Health and wellness snacks and cereal starups snag top 10 places in PepsiCo’s 2018 Nutrition Greenhouse program
The PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse program was launched last year to enable innovative startups to take their businesses to the next level.
The program offers each of the 10 participating companies a €20,000 ($23,000) grant, and access to PepsiCo mentors.
This year, the program has targeted startups that produce nutrition F&B products aimed at European consumers with sales of €5m ($5.8m) or less. Finalists were chosen based on their product quality and positioning, focus on health and wellness, and scalable business model.
The finalists
- Spanish consortium Agrasys, for the development of Tritordeum, a low-gluten Mediterranean cereal made from a combination of durum wheat and a wild barley, with nutritional and agronomic benefits.
- Israeli concern The Sprouted Grain Company, which produces nutritionally superior, easy-to-digest whole grains, legumes, flours, nuts and seeds that are easy-to-digest, highly nutritious and have a long shelf life.
- Another Israeli company, A1C Foods, which produces low-carbohydrate foods – including bread, chocolate and ice cream – using a formula designed to lower the glycemic index without the use of artificial sweeteners.
- London, UK-based Nibble Protein, for its high protein, gluten- and dairy-free bites made with less sugar that are suitable for vegans and diabetics.
- Another UK startup, Revolicious, for its ready-to-eat (RTE) gluten- and dairy-free smoothie bowls made with all natural ingredients that are cold-pressed and provide two of your ‘five-a-day’ in each bowl.
- Israel company Yofix, which produces clean-label vegan and soy-free fermented dairy alternatives.
- French organic snack bar and appetizer producer Gryö, which focuses on alternative proteins, including algae and plant-based proteins.
- Le Petit Béret, which developed a range non-alcoholic wines without fermentation, preservatives or sulphites in partnership with agri-food research institutes and wine sommelier Dominique Laporte.
- Rokit Pods, based in Oxfordshire, UK – which has created organic drinks capsules compatible with a range of well-known coffee machines, containing on trend ingredients, including matcha, yerba mate, ginseng, maca and goji berry, that are suitable for vegans.
- Bulgarian Welldrinks, a new brand of functional beverages, made by combining hydrolyzed collagen with vitamins and minerals for healthier hydration.
Getting a head start
The 10 entrepreneurs will collaborate with functional and brand experts from some of PepsiCo’s leading brands, following an intensive schedule of workshops and virtual training addressing critical business issues and market challenges.
The company that demonstrates the most scalable and sustainable market approach by the end of the program will be awarded an additional €100,000.
“The Nutrition Greenhouse incubator is an important initiative for PepsiCo, as we continue to build on our 20-plus year legacy of anticipating and adapting to changes in the way consumers view nutrition and health and wellness,” said David Schwartz, senior director of Innovation, PepsiCo Europe & Sub-Saharan Africa, and leader of the program.
“We’re confident we can drive another successful year of sustainable growth for 10 new breakthrough brands, harnessing the power of convenient, nutritious products in the process.”
