Summertime in New York means hot weather, Broadway shows, and of course, specialty food. The Specialty Food Association’s bi-annual Fancy Food show in New York City hosted thousands of brands ready to show off their new and innovative specialty foods and beverages. This year the Summer Fancy Food show’s offerings saw a variety of cheeses, plant-based beverages, and other snacks, but what stood out the most from the city block’s length of rows?
1. Wine Down
Who doesn’t love a good alcoholic beverage? Apparently, quite a lot of people. Numerous consumers take part in a sober lifestyle but still want options of something that gives the same appeal of wine, and manufacturers are listening. Non-alcoholic wine showed up in great proportions showing consumers that you can still enjoy the taste of your favorite pinot grigio or cabernet sauvignon without the hangover.
2. Non-Baby Food
What comes to mind when you think of baby food? I think of mushy peas and sweet potatoes. But 2019 thinks differently, and baby food has been upgraded. Think garlic, fennel, and basil. Definitely not flavors you think of when talking about food for babies and toddlers, but elevated baby food opens up more options for consumers. Adults could now carry this trendy baby food and keep it as a snack for themselves or their little ones.
3. Seed Snacks
A trend that has seen consistency for some years now, seed-based snack options made a huge impact this year. The need for more seed-based options for the conscious snacker is important for consumers. Good for any diet or lifestyle, this snack trend is universal. Seed-based bars, crackers, and butters were among the top seed snacks.
4. Welcome to Africa
From condiments to prepackaged meals, Summer Fancy Food hosted an array of specialty items with origins from Africa. Products rich with exotic fruits and vegetables, like the baobab, that are not normally found in the states, had a chance to shine and introduce a new taste to the consumers palette.
5. Perfectly Imperfect
Let’s face it, we all waste food. Fortunately, there are a large number of brands out there that are coming up with solutions to help that. Summer Fancy Foods hosted a number of brands that use “ugly” ingredients (bruised tomatoes, misshapen bell peppers, etc.) to create products and the result? Delicious food, of course! After all, it’s what’s on the inside that matters anyway.
If you attended Summer Fancy Food, or plan to attend any trade shows in the future, be sure that you are leveraging your RangeMe profile for your follow-ups. Did you know that you can share your profile via email and know if the person you sent it to actually opened the email and looked at your products? Find out more here!
