Exploring Food Trends and Meeting Entrepreneurial Innovators
Foundermade Discovery Show is a bi-annual summit held in Los Angeles and New York City featuring brands across the beauty, beverage, food, and wellness sectors. With brands launching products, services, and delicious foods and beverages, here are a few innovative trend-setters I recommend you discover yourself!
Fabalish
BYOB (Bring Your Own Falafel Burger that is) Fabalish does everything around the chickpea. From the chickpea water, Aquafaba, they make the sauces and from the Chickpeas, they make organic and gluten-free baked falafels. Try saying Aquafaba three times, this will make for some great fodder around the grill. Mayo lovers take heed as their Vegan Organic Mayo is a limited release item.
Heritage Kulfi
Not into bringing booze to your next BBQ or potluck, no problem! Heritage Kulfi is a nod to founder, Mansoor Ahmed’s South Asian background, and love of an Indian style of ice cream called kulfi, which is best known for its creamy, velvety, and dense texture. Flavors include Alphonso Mango, Early Grey, Saffron, Rosewater and much more.
Modern Picnic
Whether you are living that hybrid work life or simply want to take your meal outdoors, Modern Picnic’s chic styles have you covered. With an array of collections to choose from, these Vegan leather bags are functional, sustainable, and practical.
Female Sexual Wellness
At the helm of Vella Bioscience is chief scientific officer, Dr. Harin Padma Nathan who led the research and development of Viagra. Together with Dr. Michael Frid, they both lead on the intersection of science and sexual wellness with Vella’s Women’s Pleasure Serum.
Beia Beauty is a cross between luxury skincare and sexual wellness founded by Brittany Lo whose mission is to shatter the taboo of indulging in oneself.
Generational Wellness
It was refreshing to see brands that were mindful of the next generation of skincare for the youth and college-bound market with the likes of Bette Green , Blume, Good For You Girls , and Higher Education Skincare.
On-the-Go Wellness
Flight Fud was created by former flight attendant Kaeli Bauman and business and leisure travel enthusiasts, Sarah Peterson and Jamie Renney to address the six effects of flying: impaired circulation and inflammation, fatigue & jetlag, dehydration, suppressed immune system, exposure to radiation and bloating & indigestion. Quench your flying woes with this all-natural travel aid.
Kroma Wellness
Backed by a stellar wellness advisory team, Kroma Wellness founder Lisa Odenweller is most known for founding Beaming Organic Superfood Café’s, known as one of the most respected wellness bars in the country. Their line of products include ethically sourced superfoods, herbs, smoothies, teas and supplements, elixirs, bundle packages, broths, and much more. Check out their recipe for superfood truffles using their products.
Celebrity-Backed Brands
Barcode is a line of functional better-for-you beverages designed for athletes and regular Joes likes us. Founded by NBA star Kyle Kuzma and Mubarak Malik, former Head of Performance for The New York Knicks. Flavors come in Lemon-Lime, Watermelon, and Pinot Noir.
Homecourt is a line of products for the home, created and designed by wait for it… actress Courteney Cox. The products come in four different scents: Cipres Mint, Neroli Leaf, Steeped Rose, and Cece. If you are a lover of all things Rose like I am, the Steeped Rose is a must-have.
East Coast Spotlights
Who doesn’t love a good founder story?
REAL Cookies Connecticut-based longtime friends, Marla Felton and Lauren Berger recently launched their better-for-you cookie brand- REAL Cookies. At first glance, I was attracted to those sweet Yoga Bears on the cookie pack. Lauren, a Yogi and Yoga instructor, explained the bears represent the possibility of balance—the healthy and the delicious—in our everyday lives. Cookies are made with only clean, real and thoughtfully sourced ingredients such as almond and coconut flour, pure maple syrup, vanilla, real fruit and dark chocolate.
They are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan, kosher, and paleo-friendly, and come in a variety of mouth-watering flavors, including: classic chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, and fresh lemon blueberry. I’m not the only one who thinks their cookies are something special – their Lemon Blueberry cookies recently won a Good Housekeeping Healthy Snack Award for “Best Grain Free Cookie.”
My Dad’s Sauce
I don’t know about you, but pasta and pizza night are year-round. New Jersey-based Calabrian restauranteur, Pat Turano, opened his first pizzeria at the age of 18 and with over 30 years in the industry, his three children decided to bottle the magic sauce they grew up on. We all know that New York City and New Jersey are the holy grail for the best Italian food in the country and even better when the ingredients are nutritious, containing no artificial flavors, preservatives, no sugar added, and gluten-free and vegan-free. You can purchase My Dad’s Sauce through their website or from select retailers throughout New Jersey and New York City.
Lorena Tapiero is a first generation Colombian-American who has lived and worked in Los Angeles, New York City, and Dubai. Her global experience and perspective gives her a powerful lens to reflect on food, trends, and health and wellness. Lorena is a yoga teacher and yoga therapy practicum student as well as a writer and longtime media professional.