Meet the Experts: Mariana Cedres

Highlights:

• Plant-based products, including dairy alternatives, are on the rise in Latin America. 
• Latin American consumers are looking for products that support their immunity, muscle growth, and overall healthy lifestyles. 

What is the most exciting new product or nutrition trend you’ve seen recently in LATAM? 

There is now mainstream demand for highly nutritious, vegan dairy alternatives. Last February, Nestlé Chile launched its first vegan, gluten-free yogurt in oat: Nestlé Veggie Probióticos Frutilla which just shows how large companies are taking action on the trend behind dairy alternatives. 

Do you see plant-based alternatives as a trend that will continue to grow?

Yes, definitely. Plant-based products are growing very fast in Latin America. We’re growing fast in this sector, especially in Central America (the Caribbean region), where our customers are developing several products with oat and pea.

What else are your customers asking about to support the health and wellness trend in LATAM?

They’re asking about ingredients for immunity, muscle growth, and general health. I’m seeing that customers want to develop health and wellness products for the Latin American market, but ingredient prices are also an important factor.

What role does Glanbia Nutritionals play to your customers in the LATAM market?

Glanbia is recognized in LATAM as one of the biggest companies focusing on nutrition and innovation. Multi-national sports nutrition brands play an important role in our market because the other sports nutrition companies want to follow lead and use same ingredients seen in large sports nutrition markets like the US. That opens up a lot of doors for us in Brazil and Colombia, especially, where the sports nutrition market is growing very fast. 

What are the reasons customers come to you for help with their products?

Customers come to us because we provide them with good products and a good experience. Our help in developing products with our R&D team in our innovation centers is also really important for them.

As the trend in healthy and functional products continues to expand throughout Latin America, food and beverage companies can be confident that Glanbia Nutritionals' ingredient solutions can help them meet these growing demands. Contact us to learn about our proteins for sports nutrition, bioactives for immune support, and plant-based solutions.