Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/102355
buyers' picks TRENDING FLAVORS Coconut, beer, ginger, fennel and earthy taste notes are among trends creating a buzz with retailers across BY NICOLE POTENZA DENIS the country. Tonda Gagliardo, Top Shelf Gourmet, Sisters Bay, WI Flavors that showcase earthy, raw notes are trending, as are cherry and fenugreek, a seed native to Holland with a butterscotchy taste, as seen in cheese. Ginger and pomegranate are still strong. Picks include: • CountryOvensDoor • HonestTea CountyChocolate PomegranateRed CoveredCherries TeawithGojiBerry t olland'sFamily H t ombuchaWonder K MariekeFoenegreek DrinkAsianPear& Gouda Ginger • TapuatKombucha Marnie Crawford, Grapes & Gourmet, Jamestown, RI Cranberry, fennel, ginger and maple are flavors customers are gravitating toward when making a purchase. Some products are: • LarkFineFoodsBurntSugar andFennelShortbread • LesleyStoweCranberry HazelnutRaincoastCrisps • Marcia'sCranberry Brittle u ountCabotDry M MapleSugar u azaGinger T ChocolateMexicano Derek Shaw, The Olive & Vine, Portland, OR Smoky and earthy flavors like mushroom are hot right now, especially as seen in sea salt. Deep olive flavors are trending with locally made olive oils, and fennel and mint are popular with vinegars that are made to sip. My picks: • Olive&VineSmokedSeaSalt; • OregonOliveMillArbequinaExtraVirginOliveOil • Olive&VineWildPorciniMushroomFlavoredSeaSalt; • SageandSeaFarmsFennelSippingVinegar Nicole Potenza Denis is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine. MORE FLAVOR AND MENU TRENDS, P. 18 10 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): HEY BOO; MARIA SAN ANDRES, TAZA; RONI-SUE; KOMBUCHA; MARIEKE Tina Heath-Schuttenburg, Todd English Food Hall, New York, NY Not-so-sweet coconut, salted flavors and bourbon-barrel aged items are driving sales. Beer is an unusual but approachable twist that is taking off as well. My picks: • BlisBourbonBarrelAged FishSauce • ExquisiteHandmadeCakes ChocolateFruitCakewith IlkleyBrewerystoutbeer • FirstPrizePiesinToastedCoconutCream • NunuChocolatesHandDippedSaltCaramels u Roni-SueBeerCaramelPretzelNuggets Raph Mogannam, Bi-Rite Market, San Francisco, CA One flavor trend that stands out is coconut. Here are some products that are doing well for us: • DangCoconutChips • HarmlessHarvestRawCoconutWater p HeyBooCoconutJam q OchoCandyCompanyCoconutBar