FOOD & WINE ANNOUNCES ITS 2025 GAME CHANGERS

Rhea-AI Summary

Food & Wine has unveiled its 2025 Game Changers list, spotlighting innovative leaders and companies revolutionizing the food and beverage industry. The honorees span four categories: Culture Changers like Ayesha Curry and Sheila Johnson focusing on inclusivity and hunger relief; Drink Disruptors including Atomo Coffee's beanless innovation and Tip Top Cocktails' premium canned beverages; Food Innovators such as American Unagi's sustainable eel farming and Little Sesame's regenerative chickpea hummus; and Tech Transformers featuring Apeel's food preservation technology and Farmer's Fridge's smart vending solutions. The list emphasizes sustainability, accessibility, and community impact, with innovations ranging from eco-friendly coffee alternatives to smart food preservation technologies.

Celebrating the Top Innovators Shaping How We Eat and Drink

NEW YORK, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Food & Wine today reveals its 2025 Game Changers, honoring the people and companies transforming the way we eat and drink for the better. From community leaders to tech pioneers, these changemakers are improving lives, challenging norms, and reimagining the future of food and beverage. The full list is available now on foodandwine.com/gamechangers2025 and will appear in the Food & Wine July Innovators Issue, on newsstands June 20.

"The Game Changers list is one of the most inspiring projects we work on every year," said Hunter Lewis, Editor in Chief of Food & Wine. "These dynamic leaders and creative problem solvers embody the values we champion: innovation, quality, and inclusivity, and they're helping to shape the next wave of food culture. They make us excited about the future of food and drink."

Meet the 2025 Food & Wine Game Changers:

CULTURE CHANGERS

Ayesha Curry — A multi-hyphenate using her platform to fight childhood hunger in Oakland, CA through Eat. Learn. Play., the nonprofit she co-founded with her husband, NBA star Stephen Curry.

Alicia Towns Franken — A trailblazing sommelier and founder of Wine Unify, Towns Franken is opening doors for professionals of color through mentorship, education, and community.

Sheila Johnson — The first Black female billionaire and co-founder of BET, Johnson is using her hotels and resorts to create more inclusive hospitality experiences and amplify Black voices in food.

DRINK DISRUPTORS:

Atomo Coffee — This Seattle startup is producing 50% beanless coffee using upcycled ingredients, helping address climate threats to traditional coffee production.

Champop — From Australian design firm Dreamfarm comes the world's only sparkling wine opener that's both safe and fun, with settings for catching or launching the cork, keeping the pop without the risk.

LifeStraw — Built on the belief that safe drinking water is a human right, this ultra-portable filter helps both adventurers and communities in crisis. For every 500 units sold, LifeStraw donates a purifier to a school in need.

Tip Top Cocktails — Founders Yoni Reisman and Neal Cohen are raising the bar for canned cocktails by delivering perfectly balanced, bartender-quality classics in shelf-ready form.

FOOD INNOVATORS:

Ajinomoto Group— The world's leading MSG brand is tackling decades of misinformation by championing the umami boosting ingredient and debunking the myths rooted in racism and stigma.

American Unagi — Based in Maine, this pioneering eel farm raises local glass eels to market size, offering American chefs fresh, sustainable unagi without the long overseas trip.

Little Sesame — This chef-led brand is redefining store-bought hummus with regeneratively grown chickpeas from Montana. Backed by a $2 million USDA grant, Little Sesame is scaling sustainable farming and shaking up the $4 billion hummus industry.

Low Tech Restaurants — In a restaurant world driven by tech and speed, a growing number of chefs are rejecting digital tools in favor of old-school hospitality, restoring intimacy, slowing the pace, and turning dining out into a deeply human experience.

TECH TRANSFORMERS:

Apeel — Using a plant-based coating that's invisible and tasteless, this California company helps produce stay fresh longer, quietly keeping millions of pounds of fruits and vegetables out of landfills.

Farmer's Fridge — These smart vending machines offer fresh, affordable meals in recyclable jars. With a goal to install at least 15 percent of fridges in underserved neighborhoods by 2030, the company is making healthy food more accessible while striving for zero waste.

The Ninja Crispi — A portable powerhouse from SharkNinja in Needham, MA, this air fryer lets you cook, serve, and store in one sleek container, transforming air-frying from a countertop fixture to an on-the-go essential.

This year's honorees reflect a growing focus on access, sustainability, and community. Whether it's a vending machine filled with affordable, healthy meals or a chef building a new supply chain from the ground up, the common thread is innovation that makes a difference. You'll find stories of people working to fix broken systems and products that feel like small miracles. There's a sparkling wine opener that makes popping a bottle safer and more fun. A canned cocktail company delivering true bar-quality drinks. And a portable air fryer that lets you cook anywhere, no kitchen required.

These innovative individuals and companies are not just changing the conversation; they're changing the food culture.

For more information about the selection and vetting process and to read the profiles of each honoree named to the 2025 Food & Wine Game Changers, visit here. To reference last year's Food & Wine Game Changers, see the link here.

Invesco is the presenting sponsor of the 2025 Food & Wine Game Changers.

ABOUT FOOD & WINE
Food & Wine celebrates the global epicurean experience with its award-winning magazine, website, social platforms, newsletters, podcasts, premium events such as the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, and accolades like its annual Global Tastemaker and Best New Chef awards. With rigorously tested recipes and the most trusted restaurant, drinks, culinary travel, and home coverage, the brand inspires and empowers people to discover, create, and devour the best in food and drink—every day and everywhere. Food & Wine is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

 

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FAQ

Who are the main winners of Food & Wine's 2025 Game Changers list?

The winners include Ayesha Curry, Sheila Johnson, Atomo Coffee, Tip Top Cocktails, American Unagi, Little Sesame, Apeel, and Farmer's Fridge, among others, across four categories: Culture Changers, Drink Disruptors, Food Innovators, and Tech Transformers.

What innovations are featured in Food & Wine's 2025 Game Changers for sustainable food production?

Key sustainable innovations include Atomo Coffee's beanless coffee production, American Unagi's local eel farming, Little Sesame's regenerative chickpea farming, and Apeel's plant-based food preservation technology.

When will the Food & Wine 2025 Game Changers issue be available on newsstands?

The Food & Wine July Innovators Issue featuring the 2025 Game Changers will be available on newsstands June 20, 2025.

What is the focus of Food & Wine's 2025 Game Changers list?

The list focuses on innovators and companies improving access to food, sustainability initiatives, and community impact through various innovations in food and beverage production, technology, and cultural change.

How is Food & Wine's 2025 Game Changers addressing diversity in the food industry?

The list includes leaders promoting diversity such as Alicia Towns Franken, who opens doors for professionals of color through Wine Unify, and Sheila Johnson, who creates inclusive hospitality experiences and amplifies Black voices in food.