Redesdale invests in Talio Technologies to forecast emerging food trends through AI

John Conroy’s Redesdale Fund has invested in a company that uses artificial intelligence to help food businesses identify emerging consumer trends.

Talio Technologies uses AI agents to gather and analyse data on menus, retail trends and social habits to help food companies make faster and better-informed decisions on new products and marketing.

Founded in Dublin by Oran O’Flynn and Ciaran O’Connor, Talio says it works with food and beverage groups to support trend forecasting, concept development and long-term innovation planning. It numbers Kerry Group and Valeo among its clients.

Talio says its AI allows customers to differentiate between short-term fads and more sustained shifts in taste.

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“This is a very exciting opportunity for Redesdale as it brings us into the AI technology space in food and we are partnering with first-class entrepreneurs in Oran and Ciaran, who have shown tremendous drive and skill to bring this product to market,” said Redesdale partner Michael Cantwell.

It is the venture capital group’s first AI-related investment.

“Innovation in the food and beverage industry has never moved faster,” Talio said. “For enterprise teams, predicting what’s truly next – beyond the hype – can mean the difference between a blockbuster launch and a costly misfire.”

The Redesdale Fund focuses on investment in early-stage businesses in the food, drink and nutrition sectors. Talio is the fifth investment by the €27 million fund which is backed by Enterprise Ireland, US-based Lord Abbett, Musgrave, Coca-Cola, Monaghan Mushrooms and Tate & Lyle.

The fund is expected to ramp up its investment portfolio over the coming months.

The group’s investments to date include: Dundalk-based Soothing Solutions, which says its dissolvable honey-based jelly pop harnesses natural ingredients to provide relief for children with sore throats; Thanks Plants, which produces a range of plant-based products such as frankfurters, sausages and roasts for health-conscious consumers; Fiid, a maker of plant-based microwaveable meals for the convenience meal market; and Kwayga, a company that has developed technology to help supermarket buyers cut their sourcing times dramatically.