Most wonderful time of the year: Limited editions, charcuterie boards and consumer spending craze rock festivities
21 Dec 2022 --- As advent calendars show that we are edging closer to Christmas, F&B brands unveil what trends are adorning this year´s gatherings. FoodIngredientsFirst examines some of the latest offerings businesses are bringing to the holiday tables this year.
Limited editions, charcuterie boards and more conscious foods are just some of the trends making the season merrier for increasingly demanding customers.
Limited edition star shines
Limited edition foods and beverages drive the need of customers to evade some of the hardships they have endured in a politically and economically turbulent year.
These offerings are an excellent opportunity for consumers to try unique products of their favorite brands.
Champagne sales bubbled this year.According to Innova Market Insights data released this month, one in four respondents globally says that seasonal or limited edition flavors influence their food and beverage choices. The market researcher highlights that Christmas NPD, in particular, saw a 14% CAGR this year.
Europe led as the top region accounting for the highest percentage of Christmas-themed F&B launches at 65%, followed by North America (13%), Latin America (11%) and Asia (6%).
The market researcher also unveiled as its eighth trend, “Revenge Spending,” how consumers are urged to spend money now, even in strained economic times – and in part to make up for opportunities lost during the pandemic. With shoppers seeking these experiences from time to time, they opt for saving money on regular days.
Consumers are looking to indulge in enjoyable experiences. Mood-lifting and intriguing sensations are being prioritized with interesting collaborations and limited editions, giving new life to old favorites.
Furthermore, high-end products like luxury champagne are increasingly difficult to come across as companies run out of stock in what some in the sector are calling “the roaring 20s.” At the same time, caviar businesses are having a banner year.
However, customer pockets are running dry and driving other trends, such as 29% of buyers choosing to cut down on meat.
“As we look to Christmas, the main challenge for marketing is finding a strategy that includes everyone – plant-based diners, flexitarians and meat eaters. It’s largely for this reason that we encourage audiences to eat more plants rather than encourage them not to eat any animal protein at all – small changes are better than none, and that’s an attitude we want to encourage all year round,” Morten Toft Bech, founder and CEO of alt-meat producer Meatless Farm, told FoodIngredientsFirst.
Uptick in seasonal spending
In the spirit of inclusivity, Purdys Chocolatier has launched a chocolate gift set with braille inscribed on the box.
In the past five years, there has been a 15% growth (Global CAGR, 2017 H2- 2022 H1) in launches of Festive NPDs for the holiday period. In the past year (2021 H2-2022 H1), most launches were Cakes (20%), Chocolate Pieces (17%) and Sweet Biscuits/Cookies (15%). Moreover, the most popular flavors of products launched with Christmas limited edition claims (2021 H2-2022 H1) were Milk Chocolate (22%), Hazelnut (13%), Almond (12%) and Orange (10%), according to Innova Market Insights.
“As we inch closer to the year and consumer anticipation of cost-of-living concern mounts, we have noticed an uptick in consumer holiday shopping. Since Thanksgiving in the US and closer to the upcoming holidays across the globe, consumer spending patterns have relaxed (after a few years under the pandemic trauma) with a noticeable increase in the purchase of holiday goods and experiential food and beverage purchases,“ Soumya Nair, global Consumer Research and Insights Director at Kerry, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.
“Besides the desire for indulgent new experiences, comfort continues to be a dominant driver of food and beverage choices. While safety was a key need in the beginning months of the pandemic, this holiday season signals the revival of an older comfort dimension - comfort in nostalgia and celebrations.”
Charcuterie Mania, food hacking
Tiktok and Instagram are often attributed to the rise of “board parties.” However, these grazing boards are a hot commodity this year – with grazing boards ranging from the all-time favorite cheese boards to butter boards, cream cheese boards, dessert boards, houmous/hummus boards, fried chicken boards, cocktail boards and Halloween-themed (what some dub as char-BOO-terie) boards to name a few.
Nair highlights some of the charcuterie dominance in social media:
- “Butter board” search words have had over 8.6 million TikTok views.
- Bring a board trend has exploded since its quieter beginnings last year, reaching full viral status this year.
- #Boardparty has over 1,000 posts just this month alone in TikTok.
Aldi, for example, in the UK, is selling a “Specially Selected Ultimate Grazing Platter.” A selection of Spanish chorizo, Italian Milano salami, Gouda cheese, Iberico cheese triangles, red pesto dip, cheese and tomato breadsticks.
Proceeds of the sales of The Butterfly Cannon tequila go for the North American Monarch butterfly conservation.Another trend is food hacking. With an increasing number of consumers deferring to at-home cooking and bringing restaurant-level excitement back home, consumers are getting creative with their recipes and get a lot of inspiration from chefs, blogs, influencers and more – e.g., healthy coke, salmon nori bakes, copycat recipes, celebrity eggnog cookie, pasta hacks and more.
Conscious trends, international appeal and classics
While consumers revisit their contributions toward sustainability, smaller ripples are visible in their commitments to purchase purposefully, spending on conscious foods. A popular favorite is chocolate this season – with brands such as Latitude (good-conscious chocolate made in Uganda) and other products such as The Butterfly Cannon tequila (proceeds go to Butterfly conservation).
Meanwhile, Purdys Chocolatier has launched a chocolate gift set with braille inscribed on the box in the spirit of inclusivity. “This 18-piece gift box features Braille orientation tabs and a Braille chocolate legend, as joy should be accessible to as many people as possible,” reads the packaging.
The world is truly your oyster this holiday season as international holiday favorites travel overseas, giving consumers the opportunity to truly travel through their taste buds and experience authentic holiday favorites from around the globe.
For example, Target sells UK-based Marks and Spencer’s holiday treat boxes in the US, while Numi Tea World of Tea Collection (“Travel the World with Each Sip”) is available globally.
We also see a return to the classics this holiday and winter months. With a wave of Peppermint Mocha/Chocolate Peppermint launches, especially dominant in the US, as consumers seek comfort in familiar flavors and food and drinks.
“In a rapidly changing market with inflation impacting consumers’ spending power, LTOs need to drive menu exploration based on the latest consumer drivers while also being conscious of cost. Therefore, in 2023 we will see more classics with a twist instead of completely new creative solutions dominating LTO programs,” says Daniel Sjogren, VP of Europe foodservice at Kerry.
By Marc Cervera
