Origins

The push to portray products as sustainable and earth friendly has led marketers to focus on the origin of many ingredients in addition to health or flavor considerations.  Evoking the cultural and environmental situation of an ingredient’s growing region has grown to be an important detail in today’s crowded marketplace.This dynamic has caused the development process to follow a somewhat reversed method, first starting with the marketability of a certain growing region or culture and then building flavor around that base. The story of the location paired with the air of transparency has grown to be an important detail in today’s competitive market with limited locations and stories to tell. Much like designing a flavor out of a travel magazine, marketers are choosing the location and culture and then considering the local delicacy and ingredients instead of starting at the flavor. This years SOFI awards through the Specialty Food Association reflect this trend as certain category leaders are dominated by labels with locations including; Belize Dark and the highlights of the Mayan mountains, Wozz! Kitchen Creation’s Cambodian Coconut sauce, and Zocalo Organic’s Kañiwa Grain from Peru.

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