Company: Phenolaeis

Website: www.phenolaeis.com

Introduced: April 2021

Distribution: National

Product Snapshot: Phenolaeis, the forward-thinking company that brought sustainable Palm Fruit Extract to market, is once again taking collaboration to new heights with an entirely new, consumer-first approach to product innovation. The result is First Date’s Date & Oat Bites, a clean-label chewy granola product, available for private labeling, with best-in-class ingredients that immediately serves consumers’ unmet wellness needs. Phenolaeis targeted this application after realizing there was a consumer demand for great-tasting, on-the-go snacks with mood and energy benefits for today’s hectic and stressful times.

The consumer-first approach is very intentional. “Most ingredient innovation teams operate within the strengths of, and familiarity with, their own products. Phenolaeis worked backwards. Rather than just developing a product around our Palm Fruit Extract, we started by identifying consumers’ unmet wellness benefit desires, then proactively finding and collaborating with best-in-class partners to meet those needs,” explains Phenolaeis CEO Kevin L. Ohashi, PhD, MBA.

“The result is a great-tasting, clean label premium product with four premium, functional ingredients inside, in effective dosages, that complement one another. What you won’t see are ingredients that are in there for the wrong reasons, or for no reason,” comments Phenolaeis Vice President of Sales and Marketing John Musselman. “Delivering a snack product to consumers at the intersection of great taste, convenience, and mind/body wellness is just the beginning of our new approach to innovation. Be on the lookout for additional products such as functional coffees, confectionaries and nutraceuticals.”

He adds, “First Date goes beyond just being a cool prototype. All of the pre-work is done. First Date is a commercially viable product that checks all the boxes starting with consumer demand and also including formulation, manufacturing, labeling, legal and regulatory.” 

With First Date, Phenolaeis has spearheaded the creation of the next level of better-for-you energy snacks. These tasty chewy granola bites are gluten-free, non-GMO and trans-fat free. They superfuel the body with healthy fats, fibers and nutrients. This base formula is shelf stable for six months without the need for preservatives.

Here are the First Date ingredients and what they do:  

• Dates: These are sweet, flavorful contributors of antioxidants: carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acid as well as fiber, potassium and protein. These powerful little palm gems also contain magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and B-vitamins. Dates are part of a “Powered by Palm” combo because they complement one another. They have a larger number of polyphenols. The ones they have in the highest concentrations are ones that Palm Fruit Extract doesn’t have; the polyphenols lowest in dates are the ones that Palm Fruit Extract does have. 
• Palm Fruit Extract: This is a premium, multi-functional phytonutrient (botanical)  ingredient that contains at least five unique polyphenols plus protein, fiber and carbohydrates. Clinical research studies show its potential to support overall mind/body wellness. It was developed by Phenolaeis in close collaboration with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, leaders in palm oil sustainability and palm oil wellness research, and MIT University. 
• Suntheanine: Taiyo’s 100 percent pure L-isomer-theanine, Suntheanine stimulates activity in the brain known as alpha waves, which are associated with a relaxed but alert mental state. 
• Bioenergy Ribose: Bioenergy Life Science’s flagship ingredient, Bioenergy Ribose is a unique 5-carbon carbohydrate that stimulates the body’s natural energy production for greater endurance, enhanced physical performance, reduced muscle soreness, improved heart function and better metabolism. 
• Raw Coffee Powder: Taiyo’s source of natural, sustained plant-based energy without the negative side effects of traditional caffeine products. 

Observes Ohashi, “Phenolaeis is proactively taking a leadership position in solutions-based product innovation to benefit our partners and consumers. For example with First Date, we have created direct relationships with Taiyo and Bioenergy Life Science, which makes collaboration and creativity happen faster. That’s something usually done through a layer of brokers. We are streamlining and simplifying the go-to-market process for premium formulations.” 

For additional information about private labeling First Date’s Date & Oat Bites, or about creating a new formulation using Palm Fruit Extract, visit www.phenolaeis.com.