24 January, 2024
Our colleagues and customers are ready to unlock a year of great taste possibilities
As the food and beverage industry eagerly awaits the annual Kerry Taste Chart trend predictions, the buzz is always greatest in the Kerry offices. This yearly analysis and forecasting of location-based taste trends is an essential tool for Kerry across a multitude of functions – from marketing and procurement to culinary, research and development and food science.
‘If I look back at 2023, every single beverage customer presentation and engagement had taste charts in it because our customers are always interested in the taste perspective,’ says John Kelly, Kerry’s strategy director for the beverage marketing in Europe.
As in past years, the findings in the 2024 Kerry Taste Charts – which are now available – are an important reference tool for food and beverage brands at every stage of product development and portfolio review.
‘Some of the brands we meet with are actively looking to add new offerings while others want to validate their flavours are still relevant and in demand,’ says Kelly. ‘And some are somewhere in between, looking to do a range of LTO beverages in a mix of flavours that could be perceived as a bit more out there and edgy.’
It all comes down to taste
This focus on flavour comes from the industry understanding that, in food and beverage products, taste is the most important aspect to consumers. If a product tastes bad, or only comes in flavours that sound unappealing, product will go unsold.
Not all food and beverage brands have a robust consumer insights team to track how taste preferences are changing. And, even ones that do may be focused on researching a certain location or application.
‘The real value add that Kerry brings with the taste charts is giving a beverage customer a targeted look at trends in their specific category while also providing an overall view of the entire food and beverages market.’
‘The real value add that Kerry brings with the taste charts is giving a beverage customer a targeted look at trends in their specific category while also providing an overall view of the entire food and beverages market, since there may be trends in the food category that are starting to come into the beverage category,’ says Kelly. ‘It gives our customers a broader view of the world because, although they may be able to see the top-selling flavours within flavoured gins or flavoured colas, the data they have access to is not necessarily showing the bigger picture and opportunities for growth.’
For example, a beverage company may overlook the growing trend of spicy chilies in food, not realising it’s the novel taste their consumers are beginning to crave. Or, if a certain type of citrus is trending in one part of the world, it may only be a matter of time before its influence spreads. There’s also benefit to keeping an eye on trends in general, such as having an awareness that more savoury flavours are entering the beverage category, which can help influence innovation and development.
New year, new flavours and old favourites
‘The Taste Charts come out in January and it sets us up well for the year,’ says Kelly. ‘It's directly usable and gives our commercial teams the right amount of insight to work with customers and gives our RD&A teams to stimulus and ideas. Even if we don't have a brief, we can be proactive with a customer or a category.’
Of course, the point isn’t to pack the charts with all brand new flavour suggestions. Sales and launch data and consumer insights are just some of the research used to create broad overviews or the whole spectrum of taste preference. While the Up & Coming and Emerging categories may include new and novel taste offerings, the more established Mainstream and Key flavours often include smaller shifts from year to year and feature more common and readily available offerings.
‘In my seven years in Kerry, we've always had taste charts, so each year builds upon the other.'
‘In my seven years in Kerry, we've always had taste charts, so each year builds upon the other,’ says Kelly. ‘Not every flavour is new. For instance, mainstream flavours continue to perform well and have strong consumer appeal that translates into sales.’
Putting the taste charts to work
When customers look at the Kerry Taste Charts through the lenses of validation, innovation and experimentation, there are lots of possibilities to consider.
‘The hope is that when customers review their products against the charts, they realise their flavour portfolio is on trend and brilliant – that it already ticks all the boxes,’ says Kelly. ‘When that happens, they can just look for new flavours, whether searching for permanent additions that really fit within the brand and its business objectives or looking for LTO flavours can create awareness and a bit of buzz.’
Although a brand’s core range generates the most sales, LTOs – or limited time offers – are an increasingly utilised tactic to test out new flavours and spark consumer excitement and intrigue.
‘If an LTO is successful, it often just keeps going,’ says Kelly. ‘If it isn't successful, it's very easy just to withdraw it from the marketplace without any big fanfare, because it was a limited edition offer.’
Whether new offerings are launched as LTOs or standard offerings, the Kerry Taste Charts play a regular role in innovation sessions with our customers.
‘The charts help our customers realize that if they want to grow, they can't just offer exactly what the competitor offer is in a better version of lemon or better version of strawberry,’ says Kelly. The charts can give customers the confidence it takes to give a traditional offering a twist – or to try something completely new, offering reassurance that the listed flavours are ones that consumers want.
‘The Kerry Taste Charts open our customers’ minds to the possibilities and allow us to add the most value, from an innovation perspective, all year long,’ says Kelly.
Click here to access the 2024 Kerry Taste Charts.