When it comes to creating new products, innovating with flavor is your ticket to standing out on crowded grocery store shelves. Consumers are gravitating toward trying what’s new rather than purchasing more of the same. As a result, it’s important to always be looking ahead at what’s on the horizon for flavor trends. How do you identify innovative, new flavors to focus on? Look to foodservice for inspiration! What starts trending in foodservice typically eventually makes its way into retail. So, let’s take a closer look at some of the flavors that have been picking up steam in foodservice – and how these flavors could be translated into new retail products.
Adult Beverage Inspiration
Flavors inspired by alcoholic beverages are on the rise in foodservice. According to Mintel Menu Insights, tequila, for example, is up 93% in menu item mentions, while mojito has shown massive growth with an increase of 186% in foodservice. Consumers love their beer, wine, and cocktails, but they’ve been making an effort to drink less alcohol. That doesn’t mean, however, that they don’t crave the flavors of their favorite beverages. This presents a huge opportunity for brands to innovate with these flavors to appeal to adult consumers, especially when it comes to snacks, desserts, and dairy. Young adult consumers can sometimes feel like brands in these categories cater more toward families, so featuring these kinds of flavors will make Millennial and Gen Z consumers feel like these brands get them too.
Look to popular cocktails and drinks, like mojitos, margaritas, IPA with lime, and sparkling rosé, for flavor inspiration. Get more exotic by leaning into the international flavor trend as well by featuring the flavors of alcoholic beverages from around the world, like caipirinha, pisco sour, and sangria.
Exotic Peppers and Extra Spicy Heat
It’s no secret that consumers’ tolerance for heat has grown substantially in recent years, with consumers now craving extra hot and spicy flavors. Although this is especially true for Millennials and Gen Z consumers, even older consumers have demonstrated an increased interest in adding some heat to their favorite foods and dishes. In foodservice, flavors like fiery, arbol chili, extra hot, and picante have all shown substantial growth over the past year, according to Mintel, indicating that consumers’ cravings for spicy foods and flavors aren’t going away any time soon.
Get inspired by hot and spicy flavors that are growing in foodservice, and especially those that feature exotic peppers or global origins, like Korean gochujang and Middle Eastern harissa. And don’t hold back when it comes to heat. Consumers have been loving the challenge of eating something especially hot, so delivering bold, hot flavors can be a source of excitement for trying a new product.
Fruity Flavors
Flavors featuring fruit are beginning to pick up steam in foodservice, with blackberry showing the most growth at 143%, with flavors like lime juice, Meyer lemon, and banana also showing substantial increases. Consumers are looking for sweet flavors that they can indulge in without feeling too much guilt, and fruit flavors allow them to do just that. Look to fruits that are making gains in foodservice for flavor inspiration and then innovate around those flavors. Consider pairing popular fruits with other trending ingredients for flavor combinations that consumers will totally crave. Think five spice blueberry, lemon matcha, and banana coconut rum.
Need more flavor inspiration? Our marketing and R&D experts have got you covered! Contact us today to see how Fuchs can help you make something special.