Functional Products

Where Functionality Meets Flavour Today’s consumers are looking for customisable foods, beverages, and dietary solutions that help them meet their own unique nutrition and personal health goals.

Over the past three years, consumers have redefined a healthy lifestyle to include regular exercise, relaxation, and attention to mental/ emotional health, in fact, eight out of 10 (82 percent) adults now say that mental/ emotional balance is as important as physical health (Hartman 2019).

Functional foods are becoming more influential in foodservice. High-protein, vegetable-rich foods and superfoods are the most attractive to diners, with heart health, energy, weight management, and gut health as the most influential issues.

In the United States, sales of plant-based foods totalled $4.5 billion for the year ended April 2019, a sector that has only continued to grow and refrigerated and frozen plantbased meat alternatives were the fastestgrowing U.S. specialty food items last year.

While functional foods and beverages are becoming incredibly popular with consumers who view them as a convenient way to support health, a product’s success in the functional food and beverage space still comes down to one basic tenet: it needs to taste good.

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR TOP PICKS FOR FUNCTIONAL PRODUCTS FROM 2021:

Raglan Food Co Probiotic Drinking Kefir Neudorf Black Rawhiti Drinking Chocolate Prebiotic

A 48% Raw Peruvian Cacao Paste sweetened with New Zealand Yacon Syrup (33%). A blend of Natural Prebiotic Coconut Nectar Sugar and Virgin Coconut Oil, Vanilla Extract and a pinch of Himalayan Salt.

Theobromine promotes calming, while anandamide enhances bliss and flavonoids for antioxidant activity. The perfect way to make Drinking Chocolate a part of one’s daily health management.

Neudorf Black captures flavour and goodness with its all-natural range of gourmet black garlic condiments that are ready to use.

Black garlic has been a part of Asian diets for centuries and is not grown but made. Neudorf Black’s process is well suited to making a paste and puree that also collects black garlic juice. Chefs love the versatility of Neudorf’s Black’s range, making it popular in restaurant kitchens.

Prized for its distinctive flavour as well as its nutrients.

Be Nourished

It was from a want to live a healthier life that Be Nourished was born. Today, the Be Nourished team are committed to sharing their knowledge about the benefits of organic, fermented vegetables and producing nourishing cultured, living foods that are a delicious complement to any meal. These organic products are loaded with beneficial live cultures to nourish from the inside out. A tablespoon of delicious Kraut or Kimchi is the perfect complement to any meal.

Introducing Raglan Food Co’s awardwinning Probiotic Kefir! Four delicious flavours, each with different health benefits to get you through the day. Natural Coconut (Gut Health) took out the Drink Champion Award, as well as gold medals alongside their Green Apple & Ginger (Immunity) flavour at the 2021 Outstanding Food Producer Awards. With Elderflower & Lime (Cleansing) and Raspberry & Raw Cacao (Energy) also receiving silver medals.

Dairy-free and sweetened only with coconuts and/or fruit, it’s a drink the whole family can enjoy. Their Kefir is packed with live probiotics and Vitamin C, so your gut (and taste buds) will thank you! Pour it into a glass, or drink straight from the bottle to get your daily dose of goodness. O ˉ KU

Established in 2010 ŌKU was formed out of the desire to harness the incredible native plants of Aotearoa into a Tea range that can help people rediscover and experience the amazing properties held within our ngahere. While the tea range focuses on Kawakawa, ŌKU also uses many other natives as well as more traditional herbs to give the teas distinct properties and original flavours.

Throughout, ŌKU strives to be the best kaitiaki it can be to the whenua and to Papatūānuku. The brand’s NZ herbal tea range was recently announced as a finalist for the 2021 NZ Inspire+ Artisan Awards.