Foodservice Fuel: GLOBALLY INSPIRED BEVERAGE TRENDS

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BOOMING BEVERAGE FLAVORS.

According to Datassential’s 2024 Trend Report, non-alcoholic beverages have seen an increase of 49% on menus in the past year, with specific varieties like dessert beverages seeing +19% growth and specialty iced coffee seeing +9% growth in the past year too. And as this menu part grows, trending global flavors can add a unique twist to classic beverages. Even early-stage global flavors have potential with consumers. For example, lychee, a small sweet-scented Chinese fruit, appears on 6% of US menus (Datassential MenuTrends) and may not be widely available, but among consumers who have tried it, 60% love or like it (Datassential Consumer Preferences). Operators are using Asian-inspired flavors like ube and matcha, which are increasingly seen in milk teas and lattes, and large chains like Taco Bell are using Latin-inspired dessert flavors in their limited release frozen beverages as seen with their Dulce De Leche Coffee Churro Chiller, featuring a churro crumble and cold foam, which has grown +1100% on menus over the past four years (Datassential MenuTrends).

PUT IT INTO ACTION.

Operators should keep global flavors in mind when refreshing ubiquitous and well-loved beverages on their menus. Consider using ingredients like whipped topping, cold foam, and creamers as carriers of unique flavors.

Trending Global Beverages Flavors:

  • Dragon Fruit +168%
  • Yuzu +112%
  • Mandarin +83%
  • Lychee +62%
  • Matcha +61%
  • Turmeric +49%
  • Taro +38%
  • Coconut Milk +37%
  • Guava +29%
  • Hibiscus +26%

Source: Datassential MenuTrends YE Dec‘23 4-year growth on non-alcoholic beverage menus

OPERATOR SPOTLIGHT

TULIP’S TEA

A strawberry matcha latte is an example of what flavors to expect at Tulip’s Tea on Tuesday in Chicago, IL. This small café serves smoothies, Thai milk teas, and lattes that are vibrantly colored and feature other global flavors like ube and yuzu.

OVER THE TOP

The Market Milkshake bar is a food truck based in Miami, FL, serving milkshakes and “Freak Shakes.” Their menu features flavors that reflect the melting pot that is the South Florida region, like Dulce de leche, guava, and cheese, and their Venezuelan Chicha Freak Shake (pictured left), a flavor stemming from a traditional beverage made with blended rice and sweetened condensed milk.

85°C Bakery Cafe

85°C Bakery Cafe is a Taiwan-based bakery with nearly 60 US locations across California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Hawaii, and Arizona dishing out sweet treats and beverages that are inspired by cuisine from numerous Asian countries including Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. While they’re mainly recognized for their breads and pastries, 85°C is also known for their specialty sea salt coffee drinks that feature a sea salt-infused whipped cream topping. This is a practice that stems from a Taiwanese culinary tradition of using salt to bring out the sweetness in fruits. Apart from this specialty, global flavors can be found throughout their selection of over 40 coffees, teas, and smoothies, in beverages like the Lychee Green Milk Tea, which includes Jasmine tea, chunks of lychee, and non-dairy creamer, or the Taro Lavender Latte (pictured above) that features taro, a hint of lavender, and their signature sea salt cream topping. Take inspiration from this café’s inclusion of global flavors in classic beverages through the use of additions like whipped topping.

MEET THE ON TOP FAMILY.

 

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