PepsiCo teams up with NotCo on NPD

PepsiCo has joined forces with Chile’s NotCo to launch products in the South American market.

The companies have launched a plant-based mayonnaise and meat-alternative chicken nuggets in Chile.

The NotMayo Doritos mayonnaise is made with the Doritos Quesos cheese flavouring, while the plant-based NotChicken Nuggets Flamin’ Hot have the “spiciness” of PepsiCo’s Doritos Flamin’ Hot snacks, the companies said in a joint statement.

NotCo, founded in 2015, specialises in plant-based products and says it uses AI technology to analyse plants to “come up with unique combinations that replicate animal-based products almost to perfection”.

In the past, the company has worked with Kraft Heinz in 2022 to develop plant-based products using the AI tech, which it dubs Giuseppe.

NotCo CEO Matías Muchnick said: “Giuseppe enables us to do the unthinkable in record time. Brand collaborations, especially now with PepsiCo, give us the opportunity to do things better, faster, tastier, and with a positive impact.”

Benjamín Herrera, the CMO of PepsiCo’s business in Southern Cone markets including Chile, added: “Doritos is one of the most beloved brands among Chilean consumers, not only for its distinctive flavour but also for its authentic and daring personality. This alliance with NotCo, one of the most disruptive Chilean companies in the region, seeks to reflect the irreverent spirit that characterises the brand.”

In February, NotCo revised its group-wide profitability target to 2027, with a spokesperson telling Just Food: “While we remain committed to profitability across all business units, we now anticipate reaching profitability by 2027.”

However, NotCo Foods, the company’s own-branded business, was said to be “on track to reach profitability as early as 2025”.