When it comes to the cracker aisle, flavors tend to fall into one of two categories: cheese or Mediterranean-inspired. These days, though, consumers are craving something a little different… something a little more exciting. With more consumers turning to crackers to get their snack fix and the cracker category showing substantial growth in the past year, the opportunity is ripe to develop new cracker products that will “wow” consumers and keep them coming back for more.
While cheese and Mediterranean flavors will always be popular, the time is right to take a deep dive into the trends, think outside the box, and get creative with crackers. While sorting through the many, many flavor options to find the right one for your product can be a challenge, our experts have got you covered! Keep reading for our takes on how to create innovative, craveable cracker products.
Feature Exotic Cheeses
Don’t get us wrong – we love cheddar too. But with consumers on the lookout for new and exciting cracker products, it’s time to go beyond cheddar for flavor inspiration. Instead, consider drawing inspiration from more interesting and exotic cheeses. A good place to start? Because restaurants, and particularly fine dining establishments, tend to be the trendsetters, look to cheeses trending in foodservice to inspire your next cracker seasoning. Think a honey roasted feta or a smoked gouda and rosemary.
Get Inspired by Salty Snacks
Some consumers see crackers as a healthier alternative to other salty snacks. Delight these consumers by bringing their favorite salty snack flavors to the cracker aisle. Look to the top sellers for potato chips, tortilla chips, and more for cracker flavor inspiration. Take top selling flavor profiles from salty snacks and offer them as is or add your own twist to them to wow consumers with an innovative take on a familiar favorite. Rather than offering a fire roasted jalapeno flavor, for example, consider going with a fire roasted poblano.
Another option? See what’s emerging in the snack category and translate those flavor profiles into cracker flavors that consumers will totally love! Items like a hot fried dill pickle or a green chili queso are sure to be hits with consumers.
Highlight Trending Flavors & Ingredients
A lot of times, what begins trending in foodservice eventually makes its way into retail. When it comes to predicting consumers’ cravings, look to foodservice to see what flavors and ingredients are up-and-coming. Get ahead of the curve by bringing these flavors to the cracker aisle. Consumers love to see classic brands and category newcomers alike shake things up and offer products inspired by the latest trends.
Take trending flavor profiles from foodservice and turn them into delicious cracker creations that will surprise consumers in the best way possible. Feeling especially creative? Use trending flavors as a starting point and combine them with other flavors for innovative flavor combos, like ghost pepper ranch or everything bagel BBQ.
Hungry for more? Check out our Getting Creative with Crackers white paper for a deeper dive into the cracker category!