TRENOS SiGINT: ANDFOODS Non-Dairy Whipped Cream Shaking Up AsiaPac Barista Scene

Analyst Scott Mathias – January 2026

Signal

New Zealand based, ANDFOODS is moving beyond pilot-scale optimism into operational reality with its non-dairy whipped cream. Its first full-scale pre-commercial trial in China marks a critical shift from learning how non-dairy cream behaves not just in theory, but within Asian manufacturing systems, ingredient supply chains, and café cultures. Backed by Foundation support and local partners, the company is positioning China not only as a market, but as a production and learning engine.

The early signal is unusually clean. Chefs and baristas in Auckland and Shanghai report strong functional performance across hot coffee, iced drinks, and acidic formulations, historically weak points for plant-based creams. That ANDFOODS is receiving reorder requests at this stage suggests the product is clearing the hardest hurdle, being professional trust.

Human Factor

This isn’t about novelty, it’s about reliability. For baristas, non-dairy cream isn’t judged by ideology, but by how it pours, foams, splits (or doesn’t), and tastes under pressure. The enthusiasm ANDFOODS is seeing comes when professionals feel free to play with an ingredient rather than fight it. That moment, when experimentation replaces workaround, is when alternatives quietly become defaults.

TRENOS Metrics Snapshot

Metric	Observation
Signal	Non-dairy cream performing at professional barista standard
Data Point	Full-scale pre-commercial run completed in China
Beverage Channel	Coffee, tea, hot & cold acidic drinks
Ingredient Format	Dairy-free whipping cream
Performance Claim	Stable, customisable, acid-resistant
Test Markets	Auckland, Shanghai
Expansion Interest	Shanghai, Singapore
Consumer Segment	Baristas, cafés, foodservice
Trend Classification	Functional plant-based infrastructure
System Pressure Point	Dairy substitution without performance loss
Momentum	Early-stage but accelerating
Sentiment	Strong professional validation
Where Signal Is Loudest	Café and beverage formulation
Related Links	Founder commentary (LinkedIn)

Long Play Analysis - ANDFOODS Non-Dairy Whipped Cream Shaking Up AsiaPac Barista Scene

Non-dairy cream has long been the weak link in plant-based beverages, tolerated, but rarely loved. What ANDFOODS is demonstrating is that functionality, not branding, is the real unlock. By embedding itself inside real café workflows and learning directly from failure-prone environments like acidic coffee drinks, the company is building credibility where it matters most.

China’s role here is also telling. Rather than treating it solely as a sales destination, ANDFOODS is using it as a manufacturing intelligence platform, accelerating learning, cost realism, and scalability. That approach could give the company an edge as Asia’s café culture continues to expand faster than Western markets.

If the positive feedback converts into consistent reorders, ANDFOODS won’t just be launching another plant-based cream. It will be helping reset expectations for what “non-dairy” is allowed to do behind the espresso machine and that’s how categories actually change.

PFN NEWS LINK

ENDS: