PepsiCo : Reveals the Breakthrough Nutrition Brands Joining its New Incubator Programme

June 15, 2017 - PepsiCo today announced the eight emerging nutrition, health and wellness brands that will join its first collaborative incubator programme in Europe. Designed to support nutrition food and beverage entrepreneurs, the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse programmeoffers each of the eight participating companies a €25,000 grant and six months partnering with PepsiCo experts to accelerate the growth of their business.

The eight, one of whom will receive an additional €100,000 at the end of the programme, are:

• Divingmar (Malaga, Spain) Flavour-enhancing proteins rich in amino acids made from kombu, a variety of edible seaweed. http://www.divingmar.com
• Erbology (London, UK) Organic wholefoods made from powerful plants, carefully selected to complement each other. Ingredients include Jerusalem artichoke packed with prebiotic fibre, sea buckthorn high in omega-7 fatty acids and amaranth rich in high-quality protein. Erbology works in partnership with independent farmers. https://www.erbology.co.uk/
• Fit Kitchen (London, UK) High-protein, fibre-rich microwavable ready prepared meals designed by nutritionists to deliver meal options that are low in carbohydrates and under 300 calories. www.thefitkitchen.co.uk
• Frecious (Geneva, Switzerland) Ready-to-eat, sustainably made and conveniently packed fruit and vegetable products to accompany bread or crackers, use in salads or as a fresh condiment for grains, eggs, fish, and meats. https://www.frecious.com
• JIMINI'S (Montreuil, France) Nutrition packed snacks made from edible insects that are farmed in Europe to ensure quality and traceability as well as reduced environmental impact. https://www.jiminis.com/
• Nature On Tap Ltd / TAPPED Birch Water (London, UK) TAPPED Birch Water made from the rejuvenating liquid that flows inside birch trees. Tapping into centuries-old Nordic traditions, this product is full of nutrients, minerals and a natural source of the antioxidant manganese. http://www.tappedtrees.com/
• No Fairytales (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Tortilla wraps with a difference - made from carrots and beets. Containing 45% vegetables and high source of fibre with fewer kcals. www.http://nofairytales.nl/
• Your Superfoods (Berlin, Germany) Superfood mixes that add a nutritious boost to smoothies, juices, yogurt, muesli and snacks. Packed with the most powerful, nutrient-dense whole foods from around the world for more energy, immunity, antioxidants and protein. https://www.yoursuperfoods.eu/

The PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse (www.nutritiongreenhouse.com) was launched in March 2017 and focuses on nutrition food and beverage products aimed at European consumers with sales of €2 million or less. The eight companies were chosen based on their product and brand qualities, focus on consumer health, scalable business model and uniqueness in the market.

As well as receiving a €25,000 grant, the eight companies will partner with PepsiCo's functional and brand experts in order to help them realise their market potential. Through a series of in-person workshops and virtual events, each company will work with their PepsiCo partner to address immediate market challenges and put in place plans to achieve accelerated growth.

At the end of the programme, the company that demonstrates the most breakthrough market approach, that is both sustainable and scalable, will be awarded a €100,000 prize to continue its expansion.

The PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse programme is part of PepsiCo's commitment to open innovation and to collaborating with the entrepreneurs and innovators that are helping to shape the food and beverage industry. Juan Ignacio Amat, Vice President Nutrition for PepsiCo Western Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa and leader of the programme, commented:

'PepsiCo has constantly adapted with an eye towards the future. We've anticipated major shifts in the consumer landscape and business environment and have retooled to ensure we are positioned for sustainable growth. We were an early mover in the health and wellness space 20+ years ago and we keep learning every day. Our Nutrition Greenhouse programme will create a collaborative space with eight companies that also have an eye towards the future of the food and beverage industry. I, along with my fellow Greenhouse team at PepsiCo, welcome all eight to the programme - we can't wait to harness our shared enthusiasm and drive to deliver accelerated, sustainable growth for convenient, nutritious products. I'm confident it will be a rewarding experience for everyone involved.'

For further updates on the programme, please visit www.nutritiongreenhouse.com.

Comments from the eight companies:

Divingmar Financial Director Juan García Arrabal commented:'From the moment I heard we had been selected, I was confident our participation in the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse would help the business. Our seaweed, which grows wild in Russia, is a great opportunity for people that are willing, as we are, to support a healthy way of eating. Kombu seaweed is a product with incredible nutritional properties and 100% natural. We believe that our participation in this program will help us to define a successful commercial strategy to reach consumers that are aware to have healthier food.'

Irina Turcan, who co-founded Erbologywith her brother Victor Turcan, commented: 'The wellness market has become exciting and Erbology plays a unique role in it. Healthy eating isn't a short-term trend. People are increasingly looking for genuinely healthy food to manage their health. We turn rare plants into powerful and accessible foods that complement each other. We aim to inspire people to break free from supplement and diet mentality and embrace healthy eating as part of their daily routine. We are thrilled to be part of the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse programme as we seek to grow our community and expand our distribution across Europe and the US.'

Fit Kitchen Managing Director Philip Pinnell commented: 'Since Fit Kitchen started at the beginning of 2017 we've seen tremendous take up of our products. The ready-meal market is already well-established but we knew there was room in the market for better quality, more nutritious meals - and that's what we offer. We fundamentally believe in the need for our products and their ability to help people lead a healthier lifestyle, and as part of the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse programme we want to focus on using great marketing to build our consumer base.'

Frecious founder Noemie Delfassy commented: 'Frecious is a very new brand that aims to create packaged foods as fresh and nutritious as possible. Our whipped vegetable products are versatile and cover many consumption moments. We've had great success in the food service sector but know there are many everyday opportunities for consumers to enjoy the products. We want to tap into each and every opportunity and look forward to work with PepsiCo's Nutrition Greenhouse team to pave the way for growth.'

Jimini's President Bastien Rabastens, who founded the company with Clement Scellier, commented: 'By 2050 the world's population will reach 9 billion and experts say we will need two of our planets to feed us if we continue to eat the way we do today. It is clear we have to change and turn to less resource intensive foods - and this is why we started Jimini's. Using more insects as a source of high quality protein instead of meat is a clear solution to the supply challenges we face, but we know that eating insects is in not in our culture in Europe and this is the commercial challenge we will seek to address as part of the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse.'

TAPPED CEO Paul Lederer, who founded the company with Commercial Director Charlie Hoare, commented: 'At TAPPED we're bringing the goodness of birch water to people's every day, busy lives. Birch water has wonderful natural properties and is a nutritious, great tasting drink for anyone seeking to live a more natural, healthier lifestyle. And we know just how much more and more people are consciously choosing to do that. As part of the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse we want to explore how we can continue to tap into this trend and get more people enjoying goodness, straight from the tree.'

No Fairytales Founder Bernadette Kooijman commented: 'It is a well-known fact that most of us are not eating enough vegetables and that this is not good for our general health. No Fairytales was created to help change this by making it super easy to get extra portions of veggies into our everyday diets. No Fairytales mission is to help people manage their diet and tackle obesity by offering more tasteful versions of frequently consumed foods, enriched with vegetables. The demand in The Netherlands is there and the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse will help me to accelerate the scaling of my business in other markets.'

Michael Kuech, who co-founded Your Superfoodswith Kristel de Groot, commented: 'We all know we should eat more whole foods - but we all lead busy lives and finding the time to do that is not easy. Getting the nutrients we need every day is a challenge we all face, and that is why we created Your Superfoods. It is our goal to help people get the nutrients they need in a super convenient and easy way via our 100% natural, functional superfood mixes. As part of the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse we aim to help more people enjoy the convenience of supplements with the benefits of natural whole foods.'

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

PepsiCo: Sarah Schofield sarah.schofield@pepsico.com

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose - our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

PepsiCo's Nutrition Portfolio

A key part of PepsiCo's Performance with Purpose is continuously improving the products we sell through transforming portfolio and offering more nutritious options. We are working to offer more whole grains, fruits & vegetables, dairy, protein and hydration as we expand our nutrition portfolio. As part of our 2025 agenda, our goal is for the rate of sales growth of our nutrition products to outpace the rate of sales growth of the balance of our portfolio.

We have leading brands in a number of key categories, including Quaker, Tropicana, Naked, Lipton/Pure Leaf, Starbucks, Gatorade, Sabra, Stacy's and we continue to expand our fruit and vegetable brands, with Naked launching a fresh line of cold-pressed juices; Tropicana launching a new line of green juices; and Alvalle earning the prestigious 'Foods from Spain' prize from the country's Ministry of Agriculture.

PepsiCo continues to expand its range of nutritious offerings, launching new brands and leveraging our iconic brands to launch exciting new products:

• J7 Apple Juice in Russia, delivering all the fibre of one apple in every glass.
• Quaker Oats 'Super Goodness' range in the UK to meet increasing consumer demand for simple, wholesome ingredients. The range includes Super Grains containing protein, fibre, and omega 3+ as well as the Super Fruits varieties containing Vitamin B6, C, D and Mineral Zinc to support the immune system.
• Tropicana Essentials Probiotics, the first brand to bring probiotics to the mainstream juice consumer. This was named one of Beverage Industry Magazine's 2016 Innovations of the Year.