This month we explore the niche brands upping the customisation ante, from skincare products for dogs to biometric security for your cannabis stash.

Chris Burggraeve warns regulators that high taxes on cannabis startups will only grow the black market

Backed by our extensive Gen Z knowledge, we explore CBD’s potential and how to harness it safely

Read on to find out how L’Oreal is reinventing personalised beauty using AI, and why ‘plant alchemists’ are the new mixologists

Plant-based processed and frozen foods get a makeover, while transparency and affordability pave the way for mainstream adoption

M&S Director of Product Development April Preston on how to predict which products go viral and help more women reach the boardroom

Read on to find out how beermakers MillerCoors, Heineken and BrewDog have capitalised on Dry January, and why Barry’s Bootcamp is hiring a psychotherapist to train its staff.

Find out how Barry Callebaut is transforming itself and the entire cocoa supply chain to be more sustainable.

Read on to find out why Easyjet is the unlikely player leading the sustainability charge this month, and why evidence and transparency are paving the way for a whole new generation of wellbeing startups.

We speak to Premier Foods about its drive to bring tasty, plant-based food to the masses, with it’s latest innovation, Plantastic.

This month, a strong identity goes a long way. Startups like Just Water and Fill are not just launching one-off initiatives but strive to be wholly sustainable from top to bottom.

The deal was announced 17 October, and will see Happen’s mission to be at the forefront of innovation further accelerated.

This month, we look at the CBD innovators breaking the mould. From beauty and wellness, to food and drink, experimentation is everywhere…

Hans Lagerweij, the President of Albatros Travel International shares his insights about the changing sector and how to pivot to meet new consumer demands.

Summer holiday-goers are returning to reality, either with Instagrammable memories, or a nightmare of delays. So how can travel operators use both scenarios as an opportunity for growth?

Happen is welcoming Adam Sisson, Head of Research and Development, Oral Health at GSK Consumer Healthcare as our newest advisory board member.

This month we’re seeing a keen focus on ingredients and their origins, from Persian non-alcoholic spirits to cork containers that hail from rewilding Portuguese forests.

Environmental, economic and health concerns, combined with instant access to information has propelled plant-based meals into the mainstream. Yet veganism itself, remains on the fringes.

This month, the personalisation trend goes fully bespoke with entire product lines being fine-tuned to their audience.

We’ll debunk myths and provide recommendations that give you a competitive edge, putting you on track for a sustainable future that resonates with your consumer base and beyond.

Sprints involve exploring ideas and solutions in a short time frame. But when it comes to tackling big challenges, is there an even better approach?

From innovations that remove microplastics from your clothes wash, to toxin-free soap bars, ethical, waste-free living is the focus of brands working across sectors.

Happen is proud to announce we have been named Technology Supplier of the Year at The Grocer Gold Awards 2019.

We spoke to People Against Dirty about the challenges of going green, and what’s next for sustainable innovation in home-cleaning.

We’ve dispelled a few common myths around sustainability, to prove how much room there is to innovate and inspire new customers

Sustainability is not a fad. It’s an important shift of consumer and business priorities that will – in the long term – save resources, money and our planet.

We spoke to KiActiv®, to understand how wearables are changing the world of healthcare.

With health services under mounting pressure, companies need to act now. If we pool our expertise, data and heritage, we can create a community-focussed approach to wellbeing for everyone.

We spoke to David Harrison, Lead Insight Manager at Nomad Foods, about maximising the potential of new technologies and how the frozen food company has changed its approach to insight innovation.

From Gatwick’s mobile assistants for the visually impaired to skincare that work with women’s cycles, this month, brands are focussing on inclusivity.

We met with Ugly Drinks, to learn about how they innovate, the challenge for smaller brands in the industry and rolling with the punches…

Disruption is inescapable. But rather than running for cover, listen, learn and adapt in a way that works for your future, and your customer’s.

As they move from childhood to adolescence, the decisions Gen Z make will have a massive impact on us all. So how can brands get into the head of Gen Z?

This month, customisation is king. From 3D-printed sushi based on your DNA profile to AI-driven food menus, personalisation is in overdrive.

Bursting with inspiration, The International Food & Drink Event is a celebration of 1,350 innovative, global and cutting-edge food & drink manufacturers. These are trends and tastemakers that need to be on your agenda.

Happen’s Head of Analytics, Todd McLoughlin, discusses the potential and challenges of emotional analytics, and the future of the field.

This month, collaboration is on the up as startups, incumbents and technology giants combine forces to experiment with new consumer experiences…

Once a year, Happen & Winkle come together for a day of inspiring talks to learn from leading academics and innovators, to open our minds to new tools, techniques or ways of thinking that are changing our world.

Emotional intelligence is what separates man from machine. Get it right, and we can connect with anyone in a genuine way, generate whole new industries, and not just survive the automation revolution, but thrive within it.

This month, big brands experiment with novel sustainability models, healthy eating trends and alcohol-free cocktails. Meanwhile, startups push the envelope, swapping alt ‘milks’ for camel ice cream and alcohol-lite for cannabidiol-rich concoctions.

We all want to live in a beautiful, effortless world, where everything works like it was made just for us. It’s not surprising, then, that Design Thinking is having a resurgence.

We spoke to global packaging leaders Amcor, about the challenges of creating innovations that work for entire industries and Amcor’s pledge to make all its packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025.

Mess-free facemasks, interactive sustainability apps and a new way to consume media all came to light last month in our January edition of Innovation in Action

With sustainability rating highly on consumer agenda’s in 2018 new forms of packaging and production are in the spotlight.

We met with James Hand, co-founder of sustainable shopping app Giki, to understand his story, the challenges for app-based startups and the ethos behind the brand.

This year, Happen took to the stage at event, Food Matters Live to share innovations and insights changing the world of food and drink.

Sara Trechman, Co-Founder of healthy snack brand Well&Truly, explains what innovation means to her and what it means to embrace change.

How do you stand out in a booming market? Our insights showed consumers saw For Goodness Shakes choices and packaging confusing – so what could be done to increase stand out at shelf?

We spoke to Fossil to understand how they’re using data and insight to fuel innovation, and reinvent itself as a leader in wearable tech.

We spoke to April Preston, Executive Head of Food Innovation at Harrods, about innovation, experiential shopping, and the store’s exciting new food hall.

Oxford Pharmascience’s newest innovation, Ellactiva, recently relaunched as a complete health and wellness supplement with new ingredients, proposition and packaging.

Is the notion of Surprise for Generation Z dead? Happen UK MD, Suzanne Robinson, shares her thoughts with Food Matters Live.

Disruption is the innovation ‘word of the moment’. So how can big brands innovate against new players in the game? 

How do you really create value to wow if time and attention has become our most precious commodity?

How can you make food shopping easier for consumers on the move?

Premier Foods came to us to futureproof its business by creating a healthy, plant-based snacking brand with millennial appeal: Plantastic.

Bas Smit, head of Global Marketing at Barry Callebaut, explains how B2B companies can play a leading role in consumer product innovation.

Every business needs to be ready for what the future brings. But in our fast-changing world, gazing into the crystal ball is daunting.

We spoke to Rebecca Haigh, Head of Innovation at Heineken, to get to the heart of what makes successful innovation.

At Happen, we use insight to protect, grow or transform brands them with something entirely new. That last one is where the true breakthroughs happen.

Maintaining a presence on the shelves of discounters means cutting prices and margins, or making a compromise on the size or quality that your product offers.

Innovation doesn’t exist without insight. So what happens in an Insight Hack? Well, before it starts, we have to address the problem at hand.

Last week, Happen Innovation Agency’s co-founder Costas spoke with Business Connections Live about innovation within business, and in particular, its influence upon business growth.

Arun Prabhu, global category director at Arla Foods, spoke to Happen on creating innovations that succeed in the market.

What does it take to deliver 4 billion dollars in incremental value through successful FMCG product launches?

Getting into the habit of decoding the insights behind hit new products and ad campaigns helps you hone your own skills. So how can you get started?

Innovation can take many forms. Sometimes it just comes down to the power of a good story.

Uncovering the insights that fuel innovation is about setting aside your preconceptions about consumer behaviour.

Thoughts from a Grumpy Innovator – featuring polemics, witty one-liners and cartoons about the ugly reality of mass market innovation.

There is a vast disconnect between what we know is good for us and what we actually do. The key to closing that gap, is emotion.