HOUSTON — It’s two sides of the same coin. One of the biggest challenges for small bakery operators is creating limited time offers (LTOs) around seasonal themes; it’s also one of the biggest opportunities.
During a panel discussion at the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association’s IDDBA 2024 show, held June 9-11 in Houston, Jewel Hunt, group VP of fresh merchandising at Albertsons Companies, talked about the rise in consumer excitement over seasonality. Whether it’s the pumpkin spice craze, the moment school’s back in session or summertime celebrations, people love seasonal offerings.
That can lead to oodles of product development ideas for small and in-store bakery operators … so long as they have the resources to execute them.
“We’re seeing it everywhere,” said Sarah Hickey, VP of North America marketing for Dawn Foods. “There’s a need for people to say, ‘How do I bring to life things like seasonality but meet my needs with distribution models and all the logistical things that have become a challenge?’”
To help in-store and artisan bakery operators overcome the seasonal challenge, Dawn has developed season-centric product development tools and inspiration.
“We looked at seasonal offerings through the lens of how a baker should be thinking about bringing to life the freshness and newness that come with changing seasons,” Hickey said. “We’re seeing these kinds of LTOs as a big piece of stepping up the game.”
“We looked at seasonal offerings through the lens of how a baker should be thinking about bringing to life the freshness and newness that come with changing seasons.”
According to Dawn’s research, seasons can come to life in two ways: flavor and visual appeal.
“The attractiveness, the eye candy is the first thing to consider and identify how you can pull in a shopper or bring a product to life through social media,” Hickey said. “Then you can bring people into those moments starting with fresh flavor or fresh fruits to reinforce that true, authentic taste experience.”
During the fall and winter seasons, classic flavors like apple or peppermint tap into those nostalgic feelings that come with fourth-quarter holidays. Dawn products provide flexibility to create twists on familiar flavors like apple fritters, fruit cake and peppermint bark. For example, adding a warm bourbon vanilla flavor to a classic apple fritter or bringing a devil’s food bundt cake to life with a drizzle of peppermint frosting.
There’s also room for innovation in how flavor is delivered, with a trend toward backing off the flavor intensity in the cake and injecting more of it into the buttercream.
“Buttercreams have become really flavorful,” Hickey said. “We are seeing a lot of bakers use our pumpkin cream cheese frosting as a filling inside the cake to bring an intense flavor.”
Warmer weather bring opportunities for visual excitement with bright, striking citrus flavors that pack a punch. Beach vibes and patriotic palates offer shoppers an indulgent way to lean into what they love most about the season at hand and the celebrations that come with them.
During the IDDBA show, Dawn showcased a variety of seasonal ideas and inspiration for bakers to try out in their own businesses. For more information and demonstrations, visit the Dawn Foods website.
