Mondelēz International Selects Brands for CoLab Class of 2022; Brigette Wolf Shares

What trends will the future of snacking entail? Many brands are working to not only follow those trends, but create them. Mondelēz International aims to do just this through SnackFutures. The innovation and venture hub has just named 10 new brands to take part in the CoLab class of 2022.

“We are thrilled to have another CoLab class that can benefit from our expertise and help us look at innovation from the ‘outside in’ to create a snacking world that is good for people, kind to the planet, and deliciously fun,” said Brigette Wolf, Global Head of SnackFutures, Mondelēz International. “Last year’s program was a huge success, and we can’t wait to see what this year holds with an amazing cohort of mission-driven brands.”

CoLab is a start-up engagement program that includes the collaborative effort between entrepreneurs and global experts to drive mutual growth through a 12-week curriculum. Each start-up also receives a $20,000 grant, according to a press release. CoLab successfully completed its first class last year, leveraging the full power of Mondelēz’s leadership and SnackFutures’ ecosystem of partners. The curriculum provides emerging brands with extensive resources and information, including consumer data and innovation insights, as well as coaching and support in areas such as manufacturing, packaging, ingredient sourcing, and marketing.

The mission-driven brands selected for the CoLab Class of 2022 are:

• Bunny James Boxes: An in-office vending machine business and gifting service specializing in curating snack and wellness boxes for specialty diets
• Every Body Eat®: Clean and crave-able snacks are free of the top 14 allergens, corn, and sugar so everybody can eat together
• GoNanas: A modern take on banana bread mix that is allergen friendly, vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free
• Moonshot: A climate-friendly snack brand that uses regeneratively grown, organic ingredients for carbon-neutral crackers
• Nunbelievable: This ‘cookie company with a cause’ matches every purchase with a donation to fight hunger
• Oat Haus: An oat-based spread to inspire others to have fun with food
• Pan’s: A mushroom jerky bringing flavorful fungi experiences to more people trying to reduce their meat consumption
• Popcorn for the People: The non-profit employs more than 50 people with special needs to make its gourmet popcorn
• Wonder Monday: A low-carb, gluten-free cheesecake that tastes just like how you remember, but with the right nutrition to eat every day
• Yolélé: Sharing food from West Africa, these craveable chips are made with fonio, an underutilized but highly sustainable grain from smallholder farms

The 2022 class is set to kick off in April. For more information on the program, click here.

Cheers to these mission-based brands on taking the next steps in their brand journey!