Bold & Bright
The beginning of a new season always comes with a sense of excitement. Is it still appropriate to blame summertime giddiness associated with June on that feeling of freedom on the last day of school? Nostalgia for childhood flavors and foods has been a noticeable theme the past few months in the Food and Beverage industry.
However, we anticipate the nostalgic feelings of freedom and endless childhood energy to be translated into experimental flavors this year. Bring on the sunshine, family vacations, loud flavors, and exotic fruits!
Bold Pairings
Snack food flavors have been extra bold heading into Summer 2024. A few of these “shock flavors” include Hidden Valley Ranch Ice Cream by Van Leeuwen, pink lemonade-flavored Kit Kats by Hershey, Sour Patch Kids Oreos, and Rooty Tooty Fresh n’ Fruity potato chips (designed to taste like strawberry-topped pancakes with a hint of bacon) by Lay’s & IHOP3. The “Bold & Bright” flavor trend likely piggybacks off the noticeable increase in experimental purchasing behavior among consumers. According to GlobalData’s TrendSights framework, food received the most revenue from trend investment while non-alcoholic beverages showed the highest growth4. Therefore, the Food & Beverage Industry especially should capitalize on these consumer insights with bold flavor pairings!
Bold flavor pairings are an innovative way to draw attention to your brand, drive consumer interest, and ultimately remind people of how great their old favorite flavors are to purchase after the shock flavor’s virality begins to fizzle out.
Heating Up
Interest in bold, spicy flavors is expected to continue to increase this summer. Data from the National Association of Convenience Retailers shows that spicy is the top flavor in the salty snacks category. In 2021, 66% of consumers surveyed expressed a preference for spicy and bold flavors, compared to only 25% in 2020. Millennials and Gen Z show the strongest preference for new tastes, with 45% indicating a preference for snacks with spicy flavors2.
Especially during warm summer months, spicy flavors are best paired with familiar sweet flavors- such as strawberry, mango, or pineapple. The popularity of botana sauces and chili oils is also on the rise in recent months, featuring specialty pepper varieties that bring in their own unique inherent flavor profile1.
A few of our favorite spicy flavors include:
- Watermelon Habanero
- Chili Mango
- Guajillo Chili
- Jalapeno Lime
- Smokey Chipotle
Going Global
Food products that feature exotic, global flavors are expected to boom this summer! With the widespread use of social media and increase in experimental purchasing patterns among consumers, the globalization of ideas, flavors, and trends is becoming the new normal. According to the Specialty Food Association (SFA) Trendspotter Panel, Asian and African flavor profiles will be the most sought-after in the Food & Beverage Industry for the coming months5. Both Asian and African flavors tend to feature full-bodied, satisfyingly rich notes of umami with obscure regional ingredients.
Additionally, exotic fruit flavors are also expected to trend for the Summer season. Dragon fruit has piqued the interest of nearly six in ten shoppers, while guava has caught the attention of five in ten. More obscure flavors like ube, tamarind, and guanabana are also on consumers’ radar. Latinx shoppers in particular show a strong interest in tropical fruit flavors. For example, 46% of Latinx shoppers are intrigued by tamarind, and 31% have direct interest in guanabana6.
- Guava Strawberry
- Yuzu
- Lychee
- Pandan
- Gochujang
References
3. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/sour-patch-kids-oreos-peeps-040529614.html?
4. https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/consumer-novel-and-experimental-trend-analysis/
5. https://www.grandecig.com/blog/top-food-beverage-industry-trends
6. https://advantagesolutions.net/news/summer-2024-flavor-trends-tropical-and-swicy/
