Food Innovation Solutions

Ahh garlic 🧄 a store cupboard staple and hero of the kitchen for millions of households!

To celebrate , we asked our Head Development Chef Ben Rowland to create a mouth-watering recipe spotlighting the magic ingredient.

He did not disappoint with his Roast Garlic, Rosemary & Fino Focaccia, served with Wild 3-Cornered Leek Flower & Herb Butter - yum! 🤤

Marks and Spencer's lovable character, Percy Pig™, is once ag*in stealing hearts with the retailer's new sweet bag, 'You Give Me Butterflies'.

The NPD, launched to celebrate Percy and Penny Pig's 10th anniversary, has taken the internet by storm, with fans gushing over the couple's relationship status. In just 24 hours, an Instagram post announcing the launch received a whopping 16.7K likes and 620 comments! And it's no surprise that the new sweet bags flew off the shelves, with 11,000 sold in the first 24 hours alone.

M&S has hit it right on the nose by using storytelling and beloved characters to captivate and connect with their audience, and maximise a product and brand 👏

Image source: Marks and Spencer

Congrats KellyDeli on the launch of Kelly’s Market in partnership with Tesco 👏 We're super proud to have been a part of this project, from concept to launch!

Kelly’s Market is a vibrant grab-and-go food offer bringing delicious hot and cold food from all corners of the world! Customers can choose from over 60 dishes ranging from Southeast Asian street food to Mexican comfort food, available in-store, through Click & Collect and delivery.

The first Kelly’s Market is open in Wokingham Tesco, with a further nine pilot stores set to open across 2023 🙌

We’re very proud to announce our first proprietary brand launch! As our customer base knows, we don’t just like to talk about innovation at FIS Group - we believe you have to land it. With entrepreneurialism at our core, in 2020, we launched our first virtual brand and operated a dark kitchen for six months as an internal test and learn to become true experts in this space. Since then, it’s long been our ambition to develop and launch our own proprietary brand into the retail market.

Last year Food Innovation Solutions director Danny Butt was selected to sit on a panel of experts whose goal was to explain the meteoric rise of the 6th sense, kokumi, and expand on its potential benefits when considered in product development.

Fast forward two months and our MD Kelly Dowson was inspired by the power of kokumi and its close relationship with umami. Using our expert team of researchers and product developers, we discovered that a unique combination of umami and kokumi could be formed in very specific applications to become what we believe could be the 7th sense... 'KUNAMI'!

Kelly was so passionate about this discovery that she set the task of bringing 'kunami' to market and to life through a product launch...

So without further adieu, we’re pleased to announce the launch of “Dowson's Kunami Gin”, infused with parmesan rind and a proprietary mix of glutamate-rich ingredients. Dowson's is a luxurious drink to enjoy as an aperitif and engage your flavour receptors. We recommend having it over ice with neutral tonic water and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Launching on our website and nationally on 01/04/2023 and available for £34.99 a bottle.

*For one week only, use the code “APRILFOOLS” for a 20% discount*

Get to know our wonderful team! 👋

Meet Olly, one of our superstar Innovation Consultants. Here's a few fun foodie facts to know about him!

🍴 Desert island meal? "Tom kha g*i with lots of fish sauce, followed by mango sticky rice. Deliciously refreshing, and rather fitting for the scenery of an island..."

🍴 Favourite ingredient and why? "Garlic – similar to salt, it has the ability to totally transform and enhance dishes and is so versatile with a rightful place in nearly all cuisines."

🍴 Favourite restaurant and why? "There is a restaurant called Cha Cha Cha in Olhoa in Portugal. Every time I go, I leave inspired. It's small and unassuming, using ingredients from the market over the road. You can tell it’s a passion project."

🍴 An unusual food pairing that you love? "I had instant noodle-infused ice cream the other day at Supa Ya Ramen, it was surprisingly delicious."

🍴 A food you keep trying to like, but just can’t? "I’m all for eating every part of the animal, but I do struggle with tripe. I’m yet to have a pleasant experience of it..."

As the cost of living continues to rise and inflation becomes a more prominent issue, UK restaurants find themselves in the challenging position of maintaining profitability while providing quality dining experiences.

With increased costs for ingredients, labour, and overheads, it's crucial to find innovative ways to tackle these obstacles. One such approach is implementing zero-waste menu tactics, a sustainable and cost-effective solution that can help restaurant owners navigate these turbulent times.

Our latest blog post dives into the benefits of a zero-waste menu, tips for creating a successful one, and examples of methods used by successful restaurants 👉 http://ow.ly/OE2L50NjQoG

Image source: Poco

‘Fusion’ has become a divisive word in the culinary world.

The term dates back to the ‘80s when chefs like Roy Yamaguchi and Wolfgang Puck began to combine flavours from different cultures, creating innovative dishes that quickly g*ined popularity across the US.

As the trend g*ined traction across the globe, in a bid to stand out, an increasing number of chefs began haphazardly combining ingredients that didn’t necessarily work well together. By the ‘90s, fusion food had fallen out of style.

Fast forward to today, and fusion cuisine is back in the consciousness of a new generation seeking fresh, innovative dining experiences.

Our latest blog explores three trends emerging from the fusion cuisine genre - Wafu Italian cuisine, third-culture cuisine, and chaos cooking. Read here: http://ow.ly/Mkgg50Nfa27

Image source: PastaRAMEN

We’re celebrating by spotlighting some of the inspiring women leading food and drink innovation in the UK! 👏

Is there anyone you would like to recognise? Tag them below!

1. Jenny Costa – Founder of Rubies in the Rubble

Rubies in the Rubble is an award-winning condiments brand on a mission to create delicious products from ingredients that would otherwise go to waste, working within the food supply chain to create a market for rejected crops. Now a certified B-Corp, Jenny's brand is one of the pioneering voices in food sustainability, and has saved over 351,000 kg of surplus fruits and vegetables from going to waste to date!

2. Julianne Ponan – CEO of Creative Nature Superfoods

Food and drink brands can sometimes struggle to offer products that anyone can eat without allergy concerns. Creative Nature create and manufacture raw superfoods, snacks and food mixes that do just that! None of their products have any ‘may contains’ and are entirely Top 14 Allergen Free, so no one has to be left out!

3. Olivia Ferdi – Co-founder of TRIP

Liv is one half of the driving force behind TRIP, the innovative CBD lifestyle brand on a mission to transform mental wellbeing. Designed to help consumers "find calm in the everyday chaos", the premium range of CBD drinks and oils come in a variety of delicious flavours and are gluten-free, vegan, low calorie and made in the UK in 100% recyclable cans! With TRIP holding an 88% share of the UK CBD drinks market, Liv is instrumental in bringing the burgeoning CBD trend to the mainstream.

Great to see Sainsbury's continue its initiative to cut down single-use plastic from their stores.

The retailer has already removed plastic wrapping from loose fruit, vegetable and bakery items, and eliminated black plastic from its chilled ready meals, but moving to vacuum-packed minced beef in place of the plastic tray that we are used to will save an incredible 450 tonnes of plastic annually!

The innovation also means there is no air for the product to spoil, plus the packages are smaller, giving customers more room in their fridges and freezers. Bravo 👏

http://ow.ly/ieIY50N5L1J



Image source: Sainsbury's