Page 6 - Food Trends

Home baking continues to heat up, with 2020 baking ingredient sales totaling $26.5 billion, and shows like “The Great British Baking Show” are topping everyone’s watch list (Prepared Foods). Inspired by baking shows, or simply more time at home, consumers want to up their baking game. So much so, they’re purchasing baking kits from some major players like cupcake bakery, Sprinkles, and celebrity baker Duff Goldman (Bake Magazine). But kitting shouldn’t be reserved for major chains. Baking kits are a terrific (and easy) way to get creative with your bulk candy assortment and increase sales post holidays, or any time of year.

No expert baker on staff? No problem! It doesn’t take much to transform cupcakes from plain Jane to social media sensation. See our fun suggestions to get those creative juices ‘doughing’.

The votes are in — chocolate has been crowned America’s leading confection. While we don’t see its fan following fizzling out anytime soon, the best way for chocolate to maintain its position in confectionery royalty, and you to keep racking up the chocolate sales, is by keeping it fresh (in more ways than one). The best way to keep it fresh — incorporating the latest trending flavors and ingredients.

The saying ‘will work for peanuts,’ may have started as a negative, but these stats on Americans’ love of peanuts might have you changing your tune. We’d be ok being paid in peanuts – but ONLY on September 13 – National Peanut Day!

There’s no denying that chocolate is an everyday consumer favorite, with sales totaling $21.9B in 2020, according to the National Confectioners Association. But did you know that until the 1800s, chocolate was an extravagance only experienced by the elite? Though expense was a factor, chocolate wasn’t available to the masses because it was labor-intensive to process the beans and create the final product. Mass manufacturing helped bring our favorite confection to the world.

With Labor Day upon us (September 6 this year) we are honoring the innovators who put in all the hard work to make chocolate manufacturing what it is today. Read our timeline of major chocolate manufacturing milestones and count the familiar names.

The love baking and baking ingredients received in 2020 was beyond measure. Total sales reached $26.5 billion in 2020, a 24% increase from 2019, according to Baking Business. Expect that number to continue to rise and get beat by 2025, based on predictions by FoodNavigator-USA.com. 45% of consumers call themselves avid bakers, baking at least 1-2 times a month (FoodNavigator-USA.com). Whipping in some new baking supplies could be the secret ingredient to a rise in some serious

2020 was the year of chocolate, with sales reaching record highs. Up there with chocolate, was wine, both making national supermarket chain Kroger’s list of top purchased items for 2020. For 2021, expect to see these trends continue. Also sticking around for 2021 according to PopSugar, is the at-home foodie, with home cooking and tasting kits providing culinary entertainment in a box. Good things come in pairs. Now’s the time to pair customers’ love of chocolate and their zeal for wine with their inner foodie. Introduce them to chocolate pairings.

Chocolate and food pairings elevate chocolate from everyday snacking to a gourmet experience. Perfect for customers looking for a new way to entertain at home. Great for you as it creates the perfect upsell opportunity.

When it comes to pairs go beyond the typical peanuts and caramel. We asked our chocolate experts to help guide us to view chocolate and food pairings with a fresh pair of eyes. Here are some