extraordinary general meetings of the two companies, as well as regulatory approvals. The deal is currently expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of next year or first quarter of 2024.

Cantaloupe has completed the acquisition of micro market solutions provider, Three Square Market (32M), for $41 million, comprised of 90% cash and 10% stock. 32M is a provider of software and self-service kiosk-based point-of-sale and payment solutions. According to Cantaloupe, the company is expected to generate $19 million in revenue for calendar year 2022 on a standalone basis. Cantaloupe, a software and payments company that provides technology solutions for self-service commerce, says that the deal expands its international footprint for its full suite of products. The acquisition will see Cantaloupe expand its micro market presence by adding almost 3,000 locations across North America and international markets. The combined company offers a “full range” of self-service kiosk, payment and software solutions for the micro market industry. Ravi Venkatesan, CEO of Cantaloupe, said: “The acquisition of 32M, with its expansive portfolio of micro-market technology and broad geographic footprint, immediately accelerates two of our most important strategic growth priorities. 32M is already an integrated partner of our Seed Markets software platform, which will enable Cantaloupe to capture additional revenue synergies through cross-sell and upsell opportunities throughout our combined customer base. We are now well positioned as a best-in-class technology provider for the accelerating self-service commerce industry.” He added: “This exciting acquisition builds upon the strong organic growth we are experiencing in our core business today. This combination will accelerate our organic top-line growth while also expanding our margins, offering attractive financial returns to our investors. We believe that this combination also enhances the value and attractiveness of our company for future partners and strategic opportunities.” Tony Danna, president of 32M, commented: “Bringing 32M into Cantaloupe and gaining access to Cantaloupe’s 25,000+ customer base, from small and medium businesses to large enterprises, is an exciting opportunity for us. We can now better leverage Cantaloupe’s Seed platform with our existing customers, both in the US and other geographies, and expect to benefit from a combined salesforce to help our products reach more customers.”

Consumer goods giant Unilever is considering selling a portion of its US ice cream portfolio that could be valued at as much as $3 billion, according to Bloomberg News. The report, which cites people familiar with the matter, says that the company is weighing the future of brands including Klondike and Breyers, while international labels Magnum and Ben & Jerry's are not part of the review. In an interview with American news channel CNBC, Unilever CEO Alan Jope said he would not comment on the rumours. However, Jope added that the company was taking decisive action on slow growth parts of its portfolio. The review is still ongoing, according to Bloomberg News’s sources, and Unilever may decide against selling the brands.

Bel Brands USA has launched two plant-based or animal-free cheese alternatives, The Laughing Cow Plant-Based and Nurishh Incredible Dairy cream cheese spread. Shannon Maher, chief marketing officer at Bel Brands USA, said: “…we’re thrilled to unveil new innovations from both our most well-known brand with the launch of The Laughing Cow Plant-Based as well as leveraging new technology through a partnership with Perfect Day to launch our breakthrough animal-free offering with Nurishh Incredible Dairy”. The Laughing Cow Plant-Based is a vegan alternative to the classic Laughing Cow creamy spreadable cheese. Nurishh’s animal-free cream cheese spread alternative is said to provide the same taste as traditional cream cheese as it contains real dairy proteins without using cows. The lactose-free spread, developed in partnership with Perfect Day, is created through precision fermentation, a process that offers complete dairy protein without involving any animals. CEO and co-founder of Perfect Day, Ryan Pandya, said: “This announcement marks an exciting step towards giving even more consumers the ability to try what’s possible when Perfect Day’s innovative animal-free protein is used by a best-in-class dairy leader. Consumers around the country will now be able to try kinder, greener animal-free cream cheese and make a delicious choice for the future of our planet.” Nurishh incredible Dairy will be available in chive and onion, original and strawberry flavours for an RRP of $4.99 at select US retailers from January 2023. The Laughing Cow Plant-Based will be available in select retailers in original and garlic and herb varieties for an RRP of $5.49.

Bennett St Dairy has launched a limited-edition red velvet and white choc-flavoured cookie dough ahead of Christmas time. Bennett St Dairy co-founder James Meek mentioned that there will be 20,000 rolls available. However, "once these 20,000 rolls are gone, they’re gone". Meek said: “We’ve had customers calling for a red velvet-flavoured Bennett St Dairy cookie for the past three years... and this Christmas, we’re giving the people what they want. We reckon every special occasion calls for a special cookie, and in our humble opinion, there’s no more special occasion than Christmas and no more special cookie than our red velvet and white choc.” He added: “We’ve added a delectable hint of cocoa and vanilla to our signature Bennett St Dairy dough, and combined it with thick chunks of white chocolate". The festive flavour is available in over 900 Woolworths stores across Australia for an RRP of AUD 13 (approx. $8.83).

Turkish fast grocery delivery company, Getir, has bought German rival Gorillas in a deal worth $1.2 billion. The acquisition will merge the two companies, which both promise groceries in minutes. Serkan Borancili, co-founder of Istanbul-based Getir, shared the price tag on Twitter and stated that the combined company was now stronger. Satın alınmadık, biz aldık, @getir aldı. En güçlü rakibimizle artık tekiz ve daha da güçlüyüz. Getir acquires grocery app rival Gorillas in $1.2bn deal https://t.co/X8qSUyyPwx — Serkan Borancili (@serkanborancili) December 9, 2022 The price is much lower than Gorillas’ $2.1 billion valuation in its funding round in late 2021. According to the Financial Times, job cuts are expected due to overlap between the two companies’ network of small urban warehouses. Getir – which earlier this year closed a $768 million funding round – was one of the first firms to test the quick commerce model. Founded in 2020, Gorillas was one of several other companies that embraced the idea during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Fresh Del Monte has launched a range of energy drinks in collaboration with Scotland-based beverage manufacturer, Old Tom Gin. The ‘A Kick of Fruit’ range of beverages contain at least 20% real fruit juice, with no added sugar and are available in pineapple, mango, passion fruit and lime; blood orange spritz; pineapple, lime and mint; pineapple, grapefruit and lime; lemon ginger; and pomegranate raspberry flavours. The drinks contain caffeine and four B-group vitamins, with 12-15 calories per can. Martin Tilney, senior commercial director for Fresh Del Monte® UK and Europe, said: “Del Monte’s century-long commitment to fresh fruit with no compromise on quality gives our trusted brand the edge. We’re thrilled to have collaborated with Old Tom Gin and anticipate our energy drinks will appeal to mindful, health-conscious consumers looking for new ways to boost their energy levels and increase their nutritional intake all in one delicious and convenient product.” The drinks are available in select clubs, hotels and bars across the UK for an RRP of £1.99 per can.

Indoor farming company, GoodLeaf Farms, has closed a CAD 150 million (approx. $109.8 million) financing round to fuel the expansion of its vertical farms into Eastern and Western Canada. The capital raise includes further investment from McCain Foods and a new partnership with Power Sustainable Lios, an agri-food investor. With the financing in place, GoodLeaf hopes to build a national footprint with new farms in Calgary and the Montreal area, alongside its existing 50,000-square-foot farm in Ontario. The national expansion will create up to 140 new jobs, according to the company. “Adding one of North America's most sophisticated agri-food investors to our team alongside McCain, a global food giant, greatly strengthens GoodLeaf's position as the leader in vertical farming in Canada," said Barry Murchie, CEO of GoodLeaf Farms. He continued: “Together, we are driving sustainable and innovative agriculture technology that is revolutionising the way we grow food in Canada”. Murchie added that farming indoors will free the company from “the limitations of Canadian seasons”. Peter Dawe, chief growth and strategy officer at McCain Foods, said: "McCain is at its core an innovative agricultural company and a leader in sustainability, which makes GoodLeaf a great fit with our values”. “The technology used in GoodLeaf's farms replicates springtime's ideal growing conditions every single day, ensuring we have a local supply of fresh, tasty and nutritious greens year-round. We have been a leading partner in supporting GoodLeaf's growth journey and are excited to continue our support as it expands across the country.” GoodLeaf says that its new farms in Calgary and Montreal will add 200,000 square feet of production space to its capacity, and each will be able to produce approximately 2 million pounds of locally grown, leafy greens each year. Both farms are expected to begin producing microgreens and baby greens around the end of Q2 or beginning of Q3 2023.

Believer Meats, formerly known as Future Meat Technologies, has begun construction of a 200,000-square-foot commercial-scale production facility. Once fully operational, the site will have “the capacity to produce at least 10,000 metric tons of cultivated meat,” making it the largest facility of its kind, according to Believer Meats. The project represents an initial investment of around $123.35 million in Wilson County, North Carolina, which is located approximately 40 miles east of the state's capital city, Raleigh. The Israeli company plans to create more than 100 new jobs over the next three years. The facility will feature proprietary bioreactors that can achieve high cell densities and yield based on patented processes. It will also house an R&D and innovation centre. Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, CEO of Believer Meats, said: “Our facility propels Believer forward as a leader in the cultivated meat industry. Our brand has continually proven our commitment to scale production technology and capacity, and with our new US production centre, we are one step closer to commercialisation. “Believer is setting the standard globally to make it possible for future generations to eat and enjoy meat.” North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper, commented: "We're pleased to welcome Believer Meats to North Carolina. This important decision to build its first US commercialisation operation in Wilson County validates our innovative research and development and highly skilled talent, while further cementing our state as the best in the nation to do business.” Believer says that the facility is the latest in a series of developments as it prepares to bring products to consumers.