Perk. Last year's offering was a peppermint white chocolate.
This year it's salted caramel. Neither flavor has threatened to
replace traditional hot cocoa. "People seem to want the hot
chocolate they had as a little kid," Cooke says, "and they're just
not interested in anything not like chocolate milk."
Updates to old recipes may be the best new idea. "People
are becoming more nostalgic and seeking comfort in food and
beverages," Hager says. "We see a trend toward the favorites.
For vanilla with a twist, Monin offers five different vanilla
flavors, each with a flavor distinction."
Another trend in foodservice is the addition of ethnic flavors,
something Polisano says his company has taken into account.
"Caffe D'Vita recognizes the strength of ethnic flavors,"
Polisano says. "Added to our lineup this year with a focus on the
Hispanic consumer is horchata. We have developed for our Asian
consumer Blended Iced Coffee Chocolate Mint, and an Avocado
Smoothie. Other exotic fruits are also being developed."
Ideas for drinks come can start right here. "Specialty Coffee
Retailer is my favorite magazine," Cooke says. "I read it from
cover to cover every issue. I've gotten ideas from pictures. I also
do research online. It's mostly me playing around in the kitchen."
Costello advocates trade shows not only as a source for new
recipes but also as a place to sound off on what clicks with your
clientele.
"There are always new and innovative products being
introduced to the marketplace," she says. "Attend your coffee shows
business
when you can and meet the makers. We also rely on you, the owneroperator, with your feedback of what their loyal patrons desire."
Thoughts from regular clients can keep a menu on trend.
Monin's Hager suggests putting a build-your-own option on
the menu board, with two or three flavors to pick for a DIY
drink. "Customers are looking for not only new flavor ideas,
but flavors unique to them," he says.
Coffee operators also should be looking for ways to improve
storage and preparation methods for their syrups and sauces.
"We're working on shaken drinks," Cooke notes. "The
problem in an iced latte is that the chocolate gets stuck on
the bottom. We've been testing the last couple of months by
putting the chocolate, espresso and a little ice and milk in a
martini shaker and put ice in the glasses. We put the chocolate
on the outside of the cup and strain the drink in the shaker
into the glass. There's better flavor distribution throughout the
drink. It seems to work really well with the sauces."
Shakers shouldn't be necessary, Costello suggests, since
sauces are made to blend easily even in cold drinks. "Our
chocolate sauce dissolves so you have chocolate with every
sip," she says. "It doesn't stir and then drop to the bottom."
Cooke also replaces pumps on bottles with pour spouts.
"We use measuring cups to measure how much to put in each
drink," he says. The result is more consistency. "The pumps get
sticky so you never get the right amount," he says. "And you
can fit more bottles in a small area." SCR
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