Bringing Global Flavors to Dairy

Exotic cuisines from around the world have taken the food industry by storm, with consumers seeking out the foods and flavors from faraway places. Now more than ever, consumers are becoming increasingly adventurous – and increasingly bored with existing product options. Their desire to explore paired with their restlessness and boredom has given rise to trends inspired by the cuisines of countries from all corners of the world. With this has come a wave of new products and menu items featuring the flavors from trending regions. While many categories, including snacks and frozen foods, have seen quite a bit of innovation around global flavors, one category that has been lagging behind is the dairy category. With consumers craving international-inspired products, now is the perfect time to innovate with ice cream, dips, cheese, dairy-based beverages, and more. Keep reading for our takes on how to bring global flavors to the dairy aisle for products that consumers will be obsessed with.

Sweet Inspiration from Desserts & Beverages

Especially in light of the stress of recent years, consumers have adopted a “treat yourself” mentality, turning to dairy products like ice cream and yogurt as a means of rewarding themselves for getting through the day. Like with just about any product category, however, they have grown tired of the same-old, same-old and are looking for new and exciting flavor options. Enter international desserts. Drawing inspiration from desserts from around the world is a great option for appealing to the sweet tooth while also bringing some extra excitement to these favorite products.

Mediterranean desserts like baklava and basbousa would make for craveable flavor inspiration for ice cream, while South American desserts like brigadeiros and chaja cake are perfectly suited to translate to milkshakes and other dairy-based beverages. Look to the desserts of trending regions to innovate with sweet dairy products.

Another option for incorporating international inspiration into your dairy products is to look to beverages from around the world for flavor ideas. From horchata to lassi, consumers have been exploring global beverages in recent years, resulting in major growth for these items in both foodservice and retail. Asian inspired beverages, for example, grew 40% in menu item mentions between Q2 2020 and Q2 2021 according to Mintel. Offer global dairy-based beverages as is to appeal to consumers looking for authenticity. Another option? Bring the flavors of popular global beverages like matcha, pisco sour, and more to ice cream, spreads, and yogurt for something truly unique.

Innovating with Savory, Hot & Spicy Global Flavors

Interest in international cuisine has largely been driven by younger consumers. Millennials and now Gen Z view eating as an experience and thus seek out exotic eating experiences that help them learn more about the world and what it’s like to live in other parts of the world.  This trend has pushed Asian, African, and Middle Eastern food into the spotlight in recent years, and flavors from these regions just so happen to translate particularly well to dairy.

While some mainstream flavors like sriracha and pesto have been making appearances in some dairy categories, there’s plenty of room for innovation with more exotic and exciting global flavors. Think a harissa dip or a chimichurri cream cheese spread.

Younger consumers are also craving heat, looking for new hot and spicy flavors to consume as a challenge. Consider innovating with exotic peppers from around the world or hot and spicy spice blends from trending regions to appeal to these consumers. Think a fire roasted poblano dip or a berbere cheese rub.

Ready to bring global flavors to your dairy products? Contact us today to see how Fuchs can help you make something special.