Balchem, a leading global manufacturer of specialty ingredients for human nutrition and health, returns to IFT FIRST to showcase better-for-you food and beverage concepts and share expert insights on elevating formulation. At booth #1407, visitors can sample delicious new functional beverages and high-protein snack prototypes powered by Balchem’s range of food and beverage solutions, including its new Milk Protein Z-Crisps®. The portfolio includes customisable beverage systems, advanced microencapsulated ingredients and functional powders designed to meet growing demand for products that support a healthy and balanced lifestyle, without compromising taste. Balchem’s experts will also host two presentations demonstrating exciting ways to formulate better-for-you products.
“Current market trends are driving demand for convenient, on-the-go options that support wellness while still delivering the flavours and textures consumers expect,” comments Andrew Hart, Director of Strategic Marketing & Business Development at Balchem. “Healthy snacking has become a daily ritual for most Americans, with 70 % actively seeking more protein1, while functional beverages are redefining the drinks category as brands race to deliver products that go beyond hydration. At IFT, we’re excited to showcase prototypes and concepts that demonstrate how our ingredient technologies can help brands meet these evolving demands for convenient options with real health benefits and standout sensory appeal.”
Unlocking solutions for better-for-you innovations
Visitors at the booth can connect with Balchem’s experts to discover how MeatShure®, an advanced microencapsulation technology, enables efficient, high-capacity production of premium meat snack sticks. MeatShure® eliminates fermentation times and added sugars for cleaner, protein-rich products. In beverages, Balchem will present its INjoy™ beverage systems, designed to deliver tailored functionality and consistent sensory appeal across applications like functional waters, RTD beverages and energy drinks. Rounding out the portfolio, VitalBlend™ offers fully customisable lipid-based powders enhanced with macro and micronutrients, supporting application-specific nutrition needs.
Spotlighting formulation expertise
Balchem’s portfolio will be brought to life through mouthwatering product concepts, including Dubai chocolate-inspired clusters featuring Milk Protein Z-Crisps®. Designed to optimise mouthfeel and flavour, this high protein concept demonstrates how Balchem can help brands create nutrient-dense products without sacrificing taste and texture.
Balchem’s experts will also host two presentations at the Taste of Science Stage, demonstrating the company’s formulation capabilities across high-protein, high-fiber functional food and beverage applications. In the first, “Formulating Better-for-You Indulgence in High Protein, High Fiber Applications”, attendees will discover how spray-dried lipid powders can enhance taste, texture and functionality. The following day, “Simplifying Beverage Innovation: Beverage Systems Built for Fast-Moving Markets” turns the focus to how systems-based formulation can reduce development complexity while delivering consistent sensory performance.
1International Food Information Council (IFIC), 2025 Food & Health Survey
Botrista, the company behind data-driven, automated beverage platform, has successfully closed Series C funding round, bringing its total capital raised to USD 120 million since inception. This substantial investment underscores Botrista’s growing market presence and indicates a significant shift in the restaurant industry’s approach to cold beverage menus, reflecting the increasing global demand for quality and innovative flavour profiles.
Since its establishment in 2017, Botrista has rapidly developed into a recognised industry player, working with partners in 37 states. The company’s advanced platform enables restaurants to effortlessly serve an extensive range of high-margin, on-trend cold beverages – from boba drinks and refreshers to smoothies, shakes, cold brew coffees, lemonades, cocktails, and energy drinks – all from a single, efficient machine.
This innovative solution has attracted the attention of major players in the food service industry and secured significant investment from global leaders, including the Series C round’s lead investor. Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). JFC, a global restaurant company with 18 brands in 33 countries, the second fastest-growing restaurant brand in the world.
Sean Hsu, CEO of Botrista and ex-Tesla automation engineer, expressed his passion for the partnership with JFC: “JFC’s support validates the vision for a more exciting beverage menu,” Hsu said. “This new funding will fuel our hyper-expansion into new markets and help more of our partners elevate their drink menu without increasing labor or complexity.”
JFC, a key player in the food service industry with 18 recognisable brands such as Smashburger, Jollibee and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, believes strongly in Botrista’s potential to transform the restaurant landscape. “Botrista is a game changer for the beverage industry”, Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong, JFC Chairman said. “We’re investing in a company that enables food service operators to deliver a world-class customer experience and provides substantial runway for sustained profitable growth.”
Botrista will invest the capital to meet surging demand. The company will invest further in AI technology to continue to create data-driven beverage menus for brand partners. In addition, it will allocate resources to R&D to broaden its beverage offerings and continue to seek out global suppliers of the best quality ingredients possible.
Jason Valentine, Chief Strategy Officer for Botrista, highlighted the company’s market reach: “We currently serve partners across 37 states, including national restaurant chains, independent restaurants, college campuses, movie theaters, theme parks, and other alternative venues,” Valentine said. “The timing of this fundraising perfectly aligns with the high demand from new partners and significant interest from growing restaurant brands on a global scale.”
For restaurant executives looking to stay ahead of beverage trends and boost profits, Botrista’s solution offers a compelling opportunity. With its innovative technology and strong financial backing, Botrista is well-positioned to continue shaping the cold beverage landscape in food service, offering a clear vision of the future of drink service.
As Botrista strengthens its confident market position, the company remains focused on driving innovation, enhancing operational efficiency, and delivering value to its partners across the food service industry.
Bright, modern, and colourful design captures the brand’s mission to make soda both a fun and smart choice with ingredients that benefit the brain-gut connection and offer functional benefits with every sip
HERE Originals reintroduces its groundbreaking prebiotic soda, VINA in the US. Reformulated with an essential, proprietary blend of prebiotics, trace minerals, plant fibers and organic ingredients, VINA is expertly crafted to directly benefit the brain-gut connection. On a mission to recalibrate the soda category and functional cold box with a smarter choice, VINA unveils a line-up of flavours that taste great, are delightfully effervescent and expertly formulated to be both fun and smart to drink.
The revamped brand identity and packaging design follows a period of strategic repositioning of VINA’s functional benefits centered on the brain-gut connection. As functional soda becomes a fast-growing subcategory of the greater functional beverage space, the demand for healthier soda alternatives has rapidly increased. VINA’s unique formula that prioritizes brain and gut performance will invigorate consumer demand and add incremental value to this exciting new category with multifunctional benefits to both mind and body.
“Historically, soda hasn’t been considered a healthy choice, packed with sugars and toxins, despite the fun nature of the flavourful beverage. We saw a need to preserve what we all love about soda while completely reconstructing it to be both a naturally delicious and smart choice,” said Founder and CEO, Alex Matthews. “We challenged ourselves to cram what we call ‘The Smarts’ (plant fiber, trace minerals, prebiotics) into our formula for unprecedented functionality and of course, quality taste.”
Connected by millions of nerves and chemicals called neurotransmitters, the brain and gut are a package deal. Operating in a symbiotic relationship, when one is in distress, the other suffers. And, when one is balanced and thriving, the other reaps the rewards. VINA’s formula and ingredient selection are designed to address not one or the other in isolation, but both for optimal wellness.
According to VINA’s Chief Smarts Officer and mind-body expert, Dr. Cynthia Kerson, “The neurotransmitters bidirectionally linked between the brain and gut impact the very core of emotional wellbeing. Stress and anxiety in the mind caused by anything from external factors to deficiencies from essential nutrients can make its way down to the gut and lead to issues ranging from mild discomfort to GI tract issues. Alternatively, serotonin (the stuff that keeps our spirits high) is largely produced in the gut by millions of microbes in a healthy digestive ecosystem. VINA is ‘smart’ because it’s both multifaceted and hyperfunctional as it addresses mind-body wellness at its very core.”
VINA aims to delight both the pop purist and the functional beverage drinker with both taste and nutritional benefits. Crisp, fruity and crafted with an undertone of citrus to keep things balanced and bright, VINA comes in five flavours: Ginger Fizz, Cherry Pop, Grapefruit, Lime Lemon and Pomegranate. All blends are 5 g of sugar or less, 25 calories or less, certified USDA Organic, gluten-free, vegan and made with all natural ingredients.
VINA is the second beverage line out of HERE Originals, following De La Calle, a spin on the Mexican fermented pineapple beverage Tepache that won Best New Products and Best Packaging Design from BevNet’s Best of 2021 Awards.
VINA Prebiotic Soda is available in the US via drinkvina.com. Purchase one case of 12 cans (12 fluid ounces) for $33.99 MSRP or a monthly subscription for $28.89 per case, a 15 % discount.
