We love to give our blog readers insight into the product development process. And when you have something as innovative as the Agile Kitchen™ and a complete line of dairy powders, plant-based powders, specialty powders and dairy concentrates, it’s hard not to talk about all the amazing things we’re working on.

What’s been on our mind lately is developing a menu for the Chicago IFT Supplier’s Expo. We know many of our readers won’t be at that show, so we’re giving you a sneak peek at the menu and the thought process behind our product and menu development.  

Here’s the menu we’ll be serving to attendees:

• Parmesan Garlic Meatball in a 4-Cheese Red Sauce with Romano Drizzle
• Citrus Straws / Cookies
• Blueberry Crumble

One savory product and two sweet bites seems quite befitting of the Windy City. It’s also indicative of what we see happening in the food industry. Savory items are getting cheesier and sweet bakery foods are getting richer and fruitier. These are two of the trends our Agile Kitchen™ team is predicting to make a big impact in 2024. 

Our Agile Kitchen™ team not only develops new products, but they also stay abreast of trends impacting product development years in advance. It’s all part of our commitment to be a leader in the food industry. Yes, that includes supplying ingredients, but it also means working with our customers to ensure they’re developing products that will satisfy future consumer cravings. When you partner with Bluegrass Ingredients, you get innovative products, cutting-edge research, formulation assistance and a competitive edge.

Meatballs and Bakery Foods

Sampling food at a trade show gives us an opportunity to showcase all our team’s creativity and culinary skills. When planning a menu, we always want to offer a sampling of sweet and savory foods. For our savory offering, we wanted something meaty and cheesy to fit the Chicago food scene. 

Everyone loves meatballs, and we’ve been working on a Tomato Sauce that delivers a rich, cheesy flavor that balances the tang of a red sauce. We’ve also created a Romano cheese drizzle using our butter concentrate and Romano powder. Consumers want cheesiness, and this sauce delivers without overwhelming the taste buds. It’s perfectly balanced.  Here’s a partial look at the formula:

Italian Meatball with Tomato Garlic Parmesan Sauce and Romano Drizzle

• Italian (Factor 15) NP23007-1
• Butter Concentrate Powder NP23033CP
• Romano Concentrate Powder CNP0003

For the sweet tooths at the Chicago IFT Supplier’s Expo, we have two products on the menu. The first is a convenient, easy-to-snack-on shortbread style cookie that delivers a burst of citrus from the use of our Lemon Citrus Powder (BDF0036A) and Lime Citrus Powder (BDF0093). These fruit powders deliver intense fruit flavor in a format that’s easy to blend with the recipe’s other dry ingredients. 

We think our second sweet good will be a showstopper and we anticipate long lines. Here’s a sneak peek at the formula’s key ingredients:

Creamy Blueberry Crumble

• Sweet Cream Powder BDF0011B
• Brown Butter Concentrate NP22027-1

This year, two of our most popular products have been Sweet Cream Powder and Brown Butter Concentrate. The Brown Butter Concentrate is literally going into everything we formulate! It truly is an exceptional flavor to add savory richness to any formula. On the bakery side alone, we’re adding it to chocolate chip cookies, lemon curd and even white bread. It’s versatile, flavorful and we’ve struggled to find anything that it doesn’t make taste better. 

If you can’t make it to this year’s Chicago IFT Supplier’s Expo, you can still taste this menu by visiting our Agile Kitchen™ in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Here, we can walk your team through a product innovation session designed to discover your next new product developments. Contact us to set up an appointment today!

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