Tracking Trends at the Summer Fancy Food Show in NYC
During the opening day of the Specialty Food Association’s bustling Summer Fancy Food Show, at New York City’s Javits Center, Progressive Grocer met with the following food companies that are tapping into category and overall specialty food industry trends to bring their products to life.
Product: Kanzen Meal in Fettucine Alfredo, Spaghetti Bolognese and Shrimp Teriyaki varieties
Parent Company: Nissin Foods
Trends: Nutrient density, health and wellness, protein, fiber, low/no sugar, emotional well-being, comfort food, global flavors, restaurant quality
Availability: West Coast independents and Harris Teeter in the Southeast, with plans for full national distribution over the next year
Quotes from Kanzen Meal CEO Robert Little:
“We actually partnered with Michelin star chefs to make sure that we got the flavor right first and then [we made sure] that the macro- and micronutrient profile is meeting the RDA for all 27 essential vitamins and minerals in one dish. … The idea behind Kanzen Meal is that there’s no trade-offs.”
“We honed in on the frozen food category because we noticed that there was a need in terms of people’s satisfaction with the current options that were available. And also, of course, [the] convenience in frozen food.”
“We’re taking a look at all of the trends and … menus that are popping up in restaurants that aren’t actually hitting the frozen meal category. And then, of course, we’re getting feedback, obviously, from consumers in our focus group, and also [from] retail, because they’re coming to us and saying, ‘We‘d like to see more of this.’ Spices are a huge trend, so you’ll see some of our products add a little bit more of a spice element. All of those things are definitely coming into play, and we‘re monitoring these trends on a daily basis.”
“We’re being very purposeful in using the term ’comfort food for well-being.’ ... I mean, if you’re just eating for the sake of survival, then that’s not well-being. ... So when we say ’comfort’ or ’well-being,’ we meet it in a very holistic way.”
“Everybody's focused on protein. Ten grams of fiber is going to make you feel satiated and also help with gut health. Zero grams added sugar are a very activating thing that consumers are looking for.”
Products: Burlap & Barrel Ground Heirloom Mexican Chiles, Elevated Essentials spice blends (coming soon)
Company: Burlap & Barrel
Trends: Single-origin products, clean ingredients, spiciness, cooking at home, restaurant quality
Availability: Burlap & Barrel’s website, specialty and regional retailers across the United States
Quotes from Burlap & Barrel co-founder and CO-CEO Ori Zohar:
“We started the business doing kind of unique ingredients that that you might have not found in your grocery store. … We’re now seeing that people are wanting the center of the aisle. They want the really popular things, [but from] a better source, [with] clean ingredients.”
“When the economy’s really strong, our sales go up because people are kind of splurging on better ingredients; when the economy’s weak, our sales go up because people are wanting to find shortcuts for restaurant-quality cooking. And so, we’ve been seeing a lot more people coming to us for that.”
“I think people are used to seeing spices as this kind of commodity product. Cinnamon is cinnamon, turmeric is turmeric, no further questions. … We’ve also heard people talking about spices as using them for color only, and that’s wild to us. … What we really try to do is draw people into our world and where these spices come from and what makes them so special and why these are going to be their secret ingredient in their kitchens.”
“What we’re finding is that at retail stores that let us have a full set of spices, sales for the whole set go up.”
Product: Rubyglow Pineapple; Hot Pot, Shabu Shabu and Pickle Kits
Companies: Melissa’s/World Variety Produce Inc. and Del Monte
Trends: Luxury products, gifting, global flavors, unique varieties
Availability: Select regional grocers and online specialty retailers
Quotes from Melissa’s/World Variety Produce Director of Public Relations Robert S. Schueller:
“The $395 [Rubyglow Pineapple], we’re the only ones that distribute. It’s grown by Del Monte. We introduced them last year, It’s not only [our] newest, but also [our] rarest fruit – we only get about 50 or 60 of them every season.”
“Mango, even though it’s the number No. 2 fruit in all of the world, here in the United States, [it’s] actually becoming more popular, and that’s been a fruit that not every American knows about, but now they’re learning a lot more. … Mangoes are found pretty much in every single store now. I mean, six, seven years ago, mangoes were more ethnic-type produce than where they are today, and the thing is, we went from like four or five different mango varieties 10 years ago [to] 12 or 15 new varieties.”
“The uniqueness of a product [makes] it stand out, the flavor profiles. We utilize not only media, but [also] social media and getting the word out there in regards to how they look [and taste] different. … Some are more attractive if you’re single versus if you have a family, so we’re also seeing this miniaturization of fruits and vegetables to accommodate family size.”
“The newest line to Melissa’s is these 13 items, what we called Organic Snacks, [which] includes nuts, trail mixes, dry fruits, but the thing is, they’re all organic. … And then another cool thing that we now do is our dessert syrups in partnership with Fabbri. Out of Italy, they're a 105-year-old desserts, confections and syrups maker. You usually find these right next to our crepes, which are right next to the berries, all the produce section.”
Regarding Melissa’s recently introduced hot pot, shabu shabu and pickle-making kits: “A lot of the things that we’re doing at foodservice trickle down to us at produce.”
Product: Growee Garlic Eggplant Dip
Company: Growee Foods
Trends: Global flavors, clean ingredients, no seed oils, spiciness, health and wellness
Availability: Rolling out at Whole Foods Market in the Northeast, Fresh Thyme Market
Quotes from Growee Foods founder Aman Blana:
“What we’re bringing out is more global flavors, and that has been a trend that’s been across the board in our category. We’re … making a product that is truly globally inspired.”
“I feel that [making a healthier product] has almost become now a baseline. … Our products are allergy friendly to start with, and we didn’t really have to do a lot of maneuvering in that. This was inspired by [our] Indian roots. And in India, usually, vegetables, that’s the base, and you just spice them, and you don’t use dairy, you don’t use nuts, that stuff to thicken it or kind of manipulate [it] into something that is not vegan or vegetarian. So that’s the exact same method we use here: Just the whole lot of good vegetables with a whole lot of good spices.”
“We’re taking a little bit more of a Gen Z course [in packaging], like bringing out really strikingly neon and bright colors, not beige or white, and calling out those flavor profiles, even more than the product names themselves.”
“We want to make sure that the [retail] partners we have are supported well, the customers are liking the product, and we’re selling it at a really good price point so that we can replace that weekly purchase of salsa.”
Products: The Republic of Tea All Day Earl Grey collection; Regenerative Organic Certified teas, including the first-ever 100% regenerative organic certified iced tea to come to market; S’mores tea; Tablespoon Matcha concentrate; Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale collaboration
Company: The Republic of Tea
Trends: Traceability, sustainability, health and wellness, functionality, recyclable packaging
Availability: Rolling out on The Republic of Tea website and at retail
Quotes from The Republic of Tea Inc. Minister of Evolution Todd Rubin:
“People are looking for a sense of calm, and so tea can provide that, especially herbal teas. I think a lot of people are switching to herbal to cut back [on] caffeine.”
“With our packaging, it’s really important to convey that premium-level quality, which inside it’s the same with our premium teas and herbs and all of our ingredients. … We have 36 or 50 tea bags inside a tin. … Also, our tea tins are giftable. We have great seasonal flavors for gifting. And then with our packaging, since it’s stainless steel, you can recycle the tin or because of the attractiveness of the package, you could reuse the tin. We encourage our citizens or customers to use it on your desk as a pencil holder, or you could put a plant a succulent in it.”
Product: SaladSprinkles in Chili Crisp, Classic Herb and Maple Sea Salt flavors
Company: SaladSprinkles
Trends: Crunchiness, restaurant flavors, versatility, heat, swiciness, clean ingredients
Availability: SaladSprinkles’ website and about 30 independent retailers
Quotes from SaladSprinkles co-founders Blakely Bar Lev and Jordan Wannemacher:
Bar Lev: “The product actually was born in a trend. … We were noticing that crunchy toppings were all over salads at our favorite restaurants in New York City. I wanted to make that at home, and when I couldn’t find anything available in retail, that’s when I said, ‘You know what? I think we would be on to something; we could make this ourselves.’”
Bar Lev: “I think that makes our product really unique is the different ways that people can use it. It’s not just one type of thing. It’s great on salads, but it’s [also] great on pasta, veggies – even desserts. Also, our flavors are great and very versatile, and we find that people love to try all three. It is excellent because people are really liking a little bit of heat right now.”
Wannemacher: “I’m a graphic designer, a book designer, so I know a lot about how to get somebody to grab something off a shelf. I was really insistent on the metallic label and having a really big name, since we are a new product. We have such a great descriptive name. I wanted it to have a big mockup and tell you exactly what it is and get that shine on a shelf where when you’re in the crouton aisle or in the crunchy toppings [section], a lot of the packaging is kind of bland. So we wanted something that was really unique and stood out. And we also really wanted to have this specific type of shaker, which is different than a lot of toppers that are in bags. We wanted to have the actual sprinkle motion, [so you could] leave it on the table with your salt and pepper.”
Product: Coro Premium Salami in such flavors as Molé, Lemongrass and Orange Cardamon
Company: Coro Foods
Trends: Disruption, global flavors, clean ingredients, protein
Availability: Available in the Pacific Northwest and at Fresh Thyme Market in the Midwest, with expansion to the Southeast at Publix Super Markets in September
Quotes from Coro Foods Head of Sales Sherri Sparaga:
“Charcuterie right now is cool, but all the brands in it all look the same. They all taste the same. They’re [in] boring packaging. And you’re hearing a lot about industry recalls and all kinds of things. So that’s what we’re seeing in the industry, which is why we created this. This is a woman’s cake on charcuterie, and we really want to flip the charcuterie industry on its head. It’s more of an old-school industry, and what we’re hoping to do is basically revitalize it with a product that tastes good.”
“When people see the [packaging] colors and they see the modern look of it, right away, it grabs people’s eye on the shelf. …The packaging is getting [consumers] in, but the taste is what’s getting them to come back.”
Product: Säti Soda, Säti CBD Soda and Säti Slim energy drink
Company: Säti Soda
Trends: Functionality, emotional well-being, low/no sugar, organic, clean ingredients
Availability: Nationwide, but especially in the Rocky Mountain West region
Quotes from Säti Soda CEO David McLaughlin:
“We’re using organic monk fruit, and just a little bit of it, so that our organic Slim energy drink tastes good without being [too] sweet, because monk fruit can be really sweet. If you used a little too much of it, it’s gonna be sweeter than sugar. … And we put green coffee beans, lion’s mane and vitamin C in our drink. And, of course, not many drinks are organic, so we’re proud to be one of the only certified-organic sugar-free energy drinks in the market.”
“The sleek can has become more and more popular, the 12-ounce sleek. We like 12 ounces because it’s more of a single serving, right? Sixteen ounces sometimes just tends to be a little much … for a lot of people. So the sleek can, I think, is really, it’s kind of the future. And then we wanted to make it in a way where it’s got a clean look, so people within a few seconds can be like, ‘Oh, OK, I see it’s got lion’s mane, I see it’s got the callout.’ You can see how much caffeine’s in it. You can see zero sugar. It’s certified organic. And then, of course, we wanted to make that [information] noticeable with all our different SKUs, [with a unified] brand identity across all of the products.”
