When it comes to flavour innovation, the sky’s the limit. As tastes evolve, companies are experimenting with bold, unexpected combinations that move beyond traditional profiles.
That could be about pairing and layering flavours; or teaming up with other brands for unexpected collaborations. And the world’s your oyster: cultural inspiration (think yuzu from Asia or tamarind from Latin America) are increasingly appearing in mainstream products.
While flavour innovation is about creativity and thinking outside the box, there are some tried and tested rules that form the backbone for flavour development.
1. Flavour matters
Don’t make flavour an afterthought. Make it the centre of the brand and product.
That’s been seen time and time again across the beverage industry: and even more so today.
“The success of some of the biggest most successful functional drinks out there is built of flavour,” observes Alex Beckett, principle strategist, food and drink, at Mintel.
“Celsius, Moju, Poppi - without flavour appeal, these would have struggled to be habitual purchases. They went above and beyond with flavour and taste and that’s what keeps people coming back for more.”
2. Look at what’s trending
Mintel uses a social intelligence database, called Black Swan, to identify what’s hot right now - and what’s emerging as flavours of the future.
For example, in the UK, lemon basil has seen a huge increase on social media conversations. So has clementine, and blueberry puree.
Zesty ingredients and tropical continue to be firm favourites: but particularly when delivered in a refreshing, and not-to-sweet, form.
3. Think outside the box
Mintel’s data shows a surprisingly popular platform of flavour innovation is tea and coffee: and new launches have sprung up here over the past year?
Why? First is the popularity of RTD tea and coffee: which offers an additional platform to hot drinks.
But it’s also that there’s an inherent functional base: meaning that consumers are willing to try a new flavour, knowing they’ll still get the functional benefit even if they don’t like what they try.
The same goes for energy drinks: another platform of functionality where flavour can drive trial.
4. Match flavour with function
Many flavours and functionalities go hand in hand without us even thinking about it. Chamomile for sleep, or lavender for relaxation, have gone together for centuries.
But Mintel’s data shows just how important this is. In fact, 47% of UK soft drink consumers aged 16-34 associated spicy flavours with boosting energy.
Matching flavour with function is a key way to get the message across quickly on a crowded shelf.
5. Keep adventurous
From Pickle PepsiMax to Starbuck’s smoked butterscotch K-cups, there’s no shortage of flavour innovation out there. And keeping innovation fresh and exciting is key.
“A key demographic to look at with flavour is Gen Alpha, the kids, under 16 year olds,” says Beckett. “They’ve got the most adventurous taste buds in human history, without a doubt, from sour candies to the eclectic cuisines they have access to.”
“And they’ll expect innovation to react fast to global trends, super fast, from fashion, food gaming, whatever, in a riot of collaborations. It’s going to be great to watch.”
