This past summer, Branchfood had the pleasure of welcoming Früvethy founder Nina Escamilla as part of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program, put on by the U.S. Department of State. Based in Oaxaca, Mexico, Nina leverages freeze-drying technology to create better-for-you snacks made with locally sourced fruits and vegetables and other traditional Mexican ingredients. We had the chance to try some of the delicious freeze-dried snacks, which range from Apple-Mezcal, to mango with chili and plantains with peanut butter. Fruvethy answers consumers' increasing demand for nutritious yet exciting snacks that boast both flavor and texture.

Freeze-drying is a process by which food is frozen then placed under a vacuum to remove water without heat. Freezing-drying technology is enabling the development of environmentally friendly, nutritious snacks. The global freeze-dried fruits market to grow from USD 7.5 Bn in 2022 to USD 15 Bn by 2032 (source: FMI).

We sat down with Nina to learn more about her journey as a female food entrepreneur in Mexico who is capitalizing on a 130-year-old technology to meet the growing consumer demand for convenient, plant-forward foods in North America.

Tell us a little about yourself, Früvethy, and your mission?

I have always been very curious about how things work, especially the chemistry behind everything. I studied food engineering because I wanted to know more about product development and food systems. Following college, I worked at NaturaExtracta, where I learned about the R&D process in big food corporations. After three years, I felt the call to start something of my own. I saw an opportunity to develop healthier and more environmentally-sustainable products for consumers to enjoy. I asked myself, how can I produce healthy snacks that boast flavor and texture? This is when I thought of freeze-dried technology, which, unlike other dehydrated technologies, maintains the nutritional benefits of the product and provides endless opportunities to play with textures and flavors that would be difficult to develop with other technologies.

At Früvethy, we like to be innovative with the flavors. We believe that we need to be creative in the way we present our products to the modern consumers. This way we take the most likable fruits, like apples or bananas, and add a twist. For example, we developed a snack of apples that are infused with mezcal. The final product is a crunchy apple with a very interesting taste and aroma. Another example is plantain with peanut butter snack, it's a mix that many people already consume, so we decided to put it together. To do this, we work together with other brands. We believe that through collaboration it's when we are going to be able to grow and maintain us in the future. we don't need to do everything on our own.

Another part is that it's really a differentiation of our products. It's the source of our fruits and vegetables. We work together and directly with small farmers all over our state, which have allowed us to learn more about the crops and the importance of having a field free from agrochemicals, this results in better and more sustainable products that our clients really value.

Today, Fruvethy celebrates its 4th year in business. Not only are we helping consumers eat healthily, we are also supporting local producers and raising awareness of delicious Oaxacan fruits and teas worldwide.

What challenges did you face temporarily stepping back from your young company to participate in the YLAI program?

I learned about the YLAI program while participating in an entrepreneur boot camp with the US embassy in Oaxaca a few years ago. It was the first year of opening Früvethy, so the timing wasn’t yet right for me to do YLAI. We were still figuring out a lot about our product and our mission.

I made the decision to apply last year. Almost six months after applying, we were chosen along with 250 more fellows from all over Latin America and the Caribbean.

It wasn't easy to take a temporary leave from Früvethy because when the companies are young, you get really attached. You get the feeling that things are not going to work if you are not there. But this isn't true. We had a team that was ready to do their jobs without me being there. It was a very good lesson about letting go. It was the first time that I was gone for that long. It was a good exercise to know more about our internal processes and the things that we needed to improve.

What goals and objectives did you seek to accomplish while conducting your fellowship?

My main goal was to learn more about the business culture in the USA from a CPG brand perspective. I wanted to understand more about the culture and how it is to be an entrepreneur in the USA. Also, because Mexico is so close, it's interesting and critical to understand how we can work together in the development of new products and improve our existing supply chains.

During the fellowship, I conducted a series of interviews with food founders, corporate innovators, and industry experts in the Branchfood network to learn more about the current state of the food industry. The interviews covered different topics, including marketing, consumer profiles, effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the future prospects of the industry in a medium and long-term scenario. I cannot wait to share my research findings with all of you very soon!

Being able to do these interviews with industry experts, made it clear that, as founders, we can’t just focus on our own companies and products. We also need to connect with other participants in our industry to gain more knowledge and to share what we know with others. I can see the variety of ways Branchfood is supporting innovation in a rapidly changing environment, be it by bringing the community together, or by providing targeted insights and industry-specific know-how.

What were your biggest takeaways from the fellowship? What aspects of the program will you leverage moving forward with your business?

There were many. It was a very good opportunity for me to immerse myself in the food ecosystem in the USA, there is nothing like in-person experience. I was surprised by people's willingness to share their knowledge. It was a great lesson for me and it is definitely something that I want to continue doing from where I am.

As for Früvethy, we realized that there is a good opportunity for us to enter the US market with our freeze-dried products. It may take some time, and we will need to be very specific in the channels and the products that we wanted to introduce. The fellowship was also a good opportunity to receive feedback from experts in the US market on what we have been doing in Mexico with our freeze-dried products. We are looking forward to what the future brings us. We believe that there is still a lot of potential in creating bridges between American and Mexican companies, and we are excited to continue forming connections.

What did you learn about the US market that is different from that in Mexico?

I became especially interested in how the beverage industry is changing in the US. Many different types of products are being launched at the moment, including beverages with fermented and/or functional ingredients. It's really interesting to see the new trends right now because we normally see these trends in Mexico a couple years later. It's helpful to watch them develop before they hit our markets.

I was also interested in how American companies rely upon the consumer experience to shape their branding. This is something that we want to continue learning and get inspired from companies in the US.

What’s next for Früvethy? How can the food community support your goals? Will we be able to buy your products in the U.S. any time soon?

We are very excited about the future for Früvethy, this fellowship opened our view of all the products and industries that we could reach with the use of freeze-drying. It is also reassuring that the work that we have been doing with the agro-producing communities is important and that many consumers care about the source of the products they are consuming.

Yes, we are working right now to have all our snacks on Amazon USA. We will share with the Branchfood community when you can find us there!

Read The Report

Nina compiled a report of current consumer insights and trends she gathered while conducting research on entering the US food and beverage market. This report includes insights about the modern consumer, post-pandemic life, marketing in TikTok times, future trends, and more. Click through to read her findings!