






- How can we continue to infuse our product/brand with trust?
- How can we signal greater transparency?
- What are the cues to authenticity, and how could we incorporate these messages into our brand positioning?
- Be fearlessly authentic. Relationships and stories connected us with sincere authenticity. At Union Market, we experienced food and beverages from local business owners, farms, partners, and suppliers that we could meet face to face. Dosas with family favorite ingredients. Cubanos sandwiches featuring secret spice blends.
- Empower the consumer with knowledge. At Craft Kombucha, the fermented beverage is deliberately approachable. Anyone can get comfortable with these products, by way of scientific explanation, freely tasting all the products, or talking with a friendly proprietor. We found many examples where businesses were overly forthcoming with information. Clear language and signage created approachability and comfort.
- Plants are trusted friends. American institution Farmers and Distillers lean on the heritage of our founding farmer fathers, but they menued a few plant-based versions (I’m looking at you, Impossible Meatloaf!) to give us new ways to feel comforted by our beloved comfort foods.
- Hyper-regionalization implies authenticity. At Bourbon Coffee, this regional chain shares coffee sourced and flavors profiled from specific regions in Rwanda. At The Green Zone, craft cocktail recipes showed off Lebanese and Iraqi botanicals and seasonals, and plenty of non-alcoholic concoctions (with snarky political names).
- Colorful and clean label = transparent way to communicate “fresh”. Fresh is portrayed as a naturally colorful approach to clean label ingredients. At Fruitive, “fresh” is colorful, cold-pressed ready to drink juices and a broad menu with pro-health ingredients.

1. How can we continue to infuse our product/brand with trust? – Givaudan has a strong heritage of Authentic products, like our Kitchen Ingredients, and a strong history of Authenticity testing. We have analytical equipment that can measure the molecular content to low PPB. We have other tests that can tell if someone added an artificial component into Vanillin and Benzaldehyde containing products.
2. In most of our Natural Oils, Oleoresins and Botanical Extracts, there is a great story to tell. We make our product from easily understood production procedures, directly from the named botanical, like Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Tumeric and even Citrus. These Natural ingredients are the backbone of our business. We’re ‘as natural as a cup of coffee’.
3. As Laurence says – we have many products that are ‘A story to tell and a flavor to sell’.