The Ottens

Observer

INSPIRE

The breakfast sector is booming and has experienced solid growth. The market is expected to grow by nearly 26% from 2012-17 to reach a predicted $15.7 billion. One trend that is driving this growth is health conscious consumers who are constantly being told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The majority of consumers are looking for healthy options that fit into their hectic sched-ules, but we are learning that everything is better in a bowl!

According to food-industry consulting firm Technomic, bowls have seen a 29.7% rise in the entree category over the last five years. Bowls for breakfast are a hot new trend on the market, especially in food service. From smoothie bowls, to acai bowls, egg scramble, quinoa, and oatmeal bowls.

There are a few reasons why breakfast bowls are so hot, “The bowl is a perfect vessel in which to create simple, de-licious, and healthy meals. When gathered together in a single dish, lean proteins, greens, vegetables, and whole grains nestle against each other in a unique marriage of flavor and texture.” Said Sara Forte, the author of “Bowl + Spoon” cookbook.

Bowls are also very photogen-ic. Bowls are great to get creative with— showcasing unique ingredi-ents, colors and flavors, making each one a work of art, worthy of Instagram!

Smoothie and acai bowls are some of the most popular on the market right now, pre-pared with fresh fruits and veggies, then loaded with sliced fruit, granola, nuts,

and seeds, creating a beautifully healthy meal. Several QSR’s have added smoothie/ acai bowls to their menus. Jamba Juice’s Island Pitaya Bowl, which features pineap-ple juice, frozen pineapples, fresh bananas, frozen pitaya (dragonfruit) , frozen strawberries, frozen mangos, organic pumpkin flax seed granola, fresh blueberries, honey, chia seeds, and coconut. Juice Press has an Acai Blueberry Bowl with banana, coconut water, acai berry, granola, blue-berry, and coconut nectar.

Breakfast bowls featuring eggs, veggies, cheese and more are a hot new item on menus and in the frozen aisle. Re-cently, McDonald’s introduced two breakfast bowls featur-ing turkey sausage & egg whites, and chorizo and egg scramble. Taco Bell has a skillet bowl with scramble eggs, nacho cheese, potatoes, and pico de gallo.

We’re seeing bowls go beyond breakfast and serve as lunch vessel for broths, noodles, and deconstructed sand-wiches. It’s time to think, Inside the Bowl!

(Mintel, 2016) (Techinsider, 2016) (Technomics, 2016)

Breakfast in a Bowl

Snacking has Taken on a Whole New Meaning! 

(Mintel, 2016), (Internal Data, 2016)(Technomic, 2016) 

The days of sitting down and enjoying a meal are done. Around the clock grazing is becoming the norm, while the definition of a snack continues to get looser and looser! “Snacks” can be meal substitutes, an indulgent reward, a means to hold your appetite at bay in the short term, a way to de-stress, a mood elevator, or a stimulant for energy. “Snacks” can be adventuresome, bold, indulgent, nos-talgic with a twist, savory, and sweet.

Menu items containing the descriptors “snack”, “snackable” or “snacker” have in-creased considerably across the entire spec-trum of restaurants, according to Technomic. Take note — “snack” is not a category... it’s a behavior. And one which has only really started to evolve in the past five years.

Millennials around the world consume snacks for both emotional and functional reasons. Beyond satisfying hunger, they are doing it to quell crav-ings or pass the time. Meal replacement and health also drives the snacking conversation with Millennials, as 20% say it’s healthier to snack throughout the day in the US.

Why Utilize Flavors in Eggs As the breakfast market con nues to grow, we are seeing a lot 

of innova on in egg‐based products, like frozen omelets, break‐

fast scramble bowls, egg fri atas, breakfast burritos and even in 

foodservice. One thing many consumers don’t know is that pro‐

cessed eggs and egg pa es can be flavorless, and lose their 

taste through the freeze and thaw process. By u lizing flavors in 

eggs, it can help to create a be er impact a er the final prepa‐

ra on. Flavors in eggs also provide variety—who doesn’t want a 

cheddar sriracha or bacon jalapeno flavored egg scramble in 

their morning bowl? 

Another reason flavors work so well in eggs is due to the crop to 

crop varia on. Eggs from one farm can taste extremely different 

than eggs on another farm, therefore flavors can provide con‐

sistency and set a gold standard for the product.  

(Internal Data, 2016) 

Natural Banana Extract WONF #3135

Whether enrobed in chocolate, baked into a muffin, or blend-ed into a smoothie, banana is a crowd pleaser! According to Mintel GNPD, last year 18.8% of all new food and beverage launches were banana flavored. Ottens’ banana flavor offers the perfect blend of fresh and sweet ripe notes! It works great in combination with other fruits, such as coconut, mango, orange, strawberry and blueberry, as well as indulgent flavors like chocolate, caramel, brown sugar and peanut butter.

Banana flavor is extremely versatile, complementing a variety of applications: sweet ice creams and yogurts, refreshing beverages, warm baked goods, and crunchy snack bars.

Ottens Flavors continues to look for ways to give back to the community of Philadelphia by holding various fund-raisers and events throughout the year. For the month of May, we held a Seed Fundraiser for spring, in honor of our local community garden, Bartram’s Garden. “Bartram’s Garden is a 45-acre National Historic Land-mark, operated by the John Bartram Association in coop-eration with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. It is a destination and an outdoor classroom, living laboratory, and membership organization for ever-expanding audi-ences. The John Bartram Association’s mission is to protect and enhance the landmark Bartram’s Garden and House; ad-vance the Bartram legacy of discovery, gardening, and art; and inspire audiences of all ages to care for the natu-ral world.”   

Ottens employees purchased herbs and vegetable seeds which fueled a monetary donation to the garden.

Flavor of the Month

Giving Back this Spring!