By: Tara Jewell, Marketing Insights Associate
In this article, you will find:
- How blueberries’ vanilla undertones pair well with warm fall notes
- The significant health benefits of that blueberries deliver
- Why a Blueberry-based LTO works well in the late summer/early fall
Summer is blueberry season. Because the hearty blueberry is grown in a variety of climates, harvest windows can range widely. But no matter where you are in the U.S., the love affair with blueberries peaks in mid to late summer. So, if you have blueberries on the brain right now, you’re not alone.
Chelsea Howe, Leahy-IFP’s Director of Sourcing and Supply Chain, said blueberries are available from April to October. Chile, the U.S. and Canada are the largest highbush blueberry growing regions in the world.
“Blueberries can grow in 26 states, but more than 98% of commercial production takes place in 10 states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Washington,” Chelsea said. “Maine is the largest producer in the country, but the majority of juice concentrates and purees come out of the Pacific Northwest.”
The health benefits of blueberries are too long to list here, so we’ve picked some lesser-known favorites. To get the maximum health benefits of blueberries, it’s recommended to consume them regularly as part of a balanced diet rather than relying on supplements, as whole foods provide a broader spectrum of nutrients and phytochemicals.
**Antioxidant Power**:
Blueberries are packed with antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins, which help combat oxidative stress and reduce inflammation in the body. These antioxidants may contribute to a reduced risk of chronic diseases.
**Heart Health**:
The antioxidants in blueberries, such as flavonoids, have been linked to improvements in heart health by reducing blood pressure, improving blood flow, and preventing oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
**Brain Function**:
Research suggests that the compounds in blueberries may improve cognitive function, including memory and executive function, and potentially reduce the risk of cognitive decline as we age.
But let’s face it, most of us are buying blueberries because they are the perfect healthy summer treat. We asked our R&D team to get technical about exactly what makes blueberries so darn good.
They explained that blueberries at their peak have just the right amount of sweetness to them. Wrapped in paper-thin, tart skin, the blueberry delivers a sweet/tart contrast, giving it a surprising depth of flavor. There are vanilla undertones hiding just under the surface, which is a slam dunk because who doesn’t love vanilla?
Here at Leahy-IFP, we created All Friends, our functional beverage refreshers, with taste at the core of our process because of course taste is king. Blueberries topped our list because there’s no denying they pack a serious flavor punch.
Ideation Manager De’Airius Salibi said, as always, trends informed the development of Blueberry Chai, as well as the other All Friends refresher flavors. “We knew we wanted to ride the trend of chai, which has those warm fall notes,” De’Airius said. “We paired the chai with blueberries because of the subtle vanilla undertones. The combination is simply wonderful.”
Finally, unlike some fruit (I’m looking at you, oranges), blueberries are both portable and convenient—no need to dispose of a core, peel, or large seeds. The compact size makes them perfect for popping on the go. Grab a handful and you have a sweet and healthy snack without a mess.
No matter how you look at it, it’s clear why blueberries are so irresistible. Sweet. Easy to eat. Delicious flavor profile. It’s a taste trifecta.
Once we had the flavor profile on lock, we looked at ingredients. We avoided using any artificial ingredients, and we added functionals that you don’t normally see in a refresher, including antioxidants, electrolytes, B12, zinc, and selenium.
We wouldn’t be doing our job as beverage specialists if we didn’t consider one final factor when developing All Friends. That’s the trend of “social media food.” Social media food is anything that looks good on, you guessed it, social media. According to Datassential, social media food has reached “ubiquity” on their Menu Adoption Cycle for Macro Trends. That means you can find social media food just about everywhere you look.
Participating in this trend requires a little creativity, but it can really pay off if a prominent content creator thinks your offering fits their aesthetic. Instead of serving smoothies in a cup for example, an operator might present them in a clear bowl with visible layers of contrasting colors, and its surface dotted with artfully arranged toppings. It’s the same as the smoothie that customers were once perfectly happy to drink from a cup, but now it’s on-trend thanks to the presentation.
To qualify as a social media food, you’ll want to consider color when developing your beverage. Customers love to see a wide variety of boldly colored options. The rich purple hue of All Friends Blueberry Chai certainly meets that demand. The naturally beautiful drink looks as good as it tastes #nofilter.
Many of our operators offer Blueberry Chai as a late summer and early fall LTO. It picks up steam as blueberries hit their summer peak and maintains traction through fall thanks to chai’s cozy vibes. If you want to try Blueberry Chai or any of our refreshers, you can shop them online. Or reach out to our team to see if your company is a good candidate for custom beverage development.
We want to create a more fruitful life for everyone and one of the best ways we can do that is by being an expert resource for you—our customer and partner. That’s why we keep you up to date on beverage trends like LTOs. Our R&D and Marketing teams are always eager to share their knowledge of the beverage industry so that our customers can thrive right along with us.
Thank you Crain’s! We are honored to be ranked on such a prestigious list and wish to thank all of our team members, our customers and our extended network of partner suppliers, distributors, and vendors. Together, we can.
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