Outside might be gray, but 2022’s food trend forecast is sunflower, floral, and citrus, with a chance of teatime. We combed through this year’s predictions and identified the top food trends you need to follow now.

Design Easter Baskets That Truly Hop

Spring may not have sprung yet, but retailers are springing into action to market their Easter candy selection. And with good reason – the National Retail Federation reported that 89% of Americans’ planned Easter purchases were candy in 2021 – the highest of all categories. And where is that candy going you might ask? Simple — in Easter baskets. 66% of parents make their kids Easter baskets, with 60% of those parents even sending baskets to their kids who don’t live at home (Insider). In the age of social media, simply throwing things in a basket isn’t going to cut it. Get a jump (or hop) on the competition – educate customers on how to make their Easter basket presentation a slam dunk.

We polled our design egg-sperts for their top tips to take baskets from so-so to egg-ceptional!

• Level up with Different levels – Get their eyes jumping around like peter cotton tail — place items at different

Streaming services have changed how we consume movies— and movie theater snacks! Streaming is bringing the whole theater experience home, including the beloved concession munchies. Popcorn is still the star of the show, with market research firm Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) reporting the ready-to-eat popcorn/caramel corn category grew 8.7 percent, with total sales of $1.6 billion in the 52 weeks ending May 16, 2021 (Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery). Popcorn offers consumers a blank canvas to experiment with flavors. Time to roll out the red carpet and add some popcorn A-listers to your selection.

Let’s get poppin’ and get to the kernel of who the latest “it” popcorns are at the moment.

It’s a new year! Time to take stock of your stock! Whether you’re new to the game, or been in the food business for some time, the slow down after the post holiday rush is a great time to evaluate your inventory and plan for the new year.

New year also means new you! Time to expand, or brush up on your purchasing knowledge. We polled our buying experts for their top purchasing tips and tricks sure to make your candy selection the best on the block.

We all joke that since chocolate is made from plants, it’s salad which = not indulgent, but did you know that for a long time chocolate was touted and as medicine? While we don’t recommend tearing through your medicine chest and switching out everything for chocolate bars, little bits of trivia like this could be the remedy to attracting new customers during the slower months post holidays.

Everyone loves feeling like they’re “in the know,” having knowledge about something their friends and family do not. That’s why trivia nights and trivia apps are so popular! Knowing fun, obscure facts about chocolate not only positions your business the fun place to be, but you and your staff as knowledgeable in the products you sell. As part of your marketing activities, consider posing a weekly trivia question that visitors can answer in store, or via email in hopes of winning a discount on a product or, a free sample of a product you’re trying to promote. OR for something simpler, incorporate

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’.