116: What next for dairy-free? A look at how dairy-free alternatives will develop in the years ahead

Plant-based dairy continues to surge. The key motivators of dairy-free diets include health reasons (allergens, lactose intolerance, digestive discomfort), animal welfare, and environmental concerns. However, many omnivores are also attracted to dairy-free options because they want to try and experience something new. How are dairy-free producers reacting to the potential of this growing market? To answer this we're joined by the experts from Cargill once again, who give us their unique insight into the state of the current dairy-free market, and where they see the greatest potential for future NPD and growth. What are the challenges of replacing dairy in products, what products are capturing the most attention from consumers right now, and what will the space look like in the future? Join host Stefan Gates to find out. About our panel Matthias Bourdeau, Marketing Manager Texturizers, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers Europe   Working for the Nielsen Company and other research agencies, Matthias gained over 10 years of experience in consulting packaged food and beverage manufacturers across Europe and Africa on marketing their products in retail. Since joining Cargill’s Starches, Sweeteners and Specialties Business Marketing team three years ago, he supports new product launches and drives marketing campaigns, with a specific focus on dairy alternatives and meat alternatives. He is passionate about consumer research and market positioning. Matthias is based in Belgium and is a proud new dad. Hannah Keenan, Business Development Manager, INFUSE, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers Europe (CSST) Hannah has more than 13 years in Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers with strong industry experience in ingredients solutions and sales across all market categories. Since joining Cargill she has worked in supply chain and commercial roles before moving into the INFUSE by Cargill™ team almost 2 years ago where she now leads them in developing new concepts and creating solutions for emerging and current trends. She is passionate about customers and development and solving challenges. Hannah is based in the UK and enjoys keeping fit in her free time. Caroline Delabrousse, Technical Business Development Manager, Dairy, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers Europe After her BSC degree in Food technologies in 2001, Caroline started in dairy world working in milk production at Lactalis. Then she moved to Paris as Food technologist to start her experience on texturising solutions in ice cream at Rhodia Food. In 2005, Caroline joined Dupont, Danisco and extended her skills on texturising, emulsifiers and sweeteners solutions in France and also in Aarhus, DK. Here she was promoted as Application Specialist  supporting sales teams in Europe and Africa on beverages, Frozen and dairy desserts applications. In 2016, Caroline joined Cargill CSST EMEA as dairy specialist tagged to North Africa, Germany, Turkey and Iran to local technical team across all dairy applications such as yogurts, cheeses, frozen desserts, drinks & desserts. It was also the opportunity to come back to Normandy, her birth place. Today she still enjoys a lot sharing and learning about dairy categories within a multicultural environment. Dries Cauwenbergh, Technical Business Development Manager – Dairy, Cargill Global Edible Oil Solutions Europe After obtaining his master’s degree in Bio-Engineering, Dries stayed 4 more years at the university of Ghent as technical manager of the service providing lab at the department of Food Technology and Nutrition. From the non-routine analyses and R&D projects for SME’s, it was quite a step-change moving to the East of Belgium to be a Food Safety consultant. The 5 following years in Liège, next to becoming fluent in French, he also developed his skills and expertise in food safety and crisis management. In 2010, Dries joined Cargill Refined Oils Europe as Technical Account Manager tagged to the British isles and the French/Belgian sales teams across all food categories and applications. In that role, he has been the technical voice of Cargill in front of customers and vice versa, handling virtually all nutritional, physical-chemical, contaminant, sustainability and quality aspects of refined vegetable oils. Today, Dries still enjoys that same role, albeit with the new title of ‘TBDM’ and an increased focus on Dairy. Since 2020, Dries is also Dairy Category Team lead for Cargill Global Edible Oil Solutions Europe and as such he’s putting the dairy Category’s interests and needs on the Cargill agenda and vice versa.