F&B Industry Intel

Simple, ingeniously designed, NOROCK is a self-stabilising table base where all the 4 legs are interconnected. The team has been mastering stabilising technology for over 25 years before creating an elegant, 3 dimensional solution to the age old problem of the wobbly table. 

Designed by geometry wizz who has a fascination with shapes and hyperbolic paraboloids Chris Heyring, says that wobbly tables were “like a bad itch that he had to get rid of”. 

Chris who describes himself as an artist is responsible for Kinetic suspension systems for Toyota, Nisson, McLaren and P1 in addition to Marine suspension technology for wind farms and Marine Boats. He applied this same kinetic knowledge, technology and passion towards tables. Automatically conforming to the most uneven floor surfaces – inside and outside – the feet lean on each other to create a stable base. 

Elegant in their simplicity, robust, maintenance-free and economical to produce, they revolve around a unique and innovative approach to geometry and componentry which is devious in its design. 

Bringing ethics to aesthetics, mycelium is nothing new. But since coming onto the scene its uses are diverse as it’s grown for lights and building materials to ‘leather’ and packaging. 

A living organism, mostly hidden in the ground, mycelium is the root network of mushrooms that can be used to bind other materials together. These networks can be grown to take on any form. Durable, insulating, and flame resistant, biotechnology companies from around the globe are creating new and exciting applications. 

Grown to specific shapes and forms, it’s use is being seen from insulation to lighting design. Exploring the use of different materials, Morgan Ruben expertly merges nature with technology to grow his leaf shaped Folium Light which is made from Mycelium and Hemp. 

Embraced by architects, artists and luxury brands such as Stella McCartney, Burberry and Gucci, Hermes collaborated with MycoWorks to create their recently released bag. Using a material that is fundamentally changing the landscape of design, Fine Mycelium leather is crafted from an artistic foundation. Other companies such as Mcytech Lab use plant-based natural dyes for their ‘leather’. Matching leather in strength and abrasion resistance this ‘leather’ could also make it a great application for furniture.

French brand Amen teamed up with Grown to fashion a customised cylindrical box grown using agricultural waste and mycelium. The first C02 negative alternative to conventional packaging, perfect for shipping due to its high shock resistance and protective value. 

Disruptive energy from alternative energy sources is – excuse the pun – growing by using Microbial Fuel Cells. Biotech start ups such as Plant-e and Bioo are creating innovative solutions – generating electricity from nature. By touching plants as biological ‘light switches’ Spanish company, Bioo has developed a way to activate light, sound or screens simply by contacting with nature. 

They also have released a biological battery and are currently developing a bio panel to replace solar panels that has the potential to revolutionise cities. Collecting electrons liberated in soil from the breakdown of organic substances by its natural microorganisms it is converted into electricity.  

Installed underground, Bioo Panel’s can be fitted into parks, gardens or streets. It constantly produces electricity during day and night, regardless of weather conditions, powering lights,  playing music or activating screens.  

Netherlands Plant-e is currently researching whether trees can be made SMART by generating  enough power to supply sensors that can provide feedback of when the trees need water which in turn can promote smart irrigation. 

They have also partnered with designers Ermi van Oers of Nova Innova to create a Living Light Lamp. Activated by softly touching the plant, it lights up using the energy of a plant and Plant-e technology. 

Soon, plants will be able to provide a dual purpose, in our homes, offices, restaurants and cities.

Different technologies around the world are shaking up the dining scene with AI & big data. But some restaurateurs still emphasise the importance of human connection.

Contactless platforms that deliver more than a menu could be a way to serve up what consumers need in a time where many venues are short staffed.  Digital menu platforms such as Meandu can suggest beverage pairings, provide ingredient traceability and allow guests to order and split payments direct via a combined table locator & app. Making service less transactional, it is increasing the tailoring of customer experience even more.

Whilst technology shapes customers experiences, the human touch defines emotions. Restaurateurs around the globe are continuing to define what the essence of ‘hospitality’ means to them. Intertwining contactless with single use print menus for specials, signature cocktails or degustation, creates a seamless mix of old and new world. For some restaurateurs, the interaction and conversation during ordering is an important part of the dining experience. Hospitality will always be about experiences and connecting to people. Even in the face of new technology.

China and emerging countries are leading the charge with digital currency. But what does this mean for the future of traditional payment platforms?

Digital wallets and currencies aren’t anything new but with the advance of digital everything, now Central Banks in Sweden, Barbados, Cambodia and China are testing digital currencies. China’s e-yuan rolled out in four cities last September creating a digital payment ecosystem designed to operate independently to Alipay & WeChat pay, but can also operate within it. 

The advantages for both business and consumers are clear; convenience, lower transaction costs and the ability to transact without a mobile network. How is this going to be integrated into payment platforms in restaurants? There are multiple options available already such as Super Apps, mobile wallets, bank apps etc. so it will be seamless. Fintech company Clik Asia a POS payment aggregator for Cambodia’s Digital Currency.  It also provides consumer data to its merchant partners, and is developing a platform focused on bolstering merchant profits through consumer loyalty.

These new platforms will be able to store transaction data, which could mean payments may be fully traceable in addition to transfer cross-border payments. Talk now is of Central Banks partnering with Mobile Phone operators to provide a wallet in order to offer digital currency direct to consumers. One thing for sure, it’s going to provide a lot more data about customers.

Strategies that harness the full power of digital technology are where businesses can leap ahead. Hospitality businesses are very much aware convenience is at the forefront of customers perceived needs, which is also why platforms that can handle the complexity of data such as Mega apps continue to rise. 

But how can this be utilised? As the transition to apps where check-ins, ordering and payment increases, restaurants, hotels and venues will be able to read digital data from mobile phones (which already exists) to create a completely unique and individual experience where your name is known before you enter the hotel or restaurant and are greeted by the AI host. 

As Mega Apps require handing over more data in order for unrelated systems to be housed into a single and convenient space, users’ data is becoming more readily available. Especially as many people value convenience over privacy. Many apps built in China and Asia try to learn as much as they can about users, directing them to content they might like with more of a focus on exploration. 

But probably more futuristic is how scientists have come up with a creative solution to store data. Harvard University recently managed to develop a way to encode music from Super Mario games into synthetic strands of DNA and play it back on a computer. The BBC explains it quite easily in a short video with scientists saying it will be available in 10 – 15 years. 

Perhaps in the future, the use of phones and facial recognition may fall to the wayside as our digital data is stored in our own DNA strands. 

Building on a movement that was already in place, people’s awareness of what they consume is becoming more focused. Mindful eating is sitting side by side with mindful drinking, incorporating health, quality and transparency of where produce comes from. 

Vegetable focused dishes and foods are continuing to become more desirable as a healthy and environmentally aware way of eating which may be considered a luxury item through their lack of animal contact in the future.  

A healthy immune system is predicted to be a main priority, through eating well, keeping fit and exercising. With this in mind, menu’s may need to incorporate ‘medicinal’ profiles alongside flavour profiles in a similar way to dietary requirements in the future. 

Going beyond ‘farm to table’ food transparency and tracking may emerge as paramount. Creating a clear chain of how it is grown and where it’s from that is easily portrayed and understood by guests. There may be a new range of  symbols or marks that depict ‘safe’ of ‘plant based contact’ food items and/or dishes. 

Health may become the new wealth, becoming even more of a prominent feature in food, beverage and restaurants. 

Previously overlooked and underutilised parts of familiar ingredients and plants, such as beetroot greens, sweet potato leaves and avocado blossom are getting more attention. Coffee grind and old bread ground to use in fresh loaves for added flavour. 

And the use of less familiar plants, such as sea beans, seaweed and a wealth of foraged ingredients are also appearing in more restaurants. Ancient grains such as fonio and spelt are being used in everything from artisanal bakeries and savoury entrees as people become more interested. 

At Teranga, a West African eatery in NYC, chef/owner Pierre Thiam supports underutilized crops and features ingredients such as baobab, moringo and fonio.

Restaurateurs who present their guests with previously unknown, forgotten and novel taste nuances in their dishes are also paving the way for a change in the food trade embracing forgotten flavours, new stories and potentially revenue saving ingredients.

Consumers are turning to waste-free and planet-positive solutions going beyond simply maximizing the use of an ingredient, but embracing a complete change in mindset.  

Leading the charge are chefs creating innovative dishes, new products and zero-waste ethical kitchens. Grounded Foods co-founder, Shaun Quade, a chef based in Los Angeles – formerly from Melbourne – created a game changing range of non-cheeses from hemp and fermented cauliflower. Or Josh Niland from Saint Peter, Sydney who not only dry ages whole fish but uses all the components including drying the liver and skin to use as garnishes. 

Direct-to-table and farm-to-table concepts are in greater demand to meet the focus on sourcing and quality. Restaurants telling the story of local producers through their menus and staff offers a clear transparency between restaurant and guest. Some restaurants have their own farms, growing their own cattle, pork and produce for themselves and other restaurants such as Palisa Anderson’s Boon Luck Farm or Coombeshead Farm in the UK.  

From the rise in online food delivery, to the growth of online farmer’s markets, this trend is picking up steam as more farmers and local suppliers start selling through platforms such as community groups on Facebook and WhatsApp.

Founded by Singapore-based Proof & Co, ecoSPIRITS is an innovative zero-waste spirits packaging solution that offers a substantial reduction in the delivered cost of premium spirits, single use glass, waste and C02 footprint.

It means that provenance and origin of unique spirits can still be celebrated for producers, large scale hospitality operators and bars without the impact on the environment. An added benefit is the savings made in packaging, labour and logistics.

Inspired in part by the sustainable way wine and spirits used to be shipped prior to 1880’s – in casks and in ancient civilizations, Amphoras, the ecoSPIRIT team developed their unique distribution technology.

At the heart of the system is the ecoTOTE, a reusable 4.5L vessel that is filled up at a small footprint facility (ecoPLANT) where different spirits from distilleries are stored in bulk.

EcoTOTES are then sent to bars where businesses can fill their own bottles and send the container back. Compact and stackable for easy storage, including a graduated inventory check window for seamless stock takes with machine washable enclosures and caps, they provide a solution particularly in SE Asia where there is limited glass recycling facilities.

Building on its success in Asia Pacific, in December ecoSPIRITS announced a global licensed operator program, which will bring its closed loop spirits distribution technology to new markets worldwide.

Swedish company Wayout has developed a revolutionary ‘plug-and-play’ beverage microfactory. Now, restaurants can customise their own drinks on site. From craft beers, ciders to soda with the help of Wayout’s brewmasters via a smartphone app, all served cold from the module. Simple to operate, it’s engineered to have minimal impact on the environment and can be powered by the sun. The container-sized module also has an advanced water purification system + microbrewery. Ingredients are loaded manually and the rest is fully automated – from water treatment, beverage mixing, brewing and cleaning. Brewing up to 3,000 liters of beer or cider and 70,000 liters of water per month, it saves thousands of bottles from recycling/waste.

The rules of alcohol classification are being re-written. In today’s heavily saturated drinks market, producers are diversifying their offering and pushing the boundaries with innovative and genre-defying spirits. Known as freeform, botanical and hybrid spirits, they are sneaking out of the rules of categorisation in the pursuit of flavour. Think wine-based hard seltzer or agave based vodka.

Inspired by how memories can be captured through flavours, Copenhagen-based Empirical Spirits produces a double fermented clear koji spirit. Marrying barley koji with Belgian saison yeast — bringing together the east and west in its fermentation methods. In San Francisco, Endless West redefines spirits with “the world’s first molecular whiskey,” Glyph. Drawing from chemistry to identify the molecules needed to create specific flavour notes for specific profiles, science is their craft.

Waste products from drinks manufacturing are also being used to create entirely new products. Australian distillery Archie Rose produces a Shiraz-based spirit distilled from salvaged smoke tainted grapes, repurposing those that are no longer suitable to make wine.