Q&A: Your Roasting Questions Answered
July|August 2009, Roast Magazine
Question
Dear Roast magazine,
MY COMPANY strives to provide the latest and most flavorful
coffee and beverage blends for clients. However, with so many
choices it can sometimes be challenging to decide what
flavor trends to incorporate and which ones are just fads.
Do you know of any trends that will remain prominent
throughout 2009? Also, with the struggling economy, how
do we meet the needs of our clients with these trends while
at the same time maintaining a profit?
The Expert Answers
LOOKING INTO the future is never easy, but the last several months have revealed some distinct trends in the chocolate, coffee and beverage world that will certainly have a longlasting impact. At trade shows throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East, a number of products fell into categories that can be broadly defined as single origins, exotic combinations, and quality goods that are reasonably priced. Understanding these trends will help ensure that your product offerings are timely and competitive, and will better position you to profit in a challenging economy.
Single Origin
The designation "single origin" encompasses coffee, chocolate and tea. Each of these commodities is a distinct agricultural product where the flavor is often the direct expression of the terroir or growing region of the particular bean, leaf or seed. Specialty roasters and retailers have embraced single origin coffees because they offer unique flavors that reflect the terroir and the distinctive process methods of these regions. However, consumers' growing interest and education has increased demand for more options from formerly obscure coffeegrowing regions around the globe, such as Burundi, Rwanda and Congo.
In the chocolate market, single origin is the dominant trend for fueling growth in the category. As with coffee, the single-origin areas that provide the beans for these products include formerly little-known regions for chocolate, such as Madagascar, Peru and Sao Tome (an island off the west coast of Africa). Now, these beans are being used to provide distinctive tastes in single-origin chocolate bars, cocoa powders, drink mixes, sauces and confections. The singleorigin model helps bring out the distinctive flavors of each region. Like coffee, those tastes span smoky, earthy, fruity and nutty, depending upon which part of the world the beans were grown and how they were processed.
For many years, tea has been forecast to become the next big product in the specialty beverage world. Indeed, in the past few months, teas have become ubiquitous at shows-in some cases even eclipsing coffee vendors. Often, teas have been presented as a single origin and not as a blend. Featured tea varieties included the more traditional oolong, green and black, but also more exotic types, such as aged Chinese pu-erh. It seems that teas are finally gaining the traction and recognition they deserve and, as a result, there will be an increasing number of tea-based beverages available to enhance drink menus.
Exotic Flavors
At the same time that people grow more adventurous and their taste buds become more sophisticated, exotic and unusual flavor combinations are becoming more prevalent. In particular, flavor profiles that can be classified as spicy, exotic and savory/ sweet have come to the forefront.
In the beverage world, spicy flavors are featured predominantly in chocolate drinks. Product names often reflect the Mexican heritage of chocolate and its roots as a beverage flavored with chili peppers, vanilla and cinnamon-Mayan mochas, Aztec mochas and the like are offered as both hot and blended beverages.
An infusion of exotic flavors is being added to coffee and tea drinks. Recent menu additions have featured tea and coffee drinks flavored with lychee, ginger, rose and lavender, among others.
Salty caramel is the classic example of a sweet/savory flavor combination. Fleur de sel, or flower of salt, is a distinctively European import. The salty/sweet pairing has been a perennial favorite in confections, but now more chocolate beverages feature this combination. The trick is to balance the flavors so that they blend together, with the sweetness of the caramel offsetting the tanginess of the salt.
Quality
In times of economic uncertainty, often the first impulse is to lower prices by cutting quality. However, in conversations with both wholesalers and retailers, I've found that the opposite is true. All speak of maintaining quality as customers not only reduce their purchasing frequency, but also insist upon the same quality they have been accustomed to receiving. Wholesalers and retailers agree that sacrificing short-term sales for long-term customer loyalty is not an effective business strategy.
Although these are challenging economic times, focusing on current trends to offer new products will help invigorate existing customers and entice new ones to work with innovative suppliers who can help them expand their business. Capitalizing on these trends ensures that your product offerings remain fresh and appealing, while you continue to solidify existing business.
—Michael Szyliowicz
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