THOUGHT FOR FOOD™

Thought For Food

A Comprehensive Look at 2025 Alcohol Trends

In honor of summer fun, we’re exploring trends in the alcohol space. We’ll take you on a tour of global flavors, expose you to the next coffee drink craze, prove that good things come in small packages, touch on eco-friendly developments, share our favorite finds across the industry, and give 10 business-building ideas that span drink branding, food pairings, sponsorships, LTOs, exclusives, collabs and targeting.

Get a Taste

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Celebrity Chefs [Part 2]: How Kid Chefs are Cooking Up Creativity

This month, we’re focused on famous kids who cook, and/or are pursuing a culinary path, whether they are the kid next door, or have a famous parent in the field.

Dig In

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Celebrity Chefs [Part 1]: Professionals and Amateurs

This month, we trace the celebrity chef from its roots in the 1500s to present day, acknowledging the contributions of both the classically trained and the amateur. Learn about their role, impact on consumer attitudes and behavior, and shocking claims from industry analysts. Plus, we’ll introduce you to our favorite “normies.”

Read More? Yes, Chef!

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The Growing Avenues of Coffee

This month, the buzz is around coffee: who’s drinking it, what’s driving it, and where we see innovation. So pour a cup and sit back as we introduce you to a YouTube coffee superstar, instant coffee paste, coffee for kids, coffee alternatives, and ideas to leverage coffee as an ingredient in…well, anything.

Click to Caffeinate

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Getting Inspired by Mainland Hawaiian Fare

This month, we’re offering an island escape, sharing buzz on the restaurant concepts, chefs, cookbooks and flavors of Hawaii.

Lei it all out

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A Look into Responsible Food Packaging

This month, we revisit responsible packaging, and the demand created by new legislation, as well as controversy surrounding recycling. Take inspiration from recent innovations in the U.S. and overseas and consider our four recommendations to focus efforts.

Let’s Unwrap

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Focusing in on Today’s Food Photography Trends

This month, we touch on trends in food photography, its role in brand building, and recommend our great new studio for you to check out.

See For Yourself

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A Recap of Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum

We recently attended the WSJ’s Global Food Forum, an event that brings together leaders from across the industry to discuss and explore the major forces shaping food and agriculture.

Read On

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The Powerful Growth of Asian Grocery in America

We discuss the rise, significance and wide appeal of Asian grocery, as well as key players and formats. And inspired by social media, we shop nearby locations and “share our haul.”

Check It Out

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Tamarind: The Exotic Fruit with Exciting Potential

This month, we are pressure-testing a prediction for tamarind as “flavor of the year.” Learn more about this versatile, exotic fruit – including how it’s been “covered” within the industry, what new launches we see, and how our Culinary Specialist recommends using it.

Tap for Tamarind

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Podcast Picks and Best Practices

Podcasts are no longer niche. Most adults are listening weekly. In our industry, brands from Trader Joe’s to Crumbl Cookie are getting in on it. This month, we’ll be sharing not only the food, beverage, and restaurant podcasts on our radar, but best practices from our experience in podcast development.

Tune In & Read On

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Expressions of Culture Via Food & Beverage

Attending restaurant pop-ups, posting pictures of what we create or consume, taking on taste challenges, binge watching “Taste the Nation”…all are common ways current culture is expressing itself through food and beverage. This month, we searched far and wide for more disruptive examples.

Explore Expressions

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Gen Z: Figuring Them Out and Luring Them In

Beyond their obvious youth and workplace stereotype, who are they, what do you need to know about them as food and beverage marketers, and how can you understand them better in 5 minutes or less?

Let’s Learn

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Breathing Life Into the Ghost in the Machine

While technology continues to take us “out of this world,” there’s amazing work being done to bring it back down to earth.

Humans: Click to Read On

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Challenge for 2024: A Balanced Digital Life

Actively encouraging and supporting the consumer need for digital wellness may require new thinking in relation to content, platforms, and brand experiences.

Challenge Your Thinking

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14 Examples of Retail Theater

The term “retail theater” has become synonymous with “in-store experience”. We subscribe to a more pure, undiluted definition – one that holds the term to a higher standard and should be reserved for engagements that meet more of the criteria for live theater. In our opinion, retail theater is rare, but we’ve located 14 examples across the globe that truly deliver.

Immerse Yourself

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2 Areas Where Tradition Is Being Upheld

What if resurrecting the past had less to do with novelty and more to do with preserving culture? What if the motivations were purer…say, saving something from extinction? That is precisely what we are seeing. The attempt to preserve “old world traditions” lest they be forgotten.

Explore Traditions

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10 Pop-Up Experiences From 2023

Creating exclusive experiences is no easy task. Let’s explore a range of recent pop-up experiences, to see how they leverage everything from pop culture, to takeovers, and unconventional retail spaces to drive brand engagement and test new product ideas.

Pop in here to learn more

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Catch the Girl Power Wave

After nearly a century of efforts designed to help young girls reimagine what it means to be one, girls – of all ages – are taking charge.

This Way to Female Empowerment

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10 Antidotes to TikTok Food

One of the many common denominators to TikTok food trends is simplicity. Let us propose a countertrend: things that are hard to make.

View the Challenge

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Natural Products Expo West 2023

We’ve been heading to Expo West for years and always walk away with new industry learnings and connections. This year proved no different, and while many of the trends aren’t new to the natural products space, there are key areas gaining momentum.

Get the Recap

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Nostalgia: 2 Ways In

The desire to reconnect with things from the past that once brought us joy is not a byproduct of the pandemic, it’s a desire that’s been here all along. What tends to change are the particular items (and decades) consumers yearn for.

Connect to the Past

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What You Should Know About Hormonal Health Diets

Women are looking for relief from symptoms brought on by pivotal hormonal changes throughout their life cycle. With a market slow to respond, they’ve taken matters in-house.

Click Here for Examples

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A Restaurant Prediction: Dog-Friendly

With dogs an integral part of the family, and extreme pet-bonding taking place while WFH during the pandemic, it’s no wonder we want to take them everywhere. And increasingly, that means out to eat.

Take Inspiration

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A HANGOVER PSA

Inspired by the holiday season, we’ve looked at the many ways to “profit” from hangover remedies. Whether arming us in our personal lives or aiding us in business, these examples provide value.

Discover Strategies (And Test Markets)

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The Food Trend That Keeps on Giving: Air

Air is increasingly connected to how we eat, cook and shop. It’s become an ingredient, a method of preparation, a ritual in dieting, a restaurant experience and a growing consideration in sustainability practices and claims.

Read Our 3 Recommendations

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12 Times Food Became Art

In honor of International Artist Day on October 25th, we’re showcasing art inspired by or made from food. From magic milk to AI generated art to paintings and sculptures, we’ve curated a gallery of food art just for you.

View the Gallery

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The Slow Ascent of Filipino Cuisine

We’re tapping into the potential of one of Southeast Asia’s most mysterious cuisines, Filipino food. Let us tell you why it’s worthy of your attention.

Learn more here

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How to Set a Hard-Working Table

Breakthrough designs in cups, plates, and utensils to help elevate meals and improve the eating experience.

Learn More Here

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The Food Innovation Hub That May Surprise You

Get acquainted with a food brain trust in the Middle East.

Discover it here

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How to Win With Grocery Retail Giants

Align your organization with key retailer priorities.

Read more

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8 Ways to Command Attention

Consumers want attention for their personal brand. Here’s how you can help.

Read on

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Unlocking An Unmet Need In Breakfast

Consumers want more excitement out of their first meal of the day. Global breakfasts can provide it.

Read on

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An Emerging Idea in Sustainability: Powdered

Virtually any food can be reduced to powder. Learn more about how that benefits bottom lines, people and planet.

Read on

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6 Ways to Be Relevant to Consumers Who Fast

Abstinence from food does not mean a food or beverage brand has to lose out. We’ll show you how to play.

Read on

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The Right Way to Do Branded Apparel

Consumers have been wearing brand passions on their sleeves for years, but it’s now reached a fever pitch. Learn more about how to get in on the trend.

Read on

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Are You Catering to the Asian Food & Beverage Demand?

Interest in culturally-diverse cuisines is higher than ever, specifically for Asian offerings. Learn what’s behind their popularity and how it’s showing up on menus, in stores and on social across America.

Read on

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New Ideas for Retail Sampling

In the last year and a half, we’ve seen retailers adapt to create safer shopping experiences for consumers, and that includes sampling. From ghost kitchens to interactive direct mail, brands are getting creative with sample distribution to overcome obstacles brought on by the pandemic.

Read on

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Engaging Buyers Using Augmented Reality

Businesses in the food and beverage industry are employing augmented reality (AR) to bring elements of their brand to life for consumers. From retail to restaurants, creative uses of this tool continue to emerge.

Read on

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How AI is Advancing Food & Beverage

CPG, retail, and restaurant companies alike are utilizing AI to gain a competitive edge. It’s quickly becoming a valuable tool for businesses in the food and beverage industry to boost customer relationship management, drive product development, forecast performance, and more.

Read on

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How to Brand with Audio

When it comes to storytelling, the one thing audio can do that visual mediums can’t is: give the eyes a rest. With screen-time at a fever pitch, digital audio can be a welcome, engaging, and memorable solution. Podcasts, social audio, and sonic logos are just a few intriguing elements of this digital listening space.

Read on

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Have my chocolate and eat it too?

The ways people enjoy chocolate are continually and rapidly expanding. Whether you’re drinking it, experiencing it as an indulgence or using it for fuel, chocolate is one trend that never wavers.

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3 Ways to Minimize Waste Through Package Design

We explore what the “season of excess” looks like when it comes to the byproducts of our purchases. Can packaging be designed to help us all minimize waste?

Read on

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Tripping on Shrooms

We’ve been reading about the emerging superfood status of mushrooms for years. Learn more about their functional benefits, culinary possibilities and new up-and-coming mushroom based products.

Read on

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Texture Is The New Taste

While taste is consistently the top driver of preference in food and beverage, another attribute – texture – cannot be overlooked.

Read on