Creativity Abounds When Creating Sauces, Dips and Dressings

Consumers love changing the mood of a dish or a snack by pairing it with different sauces, dips or dressings. It’s a fun way to get creative with the menu, and the Sensient team is just as innovative when exploring new offerings in this ever-growing market sector. From global market research to field trips, they scour the planet to source ingredients and then work to incorporate those into prototypes for testing and evaluation.

When trying to make headway in the sauce category, which has grown 23% in retail sales and 39% in new-product launches in recent years (according to research by IRI Infoscan Reviews, the U.S. Census Bureau and Economic Census/Mintel), food and beverage manufacturers need a partner who understands the flavor life cycle process and values global flavor palates, while leveraging cross-category insights.

From drawing board to dining room table

What does that look like in real-world applications? As an agile company with scalable capabilities, Sensient Flavors & Extracts knows how to take what consumers want — flavors that allow escape and pleasure while also meeting a “better for you” mandate — and couple that with research showing how flavors are adopted across a life cycle:

• Mature: Legacy flavors in a specific category, such as soy sauce, red wine or cheddar cheese
• Mainstream: Highly popular flavors, such as cinnamon, rosemary or jalapeno
• Growth: A launchpad for trends, such as blood orange, ale and lavender, which may move into Mainstream and eventually Mature categories
• Niche: Completely new flavors, such as green garlic, Hatch chiles or hibiscus 

Consumers often like the familiarity of a mature/mainstream flavor when paired with a fun and exciting growth/niche flavor. While heat is prevalent and not going anywhere, the key is to remember that finding a balance between flavor and heat is essential to maximize consumer interest and build product loyalty. Our flavorists and application scientists can help manufacturers find that “sweet spot” and tap into a vast market. According to a Sensient survey, 57% of consumers are very likely to use prepared sauces with meals if a broader range of unique, international cuisine options is available. Ready to “dip” into Sensient’s proven expertise and market savvy? Let’s be taste buds! Contact us to find out more.