"You've probably been seeing some of these
options already. There is the Del Monte
Pinkglow Pineapple, which is specifically bred
to have an eye-catching pink color, and the
grapes that taste like cotton candy. One you
may have seen come up a lot on social media
is the Blue Java banana which has a striking
blue color and tastes like vanilla ice cream."
—Mike Kostyo, resident trendologist and senior
managing editor at Datassential, on 10 flavors to watch
"I've been coming to the Fancy Food Show
for years and had always hoped my team
could win a sofi Award. So we couldn't be
more proud to represent Regal King Salmon
and it's so thrilling to be part of history."
—Constance Wolfe, director of retail for Regal New
Zealand King Salmon, on Regal Double Manuka
Wood Roasted Salmon being named the first-ever
sofi New Product of the Year Award winner
"They are nimble and quick to make strategy
changes and decisions that accommodate
what's happening in the consumer landscape
and big brands can learn a lot from that. I
think their biggest challenge—and this will
never change—is they get outspent by the big
brands in some areas. But the idea of being
first in on something like Instacart advertising,
which is effective and affordable, or being first
in on launching your brand on Seller Central
can give you an advantage that big brands
can't get no matter how much they spend."
—Betsy McGinn, CEO of McGinn eComm, on
the ecommerce strengths of small brands
"Turn on the TV, read the paper, listen to a
podcast, talk to people. This is everywhere, and
I'm glad that it is. It's overdue by 200 years."
—Scott Crawford, chief marketing officer, FreshDirect,
on his advice for a retailer who hasn't been paying
attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion
"I expect we will have some overindulging
and extra celebration this year. But that's
not to say the economy will spring back
for everyone. There's been a real loss in
economic advancement, so there will still
be people minding their budgets. Affordable
indulgences, like products made with
black truffle, or nut items, will be big."
—SFA Trendspotter Kara Nielsen, director, food & drink,
WGSN, on what to expect for the 2021 holiday season
"Foodservice is being completely redefined as
it opens back up. Takeout and delivery may
level off, but they are permanent changes in
how foodservice operates and they may need
their own location. Ghost kitchens, shared
kitchens, commissaries are key ways foodservice
will change and may also be a way for new
restaurants to have lower startup costs."
—David Lockwood, former consulting director at Mintel
and co-principal writer and researcher for SFA's State
of the Industry report, on the outlook for foodservice
Members of the trade discussed sales trends, up-and-coming flavors,
and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts during May's Specialty Food LIVE!
educational sessions. Following are snippets from the sessions and the
sofi Product of the Year Award ceremony.
You can download videos of
Specialty Food LIVE! sessions as well
as find other educational resources
at learning.specialtyfood.com.
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industry voices
