If we’re being honest with ourselves, the phrase “treat yourself” is timeless. We don’t see it going out of style any time soon after observing consumer purchase patterns. The demand for luxury flavors has increased significantly in recent years.
Some speculate that the luxury flavor trend is due to habits people have created over the Pandemic, where little luxuries served as a replacement for fancy dinner reservations. A recent report found that 11.8% of “start-up” households- defined as falling into a lower income bracket or age demographic- were making a financial trade off in other spending categories to purchase premium, specialty foods1. This observation was also confirmed in a recent consumer study published by Zion Market Research that projects the Specialty Foods Market to have an CAGR of 5.5% between 2022 and 20282.
Our team of flavor experts think about luxury flavors as being those that are inherent in rare plant/animal species OR those that encompass the flavors of highly technical culinary dishes, expensive due to the time and energy it takes to create them. Both categories of luxury flavors are sure to stand out to consumers on retail shelves!
Natural Luxury Flavors
We consider “natural” luxury flavors to be those naturally found in rare raw ingredients. Many of these plant and animal species carry unique flavors that consumers associate with specialty foods and drinks. Natural luxury flavors are best paired with those that are down-to-earth and familiar among consumers to ensure that one doesn’t outshine another when paired together.
Many rare plant/animal ingredients can have a short shelf life and delicate flavors that make it difficult to extract by using the raw material in a food product directly. These highly sought-after flavors can be easily compromised during processing and packaging operations. Therefore, we recommend turning towards premium extracts and concentrated flavors instead to ensure flavor stability and consistency in a food or beverage product! A few of our favorite natural luxury flavor applications include:
- Ruby Chocolate Crème filled Pistachio Croissants
- Saffron Curry Sauce
- Dragonfruit Energy Drinks
- White Truffle Potato Chips
- Manuka Honey & Hazelnut Mousse
Crafted Luxury Flavors
Unlike their natural counterparts, we define “crafted” luxury flavors to be those that are developed by unique, highly technical, or time-intensive ingredient preparation methods. In other words, these types of luxury flavors come exclusively from the extra time and attention they receive. For example, a humble grape is not considered to be a luxury commodity on its own. However, when grapes are purposefully grown in an exclusive location, fermented using only highly regulated methods, and aged for a minimum of 15 months, champagne is created. Another great example of a crafted luxury flavor can be found in Caciocavallo Podolico cheese. Not only does the raw cream need to come from a specific breed of Alpine cattle, but it must also be processed within 24 hours and aged for 6 years to acquire a complex flavor profile that is often described as resembling aromatic herbs, such as wild fennel, licorice and myrtle3. Crafted luxury flavors can be notoriously difficult to incorporate into food and beverage products due to their complexity. Cooking, fermenting, aging, roasting, etc. produce a wide spectrum of components that contribute to the finished flavor of a crafted dish. It often takes extensive analysis and precision that would be hard to achieve if an expertly formulated extract or flavor is not used. We’re here to help! A few of our favorite crafted luxury flavor application include:
- Champagne Gelato
- Caciocavallo Podolico Fondue Sauce
- Foie Gras Flavored Vegetable Broth
- Aceto Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressing
- Crème Brulee Cream Cheese Frosting
References
2. https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/news/global-specialty-food-ingredients-market
3. https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/italian-delicacies-caciocavallo-podolico-cheese
