KANSAS CITY — In order to stand out from the competition in a crowded food and beverage industry, food entrepreneurs are utilizing innovative applications to target underserved categories.

Take Snacklava by Dar Baklava, for instance. Sherif Badawy, MD, founded the baklava manufacturer after identifying a need for healthier, snackable baklava.

“I grew up in the Middle East, and something that I have been missing since I moved here in 2011 is really quality baklava,” Badawy said. “You go buy (baklava) and it’s like big, bulky pieces that you break through, and it flakes everywhere. You cannot take it around, it’s sticky, it’s drenching in syrup, it’s too heavy. It has the filo dough, which is great, but it has barely any nuts in it, so really the nutritional value in it is so poor.”

Snacklava is aimed at health-conscious consumers seeking a clean label alternative for everyday snacking occasions. The product features reduced syrup content and an increased amount of nut inclusions.

“We have been reimagining baklava as a healthier snack, a better-for-you option, making it with six simple ingredients, no artificial colors or preservatives,” Badawy said.

Badawy’s comments come from the recent Food Entrepreneur Experience webinar on April 23, which hosted a variety of entrepreneurs from across snack, meat and dessert segments.

Cassie Maschhoff and her sister Chelsey, a professional chef, co-founded Lottie’s Meats after noticing the “bad rap” pork products have among US consumers.

“We were just kind of in a dialogue of ‘pork kind of got, still does, gets a bad rap,’ but we grew up eating a lot of it,” Maschhoff said. “The more we dug in and talked to friends, colleagues, consumers, we kind of got why. It’s really perceived as highly processed, unhealthy, kind of boring … but we also knew the power of pork done right.”

The founders then leveraged their familial experience of several generations of pork farming to develop the retail meat brand. Lottie’s product range includes two varieties of fully cooked pork sausage links, and two varieties of ground pork blends, all formulated free from nitrites, nitrates and chemical preservatives.

For some, inspiration can strike at a moment’s notice. Joe Osborne said he began brainstorming on what would become Mojoz’s GummiCone after a session of video gaming.

The Mojoz GummiCone is aimed at operators serving water/shaved ice.

| Photo: Mojoz GummiCone

“My story started 10 years ago, when this idea was birthed,” Osborne said. “We lived in south Philadelphia, and at the time I used to eat a lot of water ice … but I also played video games.

“To get online to play people, you had to get through start menus that just required one hand. You could do that while you were eating ice cream, but I ate water ice a lot and you need a spoon. So, I thought, ‘water ice needs a cone.’”

The Mojoz edible GummiCone is formulated in a variety of flavors to combine with the existing flavors of shaved ice or water ice. Pairings could include a lemon cone with lime flavored ice, or vanilla soft serve in a strawberry cone to emulate strawberries and cream, Osborne said. The foodservice product also offers an alternative cone option for consumers that may want to avoid traditional gluten-based cones.

Stephanie Berwick had the idea for Pastazerts after a cooking competition caused her to blend chocolate dessert flavors with a ravioli format. She capitalized on the idea nearly a decade later, following a post-COVID career change.

“I felt that the frozen dessert sector could use a little innovation,” Berwick said. “We essentially infused pasta dough with cocoa powder, and then that creates this vessel for these amazing creamy fillings.”

The dessert is currently available in chocolate strawberry cheesecake and chocolate peanut butter and jelly varieties. The Pastazerts lineup is sold in over 200 retailers, and the company is exploring additional opportunities in the foodservice channel, Berwick said.

Click here to view a recording of the event.

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