I always find it interesting to see how trends work their way into new products across the industries that we cover. Not everything translates. A color that is predicted to be popular in tableware, for instance, will often nd it’s way into plastics used to create housewares products for our kitchens, but may not have an impact on the specialty food we eat. Other trends, like healthy eating, which has thoroughly permeated all of these industries, is evident in a lot of the new products coming to market presently.
Lately, I have seen many signs that companies are increasingly anticipating and designing for the way Millennials eat, drink and live. I guess the buying power must have squarely landed on their shoulders because there has been a drastic change in product design going on right now. At the tabletop show at 41 Madison showrooms in New York, I was introduced to many products intended to appeal to this demographic, and the way they entertain. The key ingredients are small, informal gatherings between friends where unique foods are presented with a mix and match place setting, and served buffet style. One key word to pull from that sentence is the word “unique”, which is another way of saying special.
This week I am attending SIAL Paris, one of the largest food shows in the world that brings together foods from around the world that are special. After navigating the numerous halls filled with every category of food, I often wonder how all of these products find their way onto our kitchen tables in America. It’s really quite amazing
if you think about it. But, that begs the question how the demand for any one of these products gets started in the first place? Do we have to invest in sampling programs? Hire a social media team to stir up hype? Stack it on an end cap and drop the price?
All of these questions fill my mind, as I enter the Cheese Hall. Oh boy, I am in heaven once again! Certainly the cheese business has some of the same challenges when it comes to creating demand for various cheeses. And, that’s when I realized that some smart people in the cheese business understood they had something special, and they just needed to get Millennials interested in trying. Voila! Cheese trays filled with an eye-appealing assortment of small portion sized cheeses, selected to go well together. An instant cheese board. Now the Millennial shopper seeking something enticing to offer to their friends doesn’t have to be a cheese expert. They don’t have to buy an 8-ounce block or more of 7 varieties of cheese, which will take them months to consume. It’s just the right solution, presented in the perfect way, to endear a cheese newcomer to the brand.
Be sure to watch an upcoming issue for some examples of these types of products. I hope to see a lot more of this in America next year because it’s just right for the times.
David Spencer
Publisher, Fine Cheese & Charcuterie
dspencer@gourmetbusiness.com