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Please Package Responsibly

Thought For Food

A Look into Responsible Food Packaging

This month, we revisit responsible packaging, and the demand created by new legislation, as well as controversy surrounding recycling. Take inspiration from recent innovations in the U.S. and overseas and consider our four recommendations to focus efforts.

Let’s Unwrap
5 food photography trends to keep an eye on

Thought For Food

Focusing in on Today’s Food Photography Trends

This month, we touch on trends in food photography, its role in brand building, and recommend our great new studio for you to check out.

See For Yourself
Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum 2024

Thought For Food

A Recap of Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum

We recently attended the WSJ’s Global Food Forum, an event that brings together leaders from across the industry to discuss and explore the major forces shaping food and agriculture.

Read On
Discover the aisle appeal of Asian grocery in America

Thought For Food

The Powerful Growth of Asian Grocery in America

We discuss the rise, significance and wide appeal of Asian grocery, as well as key players and formats. And inspired by social media, we shop nearby locations and “share our haul.”

Check It Out
Is tamarind the flavor of the year?

Thought For Food

Tamarind: The Exotic Fruit with Exciting Potential

This month, we are pressure-testing a prediction for tamarind as “flavor of the year.” Learn more about this versatile, exotic fruit – including how it’s been “covered” within the industry, what new launches we see, and how our Culinary Specialist recommends using it.

Tap for Tamarind
15 food + beverage podcasts you should be listening to

Thought For Food

Podcast Picks and Best Practices

Podcasts are no longer niche. Most adults are listening weekly. In our industry, brands from Trader Joe’s to Crumbl Cookie are getting in on it. This month, we’ll be sharing not only the food, beverage, and restaurant podcasts on our radar, but best practices from our experience in podcast development.

Tune In & Read On
Captivating examples of food-based expression

Thought For Food

Expressions of Culture Via Food & Beverage

Attending restaurant pop-ups, posting pictures of what we create or consume, taking on taste challenges, binge watching “Taste the Nation”…all are common ways current culture is expressing itself through food and beverage. This month, we searched far and wide for more disruptive examples.

Explore Expressions
5 minute course on Gen Z

Thought For Food

Gen Z: Figuring Them Out and Luring Them In

Beyond their obvious youth and workplace stereotype, who are they, what do you need to know about them as food and beverage marketers, and how can you understand them better in 5 minutes or less?

Let’s Learn

Community Involvement

FINNovation Lab and JT Mega partner to help a diverse array of local entrepreneurs

Together, we believe we can help mission-driven businesses recognize their potential and rise to meet it. Which is why we’re calling this initiative… RISE.

Learn More

News

Andrew Zimmern shares his story with JTM

We hosted award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and social justice advocate Andrew Zimmern for our monthly speaker series – such a fantastic storyteller who’s up to all sorts of cool things right now.

Ad Age Article about Columbus Craft Meats Campaign

News

Featured in Ad Age – Our latest Columbus Craft Meats Campaign

We just launched a massive campaign for Columbus Craft Meats that shows charcuterie lovers how easy it is to impress, amaze and entertain with incredible meats.

Read the Article
Logomark for Hungry, the JTM Internship Program

News

Hungry: our JTM Internship Program

We’re excited to host a new group of interns as we head into the second year of our internship program.

Check it out
No big research budget? No big deal.

Research

No big research budget? No big deal.

Knowing your consumer helps set your brand up for success. But what happens when there’s no time or budget for some much-needed research? Learn how you can get a good pulse on audience perceptions and pain points with very little investment.

Read on
Simple Hacks for Social Success

Social Media

6 Simple Hacks for More Social Media Success

Supporting your brand on social media. You know you need to do it, but figuring out what to post and when can be overwhelming. To help, here are 6 ways to take your social posts to the next level.

Up My Social Savviness
illustration of bouncing and spinning globe that transforms into pizza

Branding

Grow Your Brand

The key to pushing your product from emerging to established lies in defining some key considerations. We answer five questions that consistently rise to the top for brands on the move.

Take the next step
Hawaiian flavors are gaining traction

Thought For Food

Getting Inspired by Mainland Hawaiian Fare

This month, we’re offering an island escape, sharing buzz on the restaurant concepts, chefs, cookbooks and flavors of Hawaii.

Lei it all out
As tech flourishes, will your brand stay human?

Thought For Food

Breathing Life Into the Ghost in the Machine

While technology continues to take us “out of this world,” there’s amazing work being done to bring it back down to earth.

Humans: Click to Read On
illustration of the word Unplug with an unplugged cord dangling below

Thought For Food

Challenge for 2024: A Balanced Digital Life

Actively encouraging and supporting the consumer need for digital wellness may require new thinking in relation to content, platforms, and brand experiences.

Challenge Your Thinking
illustrated graphic of a ticket to the retail theater

Research & Insights

14 Examples of Retail Theater

The term “retail theater” has become synonymous with “in-store experience”. We subscribe to a more pure, undiluted definition – one that holds the term to a higher standard and should be reserved for engagements that meet more of the criteria for live theater. In our opinion, retail theater is rare, but we’ve located 14 examples across the globe that truly deliver.

Immerse Yourself
illustrated fork with noodle wrapped in the tines, text reads preserving traditions in food and language

Research & Insights

2 Areas Where Tradition Is Being Upheld

What if resurrecting the past had less to do with novelty and more to do with preserving culture? What if the motivations were purer…say, saving something from extinction? That is precisely what we are seeing. The attempt to preserve “old world traditions” lest they be forgotten.

Explore Traditions
animated graphic that reads 10 pop-up experiences from 2023

Thought For Food

10 Pop-Up Experiences From 2023

Creating exclusive experiences is no easy task. Let’s explore a range of recent pop-up experiences, to see how they leverage everything from pop culture, to takeovers, and unconventional retail spaces to drive brand engagement and test new product ideas.

Pop in here to learn more
Girl Power

Thought For Food

Catch the Girl Power Wave

After nearly a century of efforts designed to help young girls reimagine what it means to be one, girls – of all ages – are taking charge.

This Way to Female Empowerment
meter icon displaying a hard difficulty level

Thought For Food

10 Antidotes to TikTok Food

One of the many common denominators to TikTok food trends is simplicity. Let us propose a countertrend: things that are hard to make.

View the Challenge

Thought For Food

Natural Products Expo West 2023

We’ve been heading to Expo West for years and always walk away with new industry learnings and connections. This year proved no different, and while many of the trends aren’t new to the natural products space, there are key areas gaining momentum.

Get the Recap

Thought For Food

Nostalgia: 2 Ways In

The desire to reconnect with things from the past that once brought us joy is not a byproduct of the pandemic, it’s a desire that’s been here all along. What tends to change are the particular items (and decades) consumers yearn for.

Connect to the Past
Food for the Hormonal Roller Coaster

Thought For Food

What You Should Know About Hormonal Health Diets

Women are looking for relief from symptoms brought on by pivotal hormonal changes throughout their life cycle. With a market slow to respond, they’ve taken matters in-house.

Click Here for Examples
What's beyond the pup cup?

Thought For Food

A Restaurant Prediction: Dog-Friendly

With dogs an integral part of the family, and extreme pet-bonding taking place while WFH during the pandemic, it’s no wonder we want to take them everywhere. And increasingly, that means out to eat.

Take Inspiration
Handling the Holiday Hangover

Thought For Food

A HANGOVER PSA

Inspired by the holiday season, we’ve looked at the many ways to “profit” from hangover remedies. Whether arming us in our personal lives or aiding us in business, these examples provide value.

Discover Strategies (And Test Markets)
Is Air the Trend of Today?

Thought For Food

The Food Trend That Keeps on Giving: Air

Air is increasingly connected to how we eat, cook and shop. It’s become an ingredient, a method of preparation, a ritual in dieting, a restaurant experience and a growing consideration in sustainability practices and claims.

Read Our 3 Recommendations
graphic of an avocado as a painter's palette that reads 12 Times Food Became Art

Thought For Food

12 Times Food Became Art

In honor of International Artist Day on October 25th, we’re showcasing art inspired by or made from food. From magic milk to AI generated art to paintings and sculptures, we’ve curated a gallery of food art just for you.

View the Gallery
The next 'gram-worthy cuisine

Thought For Food

The Slow Ascent of Filipino Cuisine

We’re tapping into the potential of one of Southeast Asia’s most mysterious cuisines, Filipino food. Let us tell you why it’s worthy of your attention.

Learn more here
Illustration of fork, knife and a plate above the words Set the Table!

Thought For Food

How to Set a Hard-Working Table

Breakthrough designs in cups, plates, and utensils to help elevate meals and improve the eating experience.

Learn More Here
The Next Hub for Food Innovation

Thought For Food

The Food Innovation Hub That May Surprise You

Get acquainted with a food brain trust in the Middle East.

Discover it here
Illustration of a grocery basket filled with JTM dots, representing groceries, that reads Succeed with Retailers

Thought For Food

How to Win With Grocery Retail Giants

Align your organization with key retailer priorities.

Read more
illustrated graphic of a thought bubble that reads

Thought For Food

8 Ways to Command Attention

Consumers want attention for their personal brand. Here’s how you can help.

Read on
Illustrated graphic that reads 10 Ways To Start The Day with an animation of steam rising from a full coffee mug

Research & Insights

Unlocking An Unmet Need In Breakfast

Consumers want more excitement out of their first meal of the day. Global breakfasts can provide it.

Read on
The Power of Powdered graphic

Thought For Food

An Emerging Idea in Sustainability: Powdered

Virtually any food can be reduced to powder. Learn more about how that benefits bottom lines, people and planet.

Read on
Animated graphic of two forks mimicking a clock over a graphic of lime cross-section, with the headline

Thought For Food

6 Ways to Be Relevant to Consumers Who Fast

Abstinence from food does not mean a food or beverage brand has to lose out. We’ll show you how to play.

Read on
Illustrated graphic that reads 7 Ideas for Branded 'Threads'

Research & Insights

The Right Way to Do Branded Apparel

Consumers have been wearing brand passions on their sleeves for years, but it’s now reached a fever pitch. Learn more about how to get in on the trend.

Read on
Top trends in Asian cuisine

Research & Insights

Are You Catering to the Asian Food & Beverage Demand?

Interest in culturally-diverse cuisines is higher than ever, specifically for Asian offerings. Learn what’s behind their popularity and how it’s showing up on menus, in stores and on social across America.

Read on
Illustrated graphic that reads Making Samples Safer with icons of pizza and candy

Research & Insights

New Ideas for Retail Sampling

In the last year and a half, we’ve seen retailers adapt to create safer shopping experiences for consumers, and that includes sampling. From ghost kitchens to interactive direct mail, brands are getting creative with sample distribution to overcome obstacles brought on by the pandemic.

Read on
Augmenting Reality illustration

Research & Insights

Engaging Buyers Using Augmented Reality

Businesses in the food and beverage industry are employing augmented reality (AR) to bring elements of their brand to life for consumers. From retail to restaurants, creative uses of this tool continue to emerge.

Read on
AI in food & beverage

Thought For Food

How AI is Advancing Food & Beverage

CPG, retail, and restaurant companies alike are utilizing AI to gain a competitive edge. It’s quickly becoming a valuable tool for businesses in the food and beverage industry to boost customer relationship management, drive product development, forecast performance, and more.

Read on
How to brand with audio

Research & Insights

How to Brand with Audio

When it comes to storytelling, the one thing audio can do that visual mediums can’t is: give the eyes a rest. With screen-time at a fever pitch, digital audio can be a welcome, engaging, and memorable solution. Podcasts, social audio, and sonic logos are just a few intriguing elements of this digital listening space.

Read on
Have my chocolate and eat it too?

Thought For Food

Have my chocolate and eat it too?

The ways people enjoy chocolate are continually and rapidly expanding. Whether you’re drinking it, experiencing it as an indulgence or using it for fuel, chocolate is one trend that never wavers.

Read more
3 Ways to Minimize Waste by evolving your packaging

Research & Insights

3 Ways to Minimize Waste Through Package Design

We explore what the “season of excess” looks like when it comes to the byproducts of our purchases. Can packaging be designed to help us all minimize waste?

Read on
Are mushrooms the future of food?

Thought For Food

Tripping on Shrooms

We’ve been reading about the emerging superfood status of mushrooms for years. Learn more about their functional benefits, culinary possibilities and new up-and-coming mushroom based products.

Read on
are you considering texture's persuasive powers?

Research & Insights

Texture Is The New Taste

While taste is consistently the top driver of preference in food and beverage, another attribute – texture – cannot be overlooked.

Read on
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