Last year we saw flavor trends of Nostalgia. There was lots of co-branding through old-time favorites like candy flavors, breakfast cereals, and childhood memories like campfire s’mores. This year, nostalgia and co-branding prevailed with new twists on “look-alike” flavors and licensed co-branding deals. We saw flavors that remind us of our childhood, or confirm that we’ve never grown up. After many years of moms reminding us to drink leftover cereal milk, we’re seeing cereal flavored protein products.

Tropical and exotic fruits have long been used to “spice up” product lines. And the blending of two different flavors to create a unique taste is also a staple of product development. So it was probably inevitable that these two flavor trends would ultimately connect. This “cross-cultural” blending can be seen in several examples such as “Dragonfruit White Tea” and “Limoncello Lychee.” Add into the equation any of the new international ingredient trends such as kombucha, matcha, açaí, et al. You can see the myriad of possibilities with cross cultural flavor experiences. Industry leaders think about ways these new trendy ingredients pair with interesting flavor systems to create unique customer experiences.

We had such a great experience at Supply Side West, 2018 and we are looking forward to utilizing the knowledge we gained to help our clients achieve their goals in all things flavors.