Reports on trends flow into our inboxes all year long. To help us dig into what trends will stick and which will fade away, we gave participants a peek into industry metatrends: the trends of the trends. We invited Dr. Rachel Cheatham, founder of the Foodscape Group, to present the keynote address at our Innovation Café Event.

Our Café event also introduced you to our new class of Cappers, the ten companies we selected to participate in our nine-month accelerator. From baby food to honey spirits, buffalo to bitters, curcumin to hemp to olive oil, and crackers to cookies (plus a catalytic disinfection technology for good measure), our cohort swas well-poised for growth.

We uncovered the trends of the trends in the global foodscape. Participants explored how their company and product offerings fit into the metatrends of 2018. Dr. Cheatham’s team pulled together 135 publicly available trend reports, logged 2,882 raw data points, and distilled 1,050 trends into a Top 10.

The café-event style got participants talking about these trends with everyone in the room - their industry peers, our legacy companies, and our most promising young companies and industry professionals.

How did one or more of these metatrends fit into your future growth strategies?

1. Plant Power
2. Up Close & Global
3. Sustainable Eats
4. Sips to Health
5. Tech Central
6. Gut Love
7. Dietary Matters
8. Meal(ish) Bites
9. Back to Basics
10. Floral Notes

KEYNOTE PRESENTER

RACHEL CHEATHAM, PhD
Founder & CEO, Foodscape Group

Rachel Cheatham, PhD, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She is Founder & CEO of Foodscape Group, LLC, a nutrition strategy consultancy designed to help companies, brands and entrepreneurs conceptualize, develop and market healthier foods based on global wellness trends and insights. She has been a commercial television producer, Director at the International Food Information Council, and Senior Vice President at Weber Shandwick, a global public relations firm. She is a Professional Member of the Institute of Food Technologists, and member of the American Society of Nutrition and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

ABOUT THE CAFÉ STYLE

Café-style events are designed to engage a large audience around a big question. The room is set with smaller rounds of six, easier for conversation. One person will serve as the table host. We'll plan on three 15-minute rounds of table discussion that are proceeded by conversation grounding. When the whistle blows, all but the host independently move to new tables. There are introductions made and the conversation begins again, a little deeper each time, while cross-pollinating discussions. Repeat for three rounds. Notes are taken throughout the café and when it's all over, we'll have garnered your insights and reactions on an important subject. And you'll have met a good number of people and have had the opportunity to share your thoughts and expertise.

AGENDA

8:30 - 9:30 AM
Attendees arrived, networked, enjoyed a continental breakfast, met the Cappers, and sampled their products.

9:30 - 10:00 AM
Opening remarks

10:00 - 11:00 AM
Keynote with Q&A by Dr. Rachel Cheatham, Founder & CEO of the Foodscape Group

11:00 - 11:15 AM
Break with refreshments and Capper exhibits

11:15 AM - NOON
Official Capper introductions (10 cappers, three minutes each)

NOON - 1:00 PM
Café discussion (A large question is posed to the audience. They will have three 15-minute rounds in table discussion, changing tables every 15 minutes, with new discussion questions introduced in the third round.)

1:00 - 1:30 PM
Table reports and closing comments

1:30 - 2:00 PM
Box lunches available to stay and eat or grab and go