With 2989 exhibitors in 10 different halls, this year’s Biofach impressed more than 51,500 visitors from 143 countries. Once again, ProVeg was proud to be an official partner of the world’s leading trade fair for organic food, giving so many SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and startups who aim to make the food industry more sustainable and more environmentally friendly a platform to present their products. A big highlight was the ‘Novelty Stand’, where more than 600 product innovations were showcased, many of which were entirely plant-based.
At Biofach 2019, our Food Industry & Retail team made it their mission to investigate all 10 halls to identify this year’s standout plant-based products in their respective categories. After ample feasting with both our mouths and eyes, and much discussion about the most outstanding products, we came to a consensus on each of the categories. In this article, we present our favourite products from Biofach 2019.
PLANT-BASED MILK:
RUDE HEALTH – TIGER NUT MILK
Tiger nuts may not be your first thought when it comes to milk alternatives, but this new drink from Rude Health is grrrrreat. With its sweet, creamy taste, this milk alternative can go with or in anything. Pancakes, cereal, tea, coffee – you name it – Tiger Nut Milk will be a fierce addition.
SOJADE – HEMP MILK
Delicious, nutritious, low in fat, salt and sugar, and high in omega 3 acids, the new Sojade Hemp Milk is an allrounder in the plant-based milk scene. With its complete amino acid profile, this great new product offers many health benefits, including a generous amount of calcium. Kudos to the French company Sojade – who are pioneers in the organic sector – for introducing such an impressive item to the market.
PLANT-BASED YOGHURT:
ABBOT KINNEY’S – COCO START MANGO
It takes two to mango! Abbott Kinney’s creamy mango yoghurt is an all-natural snack which contains no sugar, artificial flavours, or colouring agents. Its sweetness comes from pure, mashed Alfonso mangos. A healthy treat for any occasion. Find out more about their products and company at abbotkinneys.com.
PLANT-BASED MEAT:
GOOD&GREEN – DELI SLICES, BACON-FLAVOURED
Loved by meat-eaters and vegans alike, these new Deli Slices were a big hit with our team and all those who tried them at Biofach. With their smoky aroma and satisfyingly chewy texture, what’s not to like?
PLANT-BASED SNACK:
BIOSTYLE – CULTURAW VEGAN SAUSAGE
This standout alternative to a salami snack blew our minds. Biostyle have created the perfect guilt-free snack. Made from natural ingredients, this product is raw, organic, soya-free, and gluten-free to boot.
WHITE SNACK – SOUR CREAM & ONION CRISPS
White Snack‘s sour cream and onion lentil crisps offer a mouth-watering taste experience. Compared to traditional potato crisps, they have a lower fat content and are higher in fibre. Perfect as a snack or for adding to a main meal.
PLANT-BASED BAKING GOODS:
GEILES GEBÄCK – COOKIE
Geiles Gebäck‘s team specialises in organic, artisanal, whole-grain spelt cookies. With their phenomenal buttery taste and soft texture, these cookies are proof that eggs and butter are not required to make delicious baked goods.
PLANT-BASED SEASONING:
WIENER WÜRZE
Forget soya sauce from Japan. Lupin sauce from Austria is the new black. Wiener Würze’s impressively strong, savoury umami taste is derived from only four locally-sourced ingredients: lupins, oats, salt, and water. The result is a delightfully nutty and tasty flavour.
BEST CONCEPT:
FERMÈ – FERMENTINO
Rather than mimicking the taste and texture of traditional cheese, the Eurocompany team simply created a completely new product category using an open-source approach. Fermentino is a term used to describe food products obtained from the fermentation of nuts and oilseeds, the only two additions being water and salt. Their love for Fermentino has resulted in a 128-page book in six languages which describes the product and its fermentation process, along with various recipes. We were impressed with this pioneering concept as well as with its sensational taste. Buon appetito!
FIRST GENERATION REVAMP:
HOBBIT – HEMP TOFU & LUPIN TEMPEH
Tofu and tempeh are established and familiar plant-based proteins. But what about ‘lupeh’ and ‘hempfu’? The guys from Hobbit have turned the tofu and tempeh market on its head by introducing spin-off versions made from lupins and hemp. Once you’ve tasted their new products, you will be just as impressed as our team was. Check out their website for some mouth-watering recipes to experience these newcomers in action.
GREENNEST – LUPIN TEMPEH
Like Hobbit (see above), GreenNest have used the traditional techniques for making Tempeh from soya beans and given it a modern twist, allowing for higher protein content, improved taste, and less environmental damage compared to its well-known predecessor. Available in a variety of flavours, the quality of the product speaks for itself – and it’s prebiotic. We look forward to seeing it on supermarket shelves in the coming years and believe it will soon be as popular as soya bean tempeh is at the moment.
With an ever-growing demand for organic food and beverages, next year’s Biofach is set to be even bigger and will cover 12 halls in total. At ProVeg, we are excited to see such a positive trend and can’t wait to take our taste buds on another journey, identifying the most outstanding plant-based products for you.
