Staying ahead of the latest trends is a top priority for Corbion. The company continually assesses the latest insights, working together with its customers to direct the right resources at the challenges and opportunities that make the greatest impact.
“Making the conscious choice to let customer needs — rather than our current technological capabilities — guide our business also helps ensure that our investments line up with our customers’ priorities,” says Ashley Robertson, market manager, bakery.
Here are some of the top trends the Corbion team sees impacting the marketplace—Convenience, Experience More, Health and Wellness and Culinary Remix.
Convenience — With today’s on-the-go lifestyles, Americans are increasingly reaching for snacks to satisfy their hunger cravings between meals. A few areas Corbion sees an opportunity to capitalize on the convenience trend include:
- Featuring fuller and richer tastes, Mediterranean spices, and sweet and savory flavors
- Spicing up meals with tasteful minis and convenient on-the-go pastries
- Convenient products that help expose consumers to indulgent, authentic and ethnic varieties, such as snacks featuring global flavors
Experience More — Growing demand for premiumization, indulgence and artisan products as well as new advancements in foodservice technology have contributed to a growing desire among consumers to experience more. This is a macro trend with increased emphasis on experiences over possessions, and it’s 100% emotional. As consumers continue to crave globally inspired flavors and premium products, Corbion recommends the following ways to capitalize on this trend by:
- Get back to the basics through simple, handcrafted or artisan ingredients
- Incorporate worldly flavors, such as focaccia, ciabatta, grain, Dutch crunch and bolillo breads
- Use premium packaging to elevate products
- Promote transparency by highlighting locally sourced ingredients
Health and Wellness — Consumers have become increasingly health-conscious over the years, seeking “better-for-you” products that meet their busy lifestyles and give them reason to indulge. With this in mind, there are numerous ways for bakery manufacturers to capitalize on this growing trend including:
- Creating better-for-you and bite-size options, such as artisan products or mini muffins
- Incorporating nutrient-dense inclusions like fruits, nuts and seeds, as well as familiar ingredients like apple sauce, rolled oats, peanut butter and whole grains
- Experimenting with “healthy” flavor combinations, such as zucchini/dark chocolate, banana nut/blueberry, orange zest/cranberry, or bacon/cheese
Culinary Remix — In the U.S., new ethnic flavors are emerging as rising stars in the fresh bread category. Ethnic foods give bakers the inspiration to formulate products that go beyond traditional or expected formats to provide consumers with unique experiences. In particular, the following strategies appear promising when it comes to capitalizing on the culinary remix trend
- Creating vibrant and exciting baked goods made with authentic ingredients, such as Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes and Italian pinwheels
- Offering unique — and sometimes unexpected — sensory experiences or flavor combinations, such as ham and cheese sandwiches made on Maui onion sweet rolls, matcha cupcakes or chocolate-churro cupcakes
- Incorporating global flavors, such as chilis, herbs, mint, limes, berries and floral flavors
- Spicing up applications with sriracha, peppers and chili varieties
