ECRM hosted its Winter Session in Baking, Spices & Breakfast Foods; Canned, Dry & Boxed Foods; Condiments, Sauces & Spreads and Snacks this February. ECRM sessions are great opportunities for buyers and sellers to have curated meetings for product discovery around specific category segments. We were able to attend to meet with emerging brands and learn the best of what each category has to offer. ECRM’s Vice President of Grocery, Tyler Barich stated, “We are continuing to see a strong interest from emerging brands entering the market looking for distribution and challenger brands looking to expand into new channels. Some of the trends we continue to see across food categories include vegan, plant-based, keto, gluten-free, organic ingredients, sustainability, convenient / on-the-go packaging. There continues to be a high interest from major retailers in expanding their own label across food & beverage categories.” 

More of the trends we spotted at the ECRM event

Sweeter Alternatives

SweetLeaf makes award-winning stevia and recently added monk fruit to its portfolio. The company's products have zero added sugars, zero carbs, a non- or low-glycemic response, and contain no artificial sweeteners. They have only the finest plant-based ingredients, organic options, non-GMO and Kosher certified, Keto-friendly, vegan, and gluten free. Their objective is to innovate and provide the best-tasting, highest-quality natural options.

The Maple Treat Corporation is the world's largest maple syrup provider, with four locations throughout the U.S. and Canada (in the heart of Maple country) and 100+ years of experience. They provide authentic taste by using only the best sap from the best maple trees from the farmers they work with. The only thing they add to their maple syrup is the label and love, making it 100% pure in order to create a perfect balance which has a complex and nuanced flavor.

LiquiSweet is the perfect combination of delicious taste, sweetness, and price value. Their  ultra-concentrated proprietary formula is made with zero calories, and the products are great for diabetics, consumers following a keto diet, or those seeking no calorie sweetener additives. 

Globally Inspired Flavors 

Coco Goods offers an organic line of coconut products from Vietnam designed to leave you happy and healthy with great nutrition. From coconut water, extra virgin coconut oil, chips, butter, cooking oil, and more, they exist to bring the goodness of life into everybody’s life. They are a family-owned company, expert manufacturer of natural source of Earth’s good stuff, the coconut.

In Italian, “La Bella Vita” means “the good life.” Fontecchio’s products deliver a taste of that good life with authentic Italian flavors in delicious gourmet condiments. Their rich, zesty flavors will lift your culinary experience out of the mundane and into the unforgettable! From authentic Italian hot sauces to Caesar dressing to gourmet marinara sauce, these flavors are sure to make your mouth water.

TropicMax aims to satisfy with their fresh bananas that grow sustainably in the tropical fields of Ecuador. They produce delicious, natural, crispy and nutritious banana snacks. Their goal is to supply products with the highest quality, freshness and authentic taste of the tropics through the continuous search for efficiency and adaptation of their products to the tastes and demands of consumers.

Healthier Ways to Add Flavor

Himalayan Secrets produces and manufactures Himalayan Rock Salt products under their brand and for private labeling. They carry a range of products made from Himalayan Salt for eating, cooking, bathing, and livestock uses. They were the first to export salt from Pakistan and they also produce other natural salts such as Fleur de sel, Black Salt, Flake Salt, Smoked Salt, etc. 

Oh Yeah Spices is passionate about great food. Inspired by Grampy's & Ma's desire to have robust flavor in every bite, Oh Yeah Spices created a line of 12 natural herbs and spices for a simple and complete steak seasoning, chicken seasoning, or veggie seasoning to add richness to meals. Use it on beef, pork, poultry, fish, potatoes, vegetables, soups, salads, eggs,  pizza, and anything in between.

Childhood Nostalgia

Otherworld is a plant-based food company creating  pancake and baking mixes that are good-for-you and good-for-the-planet. All of their plant-based, just-add-water mixes are made with upcycled fruits, vegetables and whole grains for a healthy serving of nostalgia. They are addressing human and planetary health through plant-based baking mixes stacked with hidden fruits and vegetables.

Just The Fun Part’s name speaks for itself. Embarking on a journey to satisfy and delight sweet-tooths everywhere, they took a memory familiar to everyone and multiplied it. Hop in a culinary time machine and take yourself back to your childhood, where the best thing in life was the bottom of a sundae cone. An irresistibly crunchy, bite-sized waffle cone filled with 100% Belgian chocolate.

Regenerative Farming Practices

Vana Life Foods makes plant-based superfood meals using green chickpeas as the key ingredient. They use high quality premium ingredients produced using regenerative farms within the U.S. to create four different meals and flavors while using sustainable practices.

Keep Grazin’ harnesses the superfood cassava to build an innovative trend in the better-for-you snack category. Their extra crunchy snacks are beloved in Bolivia and a unique offering to the U.S. – a grass-fed cheese-based snack that is non-GMO, naturally gluten free, and made with a completely clean ingredient deck. So delicious that you can’t stop grazing!

Allergen Friendly Food  

The VGood Company helps you satisfy your nut butter cravings with nut free NOT-nut butters and chickpea twists. Pea-NOT Butter tastes and spreads just like traditional PB, and Hazel-NOT Choc your fave choc-nut spread, but they are  free from nuts. Their spreads are perfect for consumers who miss the great taste of nut butters by delivering the most nostalgic- nut-free texture.

Chef-Crafted Products

Tommy's Kitchen is the creation of Celebrity Chef Tommy Washington. It brings a bold new unique flavor into the kitchen with the warmth of a home cooked southern meal with a little bit of a kick. His restaurant, and more are coming, are a great testing ground for his recipes which he also is perfecting on his upcoming streaming channel. The products can be used as a marinade or sauce on any meat, fish or vegetable dish. Tommy’s Original Sauce blends a rich mix of herbs, with a little bit of citrus, the kick from habanero peppers ties together with a rich gravy texture. It results in a perfect culinary fusion of flavors that leaves you craving more.

Leaders in Quality

Need a snack? Whether you’re on the go and need a quick bite or want to take five and satisfy a craving, SunTree Snack Foods has snack time covered. Their snacks combine wholesome, nutrient rich nuts, seeds and dried fruits with sweet and savory flavors that are sure to have your taste buds jumping for joy. 

Clark Foods has been doing canned foods from baked beans, soups, stews, meat sauces, gravies and chili for more than 140 years and is an iconic favorite in the Canadian market. Their products are meticulously prepared in small batches using only the highest quality ingredients. And every day, the industry’s most passionate research chefs head into the kitchen to create delicious new recipes to meet ever-evolving consumer tastes. 

Confiserie Mondoux is a leading Canadian packager and distributor of top-quality candies and chocolates. Since 1967, their three-generation family company has been committed to creating and distributing moments of joy with their classic little sweets like chocolate bunnies as well as non-alcoholic Belgian chocolates that taste like your favorite cocktails. 

Foods with Function

OjasTee was founded in Berkeley, CA, and is the brainchild of a retired physician and a former biotech scientist. The company is on a mission to have a positive impact on as many lives as they can through the creation and distribution of flavorful and healthful products and by using the highest quality ingredients possible. They are dedicated to creating spice-based, immune-boosting products including teas, spices and rubs that are anti-inflammatory and boost immunity as well as support healthier eating, drinking and living.

Elevate Your Taste Buds

Melinda’s Foods creates quality hot sauce for those who are past the basic. They are a community that appreciates variety and flavor just as much as they do heat. From seed to bottle, Melinda’s focuses on using the freshest ingredients and the best Chili peppers on the planet for their 32 craft pepper sauces. They create a balance where heat and flavor find themselves on equal footing. 

You might recognize Pork Barrel BBQ from their appearance on Shark Tank. They were founded by two Senate staffers who dreamed of delicious BBQ in DC, so they created it. Pork Barrel BBQ makes small batch, craft BBQ spice seasonings rubs, barbecue sauces, bacon jerky and keto pork crumbs. All products from this small business are proudly made in the U.S.A

Innovating Their Categories 

Ardent Mills is North America’s leading flour supplier and grain innovator. With more than 40 community flour mills and blending facilities throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, they offer the broadest range of premium multi-use wheat-flours, gluten-free flours, seeds, whole grains, pulses, mixes, and custom multi-grain blends.

LOVE CORN is on a mission to become the “feel good” salty snack swap to chips, crackers and pretzels the whole family loves. They are a delicious crunch corn snack that is gluten-free and full of flavor.