It’s been another impressive year for macadamias on the innovation front, with an array of new products coming to market. Health was a dominant theme, plant-based milks continue to grow – but with some interesting twists and turns – keto is still going strong, and previous years’ innovators are back with fresh offerings.
2021 was also the year that we released findings from our industry’s largest ever quantitative consumer insights study1, and it is interesting to see the intersection between recent product launches with macadamias, and the trends identified in the research. Suffice to say, this year’s list is proof of macadamias’ suitability to many of the food and health needs of today’s consumers.
Let’s look at the new products that made an impression in 2021.
The milk alternatives wave continues
Our research supports the use of macadamias in this space, revealing ‘dairy free’ and ‘plant-based protein’ as the strongest associations consumers have when they think of macadamias. This year has served up format innovations in the category, with Trend Hunter2 saying that “As consumers experiment more with alternative ingredients in a range of categories, they’re more open to new formats that these ingredients can be offered in as well.” Its 2022 Trend Report says the appeal of ‘alternatives’ has shifted beyond vegan and vegetarian consumers to those interested in boosting their health, and ‘foodies’ eager to try new products.
Health convenience
Our research revealed that convenient yet healthy snacks that provide essential nutrients is one of the top emotional benefits consumers seek from food. These new products fit the bill perfectly.
Promoting provenance
Our research revealed consumers globally place importance on macadamia origin, with more than 50% nominating Australia as one of their top 3 preferred macadamia origins. Several of this year’s top innovators called out the Australian origin of the macadamias in their products.
Small (but healthy) pleasures
The pandemic has forced consumers to reconsider what makes them happy, while redefining the concept of indulgence. Our research showed almost half of consumers globally say indulgence is about finding little pleasures of joy in the everyday, and these new products cater to that need perfectly.
Diets – but make them convenient
Consumers tend to focus more on ‘eating healthy’ than following a particular diet, according to our research, however there was variation between markets, with 48% of respondents in Australia and China claiming to follow diets, but only 20% in Japan. For those who do follow a particular diet, it seems that convenience is key, with several diet-specific products launching this year, and keto continuing to be popular, particularly in the USA where this is the most followed diet.
Beauty boom
Macadamia oil is a 100% natural, lightweight skin moisturiser for all skin types, and the cosmetic industry has again embraced it as a valued skin care ingredient in new products this year.
