NPEW 2025: Bonduelle CEO discusses propelling the plant-based transformation in North America
12 Mar 2025 | Bonduelle
We speak with Bobby Chacko, Bonduelle’s CEO for the Americas. This year was the company’s first time at Natural Products Expo West (NPEW), and it took the opportunity to release several new products. We discuss the main challenges in bringing tasty, convenient and healthy products to market. Chacko also explains how demands differ in different global regions.
All right, we're live.
I'm joined by Bobby Chacko from Bundwell.
Hi there.
How are you?
Good to see you.
What are you showcasing this year?
This year, this is our first time.
We are at Expo West and we're delighted to introduce our ready to eat lunch bowls, which is 100% plant-based, no preservatives, and over 10+ grams of protein.
This is our main highlight, but we're also introducing some of our products that have already just been launched.
Into the market including loaded bowls and as as two products that will be coming in in the next 6 months our wellness bowls and our, as you can see back here, the warm bowls in our collection.
What would you say are the main trends that you're seeing from consumers at the moment?
Absolutely.
I think consumers are really gravitating towards flexitarianism, which is it's not going full vegetarian, but they're looking for more plant-based foods in their meals.
And as Such they're looking for meal solutions that are weighted to plant-based.
We're also seeing, more, more increasing demand for protein and other functional benefits along with the flexitarian lifestyle.
So at Bonduel we're really focused on bringing plant-rich foods to the marketplace and to consumers.
What are the main challenges in doing that, would you say?
I think the main challenge is is making consumers aware there's better for you.
And tastier for you products, and which is why chef crafted solutions are one of our staples as bond, a 170 year old family business, but most, and almost all of our key markets are really all about bringing tasty, quality foods to consumers and customers around the world.
So we're we're taking a different approach in bringing those quality products to our consumers.
And those trends in consumer demands differ in different parts of the world?
Absolutely.
And oftentimes tastes and demands shift based on the lifestyle attitudes of the territory, but also the composition of flavor profiles that consumers love, which is why at Lunch Bowls we're bringing the cuisines of the world, an assortment of profiles from Southwestern cuisine, Spanish cuisine, Indian flavor, and Mediterranean flavor to really cater to multiple taste profiles no matter where you live.
No matter how you shop and what kind of consumer you are, and we're in California at the moment.
What would you say are the main highlights and demands from US consumers?
I think first and foremost the demands for California and US consumers is give me something that's tasty, give me something that's convenient, and give me something that's healthy that I can be proud not only to eat but also share with my family and friends.
And how's the reception been from consumers here at the show?
The reception of consumers at the show has absolutely been fabulous, even above my original expectations.
I think seeing people smile when they try our products was super awesome, and the fact that I saw many, many, many people come back for a 2nd round and a 3rd round sampling the products, that made me happy.
And have you got any releases and things that are coming up in the next 15 years that we should look out for?
Absolutely.
We are basically transforming Bonto all Americas to be an engine for plant-rich innovations.
And as such, right now we have our lunch bowls.
We're going to be bringing new flavors in over the next year, but more in the next 6 months, we're bringing, our wellness, our health and wellness with functional benefits, salad bowls into the marketplace, and we're bringing a new warm bowl concept to the produce section of grocery stores around the country.
Delightful construction of greens with grains as as incredible sauces that really sparked the imagination of any consumer.
Bowie, thank you.
Thank you, Lewis.
Appreciate your time.
