The 2025 ECRM Fall Food Sessions proved once again why it’s the destination where the food industry gets down to real business. As Sarah Davidson, Executive Vice President of ECRM, put it, “This is a must-attend. This is where real business happens. Buyers find the most innovative and quality suppliers. Both buyers and sellers are ready to act, interested in finding great partners. It’s the most efficient and fun way to build your business.”

This year, the biggest trends sparking conversations (and taste buds) centered on bold flavors—think hot, honey, spicy, and even ginger. Davidson noted that buyers are “lasering in on ingredients more than I have ever seen before. The fewer ingredients, the better. They want products full of flavor, made with simple, functional ingredients—and if they’re high in protein, even better. Everyone’s looking to serve the GLP-1 shopper.”

I was honored to moderate one of the roundtables, Partnering for Growth: Collaborative Strategies Between Buyers and Suppliers in Health-Conscious Categories. Together, we explored how universities, retailers, and suppliers can join forces to expand the reach of healthy food products—through co-branding, joint promotions, and other win-win collaborations that help better-for-you brands thrive.

Elizabeth Copeland, ACS, CCP, Assistant Category Manager for Fresh at KeHE Distributors, echoed the excitement around this year’s event and its evolving consumer insights: “Gen Z is completely reshaping the food conversation—they want products that are natural, have a story, and stand for something,” Copeland said. “They’re curious, adventurous, and willing to pay for smaller, premium options so they can try more. And it’s not just them—everyone from midlife shoppers to wellness seekers are trading up to healthier, more purposeful foods. That mindset shift was everywhere on the ECRM floor.”

From globally inspired spice kits to clean-label, protein-forward snacks, the 2025 Fall Food Sessions showcased a marketplace hungry for innovation and for meaningful connection between brands and buyers.

The top brands we explored at ECRM’S Fall Food Sessions:

1. Functional Hydration with Purpose: Clean, smart hydration is getting personal. Originally created for elite athletes, GREATER THAN now fuels women through every stage of life—from breastfeeding to boardroom—with electrolyte-rich, nutrient-dense drinks that keep energy steady and spirits high. Greatness, after all, is a mindset.
2. The Sea’s Oldest Secret: Hand-harvested for over 2,000 years from Brittany’s pristine marshes, Le Marinier Celtic Salt brings unrefined minerals, authentic flavor, and sustainable tradition to modern cooking. A pinch is all it takes to make everyday meals naturally exceptional.
3. The New Clean Protein: Natural State Rabbit is redefining rabbit as the sustainable, high-protein alternative for today’s conscious consumer. U.S.-raised on a clean vegetarian diet, this farm-to-fork brand turns “bunny syndrome” into gourmet innovation—lean, mild, and versatile.
4. Nature’s Most Luxurious Water: Sourced from the Ecuadorian rainforest and filtered through Cotopaxi’s volcanic rock for centuries, Splendor is pure hydration elevated. With trace gold and silver minerals and a naturally balanced pH, it’s the “true living water” of wellness, bottled beautifully in blue glass.
5. Wild-Caught with a Legacy: A family-owned Florida company for over 40 years, Cox’s Shrimp Co. delivers wild Gulf shrimp that capture the taste of coastal tradition—sustainably caught, fully traceable, and undeniably fresh.
6. Gluten-Free, Without Compromise: Éban’s Bakehouse proves gluten-free can still mean gourmet. From artisan breads to indulgent cookies, every creation by award-winning chefs balances health, quality, and flavor—no shortcuts, no sacrifices.
7. Nitro Coffee, Reinvented: Nibrew puts cold brew on demand with its portable, nitro-pressurized coffee cartridges. No machines, no refrigeration—just twist, spray, and sip a smooth, café-quality nitro coffee anywhere in seconds.
8. 100% Cheese, 100% Crunch: Umland’s Crunchy Cheese transforms real Wisconsin cheese into protein-rich, crave-worthy bites through low-heat dehydration. It’s the ultimate clean snack for cheese lovers who mean business.
9. Dressing Up Healthy Eating: Premium, small-batch, and packed with personality, BRIANNA’S salad dressings turn greens into gourmet. From classic to sugar-free to avocado oil varieties, the brand makes clean eating indulgent, one bold, flavorful pour at a time.
10. Patagonia on Your Plate: Bringing the pristine taste of southern Chile’s waters to American tables, Aqua Gourmet sources premium seafood—from salmon to Chilean abalone—with an emphasis on sustainability, freshness, and culinary authenticity.
11. Energy That’s Actually Good for You: Say goodbye to the energy drink crash. Gud4u combines Japanese matcha, MCTs, and electrolytes for smooth, sustained focus, with no added sugars, colors, or synthetic sweeteners. A clean boost for body and brain.
12. Popped to Perfection: PeaKaPop turns peas, lentils, and chickpeas into crunchy, protein-packed crisps. Vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO, they deliver serious snack satisfaction.
13. Growth in a Bottle: Ola Moisture helps consumers achieve longer, stronger, healthier hair in 60 days with its biotin- and botanical-powered treatments.
14. Dessert, Redefined: Jar Joy layers decadent desserts like salted caramel brownie and raspberry cheesecake into ready-to-spoon jars—turning indulgence into an experience that’s portable, giftable, and irresistibly joyful.
15. Sip Your Mood: Mitra9 merges ancient botanicals like kava and kratom with modern drink formats—think sparkling seltzers and feel-good shots—to create a new ritual of mindful relaxation.
16. The Mycelium Meat Revolution: Whole-cut, mycelium-based meats from Meati are changing the protein game. With the nutrition of meat and the footprint of plants, it’s clean eating for the future—one cutlet at a time.
17. The New Standard in Frozen Dough: Urban Farmer elevates frozen convenience with clean-label, plant-based crusts, pizzas, and breads—made in USDA-certified facilities, free from artificial anything, and full of flavor and innovation.
18. Plant-Based with a Punch: Beanstalk Brands reimagines vegan eating with bold, globally inspired flavors. From protein bars to snack sticks and sauces, each product delivers meaty satisfaction—without the meat. Flavor-forward and sustainable, it’s plant-based indulgence done right.
19. Tropical Crunch: Turbana brings better-for-you snacking straight from Colombian farms. Made from plantains and tropical fruits, its clean, crunchy chips and freeze-dried snacks turn heritage ingredients into wholesome, flavorful favorites.
20. The Art of Plant-Based Cheese: Parmela Creamery blends old-world cheesemaking with modern plant-based innovation. Using cultured cashew milk, its aged shreds and slices deliver rich, dairy-like flavor and texture—crafted for vegans, flexitarians, and cheese lovers alike.

For more, read the latest from trendspotter Nancy Trent.