Nimbus foods reveals key biscuit inclusions trends

A greater array and availability of fruit flavoured inclusions is among the key trends for ingredient for biscuit ranges, according to studies from Nimbus Foods.

According to the firm’s commercial manager Charlotte Bailey explained to Confectionery Product that there were a number of other notable developments within the segment.

One of the noticeable growing trends this year is fruit flavoured inclusions, namely orange following a huge increase in chocolate orange products last year, as well as coconut and strawberry.

Bailey noted that consumers are craving unique tastes and enjoy experimenting by combining traditional formats with new flavours. Whilst chocolate and caramel flavours are still leading the way, creations that push boundaries are exciting and engaging, making them ideal for seasonal or limited edition launches.

According to Innova, Cranberry was amongst the 5 fastest growing flavours in Sweet Bakery and has experienced a +27% CAGR between 2014 – 2019 across Western Europe, offering a more premium fruit flavour. We’ve noticed that inclusions such as flavoured jelly dots continue to do well at Nimbus Foods, we believe this is not only down to their versatility – but also due to the sweet and fruity flavours that we know are popular amongst customers. We then have the ability to coat our fruit dots in chocolate, yogurt or fat, to add further flexibility with flavour, for example a popular favourite is cranberry combined with yogurt or for a more exotic flavour combination taking inspiration and influence from Japanese culture, yuzu and white chocolate.

A recent Innova Market Insights report found that texture is one of the key drivers in a consumer’s decision-making process, and at Nimbus we have a broad range of products that can produce a soft, chewy, crunchy or crispy texture. We even have a selector tool on our website to allow customers to search by texture which is ideal for biscuit inclusions.

A confectionery product should be enjoyable to eat, and therefore the texture has to be of equal importance to the taste. Experimenting with different textures is key when we consider product development, our best sellers include 4mm/7mm fudges and 3mm butterscotch toffees, which have soft and hard consistencies retrospectively.

Other biscuit-style inclusions that focus on texture include our shortcake balls, which are a consumer favourite, not only for their taste and look – but for their short crunch. It’s important to be satisfying all of your customers’ senses when manufacturing indulgent products.

Further to this, Innova highlights a growing importance in a comprehensive plant-based range, as more consumers explore this lifestyle.

Bailey added: “At Nimbus Foods we recognise the need to retain indulgence and quality when it comes to plant-based treats, but also to offer choice and flexibility to those searching for vegan products. We’re proud to offer a diverse range of plant-based inclusions such as honeycomb, sugar pearls, cereal balls, pretzel sticks, popping candy, strands and vegan ‘Fudj’, which is in particular growth. As the year progresses, we shall be expanding our plant-based offering in line with the launch of Meadow Foods’ plant-based factory too, enabling us to provide a range of dairy alternative products such as creams, milks, custards and soft cheese.”