Dive Brief:
- The flavor of hot cocoa/chocolate is showing up in a number of limited-edition products for the holidays.
- Products that have hit the market include Hot Cocoa Chips Ahoy cookies, Hubba Bubba hot cocoa bubble gum, a hot chocolate-flavored Clif Bar, M&M’s hot chocolate-flavored candies, a hot cocoa variety of Nestle Toll House break-and-bake cookie dough, and Angie’s Boomchickapop hot cocoa marshmallow-flavored kettle corn.
- Hot cocoa as a holiday flavor reflects a larger product development trend where the line between food and beverage categories is blurred. Examples are products such as coffee-flavored yogurt and craft beer-inspired potato chips. Also driving the hot cocoa flavor trend is the increased use of dessert flavors in food and beverage applications.
Dive Insight:
Tina Rzeha, marketing associate, Beverage Flavors North America, at Sensient Flavors told Food Business News that the classic comfort of hot cocoa flavor could become as popular as pumpkin spice. The New York Post was more bold, with a headline that says Hot chocolate flavor is the new pumpkin spice.
Flavor trends do come and go, and identifying the next trend early can reap rewards for a food manufacturer. It's not only holiday flavor trends companies need to be aware of but also the ongoing ones such as the desire for bold, spicy flavors.