NEW YORK — “Citrus and coffee have a long history together,” said Thi Q. Lam, co-founder of Keepers Coffee Soda, a Brooklyn-based start-up. The product, a sparkling citrus-infused coffee beverage, is refreshing and unexpected. The brand was among dozens of newcomers exhibiting at the Summer Fancy Food Show, held June 25-27 in New York.

Following a series of experiments with creative flavor combinations and a carbonation machine, Mr. Lam and co-founder Brent Lagerman devised the concoction a couple years ago and now produce the product at Brooklyn Foodworks, an incubator and commercial kitchen. Coffee is roasted using a Japanese flash brewing method, yielding a bright, light flavor.

Keepers Soda, Summer Fancy Food Show 2017
Keepers Coffee Soda is a sparkling citrus-infused coffee beverage.
 

Of the 2,600 exhibiting companies featured at the specialty foods show, more than 240 newcomers introduced innovative product concepts that tap into hot industry trends.

Read on for more standout start-ups featured at the show.

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Sfoglini, Summer Fancy Food Show 2017
 

Pasta with pizzazz

Brooklyn-based Sfoglini specializes in artisanal pasta made with local ingredients and spices from city gardens, breweries and restaurants. The company produces a variety of pastas made with organic durum semolina, slow-dried at a low temperature to preserve flavor and nutrients. Unique seasonal and specialty varieties include bronze fennel, beet, cuttlefish ink and porcini, as well as a beer pasta made with spent grain from Bronx Brewery.

Sfoglini also works with New York farmers and flour mills to source whole grain flours, ranging from red fife and rye to einkorn and spelt, with the goal of reviving specialty grains in the local grain economy and promoting the health and environmental benefits of organic farming practices.

The latest introduction from Sfoglini is a range of hemp pastas made with organic hemp from JD Farms in upstate New York. The featured ingredient adds a nutty flavor, heart-healthy fat and protein, co-founder and partner Scott Ketchum told Food Business News.