Page 4 - Gourmet Snacks

Organic has made its way from a must for produce to a growing must for chocolate. Predictions have the organic chocolate market totaling $1.39 billion by 2028 (Candy Industry). The positive upswing stems from customers wanting to indulge while still striving towards a healthy lifestyle (Candy Industry). While Supermarkets and hypermarkets may be where customers are reporting purchasing organic chocolate, all retailers can benefit from adding organic chocolates to their selection (Candy Industry).

Want to know the brands that will get the oohs and aahs? Here are some of our favorites.

Snacking has officially transitioned from an in between meal pick-me-up to the new meal for many US snackers. Over the past year, 35% of Americans said they were snacking more often, with 70% of Millennials preferring snacks over meals, according to Food Dive. The increasing popularity of snacks will continue into next year, but customers don’t want any old snack — they demand unique experiences. Snacks offer a great opportunity to experiment with flavor because of their smaller portion sizes, according to natural flavor manufacturer, FONA. Sounds like it’s time to spice up your snack selection.

The flavors tantalizing customers’ taste buds now.

In a nutshell (or sometimes not in a nutshell), nuts are a customer favorite and a must for any food retailer. But is it better to buy bulk nuts or prepackaged? Though bulk might sound like you’ll have to purchase a huge quantity, believe it or “nut” buying nuts in bulk can actually cost less.

Read on as our experts outline the advantages of going bulk.

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 turned us all a little salty – or at least where snack cravings are concerned. Salty snacks sales were up 14% for the year according to Nielsen, with 58% of consumers snacking more than they were previously. So far for 2021, this new snack order is here to stay.

Customers want to be a-salted with that salty flavor, but at the same time are looking for something a little outside the snacking norm. In fact, 40% of younger consumers say they are more likely to try a snack option if it’s new, according to Progressive Grocer. You know what time it is – time to shake up your salty snack selection. Here’s how.

Looks like the days of short commutes from the bed to the computer and dressing for meetings only from the waist up might be numbered. Corporate giant Google just re-opened its offices to a limited amount of employees, with plans to have all employees back to the office by autumn, according to the New York Times. Other major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook are following suit, with planned Fall 2021 office returns, according to USA Today. While in some ways a return to the office will be “business as usual” there are some areas where the “new order” left by the pandemic will leave its mark – particularly in the break room.

Prior to 2020, free snacks had become a popular business perk, and one way smaller businesses could compete with the larger corporations for talent, according to The Balance Small Business. As no one wants mobs of hangry employees, we don’t see free office snacks going away anytime soon. But as major grocery chains are changing the look