Clearwater, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2022) – Monin is adding a kick of sweet heat to the new year with the introduction of their 2023 Flavor of the Year: Hot Honey. The award-winning premium flavoring company with more than 100 years of experience looks to introduce the trending flavor to food and beverage menus worldwide.
This brand-new product from Monin offers an exciting twist on a familiar favorite with just the right amount of spice. Made with organic wildflower honey and zesty jalapeño pepper, Monin Hot Honey Syrup perfects sweet heat for foodservice and beverage operators eager to spice things up.
As these operators look to distinguish their food and beverage menus, hot honey delivers by appealing to the safe adventure consumer mindset. From the bar to the kitchen, this clean-label, versatile syrup provides endless applications to complement all types of recipes by adding a spicy kick.
“There’s a growing consumer interest in the combination of sweet and spicy flavors. We are confident that this trend will continue to rapidly integrate into more applications and more menus in 2023,” says Bill Lombardo, CEO of Monin Americas. “This Flavor of the Year offers incredible adaptability across multiple uses. Where our Hot Honey Syrup truly shines is in lemonades, iced teas and any beverage with a citrus component. I am pleased that we have a great, new natural flavor ingredient that will help operators create delicious, sweet-heat experiences for their guests.”
Monin provides the ultimate solution for creative drinks with this balanced flavor that dissolves more effectively than alternative hot honey products while remaining thick enough to function as a culinary topping if desired. Additionally, the product will see increased visibility as operators expand their non-alcoholic offerings in response to the growing mocktail trend, with the product’s top application being low-to-no-ABV beverages.
Each year, Monin undergoes a lengthy and judicious process of collecting and analyzing emerging trends, consumer insights, and industry data to determine the flavors that will trend throughout the coming year and beyond. This year, Hot Honey stole the show. According to Monin’s proprietary research, 70 percent of consumers who like spicy food indicated they would like to try hot honey-flavored foods and beverages, signifying an opportunity for incremental sales of products featuring a hot honey flavor profile.
“Hot Honey is full of familiarity and warmth, and it allows people to take part in the spice trend without being overwhelmed by heat,” says Stasha Johnston, senior vice president of marketing. “As we enter a new year, people are craving spice and simple joys that deliver an element of surprise to create a delightful experience.”
Monin consistently predicts trending flavors year over year, including the 2022 Flavor of the Year, Passion Fruit. This year, the brand’s four-product Passion Fruit portfolio saw an impressive 155% increase in sales across retailers and operators. Now, Hot Honey looks to enter the beverage space and make an industry-wide impact in 2023.
ABOUT MONIN GOURMET FLAVORINGS:
Founded in 1912 in Bourges, France and family-owned and operated for three generations, Monin is the premier provider of flavoring products for creating specialty beverages and flavorful culinary solutions. With manufacturing facilities on three continents and product availability in more than 150 countries, Monin is recognized as the leading global flavor solution provider. For more information, visit monin.com.
