28 Oct 2024
Which comforting flavour profiles will consumers be drawn to as the temperatures are slowly getting colder? We’ve lined up the top 5 candidates, from classic caramel apple to the return of the pumpkin spice hype.
It’s safe to say that the demand for indulgent, seasonal flavours continues to grow in 2024. But that doesn’t mean you have to immediately start experimenting on a grand scale. Scientific research shows that consumers get more nostalgic in cold temperatures. So it’s no wonder they often opt for the seasonal flavours they know and love.
According to our in-depth always-on Taste Tomorrow analyses of online consumer behavior and conversations, these are the 5 top flavours for autumn and winter this year:
1. Warm drinks such as coffee, tea and chai
Nothing screams ‘it’s cold outside’ more than a cup of hot cocoa or vanilla chai latte. Consumers love a warming beverage that offers comfort and solace on a fall or winter day. No wonder we are seeing ever more seasonal chocolate, pastry and bakery product releases that use warm beverage flavours. Whether it’s elegant earl grey macarons, espresso brownies or rooibos-infused chocolate truffles. This trend resembles the viral hype of sweet treats inspired by alcoholic drinks. That one popped up this summer through our always-on research of online consumer behavior.
We’ve already spotted Mocha Latte Pretzels at Trader Joe's: crunchy salty pretzels with ground coffee beans that are dipped in chocolate. Exclusive chocolate bar brand Raaka released a limited edition Dirty Chai Latte bar that tastes like a chai latte with a shot of espresso. These flavours could work year-round, so they’re interesting for large-scale food producers too.
2. Cranberry orange
While most fruits and vegetables can be found in supermarkets year-round, fresh cranberries are still available only in the autumn months. That makes consumers connect the tangy berry very strongly to the start of the cold season. We see consumer conversations around cranberries start to grow at the end of September with a peak in December.
A very popular flavour combination right now is cranberry with orange, because the sweetness of the citrus fruit balances out the tartness of the cranberry. Both fruits also fall under the tangy twist trend, which was a top 3 most discussed trends among consumers in 2024, meaning there were a lot of social posts and online searches around sour, tart and tangy flavours. Citrus was the second most popular flavour in this category after lemon. Cranberry ranked seventh.
For this year’s festive collection, Traditional shortbread bakery Walkers has expanded its festive collection with two products in this flavour this year: Cranberry & Clementine Shortbread and Cranberry & Clementine Mince Pies.
3. Caramel apple
‘Caramel Apple Is Coming for Pumpkin Spice’, food blog The Kitchn wrote last year. In 2024, the advance only continues. The combination of sweet caramel and tart apples is a delightful reminiscent of past fall festivals for North American consumers, making it a nostalgic flavour. In other markets, people simply appreciate the fresh combination of two flavours they already know and love, making it a sure bet.
The flavour isn’t just used for chocolates, cookies and snack bars, but also popcorn, yogurts, fudge and even drinks. Starbucks, for instance, included the Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai and the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato in its fall menu, which use an apple and brown sugar flavour combination. Want to give this fall favorite a try yourself? According to our consumer interest data, the most popular options are caramel apple cheesecake, caramel apple cinnamon rolls and caramel apple pie, for foodservice, caramel apple trifle would be a winner too.
4. Pumpkin spice
Consumers’ interest in the warming mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves starts to peak each year at the end of August, lasting until Thanksgiving. Pumpkin spice has been huge for several years and has been used in every product imaginable, from beers to chewing gum and even non-food products such as deodorant.
In 2023, the flavor was a bit less prominent, but in 2024, it's back with a bang. Pumpkin spice fits perfectly within the swicy trend, so a lot of pumpkin spice products now include some extra ginger or maybe even chili spice. And, of course, the spice mix is again applied to the widest range of products, such as the pumpkin spice english muffins from Thomas’.
5. Cool and refreshing mint
In some parts of the world, such as Sweden and the US, the ultimate festive season treat is the peppermint candy cane. But the cool and refreshing mint flavour has also become a popular option for other sweet treats, such as peppermint bark, mint Oreos or chocolate-peppermint cheesecake. Perhaps it’s because the menthol in peppermint causes a cooling sensation that feels like winter? Ahead of the holiday season, Cadbury already announced it will re-release its Dairy Milk Winter Mint Crisp chocolate bar to capitalise on this cool trend.
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