Let me start off by saying that I don’t like mushrooms. It’s a sore point in my marriage, but then again my husband doesn’t like pickles so we all have our flaws (perhaps we need the help of Reggie, the Marriage Saver). Nonetheless, I recently mentioned mushrooms in a series of radio interviews about the future of candy, and mushrooms may feature more prominently than you might imagine.
Susan S. told you that we had some media folks in the office a couple of weeks ago to talk about trends in chocolate and confectionery. We actually had two reasons to assemble this group of folks. The first was that we came back from the ALL CANDY EXPO with lots of information about what is happening in confectionery RIGHT NOW. The second reason is that we just completed a big survey to find out what’s going to happen with candy and chocolate in the next three to five years.
Before we had the media folks in, I participated in about 25 radio interviews around the country to talk about the future of candy. Here’s what I had to say:
Yup. You heard me. Chocolate and mushroom. I’ll probably pass on that one, but I love chocolate and cheese AND chocolate and bacon. My love for salt and chocolate is well documented on the blog here and here and even on the Author’s Page. I’m mildly obsessed.
But chocolate is only part of the story. Flavors are going to have a major impact on every level of the confectionery industry. The reporters who came to the luncheon sampled Chili Spiced Mango from Trader Joe’s and then sampled the new Chili Mango Jelly Belly. They tried dried, candied ginger and then sampled Naughty Ginger, a ginger and lemon lollipop from Das Foods. If you think these flavors seem to have an international influence, you’re right. That’s another major trend coming down the pike.
Experts overwhelmingly agreed that products with a focus on health would be the driving force in product innovation in the years ahead. That means we can look for more super fruits in our candy flavors, more calorie and portion control packaging, less sugar, lower calories and the addition of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C and calcium.
What do you think the future of candy holds? Is bacon a trend, or a fad? What about salt? How about in the health arena? What would you like to see candy makers do more 0f?
Yesterday we invited Washington, DC area food and lifestyle reporters to see our new Georgetown offices, share a meal with us and exchange information about trends in candy, chocolate, cocoa and gum.
There was much conversation around our community table. The chocolate and cocoa related conversation went like this:
- Top rated entree of the day: Cocoa, rosemary and soy marinated tenderloin of beef. This dish was proof that cocoa is a welcome addition to the entire dinner table, not just dessert.
- Chocolate is America’s favorite flavor (vanilla is #2) with Americans relatively evenly split between a love for dark or milk chocolate.
- Sweet and savory combinations are mighty fine. We sampled bacon, brie and chipotle filled truffles–one of each.
- Interested pairings are making their mark, such as chili, lavender, sesame, green tea infused chocolates.
- Chocolate and cocoa are international foods. Cocoa was celebrated by the ancient Mayans over 2000 years ago. Cocoa trees are grown in small communities in very hot humid climates near the Equator in West Africa, Asia and Latin America. Chocolate or cocoa are immensely popular in the Americas, nearly all European countries and there is growing interest in Asia where green tea and chocolate are popular combinations.
- Cocoa trees are delicate, requiring the loving care of the farm families who tend them. They are susceptible to pests and diseases and need careful pruning and constant attention to ensure a healthy tree. Most cocoa farm families grow other crops, such as hardwood trees, bananas, other fruits, cassava and plaintain to provide shade for the cocoa trees as well as a year round income for the families, since there are only two cocoa harvests a year.
- Definitive research shows that cocoa butter, the natural fat in the cocoa bean, does not raise blood cholesterol levels in the body. (Cocoa beans, by the way, are a fruit and grow inside pods shaped like footballs from the trunks of cocoa trees.)
- Chocolate, in particular dark chocolate, and cocoa contain flavanols, a type of antioxidant which can affect good cardiovascular health.
- Our experts predict that additional research will show a positive effect on blood pressure and mood (we don’t really need the experts to tell us chocolate makes us happy!).
- The antioxidant properties of the cocoa bean make it a beneficial addition to many skin and beauty care products such as lotion, anti-aging creams, soaps and shampoos.
We had a great time and hope our guests did, too. We hope some of you will be able to join us at our table in the future. In the meantime we know that really, almost everyone is a chocolate expert. What chocolate trends are you willing to predict?
Cherry. Grape. Strawberry. Orange.
Popcorn. Chili. Salt!
Sure, most candy manufacturers stick to the tried and true flavors that consumers love when it comes to launching new items … but every once in a while you find a flavor that really knocks your socks off.
Want to know what manufacturers have in mind when it comes to new flavors and fusions to wow the public? So did we. That’s why we assembled a group of industry experts to give us some insight.
Here are some topline findings about flavors from the 2009 Industry Trend Report.
Turns out, our taste buds are tingling for bold new experiences and internationally inspired flavors when it comes to chocolate, candy and gum.
Flavor Fusions
Chocolate and candy are taking on bold new flavor combinations and exotic twists. In fact, 75 percent of experts said chocolate will provide the most surprising flavor combinations.
- Chocolate and cocoa will pop up more frequently as a key ingredient in main courses alongside salmon, chicken and steak; especially in fine dining experiences, as reported by 78 percent of experts.
- Flavor infusions that combine chocolate and spices, salts, herbs and floral flavors will spice things up, according to 43 percent of insiders.
- Mango, watermelon, cinnamon and wintergreen were among specific ‘surprising’ confectionery flavors called out by experts.
- Sweet and savory duos like chocolate and bacon, chocolate and cheese and even sweet and salty combos will be popular in stores and on menus.
Going Global
International influences are spicing up the global confectionery market and shaping U.S. flavor development.
- 38 percent of experts said international spices and ethnic flavors will have a large influence on new U.S. products.
- Asian and Latin flavors will have the largest influence on U.S. confections, according to experts.
Out-of-the-Box Flavor Innovation
As classic candies remain tried and true favorites overall, a maturing American palate is trending toward twists, turns and more innovative flavor creations.
- More than one-third of experts said limited edition candies will prevail because they provide experimentation with new flavors of classic favorites, such as introducing dark chocolate versions of classic milk chocolate candies and experimenting with flavor fillings.
- Intense flavors will play a large role in the development of kid’s candies from uniquely sweet to super sour, commented 23 percent of experts.
Just this morning I tried a maple bacon flavored lollipop (it’s called Man Bait and is made by Das Foods) and a chili pecan salted caramel from the same company (and you know how much I love salted caramels!). Those two candies alone hit on several hot trends – Latin influence, smokey, sweet / salty.
Weigh in … what do you think of the trends above? Will they take off? What cool new flavors or flavor combinations have you tried recently?
(ALSO - did you notice that I said I sampled the candies THIS MORNING? That’s right – savory candy is the new breakfast of champions!)
Last week three colleagues and I excitedly boarded the train for New York to attend the 11th annual Chocolate Show. Just like NCA’s ALL CANDY EXPO it’s a good place to learn about trends—in this case chocolate trends. But, unlike the ALL CANDY EXPO which is high profile trade event open to those in the industry, the Chocolate Show is open to the public to see and taste and buy all the chocolate they want. A little funkiness was on exhibit, including the Barry Callebaut booth, where a chocolate chef sculpted Barack Obama’s face in chocolate and the annual designer dresses made from chocolate. This year’s theme was superhero comic book characters including Storm, Poison Ivy, Bat Girl, Wonder Woman and an unusual entry – Ironman, who needless to say, was not wearing a designer dress.
The best part of the show, though, is the chance to sample new flavor, shapes and taste combinations. There was Pig Candy, for instance, which, yes, consisted of bacon covered with chocolate. In fact savory and chocolate combinations were back for the 2nd year in a row with salty crackers, potato chips and nuts laden with milk and dark chocolate ubiquitous throughout the show. Lilly Belle offered wonderful blue smokey cheese truffles and fresh pear and chocolate combinations. Jacques Torres, who also sculpted a bodybuilder superhero complete with mammoth chocolate dumbbells, provided samples of his famous chocolate chip cookies. Jacques says the secret to a good chocolate chip cookie is to let the dough refrigerate for at least 24 hours before baking. If Jacques says it, it must be true.
Beautiful dainty chocolates were on display, too. I bought a two piece box of Virginie Duroc-Danner Chocolates with one piece a hand-painted chocolate butterfly. Romanicos Chocolate offered tiny heavenly 22-calorie cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles for those of us who pretend to have delicate appetites.
