Vol. III, No. 6, June 2025
Beefing up agritourism's appeal with bold flavors
Today's consumers are seeking out bold, new, and exciting flavors in all their dining options. From fine dining to fast food, bold menu options are popping up to satisfy this desire. If you want to draw in more guests and encourage them to purchase food and beverages at your agritourism venue, you will need to provide them with some of the bold flavors they crave. Let's look at some of the features of this trend and how to harness some of this interest into profitable menu items and limited-time offerings (LTOs) at your agritourism venue.
It doesn't seem that long ago that items like pretzel buns and salted caramel were the new flavor trends of the year, which seem tame by today's standards. Over the last decade, consumers' desire for more unique flavors, global cuisines, and out-of-the-box flavor combinations has steadily increased. As foodie culture has grown, its followers have become more sophisticated and adventurous. And like many other trends, this one has been accelerated by the COVID pandemic. During COVID we filled our all too plentiful free time experimenting in the kitchen and emerged from our lockdown cocoons eager for new experiences and bold new flavors. Or as Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, a trend foresights company in Fort Lauderdale, put it, after COVID, "Consumers have a higher set point of fear."
Who are these new, fearless flavor seekers? Not surprisingly, this trend is being led by younger diners. According to a recent Mintel survey, over 90% of Gen Z and Millennials, often young families with children who visit many agritourism venues, are seeking new food and beverage flavors, compared with just 36% of the total population. Social media plays a significant part in the discovery of new flavors. According to the same Mintel survey, over 84% of consumers who actively seek out new flavors cited social media as their primary information source. TikTok has been incredibly influential on young adults' flavor choices, spawning the viral "swicy" trend we have written about before here and, more recently, the recent rise of dill pickle-flavored menu options.
Spicy foods are especially popular, with 84% of consumers eating spicy foods at least sometimes, according to Daymon research, and 43% regularly eating spicy foods. That figure increases to 61% for Gen Z diners. Spicy foods are everywhere. Hot honey, a part of the "swicy" trend, is up 128% on menus over the past four years, according to Datssentials' Menu Trends, and Euromonitor found that 20% of new product launches in 2023 had a spicy flavor component. Extra heat is popping up in unexpected places, such as Campbell's ghost pepper chicken soup and Carnation's jalapeno-flavored evaporated milk.
Try spicing (or "swicing") up your menu with simple additions like hot honey chicken sandwiches or a spicy barbeque sauce option. And if you already have some spicy options on your menu, make sure to emphasize them on your menu boards and signage.
Global food profiles have become increasingly prevalent and don't show any signs of slowing down. Asian, Latin, and Hispanic cuisines are especially popular due to their spicy and unfamiliar flavors. Consumers are looking for unique and authentic global cuisine, not the standard fare usually found in the average Chinese or Mexican restaurant. For agritourism venues, Mexican street corn, grilled corn slathered with Mexican crème (or sour cream), crumbled cheese, and Tajin, is an easy and approachable global food addition to your menu.
The beverage industry is one of the easiest places to see new flavor trends. A drink is a lower-risk purchase, where many consumers are more comfortable trying something different. Many beverages are jumping on the global food trend by incorporating flavors like lychee, yuzu, ube, and matcha. Florals and botanicals such as lavender, basil, tamarind, and rosemary are also quite popular. Consider adding an herbal note to some of your current beverages, such as a lavender lemonade or a basil strawberry slushie.
And remember that dill pickle trend I mentioned earlier? Pickle-flavored cocktails are enjoying their briny moment in the sun with drinks such as Picklebacks (a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice), pickle-infused martinis that replace olive brine with pickle juice, and pickle-y versions of other classics such as margaritas and bloody Marys. Or you could pick up a bottle of pickle-flavored vodka and make your own creation. And if pickle juice drinks aren't adventurous enough for you, you can always try out Doritos X Empirical, a distilled spirit featuring Doritos nacho cheese flavor.
We often think of trends as the search for something new and different, but not all flavor trends are forward-looking. According to Mintel, 55% of consumers would purchase an LTO with nostalgic ingredients. Nostalgia is trending as a remedy for the increased anxiety people are feeling in their present-day lives. For older adults, nostalgic foods remind them of the carefree days of their childhood. For younger generations, nostalgic food provides them a "retro" experience, a slice of life from what they perceive as a simpler time. These vintage foods are often reimagined in a more sophisticated form, such as gourmet whoopie pies and Hostess inspired snack cakes, cocktails inspired by Gushers or Capri Sun, or handcrafted "cereal milk" ice cream made with cereals like Fruity Pebbles or Fruit Loops.
Nostalgia-driven treats are a perfect match for agritourism venues, where many foods such as candy apples, kettle corn, and apple cider donuts already have a nostalgic feel. You can ramp up that nostalgia by adding fun twists on your traditional foods, such as a caramel apple coated in a childhood cereal, or fun (and Instagrammable) presentations, such as a red and white striped straw in your drink or shake.
The easiest way to infuse your menu with some trendy, bold flavor is by introducing a limited-time offering (LTO). For instance, during strawberry season, try a new strawberry LTO each week throughout the season. This way, you can get a feel for what your guests respond to and adjust additional menu items accordingly. And if you are struggling with inspiration, look no further than the state fair. Iowa's and Minnesota's state fairs are renowned for their unique twists on traditional comfort foods. You can read our article about them here.
The bottom line
Your guests are seeking bold new flavors everywhere they eat, including your agritourism farm. By experimenting with bold new flavors, you can stand out from the crowd and keep your menu fresh and relevant. Mike Kostyo, the vice president of Menu Matters, gives this advice on leveraging bold and interesting flavors to draw in your customers - "Stop playing it safe."
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