A ready-to-eat refrigerated soup made with vegetables and extra-virgin olive oil—Alvalle gazpacho—is launching in the United States to provide people with simple, nourishing small meals, snacks or sides fueled by real, wholesome ingredients. The Mediterranean-style chilled soup (made with sun-ripened tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and EVOO) is poised to meet the demand for refrigerated meals and ingredient-focused foods with an on-the-go format that matches evolving eating occasions.
“Alvalle meets a very real consumer need—people want food made from recognizable ingredients that fits into their everyday lives,” said Pol Codina, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Food Ventures at PepsiCo. “As we expand our portfolio, we are focused on bringing more real, ingredient-forward foods into everyday eating occasions.”
Alvalle is available at select Whole Foods Market locations in the United States.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Ready-to-eat Chilled Meals
- Refrigerated, grab-and-go formats are reshaping meal occasions by combining convenience with fresher ingredient perceptions than shelf-stable alternatives.
- Mediterranean Snacking
- Mediterranean-inspired flavors and ingredients are expanding beyond restaurants into portable snacks, sides and light meals that signal health, simplicity and premium taste.
- Ingredient-forward Foods
- Consumer preference for recognizable vegetables, oils and minimally processed recipes is creating space for branded packaged foods positioned around transparency and everyday nourishment.
Where This Applies
- Packaged Food
- Legacy food companies are using refrigerated, premium formats to diversify portfolios and compete in fast-growing fresh convenience categories.
- Grocery Retail
- Retailers with strong fresh and wellness positioning are becoming key launch platforms for chilled meal solutions that bridge prepared foods and packaged goods.
- Functional Beverages
- Drinkable and spoonable liquid foods are blurring category boundaries as soups, smoothies and meal replacements converge around portability and nutrition.
