Tag: cpg design

Expanding Palates: The Continued Rise of Globally Inspired Flavor Exploration

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As Millennials and Gen Z continue expanding their palates, ethnic flavors have become integral to their culinary experiences. Both generations grew up surrounded by diverse global cuisine, and for Gen Z, ethnic food is more than just about taste; it’s an immersive experience that combines authenticity, culture, and emotional connection. This shift towards adventurous eating reflects a desire for more sophisticated palates as a way to enhance their culinary explorations. As retailers and brands respond to this growing interest, the availability of unique and complex flavors is expanding across various food and beverage categories. From snacks to drinks, options are becoming increasingly diverse, catering to audiences eager for new taste sensations.

Traditional brands that have historically relied on American flavor profiles are now expanding their horizons by embracing ethnic-inspired varieties. This shift allows them to connect with the adventurous tastes of Millennials and Gen Z while staying aligned with ever-evolving culinary trends.

Where Flavor Innovation Meets Authentic Design

But flavor innovation alone isn’t enough. As shelves become more crowded with globally inspired offerings, package design plays a critical role in signaling authenticity, communicating flavor cues, and inviting consumers to explore something new. Color palettes, typography, patterns, and imagery all work together to evoke cultural inspiration while maintaining a brand’s own visual equity. When done thoughtfully, packaging becomes a gateway, helping consumers quickly understand unfamiliar flavors and feel confident trying them.

SPAM has long held a meaningful place in Asian American food culture, where it’s been embraced across generations in dishes like musubi, fried rice, and other comfort-driven fusion meals. Recent limited-time offerings continue to build on that cultural connection, blending familiar pantry staples with globally inspired flavors to celebrate community and culinary creativity. A recent collaboration between the SPAM brand and Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce brings this idea to life, combining two pantry staples rooted in Asian American food culture into a single, umami-rich experience inspired by a pairing fans have been creating at home for years.

The SPAM Japanese Barbecue Sauce flavored variety, made with Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce, delivers a savory balance of sweet, garlicky, and soy-forward notes while celebrating Japanese American culinary traditions. Smith Design partnered with the SPAM team to help shape the packaging for this collaboration, translating the bold flavor fusion into a package design system that feels culturally informed, modern, and shelf-ready.

The launch of SPAM Gochujang, inspired by the popular Korean condiment, is another example of this trend. This limited-edition variety combines spicy, sweet, smoky, and umami elements, making it a great addition to any occasion. Smith Design also had the pleasure of collaborating with SPAM to shape the visual aesthetic of this product, ensuring it resonates with Korean heritage and aligns with the essence of gochujang sauces found in adjacent categories. This focus on design not only elevates the product’s appeal but also creates a deeper connection with consumers seeking immersive culinary experiences.

Beyond globally inspired heat and fusion, brands are also finding growth in traditional Hispanic flavors rooted in nostalgia, cultural pride, and the comfort of home. Consumers are gravitating toward offerings that feel authentic and emotionally resonant, creating a compelling opportunity for brands to expand into heritage-driven spaces with credibility and warmth. This insight guided our recent partnership with Pillsbury Baking and Hometown Foods to launch a new line of Hispanic Recipe baking mixes.

Following an in-depth cultural and visual audit and market analysis, we helped translate deeply familiar flavors into a modern retail experience that feels both genuine and accessible. The resulting packaging for Mexican Wedding Cookies, Chocoflan, and Cortadillo Cake blends vibrant, culturally inspired color palettes and patterning with photography that evokes homemade indulgence. The design honors time-tested recipes while staying true to Pillsbury’s playful, trusted brand voice, creating a bridge between tradition and contemporary shelf appeal.

Flavor Communication to Cultural Storytelling

As interest in ethnic flavors continues to grow, packaging is evolving from simple flavor communication to storytelling. Whether highlighting regional ingredients, showcasing flavor mashups, or using design to convey heat, sweetness, or spice, brands have an opportunity to turn global inspiration into a compelling shelf presence. The result is packaging that doesn’t just describe the product, it sparks curiosity and encourages discovery.

Brain + Beauty: Rethinking Drinkable Function

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Functional beverages continue to evolve, and a new dual-focus trend has emerged, with drinks that support both cognitive wellness and visible beauty. Consumers are no longer satisfied with single-purpose beverages; they want products that enhance how they feel and how they show up in daily life. Expo West 2026 highlighted this shift, revealing brands that combine wellness benefits, flavor, and lifestyle-focused experiences to redefine what drinkable function can be.

From Single Benefit to Integrated Wellness

Five years ago, functional beverages were largely defined by a single promise: energy, hydration, immunity, or digestion. Bold ingredients like adaptogens, probiotics, and nootropics dominated.

Today, the category is moving toward integrated wellness. Hydration incorporates broader mineral profiles. Energy is expected to feel balanced and sustainable. Magnesium has emerged as a key ingredient, supporting stress response, recovery, and overall equilibrium.

Consumers also evaluate flavor, design, and experience alongside efficacy. The most successful brands integrate benefits seamlessly, providing a daily ritual that fits naturally into modern lifestyles.

Trends in Action at Expo West

Expo West 2026 made these shifts tangible. Leading brands no longer focus on single ingredients. They combine multiple benefits into cohesive, everyday experiences.

Everyday wellness is evolving. Drinks now blend adaptogens, nootropics, and hydration with lifestyle benefits. Classic formats are being reimagined. Soda-inspired beverages feature functional ingredients and bold, nostalgic flavors. Protein is increasingly incorporated to support satiety and sustained energy. Bright, fruit-forward flavor combinations make functional benefits approachable and enjoyable.

Together, these trends reinforce a key insight: success is no longer defined by one ingredient. It comes from how well benefits, flavor, and experience are integrated.

Brain + Beauty: A Defining Shift

A major emerging trend is the convergence of cognitive wellness and beauty. Consumers no longer see these areas separately. Stress affects skin. Hydration impacts both mental clarity and appearance. Recovery, sleep, and overall balance influence how people feel and present themselves.

Magnesium plays a central role in this shift. Traditionally associated with relaxation and muscle function, it now supports calm, recovery, and overall balance. These benefits influence both cognitive clarity and visible well-being. In this way, magnesium bridges brain and beauty, connecting internal wellness with external expression.

ELOS: Launching at Expo West

At Smith Design, we recently partnered with Accelerated Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) to launch ELOS, a functional sparkling water brand that officially debuted at Expo West 2026. From the beginning, we worked end to end: naming guidance, brand positioning, visual identity, packaging, and comprehensive brand guidelines.

Our process began with a deep dive into the beverage category and broader wellness landscape. We analyzed competitors, consumer motivations, and emerging cultural signals to identify strategic opportunities for differentiation.

Smith Design collaborated closely with AMS to shape every aspect of the brand:

  • Naming: We explored potential brand names and strategies, ultimately landing on ELOS, a modern, flexible identity designed to grow with the category
  • Brand Positioning: We defined a promise of refreshment paired with everyday wellness benefits, expressed through a bold, rebellious personality. Large hyper-liquified fruit graphics signal energy, edge, and shelf presence
  • Visual Identity and Packaging: Design systems communicate premium refreshment while reflecting the playful, bold spirit of ELOS
  • Brand Guidelines: Comprehensive guidelines ensure consistency across packaging, marketing, and future product extensions

The initial product delivers a lightly sparkling beverage with magnesium, electrolytes, essential vitamins, and fruit-forward flavor. ELOS is designed as a flexible brand platform capable of evolving with trends, flavors, and consumer expectations.

By combining functionality with flavor, design, and experience, ELOS reflects the future of integrated wellness beverages and the Brain + Beauty movement.

Looking Ahead

Expo West 2026 confirms a clear trajectory for the category: integration is key. Consumers want products that deliver benefits, enjoyment, and balance, seamlessly woven into everyday rituals.

The brands that will lead combine credible wellness claims with strong identity, thoughtful design, memorable flavors, and compelling storytelling. ELOS demonstrates this evolution, pairing wellness, flavor, and personality in a way that feels current, forward-looking, and fully integrated.

For brands and partners, the takeaway is clear. Success comes from building platforms designed to evolve alongside consumers, where integrated wellness, enjoyment, and experience define the next chapter of functional beverages.

From Core to Curious: When Brand Stretch Becomes Opportunity (and When It Becomes Polarizing)

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Brand extension is no longer a cautious step into closely related categories. Today, brands are making bolder, more visible leaps, sometimes logically, sometimes provocatively, into new spaces in pursuit of relevance, growth, and cultural momentum. In an era defined by fast-moving trends and fragmented consumer attention, expanding beyond the core can feel like a necessary survival strategy. Yet recent launches reveal a critical tension: not every stretch is embraced. Some feel like natural evolutions of what a brand already represents, while others ignite confusion, skepticism, and even backlash across social platforms. The question is no longer whether brands can stretch, but when that stretch feels authentic, and when it crosses the line into cultural dissonance.

A recent and highly visible example is Beyond Meat’s move into the functional beverage space. For some consumers, the launch signaled innovation and a broader lifestyle platform built around plant-based nutrition. For others, it felt disconnected from what Beyond Meat has historically stood for: meat alternatives grounded in food science, sustainability, and savory meal occasions. The polarized reaction underscores a growing challenge in modern brand strategy. Consumers expect brands to evolve, but only if that evolution aligns with the mental model they already hold. When the connection is unclear, even well-intentioned innovation can feel forced or opportunistic.

In contrast, several recent brand extensions demonstrate how stretching can succeed when rooted in clear brand logic and occasion relevance. Columbus Meats’ expansion into premium nuts felt intuitive because it extended the same world of craft, quality, and elevated snacking that the brand already owned. Premium nuts naturally fit into charcuterie boards, entertaining moments, and upscale grazing occasions—spaces where Columbus already had cultural permission to play. Rather than redefining the brand, the move simply broadened how and when consumers could interact with it.

Similarly, Farm Rich’s expansion from frozen appetizers into frozen breakfast built upon its existing equity in comfort, convenience, and freezer-aisle familiarity. Breakfast was not a reinvention but a natural adjacency, allowing the brand to show up at a new daypart while delivering the same promise of easy, crowd-pleasing food. Skippy’s launch of PB Bites followed a comparable logic. By translating its strongest equity, iconic peanut butter taste, and nostalgic appeal, into an on-the-go snacking format, Skippy responded to modern consumption behavior without abandoning its core identity. This was not a leap into a new category as much as a format evolution, meeting consumers where their routines had shifted.

Boar’s Head’s recent entry into indulgent dessert dips may be the boldest example, yet it still remains grounded in the brand’s long-standing reputation for premium, deli-counter craftsmanship. By reframing its role from strictly savory to “premium entertaining,” Boar’s Head expanded into a new emotional territory while staying true to its values of quality and indulgence. The move widens its relevance at social gatherings, extending the brand beyond meats and cheeses into dessert moments without eroding its upscale positioning.

Across these successes, three strategic principles consistently emerge. First, effective brand stretches expand existing occasions rather than inventing entirely unrelated ones. Columbus did not jump into soda; it deepened its presence in snacking and entertaining. Skippy did not become a wellness brand; it stayed in the snack lane and simply made peanut butter more portable. Beyond Meat, by contrast, entered a beverage category defined by different emotional and functional expectations, creating friction between what consumers knew the brand for and what it was suddenly offering.

Second, successful extensions leverage true brand equity, not just brand awareness. They draw from taste cues, trust, quality signals, and the emotional role a brand already plays in consumers’ lives. When Farm Rich entered breakfast, it carried forward its promise of easy comfort food. When Boar’s Head entered the dessert dips market, it leaned into premium indulgence and special-occasion appeal. Extensions fail when they rely solely on logo recognition without translating the brand’s deeper story into the new category in a meaningful way.

Finally, the most successful stretches feel additive rather than opportunistic. Today’s consumers are highly attuned to trend-chasing, especially in saturated spaces like functional beverages and wellness products. Without a clear narrative bridge, Beyond Meat’s move risked being interpreted as a business maneuver rather than a brand evolution. By contrast, Skippy PB Bites addressed a real, practical need: peanut butter without the spoon, making the extension feel purposeful and consumer-driven rather than reactive.

As categories fragment and consumption moments multiply, brand stretching will only accelerate. But the brands that win will not be the ones that stretch the farthest; they will be the ones that stretch with coherence. The difference between opportunity and polarization lies in narrative continuity—whether a new product feels like a natural next chapter or an unrelated side quest. When a brand extension expands an existing role, honors core equities, and solves a genuine consumer need, it builds relevance and long-term growth. When it breaks the mental contract consumers have with the brand, it risks becoming a headline instead of a strategy. In today’s culture, visibility may spark conversation, but authenticity is what sustains trust—and trust remains the most powerful currency a brand can carry into any new category.

The Future of Functional Beverages: Blending Flavor, Function, and Education

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The functional beverage market is entering its next phase of growth, one defined not only by efficacy but also by experience. As consumers increasingly look to drinks for energy, calm, focus, hydration, and gut health, these products are becoming integrated into daily rituals rather than treated as occasional supplements. Functional beverages are now staples for consumers seeking holistic wellness solutions. However, as the category becomes increasingly crowded, differentiation is no longer driven solely by ingredients. According to NielsenIQ and Euromonitor, the number of functional beverage launches has surged across various channels, resulting in a proliferation of similar claims and formats. In this environment, branding, packaging, and marketing clarity have become the primary drivers of trust, trial, and repeat purchase.

Branding: From Functional Claims to Confident Guidance

Consumers today are highly informed—but also increasingly skeptical. FMCG Gurus reports that shoppers want functional benefits, but they do not want to “decode” labels to understand them. This places new pressure on brands to act as guides, not just product providers. Mintel highlights that transparent, educational messaging is now table stakes, particularly for ingredients like adaptogens, nootropics, probiotics, mushrooms, and cannabinoids. Successful brands are simplifying complex science into clear, benefit-led language, using terms like “calm,” “focus,” “restore,” and “unwind,” while offering deeper education through secondary panels, QR codes, and digital extensions. WGSN further notes a shift toward reassuring familiarity: pairing emerging ingredients with well-known nutrients (such as magnesium, B vitamins, or electrolytes) helps lower the barrier to trial.

From a brand strategy standpoint, this means:

  • Clear brand architecture that ladders products to moments or outcomes
  • A confident, authoritative tone that educates without overwhelming. Replace ambiguity with confidence and truth.
  • Consistent language across packaging, paid media, and owned channels

Packaging: Designing for Shelf Clarity and Sensory Appeal

While functionality drives consideration, flavor ultimately drives purchase. Mintel identifies taste as the top attribute consumers associate with functional beverages, ranking above health benefits. Beverage Marketing Corporation reinforces this insight, noting that repeat purchase is overwhelmingly tied to flavor satisfaction. Packaging must strike a careful balance by clearly and quickly communicating function, while simultaneously evoking flavor, enjoyment, and sensory reward—positioning the product within the realm of “permissible wellness,” where it feels indulgent yet justified. This has led to packaging systems that borrow cues from premium food, beauty, and even spirits categories. 

Design trends include:

  • Rich, flavor-forward color palettes paired with clean benefit callouts
  • Elevated typography and restrained layouts that signal credibility
  • Ingredient photography or illustration that suggests natural origins and taste

We see a growing role for high-quality, in-house photography in enhancing flavor appeal and trust, especially in categories where taste can feel abstract. Products that look delicious feel less medicinal and more lifestyle-oriented. For brands targeting the sober-curious or alcohol-alternative consumer, WGSN highlights a shift toward cocktail-inspired aesthetics featuring glass cues, botanical illustrations, and ritual-driven design, positioning functional drinks as social, rather than solitary.

Marketing: Occasion-Based, Ritual-Driven, and Social by Design

Functional beverages are no longer confined to “me time.” Mintel & Nielsen both report that nearly 60% of consumers want to see functional drinks offered in bars and restaurants, signaling a major expansion in usage occasions. By 2027–28, the report predicts these beverages will become commonplace at concerts, fitness studios, sporting events, and sober-curious social spaces. This shift has significant implications for marketing strategy, as brands seeing the strongest growth are those that anchor products to moments, not just benefits. People are looking for products that focus on morning productivity and rituals, midday stress relief or hydration resets, and even winding down or alcohol replacement occasions. Marketing that highlights when and how to drink, rather than just why, helps consumers integrate functional beverages into their daily lives. Social content, sampling programs, and experiential activations are increasingly centered on shared moments, positioning these drinks as connectors rather than utilities.

For functional beverage brands, success begins by leading with flavor and reinforcing it with function. Taste is what captures attention at shelf, while clear, educational messaging is what builds trust and confidence over time. Consumers want products that deliver on health benefits, but they are far more likely to engage when those benefits are framed through an enjoyable, craveable experience. Clear benefit communication, evocative visuals, and credible design cues must work together to quickly convey value, differentiate from competitors, and signal quality in a crowded set. At the same time, brands must simplify the science, making complex ingredients and formulations easy to understand without undermining authority or credibility.

The functional beverage category is rich with opportunity, but it is also increasingly unforgiving. The brands that will win are those that treat brand strategy and packaging not as decoration, but as strategic tools that translate function into desire. When flavor, function, and education work in harmony, functional beverages transcend claims and become part of culture.

References

Mintel, Functional Drinks – US – 2024

NielsenIQ, Beverage Category Insights

Euromonitor International, Health & Wellness Drinks

WGSN, Food & Drink Trend Forecasts

FMCG Gurus, Consumer Attitudes to Functional Nutrition

Beverage Marketing Corporation, Functional & Better-for-You Beverages

Turning Up the Heat: How “Spice Culture” Is Redefining Flavor and Brand Collabs in 2026

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Spice isn’t just a flavor; it’s a cultural force. Over the last decade, heat has evolved from a fringe fascination to a defining characteristic of modern food culture. As consumers chase bolder, more layered flavor experiences, brands find new and unexpected ways to bottle that energy. 

From Cult Favorite to Collaboration Powerhouse

Few brands embody this evolution like Frank’s RedHot. What began as a pantry staple has transformed into an icon of crave culture and a symbol of familiarity, fandom and flavor. 

In recent years, Frank’s has proven that strategic collaborations can amplify equity on both sides. The BLACK LABEL® Bacon with Frank’s RedHot, Farm Rich Frank’s RedHot Stuffed Buffalo Crunchers, SpaghettiOs Frank’s RedHot, and Goldfish Frank’s RedHot partnerships each leveraged the brand’s cult following to infuse new energy and buzz into beloved household names.

Smith Design helped bring two of these partnerships to life: BLACK LABEL® Bacon with Frank’s RedHot and Farm Rich Frank’s RedHot Stuffed Buffalo Crunchers. The packaging captures the playful spirit and bold attitude consumers expect from both brands. Each collaboration merges everyday comfort with heat-driven excitement, creating products that feel familiar yet turned up a notch. Consumers are buying into a shared cultural moment built around boldness, fun, and nostalgia.

The Rise of Regional Heats

While established brands ride the wave of co-branded spice, a new generation of products is shaping the next era of “smart heat.” Emerging names like Tari Hot Sauce, inspired by Peruvian culinary traditions, showcase the vibrancy of regional peppers such as aji amarillo — bringing nuanced, citrusy brightness rather than pure fire.

Similarly, Hoboken Farms’ Calabrian Chili Marinara brings buttery, sweet heat to a comfort classic.  Spice is no longer reserved for snacks or condiments but has become a staple in sauces, spreads, and meals.

These products speak to a broader trend: heat as a marker of sophistication. Today’s consumer wants flavor that feels crafted, not chaotic. Products with depth, balance, and a sense of story behind every bite will win with consumers in 2026. 

Sweet Heat

The “sweet heat” movement continues to sizzle as consumers crave more dynamic flavor experiences and brands find creative ways to deliver balance and bite in one irresistible pour. What began with the hot honey craze has evolved into a full-fledged flavor category, expanding into syrups, sauces, and snacks that combine indulgent sweetness with a kick of spice.

One of the newest standouts in this space is Maple Grove Farms’ Hot Maple Syrup, a just-released product that turns classic comfort into a bold flavor adventure.

Working with Maple Grove Farms, Smith Design developed packaging that reflects this balance, blending the warmth of maple tradition with a modern, fiery twist. The design brings the product’s duality to life, pairing heritage and edge in a way that mirrors its rich sweetness and subtle chili kick.

This launch embodies a defining flavor trend for 2026: sweet heat as a bridge between indulgence and intensity. It’s not about overpowering spice, but about contrast, how warmth and sweetness can coexist in ways that feel elevated, sensory, and new.

The Design Opportunity in “Heat”

For brands and designers alike, heat is more than a sensory trend, it’s a visual and emotional language. Red, orange, and smoky hues evoke intensity and warmth, while typography and texture can telegraph authenticity and craft. Successful “spice branding” balances attitude with accessibility: leaning into energy without alienating mainstream audiences.

As the category grows, co-branding and limited editions have become key storytelling tools. When done well, these collaborations extend the shelf life of excitement and tap into audiences eager for something familiar but turned up a notch.

What’s Next for Heat in 2026

Looking ahead, the conversation around heat will continue to evolve. Expect more emphasis on regional authenticity, sweet-heat pairings, and cross-category experimentation — from spicy honeys and chili oils to heat-infused snacks, condiments, and even beverages.

The brands winning in this space understand that heat isn’t just about Scoville units — it’s about emotion, culture, and experience. In 2026, spice is less about pain and more about personality.