Celebrate the Season with Fabulous Fall Flavors

It’s finally fall – and we’re dreaming of jack-o’-lanterns, flannel shirts, spooky movies, fluttering leaves in vibrant shades of gold and red . . . Have you noticed wherever your mind drifts, it will often end up in the flavors and aromas of the season’s favorite foods. After all, what’s autumn without the juicy tartness of an apple, the nutty-sweet taste of pumpkin, or all those warm, welcoming spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg? This season, let’s build on those traditional temptations with some delightfully unexpected flavors. We’ll work with you to explore fall flavor possibilities and bring them alive for your customers, in food formulations bursting with autumn spirit!

Top Fashions in Fall Flavors

For most of your consumers, fall isn’t just a season or a fashion– it’s a lifestyle. While they enjoy embracing all their favorite seasonal signifiers, food often plays the starring role. With summer’s sweltering days in the rearview mirror, they are ready to indulge in warm drinks, hearty dishes, creamy soups, and aromatic stews infused with the flavors they’ve been missing all year long. We know your chefs are always on the lookout for innovative ideas, and exploring unique possibilities to add flavors and colors to customers’ lives. Well, this is the season to reap the rewards! So, let’s savor a bountiful harvest as we integrate it into your menu, retail products, or meal kits.

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice

This ubiquitous fall flavor has been finding its way into products both classic and new– but it always tastes delicious and offers the chance for a mix ‘n’ match surprise! Datassential suggests that while this trendy flavor may have reached its peak a few years ago, it doesn’t mean it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Consumers just keep loving the flavor’s familiar fall warmth, especially when it’s combined with sweet treats or hot drinks like coffee. It’s the nostalgia of pumpkin and fall that makes them an inseparable combination. One of our favorites is our very own sweet-savory Pumpkin Spice Glaze – the little touch of ginger and nutmeg makes it a true blend of seasonal flavors. Pair it with scones or drizzle it on a classic vanilla cake. Pro tip: Enhance pumpkin’s flavor with cloves – adding a dash of cinnamon will also do the trick!

Keep in mind, pumpkin doesn’t always need to be sweet – it can be spicy, too. Explore delicious new fall-forward possibilities by using its flavor in savory dishes: think pumpkin soups, pumpkin-filled pasta, or roasted pumpkin tossed into salads and bowls, with a surprising sprinkle of chili flakes or ground black pepper. While pumpkin spice may be plateauing, savory pumpkin continues to intrigue and delight consumers with sophisticated palates. Already have some ideas to try this season? Reach out to us now, and we’ll help realize your food vision.

Colorful Creations

Gorgeous foods look great on the plate and on your Insta timeline. With the temperature starting to drop, consumers crave hearty dishes like stews, braised meats, and roasted vegetables, and are also equally appealing to eyes. We can certainly help you here! Our sauces, dips, dressings, and marinades not only make your foods tastier – remember, the first taste is with the eyes – our sauces, dips and dressings can deliver brighter, more attractive colors. So, be inspired by autumn’s brilliant color palette in your new offerings for fall. For example, think beyond the mellow orange of pumpkin, and add rich crimson cranberries. They’re vibrant, tart, and always bursting with flavor. Apply a berry glaze, like our exquisite Mixed Berries Glaze, to up your presentation game of your succulent baked ham. Or choose a classic Cranberry Sauce to complement both sweet and savory dishes for your special Thanksgiving menu. You could serve it alongside sage-and-turkey meatballs or a slice of your luscious cheesecake – with berries at a harvest celebration, you can’t go wrong!

Apple is another autumn classic but there’s another fall fruit following suit, and that’s the blood orange. A flavor that has grown by 18% on menus over the last four years, blood orange is sure to make its appearance this fall and winter. It brings a bright freshness to any food. For example, introduce a seasonal special like Blood Orange Cake, infused with that tangy red grapefruit flavor with hints of tart cherries and raspberries. Ideas we love: a citrus, fennel, and avocado salad tossed with Blood Orange Dressing, or how about adding bite-sized Chocolate and Blood Orange tarts to the menu? Surprising, maybe – irresistible, for sure. And we have so many more possibilities to explore!

Bring Seasonal Flair to Year-Round Offerings

How can you create a special seasonal experience, yet keep continuity on your menu or private-label products? Familiarity is always good strategy, and we help make it easy to elevate your regular featured menu items with seasonal flavors. (“Easy” is key: limited-time offers can be tricky to execute, especially if you’re short on staff.)

We’re thinking of a fan-favorite BBQ pulled pork sandwich made more fun with sweet-tart Apple Cider BBQ Sauce, or darker and more delectable with Apple Cider Espresso BBQ Sauce, or richer and more indulgent with Apple Butter BBQ Sauce. Our unique range of sauces and dips can help you create an almost limitless array of delicious combinations – familiar, intriguing, even downright provocative. You might consider adding more exotic menu items to encourage consumers to experience the harvest-time dishes of cultures outside their own.

Playing with Premium Ingredients

Although many consumers enjoy trying limited-time offerings, they aren’t always willing to pay extra for them. According to Datassential, 55 percent of consumers would be more likely to buy a limited-time offer that features a nostalgic flavor or item, only 25% of them would pay more for it. Nearly half of consumers, however, would pay extra for a limited-time offer that uses premium ingredients.

So, to help increase your revenue, consider exploring ingredients known for their superior quality and taste. For example, our Apple Brandy Caramel Sauce might accompany an already-popular chocolate torte. (The smooth, elegant spirit adds a surprisingly rich flavor!) Or you could top your pecan pastry with our Cinnamon-Maple Sauce or Sticky Maple-Butter Glaze that uses premium maple syrup. Who doesn’t love a premium and indulging food experience!

When you’re ready to add some compelling fall flavors to your menu, contact our passionate team of adventurous foodies. Let us help you expand your creative boundaries and find your next flavor destination. Our talented food scientists can balance all kinds of food ideas – comforting, complex, nostalgic, trendy, exotic, you name it! – creating flavors for every moment and mood. From collaboration to customization to the creation of your perfect product, we’ll be there for you every step – and every season – of the way.

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