New Food and Beverage Product Launches, March 11 – 15

This week’s new products, many of which debuted at this year’s Natural Products Expo West, include innovations like zero-dairy cheeses, vegan hot honey, and sparkling hop water.

Vermont Smoke & Cure: New Beef and Turkey Sticks

Vermont Smoke & Cure announced the launch of four new products at Expo West:

• Hickory Smoked Premium Beef Sticks, made with 100% beef, are available in 6-count pouches and 24-count cartons of 1-ounce sticks.
• Oven Roasted, Seasoned Turkey Sticks are available in 6-count pouches and 24-count cartons of 1-ounce sticks.
• Hickory Smoked Hot & Spicy Turkey Sticks are available in 6-count pouches and 24-count cartons of 1-ounce sticks.
• The new Customer Favorites Variety Pack is available in 12-count packs of 0.5-ounce sticks and includes customer favorites like Original Beef & Pork, Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon Pork, and BBQ Seasoned Beef sticks.

Vermont Smoke & Cure’s meat snacks are made with meat free from antibiotics and added hormones and artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors.

Armored Fresh: Oat Milk Cheese Slices

Armored Fresh introduced its latest innovation — Oat Milk Cheddar Slices — alongside its recently launched Oat Milk Pepper Jack Slices at Natural Products Expo West this week.

Oat Milk Cheddar Slices are ultra-melty, offer a well-balanced flavor profile on par with dairy-based cheddar, and make a great addition to sandwiches, wraps, grilled cheeses, and burgers. Oat Milk Pepper Jack Slices feature subtle heat, mild nuttiness, and a slight umami flavor.

The new zero-dairy cheeses align with the brand’s commitment to making the most identical cheese alternatives. They’re non-GMO and made 100% from plants.

Mellody: Spicy Habanero Honey

Mellody® also introduced an innovative plant-based product at Expo West — Spicy Habanero honey, the brand’s second consumer honey product made completely without
bees.

The launch marks the first-ever vegan hot honey on the market, helping to “give bees a break” from commercial pollination activities.

Mellody’s plant-based honey products are certified vegan, free of any bee parts, and glyphosate free. They’re available for purchase through the brand’s website and at select U.S. restaurants and retailers.

Aquamar: New Shellfish Innovations

Aquamar® introduced several new shellfish innovations at this year’s Seafood Expo North America:

• Wild Red Shrimp in Lobster Sauce
• Baby Clams with Garlic
• Seafood Medley in Seafood Sauce & Mixed Seafood in Tomato Broth
• Shrimp Skewers in a Tangy Garlic Dressing
• Albariño Mussels with White Wine and Butter Steamed Mussels with Tomato and Garlic

The new ready-to-heat, refrigerated products are modeled after traditional dishes from Italy and Spain and make it easy to enjoy high-quality shellfish at home.

Endangered Species Chocolate: Dip ‘n Joy

Endangered Species Chocolate announced the launch of Dip ‘n Joy, a new chocolate snacking experience featuring dark chocolate batons with three dip options — Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, and Salted Caramel. 

The new product line upholds the brand’s commitment to Cocoa Horizons, and is non-GMO, gluten-free, and Kosher Dairy Certified.

Dip ‘n Joy is now available online through the brand’s website and nationwide at Sprouts Farmers Market for the suggested retail price of $3.79. Endangered Species Chocolate is donating 10% of net profits to species, habitats, and humanity. 

Upton Tea: 35th Anniversary Teas

Upton Tea Imports is celebrating its 35th Anniversary with the launch of four high-quality loose leaf teas from across the world, to be released quarterly throughout 2024:

• Sun-Moon Lake Black Tea, one of the most popular teas in Taiwan, grown near the famous Sun-Moon Lake in Nantou, Taiwan (available this spring)
• A Parisian-inspired white tea with notes of lavender from France (available in early summer)
• A rare purple tea sourced on Mount Kenya (available in late summer)
• Holliston Holiday Figgy Pudding and Pear Black Tea, honoring Upton Tea Imports’ headquarters in Holliston, MA (available November 1)

Dona: Ready-to-Drink Tea-Based Drinks

Dona, a female-founded and independently-owned tea company based in Brooklyn, made its first appearance at Expo West with the introduction of three new ready-to-drink tea-based beverages, available in 16-ounce glass bottles — Yuzu Green, Elderflower Fennel, and Lemony Black.

Like all of the brand’s products, the new beverages use only single-origin, directly sourced, premium ingredients.

Hoplark: New Sparkling Hop Water Flavors

Hoplark introduced two new flavors of its line of sparkling hop water at Expo West — Vanilla Bean + Simcoe Hops and Lemongrass + Lemondrop Hops.

Hoplark’s products make the intricate flavors of hops available to a wider audience by crafting beverages made with real ingredients that remain free of sugar, alcohol, and calories.

The new flavors are now available for purchase on the brand’s website and will be rolling out nationally where Hoplark’s products are sold throughout the year.