Sonic Condiments
Reese’s has launched a new version of their Big Cup laced with pieces of potato chips. The Big Cups come in either a single 1.3oz or 2.6 oz size (or by the case). Currently available by via Hershey’s website, the potato chip stuffed Big Cups are slowly being seen in the wild.
Tex-Mex fast-food chain Del Taco is quietly testing a new Taki-themed menu. The items include a Taki-topped burger, Taki’s grilled chicken burrito, Loaded Takis (a nacho-like concoction of Takis covered in seasoned meat, sauce and cheese) and a Taki Roller (basically the Loaded Takis with added ranch dressing rolled in a flour tortilla). Currently the Takis-themed menu is only available in Bakersfield, California.
Classic mall food court fast-food chain Hot Dog on a Stick has launched a new menu item in partnership with Cheetos. The new Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Sticks consists of any of the stores’ batter coated hot dogs (beef, turkey, etc.) drizzled with Chipotle Aioli and heavily sprinkled with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Canadian-US actor Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on Netflix’s Stranger Things, is launching TBH (To Be Honest), a line of vegan, sustainable cocoa-hazelnut spreads that he feels will be a more responsible alternative to traditional spreads on the market. The brand has yet to launch, but will an online exclusive come November 1.
So What? I saw the new Dune movie last weekend. Overall, I greatly enjoyed it, it was visually magnificent, totally engrossing and faithful to the source material. However, while most reviews were positive, I wasn’t surprised to see some that said it was ‘sanded to dullness’ or ‘plodding.’ I say that because, even with all of its technical brilliance, it felt like a movie from a different era, slow to build and not interested in maintaining a steady drumbeat of explosions or fight scenes a ’la Michael Bay. It actually felt like the original Star Wars (sorry, Episode IV), with long stretches of character-building and exposition.
The issue is that all of us have been reconditioned over the last 20 years to expect non-stop action in all our media: TV, film, books, social media and even food. All our food today has been cranked up to increase the stimulation and maintain our attention. Burgers, chips, bars and cereals have been slathered and sprinkled on every crevice to make sure we have a taste experience in every bite. Now that every meat has been marinated, basted, seasoned and sauced, we must move to a whole new sense to increase the experience. Hence the arrival of, what I’m calling, sonic condiments, the next level of food experiences.
Honestly, we are just at the beginning of this type of interplay of the senses. I can see brands tweaking the juxtaposition of crunchiness and smoothness, amplifying the taste as you chew, or mixing crispy and crunchy with other textures. However, I also know that every trend has an anti-trend. The ‘louder’ our food gets (both figuratively and literally) the more some consumers will search for ‘quiet.’ Perhaps that’s the real allure of natural and organic, but maybe there are more silent products to come. I look at TBH above, with its almost generic label and handful of plain ingredients and wonder if it’s the oasis for consumers looking to avoid the cacophony of food.
Temperature State as a Sustainability Lever?
Italian company Zhero has launched infused ice cubes, specifically designed for enjoying with alcoholic drinks. The cubes, which come ambient, are a mix of spring water, herbs and fruit essence. Varieties include Med Twist (with Rosemary and Mint), Spice Scent (Ginger), Forest Notes (Raspberry & Elderberry), and Citrus Zest (Lemon & Lime). The cubes are free of sugar and calories.
Farther Farms is a potato processing company trying to disrupt business as usual. While most French fry producers slice, blanch, quick freeze and ship their product frozen, Farther Farms sees that as a waste of energy. Instead, they have developed technology (supercritical CO2) that allows for their fries to be shipped and stored at room temperature until fried as normal.
Food tech company Brave Robot (aka Perfect Day) has launched Climate Hero Super Hero Cake mix. The animal-free mix (only available in yellow cake) contains your typical combination of wheat flour, baking powder, starches, gums and flavorings. However, the company emphasizes the ‘magical’ quality of their animal-free dried milk protein powder (the same milk protein, produced via fermentation, in their vegan ice creams) that is used to replace eggs. The mix comes in a compostable bag and requires users to add water and oil. Currently available via the company’s website.
So What? If you are in the food industry, you are well aware that the temperature state in which a product is purchased or stored does not always equate to the temperature state of manufacturing or shipping. Quite a few products are produced in ambient factories, shipped at room temperature than displayed refrigerated (e.g., salad dressings, many refrigerated snack bars, etc.). Whereas other products are shipped refrigerated or frozen and then displayed either at room temperature or refrigerated. For example, apples and peaches are often chilled in storage and shipping but stacked in the produce section; meat, poultry and shrimp are shipped frozen and thawed for display.
Most of these temperature switches are driven somewhat by practicality (e.g., fruit transported of at room temp could spoil), but much of it is done to control perception. Consumers intuitively see chilled salad dressings and bars as ‘fresher’ than their ambient cousins three aisles over. Whereas chilled fruit or frozen poultry conjures up feelings in consumers’ minds of unscrupulous manufacturers and retailers utilizing technology to pawn off old product.
However, what if temperature state is on the cusp of being a sustainability lever? Chilled storage and refrigerated display takes energy—lots of energy. What if a company starts talking about how they’ve developed all-natural technology that avoids refrigeration and, in turn, helps the planet? Suddenly, refrigerated ‘freshness’ would become a liability versus an asset?
The reason I think this could become a viable benefit for brands is because it’s a win-win on both sides. Consumers actually want ambient products—they are more convenient and practical—as long as you can remove the stigma of over-processing. On the other side, manufacturers don’t want to pay the extra slotting fees for chilled display and would love to maintain longer shelf life.
Could ‘center store’ soon become the greener option?
The Sweetening of Health
Health and Beauty brand Sourse announced this week that actress Sarah Hyland would be their new co-founder. The company also announced a complete rebrand and design. The brand makes a series of ‘bites’ composed of vitamin-infused chocolates. ‘Glow Bites’ contain collagen for smooth skin, ‘Hype Bites’ have B12 for energy, ‘Mood Bites’ have saffron and vitamin D, and ‘Beauty Bites’ have biotin for stronger nails and hair.
Leone Chocolates, a Slovenian-based company, introduced Al!ve Chocolate Drops at Anuga last week. The drops contain fiber, enhanced protein, vitamins, minerals and (in the case of the Energy variety) guarana. The drops also are made with reduced sugar. Varieties include Peanut Drops, Nutty Drops (with hazelnut) and Energy Drops (orange-flavored).
FLO, a supplement brand that produces gummies meant to help ease the effects of PMS, announced this week the formation of oPositiv, a new parent company meant to house the company’s verticals Gogo (prebiotic fiber gummies) and GTFO (immunity gummies). All products are available on the company’s newly redesigned digital storefront.
Cosmetic company Hair Gain has announced the arrival of a new supplement gummy that reportedly contains natural ingredients clinically proven to strengthen and support hair growth. The fat-free, gluten free gummies contain the cosmetic ingredient AnaGain, derived from pea shoots.
So What? Only the need for brevity made me stop listing products above. The shear amount of new supplement gummies, candies, drops, and bonbons is staggering. What’s driving it and where is it going?
The most obvious cause of this trend is that these new forms just… aren’t pills. Supplements used to live in a quasi-medicinal status, outwardly looking pharmaceutical to provide a sense of clinical trust while trying not to draw attention to their “non-FDA claims.” However, I believe supplement companies finally realized that pretending to be pills wasn’t actually a good thing. Because of their association with illness or disease, few people want to take tablets and capsules. Taking pills every morning, especially as we get older, reminds us of our weaknesses and our mortality. Changing form psychologically puts these products in a new light.
However, the part I find the most intriguing is that most of these supplements are based on sweets—gummies, candies, and chocolates. Here we have historical precedent. Sugar has been associated with medicine since the 11th century. Even well into the 20th century, pharmacies used a lot of sugar to counteract the bitter taste of medicine, often inventing ways to wrap medicine in sweet coatings. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that many of today’s candies were invented in pharmacies (especially sprinkles—aka nonpareils, aka hundreds and thousands) or that the most iconic sodas (e.g., Coca-Cola) were created by pharmacists.
However, that still doesn’t explain today’s trend. Personally, I believe the reason we are seeing supplements in these forms is emotional. Ibuprofen takes care of a headache fast, and its effectiveness is backed up with past use. However, many of these supplements are promising more nebulous results that might not pay off for months (e.g., hair growth) or even years (e.g., immunity). Instead, in the absence of immediete results, their sweet, candy-like flavor and consistency gives us an emotional boost and reward, a positive feedback loop that keeps us coming back.
It is extremely likely that this supplementation of candy/chocolate is only just beginning. In fact, I fully expect major confectionery manufacturers to jump into the arena soon. As wellness continues to be a major issue for consumers and sugar is demonized, companies like Mars, Hershey, and Mondelez must see their path forward as leveraging their candy-making strengths for new benefits (and higher margins).
Sweet meets Savory
UK-based Doughlicious (The London Dough Company), is launching a ready-to-bake line of Savoury Biscuits, “a cross between an American biscuit and a British scone.” The product will be available via Ocado in four varieties: black pepper & miso; charcoal, jalapeño; chilli & cumin; sundried tomato & oregano.
Earlier this year, the Pizza Cupcake founders appeared on Shark Tank and impressed Lori Greiner enough to secure a $125,000 investment, 12.5% equity and 2.5% advisory shares. This week, the Brooklyn-based company announced that they were launching their product (only the pepperoni version for now) in Wegman’s. The ready-to-bake pizza snack is available in a box of 6 for $9.99.
So What? For most of the last hundred years, the line between sweet and savory was clearly demarcated in US cuisine. There were some regional anomalies (e.g., eating cheddar with apple pie) but overall American were vehemently opposed to crossing these boundaries. In fact, I remember, just 15 years ago, how shocked people were with ‘salted caramel’ and ‘sweet and salty;’ it was novel, exotic and revolutionary. Today, that initial sweet and savory crossing has generated an culinary awakening. Now, mixing miso paste (the fermented, salty soy-based Japanese paste) into sweet cake is featured on the front page of the NYT Cooking section, and the Kardashians have made an olive oil and rosemary cake Instagram famous.
Perhaps then, its just a natural progression, that we’d start seeing savory items masquerading as sweet products like those above. Overall, I can see this trend continuing for a few reasons:
1. Language and mental model: American consumers have an encyclopedic knowledge of sweet pastry names, but much less so for savory. Calling something a ‘pizza cupcake’ is more telegraphic than calling it a panzerotto (a traditional Italian turnover filled with ‘pizza toppings’). Plus, ‘cupcake’ or ‘cookie’ summon a mental model of how the product will look (i.e., size and shape) and how it will eat (crisp, pockets of intense flavor, gooey topping, etc.).
2. Comfort Level: Making cookies or cake at home, especially from a mix or chilled dough, is second nature to most consumers. However, savory baked goods are more intimidating. Tell a guest you made the chocolate chip cookies, and they won’t even pause, but tell them you made crackers and you’re suddenly seen as a culinary genius. Couching savory in terms of sweet could be a good way to increase the comfort level with savory baking at home.
3. Sugar Avoidance: I believe the introduction of savory flavors into sweet foods or sweet forms might be increasing because people are avoiding sugar. Savory adds flavor without the need for sugar.
4. Rise of International Cuisine: Americans might be new to the savory+sweet combination, but its not unusual in other cultures. As the US is exposed to new cuisines, this line between sweet and savory will continue to blur.
Brands I’m Watching
Swedish protein alternative company Oumph! has created a unique offering in time for Halloween: a plant-based burger that tastes like human flesh. Made from a mix of soy, mushrooms, and plant-based fats, the burger will be available for one night only.
Tropicana is giving away free tubes of their own branded toothpaste to Instagram followers that comment about their OJ on the platform. Unlike normal toothpaste, the Tropicana toothpaste is made without the ingredient (sodium laurel sulfate) that makes it difficult to enjoy orange juice after brushing. The brand has no plans to actually sell the toothpaste.
So What? Even though its gross and pushes up against a cultural taboo that spans humanity, the Oumph! product is a good idea. Not only will it get the brand buzz (I’m talking about it, in the US!) but more importantly, it emphasizes an underlying message that reinforces the brand: plant-based meat can take on the flavor of any animal.
Contrast that with Tropicana’s idea. Yes, it’s as equally fun as the Oumph! product, but its underlying message negates the use of the product. Its a campaign that all but says ‘remember, this is why you shouldn’t buy OJ.’
I’m all for fun campaigns, but even creative giveaways need to be pulling on the same end of the rope as the rest of your brand’s positioning. In the very least, it shouldn’t remind people of your category’s shortcomings.
Fast-food company Subway announced last week that they were partnering with low carb bread startup Hero Labs to produce 1-carb bread for the chain. According to the company, the breads have 12-grams of protein, 26 grams of fiber, 100 calories and no sugar for each 6-inch loaf. Hero is a food tech company which has already raised $30 million to “reinvent the global bread and baked goods industry.” Investors include several strategic venture capital firms, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures, artist The Weeknd, and multi-platinum artist Lil Baby.
So What? Subway is back! After hitting rock bottom a few years ago, the company has internally innovated, pushing a new digital infrastructure, menu upgrades and ad campaigns. Sales in August were their highest since 2013, and 2021 sales are expected to beat analyst expectations by $1B+. Now you add in this new low carb bread, and we may be seeing a total turnaround. Subway might be able to reclaim and renegotiate ‘healthy’ for a new consumer (although I’m a little worried about a bread with 26 grams of fiber per serving!).