Happy spring! That’s right – we have just kicked off the official start to the spring season, and we are more than happy to welcome longer, sunnier, and warmer days, as well as all of the beautiful blossoms and fresh produce that the new season brings. And what luck that the first day of spring coincides with National Agriculture Week (or perhaps some really well-thought-out planning). Of course, we can’t think of agriculture without thinking of all of the farmers and ranchers how have made the decision to farm and ranch to provide a variety of foods for the rest of us to enjoy, so we want to ..read more

Honey is making a name for itself in 2023’s trend report listings, as the hot honey trend and global fusion explosions — just to name a few — make their mark in the United States. Further, honey is named as a sweetener to watch in a number of categories. Even though honey is thousands of years old, the modern take and fresh mentions prove that it is a versatile all-natural sweetener that stands the test of time in a number of ways: Honey as a Functional Beverage Sweetener New Hope Network’s “In The Aisle: Beverages on the Front Line of Mental Wellness” named Smootch Blood Orange Grapefruit as ..read more

Is there anything better than an all-natural energy boost in the morning without the midday crash? Consumers are searching for better-for-you ingredients that provide energy and natural sweetness, and cereal product developers are answering the call with honey. Mornings are still prime time for traditional honey-sweetened cereals like Honey Bunches of Oats, Honeycomb and Honey Nut Cheerios, but the cereal category is expanding into all-day (and even before bedtime) noshing with a few innovative ideas: Portable packaging that provides busy consumers with on-the-go options that are more nutriti ..read more

Palate expansion is top of mind for dairy product lovers in 2023, and this year’s flavor projections in the category reflect a desire for something extra mixed with familiarity. Honey is a hero ingredient in new product releases that manufacturers are using to showcase classic comfort with a twist. Traditional and classic flavors when blended with honey are winning with consumers. Pairings like lavender, blueberry, strawberry, orange and caramel are being used with newly-inspired items aimed to wow consumers. Here are a few examples ..read more

Better-for-you is no longer a trend, it’s an expectation that consumers have — even in snack products. Sustained energy, unique flavor combinations and functionality are just a few of the demands consumers are placing on snack food in 2023, and honey is a familiar, all-natural sweetener that meets these needs. What will drive the snack category in 2023? Here are the three trends that will drive snack food sales in the coming year. 1. Better-for-you. Bakery and Snacks said: “While snacking has long been associated with indulgence and fulfilling a guilty craving, a raft of new offers are popping ..read more

Happy Valentine’s Day and welcome back to our blog! Did you know that in addition to being the patron saint of lovers and married couples, the namesake of the holiday – St. Valentine – is also widely recognized as the patron saint of beekeepers? In fact, according to Heifer International, St. Valentine is “charged with ensuring the sweetness of honey and the protection of beekeepers.” So what is the connection between the saint of love and bees? Well, it looks like honey bees have been associated with love for centuries with many references to them in ancient cultures. According to CompleteBee ..read more

If you’re anything like us, this time of year has you dreaming of the warm temps of spring and summer. As the tail end of the coldest stretch of the year, February has a relatively equal mix of snow storms and sunshine, and what gets us through to the first day of spring in March is a nice hot breakfast. It makes sense then that February is National Hot Breakfast Month. While the history of the occasion is unknown (though we did see a brief mention of it starting with popular breakfast brand Jimmy Dean, we didn’t see any other mentions of this connection), it is widely believed that it is mean ..read more

The time has come once again for the National Football League to name its champion, and like all of the champions before them, these players will have to play hard and leave their sweat and tears (and maybe some blood) on the field of glory. The good news? We spectators get to enjoy all of the “I could hear that from here!” tackles, “Did that just happen?!?” plays, “I can’t believe it!” tear-inducing losses and “We are the champions!” sweet victories from the comfort of the sidelines. And the great news? We get to do it all with our favorite game-day eats! Whether it be football, hockey, socce ..read more

Consumers want more than a one-note flavor profile, and manufacturers who elevate ingredient fusions in 2023 with something even more than before — using honey as the sweetener — will win in the next year. Sweet heat-er will drive 2023.Honey is one of the tried and true flavors driving the most individual unit sales in the industry, IRI’s Sally Lyons Wyatt said during Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s ‘Top Flavor Trends in Snack & Bakery Products’ webinar. Flavor combinations are where overall dollars are growing, but the craving for something extra is on fire. Hot and spicy honey fusion ..read more

Once again, the National Honey Board partnered with Pink Boots Chapters from across the United States to celebrate National Honey Month, the female worker bees who make honey, and the female brewers who brew honey beers. Here are the stories from our collaborations in 2022 ..read more