Innovation watch: European NPD at SIAL 2024
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, SIAL is a flagship event for European and international innovation: with some 400,000 products on show and 285,000 visitors from around the show walking the floor in Paris from October 20-23.
From imaginative flavors to plant-friendly initiatives, here's just a handful of the innovations which come from all corners of Europe...
Upcycling fruit
Taking the 'grand prix' in the drinks category at SIAL Innovation this year is Coeur de Pom's 'Les Confisades', a French finely sparkling drink brand made with candied fruit extracts.
The drink is made from by-products from candied fruit production, and is set to hit shelves at the beginning of next year.
The Coeur de Pom brand already extends across various fruit juice, vegetable juice, sparkling fruit drinks and fruit infusions.
Latin American elixir
Dutch start-up Sapinca is drawing on ancient, forgotten roots and fruit to create an 'organic power elixir' and alcohol-free alternative.
Largely originating from Latin America, these ingredients include roots like yacon, galanga, ashwagandha and maca, and fruits such as camu camu, acai, pink pitaya and guarana.
These ingredients were known for their medicinal properties and powerful flavors back in the time of the Incas.
Sapinca has rediscovered these unique species and worked them into perfect flavor combinations: with the name 'Sapinca' coming from 'Sap' and 'Inca' - juice of the Incas.
Sapinca can fit many occasions: drunk as a shot or with hot water for a spicy tea; or served on the rocks or in mocktails.
The drinks are organic and vegan friendly.
Upcycling cascara
Also working hard at upcycling is Switzerland's MAD (Make a Difference): a start-up with a range of drinks designed to 'drink good, do good'.
Among these is 'Reloved' - a cascara ice tea. This drink draws on cascara: the fruit pump of the coffee cherry (arabica) that would usually be discarded.
This gives the drink a mellow caffeine boost and a unique taste profile.
The drink is lightly sparkling and low in calories (17kcal).
And for every box sold, the brand pledges to remove 1kg of river trash through a partnership with everwave.
The wider range from the Zurich-based company includes vitamin water, coconut water and sparkling water.
Edible jelly cocktails
Spanish start-up Las Jellys has created edible jelly cocktails.
The innovation consists of disc-like jellies with a gelatin exterior and cocktail inside.
The jelly cocktails come in popular flavors such as mojito, pina colada, margarita, Moscow mule, Manhattan, tequila sunrise, caipirinha and Pisco Sour, with an 19% ABV.
The creators were inspired by the Mexican culture of multicolored gelatin desserts, and have married that with the popularity of the cocktail category.
Alcohol-free limoncello
The alcohol-free category is booming. Beer, wine, cocktails and classic spirits such as rum and gin now have increasingly convincing alternatives.
But alcohol-free versions are less common outside the mainstream choices. Enter Belgian brand Night Orient: which has created an extensive range of alcohol-free products, including alcohol-free versions of spirits which are less commonly found in the alcohol-free aisle.
The classic Italian lemon spirit Limoncello (which usually has an ABV of around 30%) has been recreated with Night Orient’s alcohol-free version.
And ‘Anise’ is the alcohol-free play on the French classic Pastis, which usually packs a punch of around 42% ABV.
Each contains the alcohol-like punch associated with these two drinks, thanks to a clever blend of herbs ingredients such as pepper and ginger.
Both are bottled as ready-to-drink products.
Cocktails in a jar
Amsterdam craft distillery The Stillery has created RTD cocktails served in a jar.
Why? Apart from benefiting from the differentiated packaging on shelf, the format means the drink can create the froth and foam of classic cocktails for a real bar-like experience.
To serve the cocktail, consumers simply need to pop an ice-cube in the jar, then shake for 10 seconds, then pour the drink into a cocktail glass. This process creates the layer of foam that a bar-served cocktail has – and an RTD doesn’t.
The range includes Espresso Martini, Pornstar Martini and Basil Smash.
Real fruit-infused tea
Most fruit infused tea doesn’t really pack the flavor punch it should, according to innovators at Fresh Juice Tea.
The company combines fresh fruit and tea: with every tea leaf soaked in fresh fruit juice to impart the natural taste and aromas of fruits such as pineapple and ginger. Only after that does the tea go through drying and packing.
That gives the tea the taste and smell of fresh fruits, not chemical flavorings or flavor enhancers.
The tea is sourced from mountains in Vietnam, and uses 1kg of fresh fruit to produce 100g of Juicy Tea.
The product won the Gulfood Innovations Award in 2023 for Best Beverage Product and is available in the US, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Latvia.
Flower power
Also drawing on getting the very best from nature is Belgium’s Drink A Flower: a beverage brand crafted from real fruits and flowers.
These include elderflower, honeybush, jasmine and hibiscus.
The brand’s point of difference is its cold-infusion method, a gentle process which preserves all the natural benefits of the ingredients. The drink is also organic, contains just 3g sugar per 100ml, contains no artificial ingredients, no extracts or concentrates and is low in calories. The drinks are also vegan and gluten-free.
Energy drink flavored potato chips
CHAZZ – a Lithuanian brand known for unconventional snack flavors – has created the world’s first Energy Drink-Flavored Chips.
The brand wants to target open-minded snackers – and curious energy drink consumers – who are always on the look out for something new.
Driven by the motto ‘Brave Tastes. Next Level,’ the disruptor has already released a range of crazy flavors: including Cheddar Cheese Bread Crisps, Italian Spritz, Caramelised Onion and Polish Bigos (hunter’s stew).
CHAZZ’ kettle cooking process creates chips that are extra crispy, and are suitable for vegans and gluten-free diets.
Dairy shake for gut health
Portuguese maker of powder-based dairy shake Yogoody has set out to challenge the functional drinking yogurt category.
Yogoody’s Shake doesn’t major on high-protein protein claims; rather, it focuses on gut health by packing 7 probiotic strains, natural flavors and colors, oat fiber and skimmed and fermented milk powder. The probiotics become ‘live’ once the product is prepared with water and contribute to the growth of other beneficial bacteria in the gut.
The brand also wants to provide a clean-label alternative to mainstream ultra-processed powdered shakes; and the product has a 1 year shelf life.
The company first launched the Shake range in 2023 and is selling both D2C and through retail as well as in pharmacies and vending machines. It's sold in Portugal, the UK, Angola and Venezuela.
