Foodiq and Blendhub combine on localized alt-dairy production as consumer appetite grows

27 Nov 2023 --- Foodiq has partnered with Blendhub’s global Food-as-a-Service (FaaS) platform to liaise with Blendhub and other partners to drive innovation among plant-based dairy substitutes and launch affordable alternative proteins and plant-based powder ingredients.

The move will also focus on increased transparency and shared value creation along the food value chain for entrepreneurs and food companies.

Foodiq is a Nordic food tech co-manufacturer offering product development and production capacity in its production lines of plant-based dairy, extrusion and powders for superfoods, powder-mixes and ready-to-cook food recipes. Blendhub provides technical food ingredients solutions to food companies in ready-to-consume food products, which now extends to powder-based ingredients for recipe formulation.

The companies aim to extend their service to new and existing customers worldwide through the alliance.

“Consumers are becoming aware of plant-based proteins being a much more sustainable alternative with less environmental impact compared to animal protein, and an increasing number are trying or intending to purchase alternative protein products,” Henrik Stamm Kristensen, founder and CEO of Blendhub, tells Food Ingredients First.

“They are, however, not willing to compromise on taste, texture and price, which is the immediate real challenge to overcome for the industry.”

The collaboration targets innovation speed-up and co-creation between value-aligned organizations that support ideas to market the launch of healthy products and personalized nutrition worldwide. 

“Instead of traditional competition, FaaS partners believe in transparently shared value creation,” he adds.

The companies are looking for value-aligned partners and investors to expand production infrastructure and accelerate their respective commercialization.

“Closer to local”
Blendhub and Foodiq’s business models are focused on localization to produce closer to local raw material sources and final consumers. 

Foodiq’s factory in Finland.Further, Kristensen flags that Blendhub is working to “transform” the global food system through a unique innovation co-creation strategy.

He notes that this will “help any food company innovate and produce any food recipe with any powder ingredients anywhere in the world” to make nutritious and essential foods more accessible to consumers in various locations.

“Now, with Foodiq linked to our platform, we will be able to expand our services to ready-to-consume food products in other areas of the world, which will help us continue to achieve our goals,” he adds.

Foodiq also believes in regional production, so instead of setting up globally serving “mega factories,” the company builds efficient local factories to leverage local ingredients and knowledge to improve self-sufficiency and reduce carbon footprint in food production.

The company operates two factories, one in Finland and another in the UK, while Blendhub operates a network of multi-localized food production hubs covering four continents.

Personalized nutrition through blending
Kristensen highlights that 40% of the world’s food consists of powdered ingredients, and more such advancements are expected through new technologies.

Plant-based product launches are increasingly occupying market shelves amid rising consumer demand.Through upcycling of fresh produce, he envisions a promising future “not only for offering more and better food ingredients but also formulating different highly functional blended food ingredients solutions for B2B.”

“The use of plant-based proteins will increase exponentially in the coming years, and instead of inventing new alt-proteins, we will start seeing much more blending of different proteins delivering different and until now undiscovered functionalities for the food industry and final consumers,” he asserts.

He further tells us that personalized food and nutritional products for final consumers reconstituted in simple food industry processes will gain momentum.

“Today, we are already capable of taking new food products from idea to localized market launch in different parts of the world in less than three months, but as collaboration accelerates, the day will soon come when anyone can reach the market with their high-quality branded food product to final consumers in their town, region or country in less than a week,” he concludes.

Evolving alt-protein landscape
Plant-based protein products are claiming more supermarket shelves by the day, sparking a race among innovators to elevate their game with a steady stream of product launches.

Scientists are continuously working toward exciting alt-protein product launches. For instance, Lactalis Ingredients’ micellar casein, a dairy protein known for its slow-release properties, caters to consumers looking for muscle recovery and enhanced satiety.

Scientists at Solar Foods have formulated microbial protein-rich powder from air using CO2 and electricity, which gained novel food regulatory approval in Singapore last year.

A week ago, the same innovation received backing worth €8 million (US$ 8.75 million) financing from Finnish investors.

Meanwhile, Givaudan has developed ice creams using pea protein and coconut by working on the right flavor profile, taste modulation and flavor masking for specific plant-protein bases.

Further, at the Plant Based World Expo Europe held in London earlier this month, Planteneers showcased protein enrichment concepts for plant-based alternatives, such as high moisture extrudate for producing meat alternatives and functional systems for high-protein yogurt alternatives and enriched cheese snacks.

By Insha Naureen