7 fruit trends for 2013

You may not necessarily think of fresh fruit and fruit products as innovation-driven categories that can be leveraged to create incremental business for foodservice operators. But market research firm Packaged Facts took a close look at the fruit industry’s new product pipeline and found it full of interesting developments. The company’s new report, Fresh Takes on Fruit: Culinary Trend Mapping Report, identifies seven fruit-related innovations that are changing the way your customers eat and drink.

Packaged Facts provides additional context by estimating how far along toward mainstream adoption each trend has come. Trends at the Stage One level are fruit and fruit products already in use at upscale, ethnic and other types of independent restaurants. Stage Two indicates an item has appeared in specialty consumer food magazines and is available at retail stores that appeal to serious home cooks. Stage Three means the item is in use at chain restaurants, Stage Four finds the product in a mainstream magazine like Family Circle or Better Homes and Garden, and Stage Five means the item has landed on QSR menus and grocery store shelves.

Here are the seven trends Packaged Facts found when it looked at the fruit category:

1. Craft cider. Move over small-scale, craft beer—artisan alcoholic cider is the next big brew. Beyond the pastoral feelings evoked by small-batch ciders, craft cider appeals to consumers who are increasingly health conscious about what they eat and imbibe.

Its level of adoption so far: Stage One, although you can find multiple ciders on tap at some of the country’s hippest watering holes.

2. Fruit preserves 2.0. With attention being paid to pickling and preserving, a renewal of nostalgia-driven interest in old-time techniques is playing out among top chefs and hardcore DIY home cooks determined to jar everything edible for the pantry, whether preserved lemons, blackberry-thyme jam or pickled plums. But make no mistake; these are not your grandma's preserves or pickles.

This Stage One trend is picking up steam in restaurants right now.

3. Sugar from fruit. Monk fruit and coconuts are now being transformed into attractive sweeteners with low calories, low glycemic index scores and impressive nutrient profiles. Both natural sweeteners have been getting attention from food industry media, bloggers and health-conscious consumers as they move into the marketplace.

This is a Stage Two trend that matters more for the nutritional and natural foods part of the market than foodservice.

4. New varietals and hybrids. Varietal fruits and novel hybrids are gaining in popularity as consumers focus on quality and variety. It's not enough now to sell consumers lemons, oranges or strawberries. Savvy eaters are focused on specific varieties—whether Meyer lemons, Cara Cara oranges or Seascape strawberries—and their distinct flavor profiles along with qualities such as ease of peeling, lack of seeds or textural advantages.

It’s a Stage Two trend that seems to be getting close to Stage Three, particularly when it comes to desserts.

5. Fruit and botanical beverages. The addition of botanical flavor notes to fruit-flavored beverages adds a fresh twist in this category, where a thirsty public is eager to experience more complex flavor combinations and enjoy alternatives to conventional sodas. Beyond taste, these additions add potential health benefits that appeal to consumers searching for elixirs in a bottle or tea.

These drinks are a solid Stage Three trend that, given the amount of shelf space they already command at retail, seems destined for the mainstream.

6. Super tart cherries. The expansion of sour (tart) cherries into juices, snack bars and trail mix is just the beginning of where this nutrient powerhouse can go, with or without the health claims. Not only does this good-for-you-ingredient taste great, but tart cherries also add a premium feel to foods as well as a hint of nostalgia.

Packaged Facts rates cherries as a Stage Four trend; given their price point, it’s hard to see them ever becoming a true Stage Five, at least as far as QSR usage is concerned.

7. Mango mania. If you want to know what full-fledged Stage Five adoption looks like, here you go. Mango madness has firmly set in, thanks to the juicy tropical's broad appeal to multicultural consumers, flavor lovers and health-seekers. Whether in savory or sweet applications, mango's versatility expands just about any foodservice menu category.

If you want to keep your restaurant on top of contemporary trends, one or two items on this list could help. In particular, check with your bar manager, mixologist, chef and pastry chef to see which of these trends is most readily adaptable to your restaurant’s menu.