The Snacking Category Holds Great Promise For Cheese & Charcuterie
I have snacking on my mind because I just returned from the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis where I was able to experience the latest innovations in this growing category. The show was a fantastic experience! This seemed to me to be the largest Sweets & Snacks Expo that I have attended thus far, demonstrating how important this space has become in the specialty food business. The city of Indianapolis was well suited to entertaining what seemed to be easily twelve thousand plus in attendance for the event, and everyone I asked seemed to be very pleased with the experience.
I know I have written before about the innovative appetizer trays, snack packs, and other formats of snacks containing cheese & charcuterie. I am still convinced that cured meat and cheese is conveniently qualified to meet the high protein snack demands of the American consumer, and is all ready to be taken on the go in a shelf stable, non-refrigerated pack.
I am seeing more innovation in the category from the main players in the cheese & charcuterie business, and even some interesting co-branding initiatives being put forward. Olli, and outstanding American produced cured meat producer, for instance, has recently announced their new snack pack that pairs their cured meats with That’s it fruit to create a healthy pairing that can be easily grabbed for a great on the go experience. Fratelli Beretta continues to add to their comprehensive assortment of snack packs and antipasti plates with the recent introduction of their Salamini, which has opened the door to introduce additional sku’s. I could go on and on about all of the exciting combinations available to merchandise this category.
The cheese and charcuterie business is in many cases old and traditional in the sense that you will not see many changes in the types of cheeses and cured meats produced because they have been producing the same recipe for hundreds of years. But, the recent innovations in packaging are certainly creating the opportunity for the traditional producers to create a different format and channel to promote these products. I hope to see more retailers introducing these items into their assortment in the deli and specialty cheese cases because they do provide a delicious and healthy alternative for those demanding an interesting alternative to satisfy their snacking occasions.
