Blossoms are blooming on spring menus. The word “blossom” is up 21% in the past four years in menu mentions. We’ve spotted a wealth of spring seasonal LTOs in 2020, particularly in seasonal beverages.
Spring is a white space for seasonal profiles. How could the use of seasonal data that validates the connection consumers have with spring influence your menu offerings or retail launches?
On menus and in food and beverage retail products, “blossom” is being used as way to characterize flavors. It’s not exactly a flavor on its own, but when used in combination with fruits you begin to see the power of this floral descriptor.
In our proprietary Seasons research, we learned consumers do connect descriptive words to specific seasons. Using these words in the name of a concept — or as a part of the flavor concept — will strengthen a seasonal connection. Blossom is one of these words — it is a top spring flavor descriptor. This is a word we can use to strengthen a flavor concept’s connection to spring.
Fifth Season in Port Jefferson, NY creates menu items that bring the season to life. The menu is inspired by seasonal local ingredients. The spring cocktail menu sparkles with colorful fruit and delicate florals. Consider a take on a classic cocktail with their Orange Blossom Bourbon Julep, including fresh muddled orange & mint, and orange blossom-infused bitters.
We anticipated the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo — and were already working on cherry blossom profiles for creamers, sparkling waters, and low ABV beverages. We have more than a year to wait until the Summer Olympics but we can connect with the iconic spring in Japan with cherry blossom. Take a look at the spring launch of the, Cherry Blossom Shake at Shake Shack. It included vanilla frozen custard blended with cherry blossom jam, topped with whipped cream and pink chocolate curls. And it lives as a lemonade as well.
Chick-fil-A® fuses black tea with lemonade and blends blackberry, hibiscus, and blood orange to create the Blackberry Blossom Tea Lemonade. This creative hybrid celebrates spring and brings blossom to life in a unique way.
Blossoms are typically the flowers of stone fruit trees. Think peach, cherry, apple, pear, plum, strawberry. Marry a fruit with “blossom” and you have real — and fantastic possibilities! We can see that there’s room for fanciful interpretations as well, using the descriptor “blossom” as a way to incorporate naming + lightly floral profiles + connote spring inventions.
I remind myself to savor blooms because they don’t last long. Blossoms are fragile and fleeting. Blossom makes me think of new beginnings. What fresh look could you give to one of your product’s flavors by incorporating a spin that gives it a fresh take on Spring?
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Nice Article Amy! Blossom = happy for me!