Flavor Insight: S'mores By The Numbers
August 7, 2017
Ooey-gooey marshmallow, melty chocolate, and crunchy graham cracker unite in the classic campfire dessert: the s’more. It’s a treat where consumers’ taste for nostalgia thrives. Whether they’re made while gathered at a backyard fire pit or sipped in a s’mores martini at an upscale restaurant, s’mores flavor is on the rise.
Let’s see how the unique taste went from campfire staple to innovative dessert trend.
• On Pinterest we saw a plethora of s’mores pins. Many of the recipes focused on desserts like S’mOreo brownie bars, s’mores trifle, and a recipe for a s’more martini! Some other recipes focused more on breakfast like s’mores cinnamon rolls and doughnuts, and recipes for s’mores crepes.
• While scrolling Instagram we spotted s’mores featured in a variety of ways. Two highlights: @foodnessgracious’ s’mores slider recipe with marshmallow and chocolate baked between Hawaiian roll sliders and @dominiqueansel’s frozen smore creations from Dominique Ansel Bakery featuring Tahitian vanilla ice cream and crispy chocolate feuilletine covered in honey marshmallow.
• On Twitter there were a whopping 185,000 posts mentioning s’mores in the month of June. Some top words people mentioned in their s’mores tweets were “ice cream” “churros” “skillet” “cheesecake” and “cookie”. Top countries tweeting about s’mores were the US, Thailand, and the UK.
• When “s’more” is searched on Food.com there are 404 results. Recipes range from s’mores croissants, s’mores pizza, s’mores muffins, s’mores smoothies, s’mores bars, and more!
• An entire page in Food & Wine’s latest issue is dedicated to how to roast the perfect marshmallow a la Olmsted NYC, one of the magazine’s top 10 restaurants of the year. One nostalgic ingredient their customers say cannot be substituted? Hersey’s chocolate!
• In Rachel Ray Every Day people were asked how they preferred their toasted marshmallows: lightly browned or totally charred. The results: 60% totally charred.
• Bon Apetit’s June issue listed several restaurants offering gourmet s’mores like Austin’s Emmer & Rye featuring a bran cracker, orange marshmallow and chocolate ganache and Detroit’s Green Dot Stables s’more slider with marshmallow fluff and Nutella.
We’re seeing s’more menu items heating up with mentions nearly doubling; increasing from 20 mentions in 2015 Q2 to 38 mentioned in Q2 of 2016. From Q2 2010-2016 we spotted 78 menu mentions featuring s'mores. While mostly resting in the dessert and bakery segment, we’re spotting the flavor of s’mores moving into drinks and sauces to add an indulgent twist.
• Twisted Root Burger Co.: Toasted Marshmallow S’mores Custard Shake
• Sticky’s Finger Joint: S’mores French Fries
• Little Goat Diner: S’mores Cookies
• Andiamo:Campfire Martini
There were 169 new s'mores flavored products launched globally. Some products of note:
• Norway: S’mores Flavor Protein Bar
• Mexico: S’mores Premium Cupcake Mix
• UK: S’mores Cheesecake
• Egypt: S’mores Nut & Granola Mix
• Puerto Rico: S’mores Premium Frosting
There were 144 new s'mores flavored products launched in North America. Some products of note:
• Three Olives S’mores Vodka
• Project 7 Milk Chocolate Covered S’mores Gourmet Gummies
• Kroger Greek S’mores Non-Fat Yogurt
• Pillsbury Grands! S’mores Rolls with Marshmallow Icing
• CVS Pharmacy Peanut Butter S'mores Nutritional Shake
Click here for the FULL report!
Let FONA’s market insight and research experts translate these trends into product category ideas for your brand. They can help you with concept and flavor pipeline development, ideation, consumer studies and white space analysis to pinpoint opportunities in the market.
Our flavor and product development experts are also at your service to help meet the labeling and flavor profile needs for your products to capitalize on this consumer trend. We understand how to mesh the complexities of flavor with your brand development, technical requirements and regulatory needs to deliver a complete taste solution. From concept to manufacturing, we’re here every step of the way.
Sources: Food & Wine, Rachel Ray Every Day, Bon Apetit, Mintel GNPD, Mintel Menu Insights, Pinterest, Social Studio
Let’s see how the unique taste went from campfire staple to innovative dessert trend.
S’mores: Print & Social Media Highlights
With summer in full swing, we’re spotting tons of mentions of s’mores on social media. Here are some highlights.
• On Pinterest we saw a plethora of s’mores pins. Many of the recipes focused on desserts like S’mOreo brownie bars, s’mores trifle, and a recipe for a s’more martini! Some other recipes focused more on breakfast like s’mores cinnamon rolls and doughnuts, and recipes for s’mores crepes.
• While scrolling Instagram we spotted s’mores featured in a variety of ways. Two highlights: @foodnessgracious’ s’mores slider recipe with marshmallow and chocolate baked between Hawaiian roll sliders and @dominiqueansel’s frozen smore creations from Dominique Ansel Bakery featuring Tahitian vanilla ice cream and crispy chocolate feuilletine covered in honey marshmallow.
• On Twitter there were a whopping 185,000 posts mentioning s’mores in the month of June. Some top words people mentioned in their s’mores tweets were “ice cream” “churros” “skillet” “cheesecake” and “cookie”. Top countries tweeting about s’mores were the US, Thailand, and the UK.
• When “s’more” is searched on Food.com there are 404 results. Recipes range from s’mores croissants, s’mores pizza, s’mores muffins, s’mores smoothies, s’mores bars, and more!
We’re also spotting tons of s’mores related articles in print publications. Here are some of the highlights.
• An entire page in Food & Wine’s latest issue is dedicated to how to roast the perfect marshmallow a la Olmsted NYC, one of the magazine’s top 10 restaurants of the year. One nostalgic ingredient their customers say cannot be substituted? Hersey’s chocolate!
• In Rachel Ray Every Day people were asked how they preferred their toasted marshmallows: lightly browned or totally charred. The results: 60% totally charred.
• Bon Apetit’s June issue listed several restaurants offering gourmet s’mores like Austin’s Emmer & Rye featuring a bran cracker, orange marshmallow and chocolate ganache and Detroit’s Green Dot Stables s’more slider with marshmallow fluff and Nutella.
S'mores On the Menu
We’re seeing s’more menu items heating up with mentions nearly doubling; increasing from 20 mentions in 2015 Q2 to 38 mentioned in Q2 of 2016. From Q2 2010-2016 we spotted 78 menu mentions featuring s'mores. While mostly resting in the dessert and bakery segment, we’re spotting the flavor of s’mores moving into drinks and sauces to add an indulgent twist.
• Twisted Root Burger Co.: Toasted Marshmallow S’mores Custard Shake
• Sticky’s Finger Joint: S’mores French Fries
• Little Goat Diner: S’mores Cookies
• Andiamo:Campfire Martini
S’mores New Global Product Introductions
There were 169 new s'mores flavored products launched globally. Some products of note:
• Norway: S’mores Flavor Protein Bar
• Mexico: S’mores Premium Cupcake Mix
• UK: S’mores Cheesecake
• Egypt: S’mores Nut & Granola Mix
• Puerto Rico: S’mores Premium Frosting
S’mores North Amierca New Product Introductions
There were 144 new s'mores flavored products launched in North America. Some products of note:
• Three Olives S’mores Vodka
• Project 7 Milk Chocolate Covered S’mores Gourmet Gummies
• Kroger Greek S’mores Non-Fat Yogurt
• Pillsbury Grands! S’mores Rolls with Marshmallow Icing
• CVS Pharmacy Peanut Butter S'mores Nutritional Shake
Click here for the FULL report!
FONA CAN HELP!
Let FONA’s market insight and research experts translate these trends into product category ideas for your brand. They can help you with concept and flavor pipeline development, ideation, consumer studies and white space analysis to pinpoint opportunities in the market.
Our flavor and product development experts are also at your service to help meet the labeling and flavor profile needs for your products to capitalize on this consumer trend. We understand how to mesh the complexities of flavor with your brand development, technical requirements and regulatory needs to deliver a complete taste solution. From concept to manufacturing, we’re here every step of the way.
Contact our Sales Service Department at 630.578.8600 to request a flavor sample or visit www.fona.com.
Sources: Food & Wine, Rachel Ray Every Day, Bon Apetit, Mintel GNPD, Mintel Menu Insights, Pinterest, Social Studio
