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Mondelēz picks 9 snack startups to disrupt deliciousness

Meet the latest cohort of SnackFutures' CoLab.

Mondelēz

Mondelēz CoLab. (Courtesy photo)

Mondelēz International is taking the wrapper off its latest cohort of startups.

SnackFutures, which is the Ritz and Oreo maker’s innovation and venture hub, announced nine companies that will take part in the latest edition of CoLab. It’s the third cohort of the startup engagement program, which launched in 2021 to help build out a portfolio of up-and-coming brands, as well as increase the venture pipeline.

This year’s cohort focused on innovation in taste. Mondelēz put out a call for startups that “are doing disruptive things to make snacks delicious.”

Participants in the cohort take part in a 12-week curriculum, and get access to Mondelēz International’s experts, global network and a $20,000 grant.

“SnackFutures’ focus is to curate a portfolio of disruptive brands that can give Mondelēz International first-mover advantage on snack innovation, get us even closer to the consumer, and accelerate our financial, reputational, and cultural growth,” said Jackie Haney, head of CoLab. “CoLab is pivotal to that because it allows us to work with, learn from and nurture early-stage brands that have the potential to scale.”

Here’s a look at the full cohort, with descriptions provided by a press release from Mondelēz.

CocoTerra is an entrepreneurial personal chocolate maker. The CocoTerra machine enables chocolate lovers to simply and easily create their own dark, milk and white chocolate right in their own kitchens.

DreamPops was created by ice cream & confection lovers who dreamed of enjoying iconic flavors in simple, non-dairy treats but couldn’t find any that satisfied their standards or sweet tooths. Their aim is for everyone to be able to enjoy plant-based, clean label frozen pops, bites and shelf stable candy crunch.

Freezcake delivers small bites of fresh and creamy cheesecake that can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or in the car. Crafted by a skilled pastry chef, every batch is prepared from scratch and ultra-dried at the height of its freshness.

Incredible Eats allows consumers to treat themselves just a little longer with edible spoons and straws, which provide an alternative to single-use plastic utensils. They come in sweet and savory options, function for about an hour in cold foods and replace the use of single use plastics and dirty silverware.

Legally Addictivegives consumers a sweet and salty experience all-in-one bite with its cracker-based cookies. The cracker base is topped with chocolate, handmade salted toffee and comes in a variety of flavors.

Mezcla delivers a delightful combination of PUFF-CRISPY texture and plant protein in a crunchy snack bar experience. Each bar contains plant protein in unique flavor profiles.

New Gem aims to make wrapping a serving of fruit/vegetable into your daily routine as easy as making a sandwich wrap or sushi. These plant-based wraps use innovative technology that makes them alternatives to bread, tortillas and seaweed.

Steiner’s Coffee Cake of New York prides itself on bringing fresh ideas to coffee cake – using ingredients that make it so delicious and yet gluten free. Created by a New York grandmother who was diagnosed celiac, Steiner’s still uses its original family recipe.

Whoa Dough is a shelf-stable cookie dough bar created for health-conscious consumers. This ‘on-the-go’ version of the iconic kid bowl-licking experience is plant-based, gluten free and vegan.

R&D hub opens

The new cohort arrived just a few days after Mondelēz cut the ribbon on a new R&D facility n Whippany, New Jersey. The $50 million Global Research & Development (R&D) Innovation Center has pilot and scale-up capabilities for cookies, crackers and candy.

“This strategic investment in our new Global Innovation Center will enable us to pilot exciting new snacking breakthroughs and bring about the next generation of innovation for Mondelēz snacks around the world,” said Daniel Ramos, EVP and Chief Research & Development Officer at Mondelēz International, in a statement. “We’re proud to bring together industry-leading talent and capabilities in this facility to create new products, packaging and process developments across our portfolio of beloved snacks.”

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