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2024 WINNER: FOODSERVICE / BACK OF HOUSE

Here’s an adage that applies to food and beverage innovation: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Of course, it’s impossible to grasp just how much the food industry has changed during the span of eight decades. Yet people were talking about non-dairy alternatives 80 years ago in 1944—just as they are today.

At a time when many dairy ingredients were directed to the war effort, Robert E. Rich, Sr. and others experimented with a process to convert soybeans into a frozen whipped topping. It wasn’t long before Rich created Rich’s Whip Topping, a dairy alternative that was less expensive than real dairy and could be frozen for up to a year. The product debuted in 1945 and established a platform to launch Rich Products Corporation, now a private, family-owned $5.8 billion global company based in Buffalo, N.Y. Today, Rich’s supplies all channels with products across multiple categories including pizza, toppings, creams, culinary solutions, value-added bakery, desserts, non-dairy alternatives and even proteins.

Interestingly, some new products address trends in other categories. For example, Rich’s is a leader in premium foam toppings and has seen hot and cold coffee drinks explode within the beverage category during the past five to eight years. And because not all foodservice operators can afford baristas, Rich’s developed and launched Rich’s On Top Soft Whip, a dairy-based foam topping in 2019.

Not surprisingly, R&D team members knew the company likewise needed to address consumer interests in non-dairy alternatives.

A Rich’s press release notes oat milk has fewer allergen concerns than nut milks, and it is #2 in the top seven preferred alternative dairy sources—and climbing.¹ It’s also a viable option for the 65% of independent operators who are meeting consumer demand for customization by offering plant-based items on their menus (up from 42% in 2021)².

Regarding consumers, trend-forward foams are expected to continue to climb 16% during the next four years.² These customizable options appeal to Instagrammers, and 40% of Americans admitted to ordering food or beverages just to photograph and post on social media.³

Beginning in 2021-2022, Rich’s R&D team started work on what would become Rich’s On Top Oat Milk Soft Whip, which debuted last summer as possibly the industry’s first such offering. It has a frozen 365-day shelf life, a 14-day refrigerated shelf life. Operators simply thaw in the refrigerator at least 24 hours, shake the ready-to-use carton, open, then pour. Each case contains 12 19oz cartons.

“Rich’s On Top Oat Milk topping portfolio is the ideal solution for restaurants looking to satisfy consumers seeking delicious plant- based, non-dairy options—especially the Gen-Z and Millennial demographic,” said Alyssa Barrett, Rich Products senior customer marketing manager.

“As an R&D team, we love a good challenge,” say Rich’s Akela Johnson, senior product and process commercialization scientist, and Dan Kinkelaar, senior product development scientist. “When we set out to create Rich’s On Top Oat Milk Soft Whip, we wanted to develop a pre-whipped, plant-based topping that had the same high-level quality, integrity and taste as our popular On Top Soft Whip. The functional properties of oat are very different than dairy, and that made it difficult to achieve the right stability and consistency. After overcoming numerous hurdles, we’re proud to say we’ve developed a delicious pourable topping that features a light texture and superior stability that outperforms the competition.”

Johnson and Kinkelaar note that Rich’s On Top Oat Milk Soft Whip has no high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors and none of the Big 9 allergens.

“Because of this, we had to overcome the core challenge of identifying clean ingredients that would create the correct balance of consistency, texture and taste,” they add. “That required rigorous testing and tweaking from our team to formulate the right whipping process. We’re proud to say that our team was successful, creating a plant-based, pre-whipped topping with a light creamy texture and subtle notes of oat and vanilla.”

References:

1. Food Navigator, 2022
2. Datassential 2023 Foodservice Menu Trends
3. Social Media-Worthy Food Survey, OnePoll, 2021