U.S. maker of plant-based foods sees Filipino flavors trending this year

MOSS LANDING, California — The co-founder and chief executive officer of Sweet Earth, a pioneer in the plant-based foods category, predicts that Filipino flavors will be a big trend this year, along with fiber-rich and fermented foods.

Kelly Swette, CEO of Sweet Earth an independently-run subsidiary of Nestle USA, Arlington, Virginia, told Foodbusinessnews.net her top trend predictions for the year ahead.

Kelly Swette, CEO of Sweet Earth, maker of Sweet plant-based food products.

“I continue to see the emergence of more Asian foods and more innovative Asian foods. I think there’s a lot of interest in Filipino foods now,” Swette told the food business news site. “I think part of it is it has been under-recognized and uses beautiful colors and a lot of vinegar, and vinegar is happening everywhere, whether it’s apple cider vinegar shots or drinks. Adobo sauce is vinegar and pepper and garlic and bay leaves. It gives you that really sassy flavor profile that’s not just sickly sweet or just soy. It’s got a lot of nuance. We’ll be introducing a product  there, and I would expect to see more people entering in that area.”

“Nobody wants a brown plate anymore,” said Swette, a former PepsiCo executive who launched Sweet Earth with her husband, Brian, in 2011. “Overall enhanced quality and premiumization … in addition to color and texture — those are the things that really define the modern food movement and are separating it from what I like to call ‘noodle fatigue’ in the frozen aisle.”