Snac World - Official State of the Industry 2021 - 28

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
brands or categories to bring something unexpected
to a snack they already love. Our Smartfood
Krispy Kreme mashup is a great example of this -
the mashup was flying off shelves, " she said.
Others that have shown up recently are the limited-edition
Frank's RedHot Goldfish crackers, combining
two well-known brands, and Calbee America
Inc.'s Popper Duos, which come in BBQ & Ranch
and Salsa & Cheddar combinations, among others.
" Mashups are fantastic. Even if they don't have
permanent legs, they provide excitement in the
categories that they connect, " said Rob Sarlls, chief
executive officer at Wyandot Snacks, Marion, Ohio.
" We're going to see a lot of that going forward.
We're not doing that today, but I'm wide open to
doing that in the future.. "
SNAC members cited a variety of other flavors,
like buttery, plant-based, onion and more.
" Fast food-inspired flavors seem to be a 'thing'
now with companies borrowing flavors like specific
sandwich flavors from fast-food restaurants for new
potato chip offerings, " Mr. Vierhile said. " This type
of co-branding activities borrows some of the equity
from these enterprises as the fast-food industry
spends a lot of money on advertising each year,
money that can help drive trial for new snacks featuring
flavors popularized by fast-food offerings. "
The demand for seasonal and holiday snacks is
another favorite.
" Seasonal flavors have been and will likely continue
to be a big hit with consumers, " Ms. Vesper
said. " Whether it's pumpkin spice in the fall or cookie-flavored
innovations around the holidays, consumers
respond quite positively to a seasonal twist
on their favorite snacks - this trend is here to stay. "
28
SNAC WORLD 2021
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Figuring out what new innovations to pursue is never
easy, but companies study trends using data to
inform their decisions.
" Everything at Frito-Lay starts with data, "
Ms. Vesper said. " For example, we use consumer
preference data to develop regional and limited-edition
flavor offerings tapping into our database
of 1,000-plus flavor variations. It's these
insights and extended research that help inform
when to innovate new snacks and what fan favorites
might be ready for a comeback. "
Wyandot examines the marketplace to see the
new flavors that consumers are pursuing.
" We do a lot of field research, " Mr. Sarlls said.
" We're always reading the trades to see what other
companies are doing. We look at other categories,
too. Our people walk the store, and they're always
looking at the data online to see what is popping
above the fray. "
Mio Sakata, president of Calbee America Inc.,
Fairfield, Calif., said he's not as interested in flavor
extension as he is in finding new ways to flavor
snacks.
" I like to look for different technology to enhance
flavors, " he said. " There's a lot of different ways
to season the snack. We have a different type of
technology to do it. So we may try double or triple
layers of flavors or infusing flavors, or combining
two flavors in one. "
Whether companies are considering enhancing
customer favorites or looking around the globe for
their next flavor innovation, it's clear there's an appetite
for all of it. It's just a matter of tapping into the
wants and needs of their consumers.
Snac World - Official State of the Industry 2021

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