by Antonio Evans on 06/30/10 at 10:43 am
A Must in the Culinary World
The 2010 Summer Fancy Food Show ended yesterday. It lasted three days was huge, overwhelming and exhausting (2,500 exhibitors, 81 countries represented and 24,000 attendees).
Some stuff was fancy, others…not so much. This is a must attend show for restaurateurs and specialty store owners. The show was lots of fun and showcased the usual big companies along with lots of entrepeneurs and delicious products.
It’s always exciting to see innovations in the food world, sure those tried and true companies are always there (D’Artagnan with their amazing mushroom bar, De Cecco with all their Italian goodies) but there are always a few things that truly impress even the most jaded palates.
These were some trends that our staff note of at the show and expect to see much of in the year to come. We’re looking forward to attending the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco and seeing which trends stand the test of time.
1. Pre-Made Cocktails:
It’s all about parties at FFS. People may not have the know how on making cocktails or they may not have all the ingredients needed when entertaining. We saw various companies taking advantage of these opportunities. Companies such as The Modern Cocktail (who was launching on the first day of the show) saw the growth potential of pre-made cocktails. Stirrings, a more established company has taken a great chunk of the market with their rimmers and pre-made cocktails in clean snappy packaging, which is driven towards the young female demographic. We are certain to see more growth in this section of the market.
2. Female Focused Packaging:
It is said that women make most of the purchasing decisions in the home, the companies at the Fancy Food Show have taken notice. Companies such as Bissingers Chocolates have made sure that their packaging is appealing to women offering specialty items such as this shoe-shaped chocolate box. Other companies packaged their dips in boxes topped with flowers, there were shoe shaped cocktail boxes and even rose nectar packaged in a perfume-like bottle. This product definitely brought the Nuvo bottle to mind and reinforced the idea that there is money to be made when marketing to the female demographic.
3. Greek Yogurt:
We’ve all seen the growth of Greek Yogurt explode over the past few years. In 2009 it was a $4.1 million dollar market and we expect to see those numbers rise. Companies such as Fage and Chobani are reaping the rewards of the health craze that has hit the US. This product’s versatility (skip the sour cream in tacos, make some healthy tzatziki, it can even be used in frosting) has no doubt contributed to growth of 76% in this category over the past year. We will no doubt see the expansion into “Greek-style yogurt” made in other countries growing rapidly as well.
4. Dispensers:
We kept seeing companies bringing spray flavors to the market. Some were simple salts that when sprayed would diffuse the salt all over the product you were about to eat. Others were pestos and spices. We saw various non-drip honey dispensers (I’ll be looking for these) and even sprayable basters. These products looked to solve every day cooking problems and went about them in pretty innovative ways. We’re glad to see this trend and look forward to more problem solving from these companies. We’re sure they will be profitable in the U.S. market.
5. Cakes
It was all about cake at the Fancy Food Show this year. I’m sure it has much to do with Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss. The cake craze is on so you better get ready for it.
Companies like Ticings created edible icing sheets that were easy to use and made with the best materials. Iron Chef provided a complete cake kit which includes fondant and decor. Fondarific provided flavored and colored fondants. The amount of cake companies at this year’s show was outstanding.
6. Black Garlic
There is always a new health trend at the Fancy Food Show; this year it was Black Garlic. This product was touted for its health benefits. Basically, it is garlic fermented at high temperatures which turns it black. Black garlic is said to be high in antioxidants and it is said that it can prolong life.
Expect to start seeing this soon, it is already being used by some highly regarded chefs in the US and we’re sure to start seeing it in supermarket shelves.
7. Corn, Pop Corn and Pop Corn Accessories
Fancy pop corn was king at the Fancy Food show. 479° Popcorn served up organic pop corn in flavors like black truffle with white cheddar. Shakedown spice provides pop corn spices that can be used in marinating meats and chicken as well; two flavors are available: original and southwest ranch. Magic corn provides to go sweet corn, we can see this product being sold at county fairs, on the beach and by people looking for a quick boost of energy. Looks like corn reigns supreme as one of the most consumed products in the US. We’re glad these companies utilize the product the way it was meant to be.
8. Exotic Health Foods:
We’ve already discussed black garlic. Here are two more: Moringa is a plant said to contain 500 beneficial biochemical activities and much higher levels of antioxidants and vitamins than most fruits and vegetables (100 grams of Moringa leaf have 10 times the vitamin A of carrots, 2 times the vitamin C in oranges, 9 times the protein in spinach and much more). While not quite a trend yet, we expect to see much more of this. Moroheya, an Egyptian plant is higher in most nutrients than spinach, carrots and broccoli and is being used to make noodles that taste just like Ramen. This could revolutionize college diets.
9. Enhanced Beverages:
The enhanced beverage category has not slowed down…well in some cases you could say it has. Slow Cow does a very different thing than most enhanced drinks. Their product enhances relaxation and claims to improve concentration without drowsiness. Snow produces “natural” soda enhanced with vitamins. Metroelectro crafts “micronutrient” enhanced water that includes electrolytes, antioxidants and zinc geared towards the active demographic. It includes flavors such as metromint for those who like a little extra flavor in their bottled water.
10. Indian Flavors:
Indian flavors were a big hit at the Fancy Food Show. Purveyors have realized that although Indian culture and foods are quite popular around metropolitan areas, people outside of the big cities who are interested in this type of cuisine have a hard time finding most of the ingredients needed to create such flavors. Mohini brings pre mixed spices to create the most popular Indian sauces and flavors created with family derived recipes. Spicy Nothings brings pre-made curries that taste just like homemade.
Other Trends:
Salt: smoked, flavored, pink, black, red, in large rock sizing, in flakes, all salt you can imagine.
Bacon: bacon salt, chocolate, lip balm, pretty much everything bacon
Italian: Not necessarily a trend, but Italy dominated the show with representation around every corner.
Click here to see some highlights from the show.
Related Posts
- 2010 Fancy Food Show: Fondarific
- 2010 Fancy Food Show: Tony Cachere’s Tur-duc-hen
- 2010 Fancy Food Show: Calypso Rum Cake
- 2010 Fancy Food Show: Sweet Works
- 2010 Fancy Food Show: Cosijins Chocolate Sushi
