Posted December 1, 2021
Are three square meals a day a thing of the past? According to a recent webinar, “Unlocking the Power of the Snack,” larger, traditional meals are being replaced by a wide array of foods during just about any time of day. The “what” and “when” of snacking were covered, along
Posted January 21, 2021
Every end of year, my inbox gets inundated with predictions for the future. What are consumers going to be looking for in the new year? What trends will take over, and which ones will gain momentum or fizzle out from the year before? We’re almost a month into 2021 (already)
Posted December 23, 2020
Every day at Brightly Creative, it seems, I utter the words, “Huh, learn something new every day.” And, in my daily quest for food and beverage knowledge I truly do. Like the aquafabas and upcycling of years past, 2020 lent itself to verbiage new to my brain like Flammkuchen (German
Posted July 31, 2020
One of the most personally overlooked values of my studies when I was in college was how much of a role technology was going to play in my profession. I’ve been fortunate to have a long editorial career that’s seen many technological changes, from copy editing software (anyone remember Quark?)
Posted January 17, 2020
A large part of my job is to research trends in the food and beverage industry. While I’m used to being wowed by constant innovation in our field that results in new ways of doing things and even new vocabulary (can we say upcycling and aquafaba?), there are some moments
Posted March 19, 2019
This was my second year at Natural Products Expo West. Last year, I was totally unprepared for what I was walking into. This year, I had to give myself a pep talk before walking into the Anaheim Convention Center compound, and I still could not prepare myself for what was
Posted February 19, 2019
Let’s talk about cannabis and food product development. It’s inevitable and already happening, so no need to debate whether it’s a good or bad thing. It’s going to happen. The conversation now needs to move to formulation challenges and obstacles. I recently read a really smart Q&A on BakingBusiness.com with
Posted January 22, 2019
In the December issue of Prepared Foods magazine, “botanicals” were pegged as a top trend. It makes sense. Consumers are trying to eat healthier, and for years, healthy food has been branded, rightly or wrongly, as flavorless. Unlike sugar, botanicals have the ability to bring flavor to food while still
Posted December 13, 2018
It’s next to impossible to narrow down the food and beverage industry to three trends. I could have easily listed 15 things that will influence what you eat next year. In paring my first large list to three items, I eliminated quite a few sure things. However, the list below
Posted December 12, 2018
If I had the money to invest in a brewery, distillery or winery, I would throw all-in on the distillery. The craft spirits market is still in its infancy and all demographics point positively toward spirits being the preferred alcoholic beverage for the generations that matter most. I took a
Posted December 12, 2018
Winter is stout season. Big, barrel-aged monsters with high ABVs, syrupy viscosities and hints of chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and chilis. I’m a seasonal beer drinking, shifting styles as the weather turns. I’m knee-deep in stout season and loving it, but duty calls and I’m obliged to set my stout aside
Posted September 5, 2018
This is our first “Tradeshow Express” post. In between the events we host for our clients, we exhibit on their behalf at A LOT of trade shows in the food and beverages industries. IFT18 was one of our stops this year. We didn’t see anything earth-shattering this year, but we
Posted April 19, 2018
Before becoming an agency guy, I was an aspiring journalist armed with a pencil, notebook and a briefcase full of ambition. My writing chops were mediocre at best, but I made up for it with my curiosity, ability to take critique very well and position under an immensely talented editor
Posted February 12, 2018
An interesting segment ran on the Today Show recently naming the top 50 healthy foods and snacks. The website, Eat This, Not That!, was responsible for the list, and they did a great job. Not necessarily in determining the 50 snacks and beverages, but in setting the criteria for what
Posted February 7, 2018
I took my kids to McDonald’s for breakfast before school yesterday. It’s a rare occurrence, as I love providing my family with three home-cooked meals a day when possible, and I’m a bit of a health nut. However, the girls were being sweet, mom had an early morning conference call
Posted January 31, 2018
Keurig Dr Pepper. The name just rolls off your tongue, right? Not really, but those three words were uttered or printed by thousands of newscasters, newspapers and bloggers analyzing the latest mega merger in the food and beverage industry. But before we get into that, did you know that there
Posted January 20, 2018
A blog post in which I join the countless others making predictions about what to expect this year in the food and beverage industry. Hopefully, I mined some insights in here others have not covered. Without further ado….predictions about the food and beverage industry in 2018. Authenticity will become imperative
