Green Gourmet and MarfoFMA drive scalable innovation in airline catering
This is a special feature from the April 2026 WTCE Hamburg issue of PAX International on page 50.
For MarfoFMA, the collaboration with Green Gourmet expands its expertise in airline meal solutions into a broader culinary offering
As airlines continue to rethink the role of food and beverage in shaping the passenger experience, suppliers are evolving strategies to deliver more creative, scalable and commercially viable solutions. A growing partnership between Green Gourmet and MarfoFMA aims to do exactly that—combining culinary creativity with manufacturing strength to help airlines enhance inflight dining across multiple regions.
With North America identified as a key growth market, Green Gourmet is working closely with MarfoFMA to introduce globally inspired products designed to meet the changing tastes of airline passengers while supporting operational realities for carriers.
Tom Kanchanawat, Managing Director – Travel at Green Gourmet, says the partnership emerged from a clear opportunity to bring greater innovation to the region’s airline catering landscape.
“North America is an incredibly dynamic market, but one where innovation in onboard food can still be difficult to scale,” he tells PAX International in a spring interview. “Many carriers are looking for products that are globally inspired, operationally robust and aligned with evolving passenger expectations—yet the supply landscape often feels either fragmented or overly traditional.”
Tom Kanchanawat, Managing Director – Travel, Green Gourmet
Closing the innovation gap
Recognizing this gap, Green Gourmet saw the potential to introduce a more agile product development approach grounded in real-world consumer behavior. The company focuses on international food trends that are influencing North American dining habits, translating them into inflight-friendly formats for airline service.
“Our approach is driven by popular international food trends shaping the North American market,” Kanchanawat says. “By tapping into these influences, we want to deliver modern, globally inspired products that meet evolving passenger tastes and airline expectations in the region.”
To bring those ideas to market, the company needed the right partner—one with exceptional regional relationships and operational expertise.
“MarfoFMA was the natural partner for us,” Kanchanawat says. “They bring exceptional manufacturing experience, strong relationships across the region and an absolute commitment to product integrity. When you combine that with Green Gourmet’s culinary creativity and category understanding, you get a partnership that can close the innovation gap for North American airlines in a meaningful and commercially powerful way.”
Green Gourmet’s expertise in bakery, handhelds and snack innovation complements MarfoFMA’s established production capabilities across Europe and North America
Snack attack
A key area of focus for the partnership is the rapidly growing snacking category, which is becoming an increasingly important part of airline commercial strategies. From buy-on-board offerings to premium complimentary items, snacks play a vital role in ancillary revenue and brand differentiation.
“The snacking category is now a strategic lever for airlines—it drives ancillary revenue, it differentiates the brand and it plays into the modern ‘grab and go’ behavior we all recognize from everyday life,” Kanchanawat says.
He underpins the strength allows it to extend its capabilities across the Atlantic with dual market execution and consistency.
“Together we can develop concepts that feel contemporary and commercially smart, while also manufacturing them efficiently in the region where the airline needs them.”
Cohesive menu supply solution
For MarfoFMA, the collaboration expands its long-standing expertise in meal solutions into a broader culinary proposition for airline customers.
“MarfoFMA has built its reputation as a culinary-led business, focused on delivering authentic, high quality meal solutions that airlines are proud to serve on board,” says Dawn O’Neill, Global Head of Sales at MarfoFMA. “The partnership with Green Gourmet expands this value proposition well beyond core meals by enabling us to offer a broader, more creative range of products while maintaining the strong culinary tone of voice that our airline customers expect.”
Green Gourmet’s strengths in areas such as bakery, handheld formats and snack innovation complement MarfoFMA’s established production capabilities in Europe and North America.
“By integrating these capabilities into our overall proposition, we can provide airlines with a cohesive, end-to-end menu supply chain that goes beyond tray meals and reflects a unified culinary identity across their entire inflight program,” O’Neill says.
The partnership is also supported by MarfoFMA’s transatlantic manufacturing footprint, which enables airlines to maintain consistent menu offerings across continents while strengthening supply chain resilience.
“With production capability on both sides of the ocean, supply chains become more agile and less vulnerable to regional disruptions,” O’Neill explains. “Flexibility between facilities allows programs to remain stable even when conditions fluctuate.”
Looking ahead, both companies plan to increase visibility within the airline industry through joint concepts and direct engagement with carriers.
Dawn O’Neill, Global Head of Sales, MarfoFMA
“My focus has been on aligning innovation pipelines, building shared category strategies and ensuring our customer engagement is joined up and proactive,” Kanchanawat says. “Airlines do not just want products; they want partners who understand their commercial pressures, their brand ambitions and their operational realities.”
As the partnership gains momentum, the goal is clear: to create modern, scalable inflight food solutions that help airlines deliver a more cohesive and memorable onboard dining experience.
