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Category leaders offer predictions for brownie trends
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“Moving forward, we anticipate the convenience trend to impact the brownie category. While gluten-free and low-carb claims are still high on consumers’ minds, they are not causing consumers to skip the brownies. Instead it is inconvenient for busy consumers to buy a large pan of brownies that might not be easy to take and consume on the go. Consumers think it is quicker to grab a donut, muffin or even a pre-sliced cake. There’s a big opportunity for bakers to provide convenient, bite-sized brownies to capture more sales from on-the-go consumers.” - JoAnn Rupp, global market insights manager, Corbion.
“We expect the brownie category to continue to move in two paths. On the one hand, brownies are becoming more premium and indulgent as decadent toppings and inclusions are added, elevating the product and making it truly irresistible. On the other, there is a clear shift toward better-for-you indulgences. From creating smaller portions with minis or thins or using lower-sugar options, these products will speak to the fast-growing, health-conscious consumer segment. Given the strong consumer insights on these two trends, Barry Callebaut continues to push its innovation strategy and initiatives in the bakery segment and beyond in order to properly supply clients with products that respond to consumer demand and allow for new, on-trend options.” – Laura Bergan, director of brand marketing, Barry Callebaut-North America
“Maybe it’s my personal preference for a classic brownie, or even a blondie, but I see the category continuing to grow, especially as consumers look to indulge in smaller portions. As people live with busy schedules and active lifestyles but still crave that homemade experience, the ability to purchase a fresh, indulgent treat made with high-quality ingredients is of growing interest. There is also a lot of room for creativity with this classic indulgence. Whether topped with your favorite icing or crumbled and used as a topping itself, brownies are a great way to add flavor experience to any moment. Finally, we know that people are celebrating holidays and special moments differently with everything from donut cakes to cookie cakes. We see the potential for brownie innovation to answer the call for differentiated alternatives for dessert and celebration cakes.” – Val Burnett, vice-president of marketing, Brill.
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen trends on other bakery staple items like cupcakes, pie and macarons. I truly feel that brownies will have their moment to shine very soon as artisan bakers continue to experiment, innovate and introduce new concepts.” – David Lopez, director of marketing, BakeMark.
“The brownie category will continue to see stable growth in the value and mid-tier ranges with high growth in the premium range as a convenient dessert for entertaining. The category provides bakers an essential product that customers love across demographics and one that is easily transformed to align with different seasonal moments throughout the year.” - Hugh Brooks, senior category marketing – frozen products, Dawn Foods.
Lidl is making a major play for in-store bakery and it’s not afraid to shout about it. The discounter – which is currently the sixth largest grocer in the UK by market share [Statista] – recently overtook Tesco to secure the biggest slice of in-store bakery (ISB). Data from Kantar showed that Lidl, which was crowned Bakery Retailer of the Year at the 2023 Baking Industry Awards, had pipped the UK’s largest supermarket with 18.2% of the ISB market compared to Tesco’s 18%. Speaking at the British Society of Baking conference earlier this year, Holly Bleach, head of buying at Lidl, described bakery as “critical” to Lidl as it’s one of the categories that drives overall customer satisfaction. “We’re set up to be really successful in bakery in the UK due to the prominence of our bakeries in store. More often than not, they’re right by the front door so every customer that walks in has to pass the bakery and not many can resist stopping and obviously picking up an item,” she...
Thomas Gavin, Global Graduate, Markets, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board It feels to many of us that our lives are getting busier and busier, leaving us time-poor and trying to claw back minutes anywhere that we can. This is particularly true for our eating habits, with the traditional ‘three-meals-a-day’ routine evolving to people ‘grazing’ whenever they are hungry and can find the time. Consumers Are Snacking Often and On-The-Go According to a recent Mintel report on Consumer Snacking Habits in Ireland, 58% of Irish consumers are snacking twice or three times a day, with only 16% saying that they do not snack on a daily basis (Mintel, 2019). A third of Irish consumers note that they often skip breakfast, with a further third highlighting that working through lunch is a common occurrence (Mintel, 2019). It is no surprise, then, that 31% of Irish people snack when they are commuting or travelling, with another 23% snacking whilst ou...
Baked goods and food-to-go are natural partners, but this, in our view, is of increasing importance across the sector, and we see potential for bakery to play a bigger role in future. Here are some of the ways we are seeing this coming through: The bakery-led café concept is a market sweetspot Gail’s in the UK is a prominent example here, but there are many others. For example in Paris and Copenhagen, there are numerous examples of this, not least in the development of Eric Kayser and Lagkagehuset (trading as Ole & Steen in the UK and the US), both domestically and expanded significantly and internationally over recent years. During safaris in Stockholm earlier this year we were struck by food-to-go developments at the bakery-led Bröd & Salt, even adding a salad bar concept into some locations, and supporting bakery with a strong coffee and broader drinks offer. We see three clear elements driving success: 1) quality bakery that tempts in its own right 2)...
