Food And Beverage

We talk with Perdue Farms CIO Mark Booth about the company’s AI journey, including what future concerns are keeping him up at night.

Over the past year, Thierry Saint Denis, Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Chobani, led a yogurt relaunch proving less is more in innovation. Saint Denis recently spoke to InnoLead about the product relaunch and its impact on the company.

In this excerpt, marketing and innovation executive Tina Lambert calls the idea of an innovation funnel “very unrealistic,” and proposes an alternative — the three-year calendar.

We talked with Doug Munk, the Senior Director of New Business Ventures for Nestlé USA, about his insights about his time navigating the complexities of building and sustaining new ventures within large organizations.

A 2024 rundown of recent notable generative AI projects, broken down by industry. Includes Volkswagen, Pfizer, Starbucks, and more…

“I’ll give you an important definition of innovation: I think innovation is meaningful only if it improves and strengthens the business model,” says Panera chairman Niren Chaudhary. More insights from a recent talk inside…along with video.

Adam Melonas, CEO and Founder of Chew Innovation in Boston, shares his insights on communication around innovation; working with large CPG companies; scalability of products for the largest total addressable market; and more.

Kate Pomeroy, Head of Innovation North America for Paris-based alcohol giant Pernod Ricard, shares how her innovation team goes about creating new products for consumers quickly, while also including key stakeholders in decision-making processes.

Paul Earle, co-founder of GOODLES, Big Nose Kate Whiskey, and Small Wonder, gives insights about the importance of novelty, shock, and keeping up with consumers in an ever-changing environment.

Senior leaders from REI Co-op, Square, Clif Bar & Co., and Save the Children share the initiatives, products, and practices that have come from using purpose as a guiding principle inside their organizations.

Audio and transcript from a recent conversation about aligning innovation activity with the C-suite of a company, with participants from tech, food and beverage, manufacturing, and financial services.

As part of our recent research, Successful Startup Engagement and Corporate Venture Capital, we spoke with Molun Zhang, Coca-Cola’s R&D Senior Manager for Experimentation & External Technology. She gave insights on how to begin collaborating with startups; share Coca-Cola’s strategy for tracking collaborations; and explained the power behind Coca-Cola’s participation in the 100+ Accelerator.

Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo, is releasing a new book, The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People, in October. We caught up with Porcini to talk about the book, what he calls “unicorns,” and the importance of integrating breakthrough innovation into organizations. 

Angie McKenzie was part of the team that created Starbucks’ iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte, which launched in 2003. She spoke with us to share a few key lessons she learned from the project, and discussed challenges innovators in the food and beverage industries face today. 

Michael McCathren is the Senior Principal of Enterprise Innovation at Chick-fil-A. As part of our IL Member Spotlight series, we spoke with McCathren about the various roles his team plays, growing a culture of innovation, and more.

 The company’s SVP of Global R&D talks about getting plant-based protein to an affordable price point; how the company is moving from focus groups to in-market testing; and why the $13 billion company hires “food designers” rather than food scientists.

The VP of Corporate Research talks about building innovation while simultaneously reinventing business models.

Just a year after opening its innovation center, Inspire Brands — owner of Arby’s, Sonic, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings — launched the first multibrand “ghost kitchen” in Atlanta. InnoLead spoke with Vans Nelson, VP of Restaurant Operations, Innovation, and Profitability, about staying ahead of tech trends in the fast food industry.

R&D Vice President Judi Mondelllo talks about tasting new products in a hybrid world, the company’s academic relationships, and tuning in to what Milennials and Gen Z consumers want.

Dole, one of world’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable producers, is taking action to combat food inequality, climate change, and human rights issues. Dr. Lara Ramdin, Chief Innovation Officer, and Barbara Guerpillon, Global Head of Ventures, share how they are driving the company’s sustainability initiatives through open innovation.