Todd Beckman, Next Foods (GoodBelly): Products need to fit into consumers’ daily routines
Next we caught up with Todd Beckman, co-founder and COO of Next Foods, which makes the GoodBelly brand of probiotic drinks.
What trends are you tracking?
When looking at the needs of mainstream consumers and products that will carryover from the natural channel to achieve success in traditional grocers, it’s important to ensure whatever “trend” you’re tapping into is still approachable and feels like something anyone can easily add to their daily routine.
Beverages that support digestive health are a perfect example. From the rise of probiotic juices, to kefir and kombucha, drinks that provide digestive health benefits have never been in higher demand and are continuing to gain traction in mainstream grocery stores. As the originator of probiotic juice drinks in the U.S., we’re delighted to see the footprint for beverages that support digestive health continue to increase, and are invigorated to lead the charge. GoodBelly is actually outpacing sales of trendy digestive health drinks like kombucha, and is experiencing more than 50% growth in traditional grocery stores and 70% growth in shot sales in the natural channel (according to SPINS).
When it comes to R&D and our innovation pipeline, I also track what success and awareness threshold any given ingredient has already achieved in different channels to prove its straying power and market potential.
Plant-based protein, like pea and chickpea, is another such trend we’ve been watching closely, and feel is poised to reach greater heights in 2016. You’ll see it prominently featured in our new GoodBelly Protein Shakes hitting Spouts Farmers Market shelves in December.
