OK, so pedal-powered coffee retailers aren’t entirely new—we saw one back in 2008 in the UK, after all—but we can’t resist sharing one more, spotted this time on the streets of New York City. Brooklyn-based Kickstand Coffee uses two…
Continue reading " Bicycle-powered stand serves up coffee hot and cold "
The ability to pay for purchases by mobile phone may be common in some parts of the world, but it’s by no means ubiquitous. Similar to the way RideCharge lets consumers book a taxi and pay their fare by…
Continue reading " App lets consumers open and pay a bar tab by phone "
While we usually feature companies when they launch, we love seeing their creativity develop and grow after that initial period. And we just spotted a fun example: the made-to-order muesli mixers of mymuesli recently created the first TV commercial…
Continue reading " Television ad for muesli, shot and edited on iPhone 4 "
Just as chefs are forever seeking out new ways to fill our bellies, the food industry shows a insatiable appetite for novel concepts, as can be seen in our food & beverage database. Here’s a selection of new innovations…
Continue reading " Four inspiring alternatives to traditional restaurants "
Much the way New York’s Park Avenue seasonal restaurant is reborn every three months, so New Jersey-based Canal House’s cookbook is published three times a year. Canal House Cooking aims to present “home cooking by home cooks for home…
Continue reading " Seasonal cookbook is published three times a year "
It’s not often we see crowdsourcing applied to food products, and when we do—Yellow’s chocolate bar and Vitaminwater’s flavour contest both come to mind—it’s typically a matter of soliciting input on product development. Bringing the concept into the realm…
Continue reading " Ice cream shop crowdsources its organic fruit "
There seems to be no end in sight to the urban gardening innovations. No sooner did we publish our story about the rooftop garden at London’s Thornton’s Budgens than we got word of Triscuit’s Home Farming effort, which aims…
Continue reading " Triscuit-sponsored site taps urban gardening trend "
Businesses can give back to the world in many ways, from making one-off donations to innovating new, socially minded solutions of their own. Opting more toward the latter end of the scale, Vai Vai is a drink brand that…
Continue reading " Drink maker features socially minded partners on its packages "
If Fortnum’s can keep bees on its roof and sell the hyperlocal honey they produce, it stands to reason that other purveyors of food should be able to make the most of their rooftops in a similar way. Enter…
Continue reading " Grocer launches rooftop garden for hyperlocal produce "
The locavore movement may be focusing new interest on locally produced food, but regional farmers, ranchers and fishermen continue to struggle to find a market for their products. That’s as true in the Pacific Northwest as everywhere else, which…
Continue reading " Site connects producers and buyers of local food "
We don’t have exact numbers for you, but for a large percentage of soccer fans, beer is an essential part of the game experience. Preferably cold beer. Which is why Dutch brewer Grolsch is stepping in to lend a…
Continue reading " Beer brand provides a loaner if fridge dies during World Cup "
While instantly gratifying, buying ice cream from a vending machine isn’t as fun as it could be. Which is why SapientNitro and Unilever created the world’s first smile-activated ice cream vending machine. The underlying technology is sophisticated, but the…
Continue reading " Unilever launches world’s first smile-activated ice cream vending machine "
Earlier this year we covered Destination Dinners and its meal kits designed to replicate dining experiences from around the world. Now a group of Chicago restaurateurs is planning to implement a similar concept in a sit-down restaurant that sells…
Continue reading " Upscale, themed restaurant will sell seating by the ticket "
There’s no end in sight to the gardening innovations popping up each week all around the globe. The latest spotting? SproutRobot, a San Diego-based web service that offers regionally optimized gardening plans and sends seeds when it’s time to…
Continue reading " Online gardening service sends seeds when it’s time to plant "
For many consumers, part of the enjoyment of a hotel experience is having everything done for them—especially the cooking and cleaning. As in virtually every other aspect of life, however, there’s plenty of variation to be found, and San…
Continue reading " Hotel’s personal chef service includes trip to farmers’ market "
Much the way French Europcar shows customers the carbon emissions associated with each of its rental cars, so a new restaurant chain includes such information for every item on its vegetarian menu. With two restaurants in each of New…
Continue reading " Eco-minded restaurant lists carbon footprint for each menu item "
