Stay cool. Stay trendy. Get ahead of the game and stock these forecasted trending products in 2024.
Tinned fish, big mac tacos, spicy honey and ‘girl dinner’. These were some of the biggest trends that were turning heads in the food world in 2023. Here, we’ve rounded up a list of some of the forecasted trends for 2024 so you’re clued up on what to stock to keep your shelves fresh and exciting.
Yuzu is having its moment. This subtly flavoured citrus fruit is popping up on cocktail menus and in specialist food and drinks products more and more.
Drinks seem the popular choice, with brands like Shozu and Sansu making it the star flavour in their ranges of yuzu flavoured prebiotics and sodas.
Whereas yuzu gets more of a feature amongst other brands. Dot Dot giving one of their bubble teas a citrus hit using the flavours of yuzu and lemon, and PerfectTed for example, use it in their Pineapple and Yuzu flavoured matcha energy drink.
The yuzu flavour is certainly not limited to the drinks category however, with Nojo featuring it in their Yuzu Salad Sauce which is a great option to stock amongst the rest of their range for your more adventurous customers who may already be well acquainted with flavours like ‘tahini’ and ‘sesame’.
Flavours from afar
As social media brings flavours from afar into the spotlight, people are increasingly searching for authentic and high quality ingredients to be able to replicate at home, what they may have tried in a restaurant, picked up at a local street food stall or seen on TikTok.
Where before, you may have needed to travel a little further to a specialist supermarket to pick up your gochujang, harissa or jasmine rice, these products are gradually making their way onto the shelves of local independent grocery shops and delis.
Lamiri Harissa, for example, are fast becoming a household cupboard essential. This authentic Tunisian harissa is worlds apart from what you might find stacked in Sainsburys. It’s the real deal for all those who know their Middle Eastern cooking.
Similarly, BOMBOM Market merge speedy convenience with authentic Korean flavours. Their range of 3 condiments and sauces are great shelf essentials that allow your customers to pick up high quality ingredients that make Korean cooking easier to emulate at home.
Low and No
Contrary to popular belief, Brits are turning more and more to lower alcoholic drinks options. Dry-Jan is likely to turn into a slightly ‘drier’ year if the growth of the no and low category continues to grow as it did through 2023.
Loah are the latest champions of ‘blue sky drinking’. Brewing 0.5% flavoured lagers and IPAs in Hackney, they’ve perfected a hangover-free beer that doesn’t compromise on taste or authenticity.
Stock them amongst your other cool and trendy craft beers and wines for a reliable and quality low-alcohol alternative, that both looks and tastes great.
For the more health-focused, Counter Culture offers a great alternative to alcohol with their ambient kombuchas. Their super funky cans will sit well with your other trendy craft beers.
‘Newstalgia’
Defined as ‘something new that harks back to something old’, ‘newstalgia’ is fast becoming a popular aesthetic. This is being seen more and more in the food industry with people adding a modern twist on a classic or well-known food or drink.
Old school popcorn, fudge and chocolate brands are coming back around this year. Only Coco, for example, take small-batch to the next level, producing their foil wrapped chocolate bars in the back of their Hastings shop. They draw on the nostalgia of a hand-wrapped foil chocolate bar and use experimental flavours to perfectly encapsulate the ‘kid in a sweetshop’ joy of a good chocolate bar.
Similarly, Popcorn Shed mesh old and new with their bold colourful packaging and classic British flavours such as ‘Cherry Bakewell’ and ‘Butterscotch’. By bringing a familiar and well-loved snack such as popcorn together with a few wacky flavours, they perfectly encapsulate the crossover between familiarity and revelationary.
Female founded foods
With the food and drinks industry fast-becoming less male-dominated, there’s a growing support for female chefs, business owners, founders and producers.
For the small independent retail sector, provenance and story is so important. Customers want to know the roots of the products they’re buying, who’s behind them, and where they come from.
Butter Bike is a perfect example of a brand with a fantastic story behind it. Jeni began the business in 2017 blending her own nut butters to keep her fuelled on her adventure-filled pursuits up and down the South West coast.
Similarly, Amelia (founder of Bold Bean Co), has built something of a bean empire within the last year, growing her range of delicious heirloom beans and launching a recipe book dedicated to all things beans. She’s well on her way to achieving her goal of making the world as bean-obsessed as she is.
