FUTURE
PRODUCTS
Discover new product ideas and packaging via our trend radar and actively shape the future.
The world is changing – just like the food industry.
How do we face the multiple challenges of the future? Our systemic design approach brings you closer to your company’s own future. How does it work? By uniting us, as the most innovative food agency in DACH, with modern A.I. tools and the experts in your company. The result is your individual radar, which is peppered with future hypotheses. Together, we combine these into scenarios and use them to build the products of the future on the Future Products Trend Radar.
We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten years.
– Bill Gates
Let us transfer your future scenarios into your individual brand radar and create new products and packaging solutions based on them! Many progressive companies are already creating time and competitive advantages through our holistic design method. When can we do this for you?
A strategically integrated creative agency as a future visualizer.
We develop innovative product concepts, support product and packaging development right from the start and act as an innovation lab for our customers. We present new concepts at regular intervals and develop selected ideas through to the finished prototype.
In a world where consumer behavior, technologies and social values are changing rapidly, innovation needs a solid foundation. With the Future Products Trend Radar, MILK. offers a strategic tool that supports companies in recognizing relevant future trends in the food and packaging sector at an early stage and transferring them specifically into the development of new products and concepts. It’s not just about listing trends – it’s about context, relevance and concrete implementation.
Together with our customers and experts from our network, we create an individual trend radar that is tailored to the industry, brand and market. The focus is on topics such as food innovation, packaging design, sustainability, technologization, consumer behaviour and digital transformation. Targeted research and curated trend modules create a visual tool that provides orientation and creates space for creative deductions.
Based on this radar, we develop future hypotheses – small scenarios that outline possible development paths. These hypotheses serve as a starting point for conceptual food for thought or specific innovation projects. Whether products for the flexitarian lifestyle, packaging in the spirit of the circular economy or multi-sensory brand experiences: Our approach combines strategic thinking with creative implementation strength.
Using methods from human-centered design and an agile process, we support our customers from the initial idea through concept development to prototype implementation. The focus is always on people – their needs, values and expectations. Our goal: forward-looking product and packaging solutions that not only inspire, but also work on the market
The offer is supplemented by various optional formats – from trend lectures and webinars to the integration of the Trend Radar as an internal or external innovation tool. In this way, the radar not only becomes a catalyst for new ideas, but also part of future-oriented brand communication.
The Future Products Trend Radar is therefore much more than just a trend report – it is a creative framework that helps companies turn uncertainty into inspiration and tap into innovative potential at an early stage.
Future Product: Kölln Reloat
Case study: A new product range was developed for the Kölln company – we were able to help design the brand and packaging development and are delighted with this new innovation.
Future Products: Birkel Minuto
Case study: The portfolio strategy and brand development for Birkel MINUTO is one of our recent success stories. Thanks to our unique blend of innovative service toolbox and design implementation strength, the medium-sized company was able to capture significant market shares in just a few months.
We provide support with trend identification and analysis.
- SONAR: We scrape and analyze English-language expert media (news, blogs, scientific papers, patents) and have historical data from 2023 onwards. Based on this database, we can quantitatively analyze expert interest in trends. Focus: Industry and technology trends (macro trends)
- Search data analysis: We can quantitatively analyze trends with Google search data in order to understand specific consumer interest. The combination of expert interest (SONAR) and consumer interest (search data) enables a differentiated evaluation of the diffusion of trends.
- Social Listening: To identify consumer trends and emerging microtrends, we use social media / buzz data and analyze influencer posts in particular, which we analyze with the help of generative AI / LLMs. Focus: Consumer and micro trends
Our partner TD Reply from Berlin is the perfect complement to the quantitative validation of the radar.
- We identify new trends for your Trend Radar with the help of modern A.I. tools.
- We can quantify the trends from the Trend Radar and enrich them with large amounts of data.
- If you are interested in specific trends from your Trend Radar and would like more in-depth quantitative analysis or a trend report, we can provide this.
Does it all make sense? What really works these days?
AI or generative AI has significantly improved the possibilities of text analysis. Most recently, TD Reply used generative AI to analyze over half a million influencer posts for a client, identified around 40,000 topics and used generative AI-based topic novelty scoring to identify 100+ relevant trends and select 10 trends for in-depth analysis.
What are we still working on?
In addition, we also use AI in the context of image recognition and image creation in order to generate the most authentic creatives or relevant ideas possible based on social listening. We would also like to experiment more with “synthetic audiences”, i.e. AI-generated target group segments that can provide detailed feedback on product, packaging or communication ideas.
Future Products & Trend Radar: From signals to strategic food innovations
What is trendy today may be mainstream tomorrow – or disappear. If you want to remain relevant in the food market, you have to
We provide well-founded insights, creative impulses and practicable concepts – for bold product ranges, sustainable brands and strong market launches.
Why food trends are no coincidence
Food trends arise from the interplay of social, technological, ecological and cultural factors. They follow patterns – and can be analyzed. But not every hype is relevant. We differentiate between short-lived buzzwords and sustainable lines of development that influence brands in the long term.
Our understanding of trends is based on a systematic scouting and evaluation system – always with a view to market relevance, target group potential and feasibility.
Our services in the area of Future Products & Trends
We accompany innovation processes from trend analysis to the concrete product approach:
- Trend Radar & Mapping – systematic analysis of relevant food, design and consumer trends
- Micro-trend scouting – early recognition of emerging signals in subcultures, start-ups, gastronomy, packaging, etc.
- Workshops & strategy sprints – joint prioritization and derivation of innovation fields
- Future Product Development – creative concepts, naming, recipe ideas, storytelling
- Impulse & Trend Talks – for teams, decision-makers or partner formats
How does our Trend Radar work?
Our Trend Radar is based on a specially developed system that brings together macro trends, industry movements and cultural codes. We analyze data, markets, media, consumer behavior and innovation patterns – supplemented by our own expertise in design, food, packaging and brand communication.
The results are incorporated into individually curated trend mappings, scorecards and opportunity areas – as a basis for innovation.
Examples of current food trend areas
- Next Gen Plant-Based – beyond meat alternatives: fermented, whole-food, local
- Minimalist Nutrition – reduction to the essentials: clean labels, short lists, functional focus
- Emotional Indulgence – comfort food reloaded: new nostalgia, luxury for every day
- Zero waste & regeneration – circular thinking in product & packaging
- Hybrid experiences – food as content, ritual and stage (e.g. social food, edutainment meals)
We don’t just show you what’s coming – we show you what suits your brand.
Trend meets brand: from Insights to implementation
Trends alone do not make an innovation. It is crucial to combine them with the brand identity. That’s why we not only support analysis, but also implementation – e.g. through:
- Product range recommendations & innovation routes
- Visual mood boards & design impulses
- Packaging concepts & storylines
- Content ideas around trend fields
Insights are turned into sustainable product ideas with substance.
For whom is the Trend Radar particularly relevant?
Our work is aimed at brands and companies that want to strategically develop or rethink their portfolio – e.g:
- Innovation teams in Food & Beverage
- Product developers and category managers
- Marketing & brand leads in search of relevance
- Start-ups on a growth trajectory with a focus on the future
- Retailers with own brands or trend lines
Advantages of a systematic trend radar
- Early detection – trends before they reach the mass market
- Relevance check – what really fits the brand and the market?
- Focus – no sensory overload, but targeted derivation
- Substance – not buzzwords, but real strategic opportunities
- Speed – faster from idea to implementation thanks to clear formats
Format: Trend Sprint or long-term radar?
We offer different modules – from compact inspiration sessions to continuous trend scouting over several quarters:
- Trend Kick-Off – overview, classification, discussion
- Radar mapping – systematic derivation of relevant trend fields
- Opportunity sprint – deriving specific areas of innovation for your brand
- Creative concepting – implementation in initial food or design ideas
- Trend Radar on Demand – continuous trend monitoring on demand
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about the Trend Radar
Where does your trend data come from?
We combine our own analyses, international studies, market research, observation of start-ups, trade fairs, gastronomy, social media and exchange with partner networks from food, retail, design and research.
How individual are your trend mappings?
Every brand and every market is different – that’s why we don’t offer standard foils. Our trend mappings are tailored to your product environment, your target groups and your brand style.
Can you also develop products or concepts at the same time?
Yes – that is precisely our strength. We accompany brands from the strategic classification to the first product idea, recipe sketch or packaging structure. On request, this can also include naming, design, claiming or content.
How often should you do a trend check?
Depending on the market environment, we recommend a targeted trend analysis at least 1-2 times a year – as an impulse for innovation, relaunches or planning. If you are strongly driven by innovation, you can also work with us on a quarterly or continuous basis.
Is this also relevant for international markets?
Yes – our understanding of trends is international, but always regionally validated. We take into account cultural differences, market maturity and target group behavior – from DACH and Scandinavia to Asia and the USA.
Conclusion: The future begins with knowledge – and action
Trends are not a crystal ball – but a powerful tool for brand management, innovation and differentiation. With our Future Products & Trend Radar, we give brands the necessary knowledge, the right questions – and concrete ideas for tomorrow.
Let’s make tomorrow taste better. Together.