The Challenge
Unilever Food Solutions had an ambitious goal: to influence the menu design of every foodservice operator worldwide. They wanted a trends report that would do far more than sit on a shelf – one that would genuinely excite chefs about the opportunities in plant-based food and help drive a meaningful shift towards more sustainable menus. The brief was as stretchy as it was clear: make trends truly sticky.
The Work
We developed Future Menus 2023 using a true 360° research approach – combining extensive desk research across food and adjacent industries, qualitative interviews with pioneering chefs worldwide, social listening, and a quantitative survey of over 1,600 chefs. The project brought together Unilever Food Solutions’ in-house chefs, flavour and fragrance experts, and external culinary talent to build eight richly detailed trends, each grounded in both insight and practical application. The final report was designed to go straight from the page to the kitchen – packed with recipes, food photography, chef endorsements and actionable menu inspiration. The launch was brought to life through a live event with cooking demonstrations and tastings led by world-class chefs.
The Impact
The results went well beyond any typical trends report. More than 1,300 earned media articles were written about the trends, generating over three billion media impressions. The report was downloaded more than 16,000 times, creating a significant pipeline of quality leads for the business. Brand awareness rose sharply – described by Unilever Food Solutions’ Global Insights Director as going “off the charts.” A project designed to change how the world thinks about plant-based food had done exactly that.
