FDBusiness.com

PepsiCo has announced the 10 entrepreneurs that will form the second class of its health and wellness incubator in Europe. First launched in 2017 to support the next generation of food and beverage entrepreneurs, the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse programme offers each of the 10 participating companies a €20,000 grant, and access to PepsiCo mentors and experts to take their business to the next level.

The 10 start-ups, one of whom will receive an additional €100,000 at the end of the programme, are:

• A1C Foods (Ramat Gan, Israel) Low-carbohydrate food products, such as chocolate, bread and ice cream, using a formula designed to lower the glycemic index without use of artificial sweeteners.  https://a1cfoods.co.il/
• Agrasys (Barcelona, Spain) The company behind Tritordeum – a Mediterranean cereal made from a combination of durum wheat and a wild barley, with nutritional and agronomic benefits that is suitable for a wide range of cereal-based foods and beverages. http://www.agrasys.es/en/
• Gryö (Paris, France) Organic snacks made with alternative proteins – including algae and plant-based proteins. http://gryo-bars.com/
• Le Petit Béret (Béziers, France) Non-alcoholic wine produced without fermentation, preservatives or sulphites. Developed in partnership with agri-food research institutes and leading wine sommelier, Dominique Laporte. http://www.lepetitberet.com/en/
• Nibble Protein (London, UK) High protein, gluten and dairy free bites made with less sugar, suitable for vegan and diabetic diets. https://www.nibbleprotein.com/
• Revolicious (London, UK) Ready-to-eat dairy and gluten free smoothie bowls, made with a 100% natural ingredient base of coconut milk, banana and flax seeds – blended with fruits and vegetables. http://www.revolicious.com/
• Rokit Pods (SCEV) (Oxfordshire, UK) Organic, vegan-friendly drinks capsules compatible with a range of well-known coffee machines, containing on-trend ingredients including matcha, yerba mate, ginseng, maca and goji berry. https://rokitpods.com/
• The Sprouted Grain Company (Ramat Gan, Israel) Nutritionally superior, easy-to-digest whole grains, legumes, flours, nuts and seeds, with exceptionally long shelf life.http://www.sproutedgrainco.com
• Welldrinks (Sofia, Bulgaria) qwell is a new brand of functional beverages, made by combining hydrolyzed collagen with vitamins and minerals for smart, healthier hydration. http://feel-qwell.com/en/
• Yofix (Ashdod, Israel) Clean-label vegan and soy-free fermented dairy alternatives. https://www.yofix.co.il/

The PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse (www.nutritiongreenhouse.com) returned for its second year in June 2018 and focuses on nutrition food and beverage products aimed at European consumers with sales of €5 million or less. This year’s finalists were chosen based on their product quality and positioning, focus on health and wellness and scalable business model.

As well as receiving an initial €20,000 grant, the 10 companies will collaborate with functional and brand experts from some of PepsiCo’s leading brands to help them achieve accelerated growth. The programme includes a dedicated schedule of in-person workshops and virtual training, designed to address critical early-stage business issues and overcome immediate market challenges.

The company that demonstrates the most scalable and sustainable market approach by the end of the programme, will be awarded a €100,000 prize to continue its expansion.

The Nutrition Greenhouse programme is part of PepsiCo’s commitment to open innovation and to collaborating with the food and beverage changemakers of the future. Senior Director of Innovation, PepsiCo Europe & Sub-Saharan Africa, and leader of the programme, David Schwartz, comments: “I’m delighted to welcome all 10 of these exciting businesses to our programme. Last year’s class of finalists really proved their potential, so we can’t wait to see how we can help deliver a step change for the industry with our 2018 class. 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. Together with the entire Greenhouse team, 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.”