We just closed out an epic week at CES covering all things food tech, from plant-based burgers to super-speedy countertop pizza ovens. But we still can’t get enough. Here are a few interesting food tech stories from around the web that caught our eye this week. Happy weekend, all!
Chobani to launch new plant-based products
Greek yogurt darling Chobani announced this week that it will launch its first line of dairy-free products. The company will roll out the nine plant-based products, including yogurt cups and drinks, this month at grocery stores around the country. Made with coconut milk, the cups have a suggested retail price of $1.99, and $2.49 for the drinks. Plant-based dairy products are experiencing a boom in popularity. It makes sense that the leading yogurt producer in the U.S. would hop on the dairy-free bandwagon — in fact, I’m surprised it took them this long.
Chicory teams up with MilkPEP for digital milk aisle
Grocery tech company Chicory has partnered with the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) to test what the press release calls a “digital milk aisle experience.” Basically, MilkPEP is using Chicory’s in-recipe ads to promote milk. When someone sees a recipe containing milk on Chicory’s platform, an ad prompting them to “shop now!” will appear and nudge them towards online shopping sites where they can purchase their dairy. Currently, the program works with Meijer and AmazonFresh, and will roll out to include more retailers after the test.
Photo: Taco Bell
Taco Bell to test dedicated vegetarian and vegan menus
Plant-based food has been edging onto fast food menus around the country, from White Castle’s Impossible slider to Carl’s Jr.’s Beyond Famous Star Burger. It seems like Taco Bell wants to “beef” up its vegetarian offerings as well. The company announced this week that it would start testing its first dedicated vegetarian menu later in 2019. The fast-food chain already has over 8 million vegetarian combinations, but this will mark the first time meat-free and vegan options will have their own dedicated menu.
Photo: Mitte
Mitte launches equity crowdfunding campaign
This week Mitte, the Berlin-based company which makes a connected countertop mineral water machine, launched a campaign with Republic, an investment platform for startups. The news comes just a few months after Mitte raised $10.6 million in seed funding. When we spoke with Mitte’s CMO Karan Sarin, he told us that the company decided to turn to equity crowdfunding in order to democratize investment. Mitte will use the funds from the campaign for marketing efforts and to support its product launch in the U.S.
Photo: @juicebot on Instagram.
Juicebot announces launch
Robotic juice dispenser/vending machine Juicebot announced on Instagram that it will officially launch on Saturday, January 19th. All Juicebot juice and smoothies are made within 48 hours of being placed inside the machine, and are kept fresh inside stainless steel containers. Juicebot, which had a beta launch in 2017, is trying to replace traditional juice bars and make fresh, raw juice available everywhere from apartments buildings to gyms to grocery stores.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @TheSpoonTech!
