From the Cold Corner

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicts meat consumption will increase by over 70% by 2050, meaning the world must find another source to feed a growing population. Investors in cell-based protein companies include names like Bill Gates and companies including Tyson and Cargill and other countries, including Singapore, India and Japan have invested in research and regulatory framework. For a look at where the industry stands today and what’s next for cell-based protein, on this episode of From the Cold Corner, I’m joined by Tony Moses, PhD., Director of Product Innovation at CRB.

Just in time for back to school – you may now be able to find a popular school lunch treat in the freezer aisle at your grocery store. Mixmi frozen yogurt has been sold in elementary, middle and high schools across the U.S. since 2012 and late last year, the company began retail distribution, with 4-packs of Mixmi froyo now available in over 1,400 locations in 30 states. Mixmi co-founders and co-owners, Kristin and Chris Harlander, and their son, Axl Harlander, join From the Cold Corner to discuss the company’s growth.

As consumer behavior continues to change and economic pressure mounts, we wanted to check in on the cold chain. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Lauren Edmonds, president of the Refrigerated Foods Association and vice president of marketing and product development for St. Clair Foods, Inc. joins us.

From the Cold Corner sits down with Bob Yau, founder and chairman of BEK Foods, Boba Bam’s parent company, and Brian Khoddam, CEO of Boba Bam, the winner of our 2022 Best New Frozen Retail Products contest. Founded in 2020, the California-based company conducted its first retail test last July at Costco and sold out in less than a week. Since then, the company has sold over 2 million gallons of boba. The gluten-free, vegan and nut free brown sugar flavor Boba Bam packet goes from freezer to microwave to cup in about a minute, with all the taste and texture of boba shops, from the convenience of home.

In honor of June being National Diary Month, From the Cold Corner sits down with Sarah Healy, senior vice president of marketing for Cabot Cheese and Jenni Tilton-Flood, a Cabot dairy farmer whose farm cares for 3,400 cows every day. Founded in Cabot, Vermont, in 1919, it has grown to be owned by 800 farms throughout New England and New York. Today the yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream and butter produced by Cabot farmers can be found in stores across the U.S. alongside its award-winning cheeses.

Rodolfo Haenni, VP of market & strategy development and Rafael Posada, director of sustainability at Tekni-Plex, a material sciences company and Meg Sutula, director of marketing at Clover Sonoma dairy, join From the Cold Corner to discuss the evolution of sustainable packaging and circularity.

Ben Rubin, co-founder and CEO of SnoFox Sciences, a data science and analytics company and Dan Postlewaite, manager of sustainable development and senior project engineer at US Cold, join From the Cold Corner to discuss energy-saving and sustainability in cold facility construction.

Allison Bodor, CEO of the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), Bryan Freeman, executive chairman of REAL Good Foods, and Lucy Durbin, first vice president of the National Food Facilities Group at CBRE, join From the Cold Corner to discuss current issues impacting the frozen foods industry and a look at what’s ahead in 2022.

Ayeshah Abuelhiga, CEO of Mason Dixie Foods, joins us to discuss her clean-label, ready-to-bake line of frozen biscuits and breakfast sandwiches. The daughter of two immigrants from countries with very big food cultures, Ayeshah turned a love of soul food into a booming biscuit business, recently raising over $6 million in a Series A funding round. Mason Dixie products can be found in over 8,000 locations nationwide, including Whole Foods, Target and Publix.

Led by CEO Theresa Motter, Van’s Kitchen is a certified women-owned and minority-owned egg roll manufacturer supplying over 10,000 supermarkets and convenience stores across the U.S., with $45 million in annual sales. The Dallas-based company weathered the COVID pandemic, signing over 10 new distributor, supermarket and grocery accounts for a 40% increase in sales year-over-year. Read the full story here.