Small Business
  1. Home
  2. Business
  3. Small Biz
  4. Trends
Save
Print
License article

Veganism part of the mainstream as Australians change the way they eat

Cara Waters
Show comments

Salvatore Malatesta is known for his coffee venues but at the moment he's focused on smoothies.

Up Next

Blast at kindergarten kills seven

null
Video duration
00:37

More World News Videos

null
Video duration
02:25

This vegan burger 'bleeds'
null
Video duration
00:37

Blast at kindergarten kills seven
null
Video duration
01:53

Judge in Cosby case tells Jury: keep ...
null
Video duration
01:33

Community rallies for London fire victims
null
Video duration
00:54

Blimp crashes near US Open
null
Video duration
01:07

Putin 'ready' to grant James Comey asylum
null
Video duration
01:34

Otto Warmbier 'brutalised' in North Korea
More videos

This vegan burger 'bleeds'

A butcher, a cardiologist, a vegan and a technology reporter try the Impossible Burger, a plant-based hamburger that "bleeds," made by Silicon Valley start-up Impossible Foods.

The hospitality entrepreneur is pondering how he can fine-tune Happy Place, his joint venture with nutritionist Lola Berry. 

The wellness cafe, which opened in South Melbourne last year, serves shroom lattes, kombucha and acai bowls in a bid to capture the current zeitgeist. 

"The No.1 thing I'm seeing is plant-based eating tipping over into the mainstream," Malatesta says. "Where it used to be the case that veganism is associated with a subgroup or fringe that is no longer the case."

Malatesta has big plans for Happy Place.

Advertisement

"We're trying to get the model right before other stores," he says. "We want to roll them out but we need to get them spot on."

Shift to health and wellness

It's a trend that's playing out across the hospitality industry with research published by point of sale provider Impos showing hospitality businesses are increasingly looking at new concepts that focus on health and wellness, sustainability and niche offerings, to appeal to Australians changing attitudes towards food.  

The survey of 652 hospitality business owners, managers and workers in Australia found industry insiders see huge potential to capitalise on changing attitudes towards food and are adapting menus and dining concepts accordingly.

More than half of respondents (58 per cent) said health-conscious offerings would top food trends this year, followed by a focus on vegan and vegetarian (37 per cent) and organic (37 per cent) offerings.

Similarly, non-dairy milk options (57 per cent), fermented probiotic drinks (40 per cent), craft spirits (80 per cent) and organic wine (60 per cent) were leading trends for non-alcoholic and alcoholic drink trends.

Of those surveyed 65 per cent said sustainability measures, including locally sourced produce, and a "grow your own" approach was also on the rise.

Plant-based eating is not going to go away for a while, if at all. It's transcended the hippies.

Salvatore Malatesta

Sean O'Mara, chief executive of Impos, says gentrification, the impact of social media and the popularity of health and wellness industry influencers are all directly impacting on Australia's hospitality scene. 

"More Aussies are interested in where their food is sourced, what they're putting in their bodies and the overall impact their food and drink consumption is having on the environment," he says. "Restaurant owners are definitely more conscious of healthy eating and nutrition. A lot of venues are working out nutritional information for products at the request of consumers who want nutrition and allergy information on dishes. When that comes in it will really change the game in terms of restaurants needing to know exactly what is in a dish."  

Staying on trend

As the owner of multiple hospitality venues, including St Ali, Sensory Lab, Giddy Up, Auction Rooms, Ox the Baker and Clement Coffee Roaster, Malatesta works hard to stay ahead of industry trends. 

"Happy Place is me putting my money where my mouth is in terms of an industry shift," he says. "Plant-based eating is not going to go away for a while, if at all. It's transcended the hippies."

Malatesta says the trend is also impacting the other venues he owns with turnover across his group estimated at more than $36 million.

"We were one of the first to do almond milk and pea protein milk," he says. "It informs our menus, whether it is 10 per cent, 20 per cent or 30 per cent with a view of being plant-based eating."

Malatesta says trends move quickly and hospitality operators need to keep their fingers on the pulse.

"The ideas happen so fast that one of the things I have always done is have one or two creatives on our payroll to generate content ideas really, really quickly," he says. 

But there's one shift Malatesta is glad to see the end of. 

"The other trend I see is the idea of Instagrammable food, or rather unfortunately, cooking for Instagram rather than for flavour," he says. "We have an internal hashtag #noflowerpetals. People have been constructing dishes for colour rather than flavour and the pendulum has swung too far. I think you'll see a return to authentic wholesome cooking."

Follow MySmallBusiness on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

5 comments