Top 2014 Specialty Food Trends Unveiled at Winter Fancy Food Show
January 1, 2018
The specialty food industry is once again leading the charge in new trends and flavors. A panel of trendspotters at the Winter Fancy Food Show named chocolate teas, seaweed chips and truffle ketchup as just a few of the products that are all part of a larger trend towards thoughtful indulgence. The trends were identified from a careful review of more than 1,350 specialty food producers who took part in the 39th Winter Fancy Food Show held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Exhibitors showed off the latest in artisanal cheeses, chocolates, vinegars, sauces, healthful foods and more. This year’s panel of trendspotters, comprised of top food media and personalities, carefully explored the show’s thousands of products to determine the most promising trends of the coming year for this $86 billion industry. “These trends capture the creativity of specialty food producers, and the care they put into crafting exciting taste experiences, whether they are reinventing familiar products with unexpected flavors or opening an audience to lesser-known ingredients," said Denise Purcell, senior director of content for the Specialty Food Association, and one of this year's trendspotters. Here are the trends: Sriracha's Homecoming
The Jam Stand, Not Just Peachy, Sriracha Jam
Hope Foods, Hope Hummus Organic Sriracha Hummus
Simply Sprouted Way Better Snacks, Simply Spicy Sriracha Tortilla Chips
The Popcorn Factory, Lite Works Popcorn! Sriracha
Crunch Time
Vintage Italia, Pasta Chips, New Brands on the Shelf
Simply 7, Quinoa Chips
Simply Sprouted Way Better Snacks, Pitaaah Chips
479?Popcorn, Toasted Sesame Seaweed Popcorn
Rhythm Superfoods, Super Food Chips
Low-Sugar Sips
Califia Farms, Pure Unsweetened Almond Milk
Xumma, Xumma Semi Sweet Cola, New Brands on the Shelf
Bruce Cost Ginger Ale, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale “66”
Numi Organic Tea, Indulgent Tea, Chocolate Earl Grey
Big Tree Farms, Coco Hydro
Commit to Mint
Torn Ranch, Dark Chocolate Mint Mélange
Silk Road Soda, Cucumber with Mint, New Brands on the Shelf
GoodPop All-Natural Frozen Pops, Hibiscus Mint
Seely Mint, Mint Patties
Victoria’s Kitchen, Mint & Licorice Almond Water
Condiments Dressed Up
Victoria Amory, Fine Herbs Mayonnaise
Stonewall Kitchen, Truffle Ketchup
Fischer & Wieser, Salted Caramel Mustard Sauce
Amoretti, Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil infused with Kalamata Olives
Lillie’s Q Barbeque Sauces & Rubs, Ivory
In addition to Denise Purcell, this year’s panel of trendspotters included Ashley Koff, RD, founder of The AKA List; Nancy Hopkins, Better Homes and Gardens; Kara Nielsen, food and beverage consumer strategist; Joanne Weir, host of PBS’s “Joanne Weir’s Cooking Confidence”; and Jerry James Stone, blogger at Cooking Stoned. The Specialty Food Association will be hosting a Foodie Chat with some of the trendspotters on January 27 from 8-9:30 PM EST that can be followed along via the #foodiechats hashtag.