Home-cooking helpers

The confluence of several social trends seems to be waking up consumer interest in spices and seasonings.

First, the growing appeal of international cuisines and ethnic flavors shows no signs of abating anytime soon. Second, widespread interest in health and nutrition has turned many consumers away from processed foods and excess sodium and toward spices, herbs and seasonings. Third, the economy’s rather sluggish recovery has many households looking for ways to economize on living expenses — and cooking at home can be a reliable way to accomplish that.

Passport, please

Americans’ eating preferences are becoming more and more international, observes Steve Thomas, senior vice president, corporate brands, for Gel Spice Company Inc., McKinney, Texas.

“We continue to see Americans using more savory and ethnic seasonings and in a wider variety than before,” he says. “We believe this trend will continue for some time as peoples’ taste buds become more adventurous, more multicultural.”

Furthermore, consumers are looking for bold spices and seasonings with some ‘kick,’ says Kim Cornelius, senior food scientist for St. Francis, Wis.-based Wixon Inc.

Chili peppers from around the globe — for example, urfa biber (a Turkish chili pepper) and gochujaru (a Korean red chili powder) — are becoming mainstream as consumers become more adventurous with food, Cornelius explains.

Seasoning blends and grinders are trending strongly in the category, too, observes Scott Treadaway, vice president, sales for Springfield, Mo.-based Brinkhoff & Monoson Inc.

“Pink Himalayan salt is a hot item, as [are] sea salt, smoked salt, flavored salt, peppercorn and all-purpose grinders for herbs,” he says. “Ethnic blends [from] Peru and Thailand are also doing great things within the category.”

And oxtail and Tex-Mex seasonings are catching on with a public in search of mouth-watering new flavors, says Robert Urra, president of Miami-based American Spice Trading Co. Inc. But while “spicy” continues to be popular, that doesn’t necessarily mean “tongue-numbing,” Urra reminds retailers.

Indian and Mediterranean flavors, particularly Moroccan, also are increasing in popularity, says Ramona Cappello, founder and CEO of Santa Monica, Calif.-based Sun Harvest Salt LLC. Other important trends, Cappello adds, involve seasonings that are a combination of sweet and savory, gourmet sea salt and cinnamon for use in savory dishes.

Hold the salt

One of the biggest issues facing spice marketers is consumers’ increasing interest in reducing sodium, Cappello points out.

“That’s what we specialize in,” she states.

Cappello’s company harvests salt from the Pacific Ocean and puts it through a two-and-a-half-year condensation process to create single-crystal salt featuring a sodium reduction between 25 and 45 percent.

Thomas agrees that sodium reduction is on consumers’ minds.

“Many consumers are becoming more health-conscious,” he says. “They want to feed their families with healthier foods and cut their daily salt intake.”

Rubs, meat tenderizers and value-tier spices are other emerging trends, Thomas believes. Value-tier spices are a fit with consumers’ continuing thrifty ways.

“While the economy has improved from the recession days of 2008 and 2009 … many Americans have not improved their standard of living,” he says. “People are still struggling today and looking for ways to save money.”

Thomas stresses that quality and pricing continue to be the two key ingredients in the development of a private brand spice program.

Glass or not?

Packaging also can help make or break a store brand spice or seasoning sale. Beautiful glass containers give spices and seasonings a certain presence and show off the products’ freshness, color and beauty to good advantage, Treadaway says.

Glass provides a longer shelf life and can be made to look very attractive and artisan-like, Cappello maintains. However, care must still be taken to protect the product from light exposure.

To convey a higher level of product quality on glass or plastic containers, Treadaway suggests using clear labels rather than paper ones.

Bagged spices, meanwhile, could convey a farmer’s market type of vibe that consumers might find attractive, he adds. But the bags should be beautiful and have zippered tops to preserve freshness.

Educate the consumer

The right products and packaging might not be enough to boost sales of own-brand spices and seasonings. The spice aisle can be a confusing place, so it’s vitally important that retailers educate consumers about which seasonings complement which foods, Treadaway emphasizes. One avenue to do so is via graphics — for example, a picture of a bowl of pasta, beef or chicken.

“Tell the consumer what the [spices and seasonings] are used for,” he says.

Treadaway suggests mentioning the product’s multiple uses on the bottle, directing the consumer to the retailer’s website, offering a code reader on the bottle that directs the consumer to recipes and offering recipe cards in store.

For his part, Urra advises retailers to promote their store brand spices and seasonings with peel-off recipes and usage suggestions on the package.

Shippers are an effective promotional tool, too, Thomas says.

“We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of spice and specialty shippers being promoted, such as black pepper, vanilla, various spices and holiday shippers. These are [also] key instruments for [providing] additional inventory in the store during peak consumption periods,” he says.

Merchandise wisely

Be aware, Treadaway says, that consumers can get confused and lost in the spices and seasonings aisle, so he recommends that retailers limit the number of SKUs here — carrying, at most, two national brands in addition to their own brand(s). He also advises them to clearly identify the store brand spices, store brand organic spices and the various price points.

Shoppers are not necessarily brandloyal in this category and often shop by price, he adds.

And when it comes to product placement outside of the aisle, spices and seasonings are perfect partners for the meat department.

“We like to park ourselves over by the meat market, where people are standing around, waiting for their meat to be cut,” Urra says.

Do consider consumers’ desire for ethnic flavors in own-brand spice and seasoning development.

Don’t forget that quality value-tier offerings also appeal to many still-frugal consumers.

Do use packaging to suggest uses for store brand spices and seasonings.

Don’t overwhelm shoppers with too many spice brands/SKUs on shelf.