Expo West 2023 Trends
This blog discusses the trends that will be seen at Expo West 2023. It covers Asian influence, European delicacies, breakfast, the Chic Chef, Cacio e pepe, brain, gut, bloat, kid snax for adults, iced tea, and coffee.
Kristen LaFrance
Merchant Engagement Strategist @Rechargepayment 🤝 Community builder ❤️ Founder @dtc_fam ✨ Bringing humanity back into commerce ✌️
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A lil late, but here we are 🥁🥁
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
My Expo West 2023 trends include:
🥡 Asian influence
🥐 European delicacies
🥞 Breakfast, baby
🧑🍳 The Chic Chef
🤌 Cacio e pepe
🧠 Brain, gut, bloat
🍬 Kid snax for adults
🧋 Iced tea (boba and bobaless)
☕️ Coffee lives on
Let's eat 👇 -
🥡 Asian influence
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
As @jennygao mentioned— previously there were very few (if any) Asian flavors/brands at Expo.
This year especially, we saw lots of Asian-led brands. From spices, sauces, and drinks to dumplings & noodles— this category is 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6GWz0crRGh -
🥐The European delicacies
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
Potentially my favorite trend— simply by taste. Big presence of European pastry products.
Crepes, waffles, croissants, biscotti's, shortbread, macarons...@Belgianboys was lit & this cookie changed my life pic.twitter.com/ShADU3JcM3 -
This feeds real smoothly into the next trend:
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
🥞 Breakfast, baby!
Intermittent fasting had it's hey day, and now we're back to eating and enjoying our breakfast foods.
I notated "pancakes" 5 separate times. Cereal is having a moment, too.
TLDR; Pancake cereal is a thing. -
🧑🍳 The Chic Chef — also known as "Chef shit"
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
My sense is the pandemic influenced more of us to cook, and the brands are here to help us impress our friends.
Olive oils, vinegar, salts, seasonings, dressings, charcuterie, tinned fish...
My absolute favorite? FLAVORED! BUTTER! pic.twitter.com/NQbEgZ2TdZ -
This sneaks us right into this micro trend...
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
🤌 Cacio e pepe
I saw this flavor so many times that I finally learned how to spell it on the first try.
Cacio e pepe butter
Cacio e pepe cream cheese
Cacio e pepe goodles
Cacio e pepe chips
Cacio e pepe broth
I'm here for it. pic.twitter.com/PVkdUQNjc5 -
🧠 Brain, gut, bloat
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
None of this is super surprising, especially with increased attention on microdosing, brain health, and all the IBS hot girlies and boys out there.
TikTok has re-energized this category— and you can feel it in the branding and visuals of newer brands. pic.twitter.com/yyKvBb8t3W -
🍬 Kid snax for adults
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
The last few years have been... woof. We tired.
Adulting is too hard. We want to feel like kids again. Give us candy.
Standouts:
🥪 Chubby Snacks
🥐 Bobo's toaster pastries
🍪 Deux
🍥 Whipnotic
🥣 Magic Spoon
🍬 Smart Sweets
🍦 Muddy Bites
🍭 Joyride pic.twitter.com/nCVDe8ylvV -
🧋 Iced tea (boba and bobaless)
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
After a multi-year selzter water takeover, I was excited to see another drink category getting traction.
Peeked quite a few RTD boba teas that were interesting + this pink lemonade <> Barbie collab from Swoon. pic.twitter.com/L1hUoGtwFw -
And to no one's surprise... ☕️ Coffee lives on
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
You got every kind of coffee— pour over, instant, hangover-curing, CBD infused, mushroom coffee...
And the visual branding is just as diverse.
As consumers, we clearly enjoy purchasing coffee from a brand that feels like home 🥰 pic.twitter.com/ftCLI5QPQ3 -
Since you made it this far, here's a few bonus trends:
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
👎 CBD isn't the coolest kid anymore
🍄 Mushrooms are gaining popularity
🧈 No Mo Keto (at least, less keto)
🍊 Monkfruit is the sweetener of the moment -
🛍️ Category expansion is hot (Dr. Bronners going into food. Primal Kitchen into supplements)
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
🌸 Pink. Everything is pink.
🥯 Grain-free everything
🌮 Spanish influence is bubbling
🍪 Ore-no... many attempts to recreate the oreo (none successful in my picky opinion) -
❄️ Freezer foods are yuuuummmy
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
⭐️ Celebrity-owned and creator brands are HAWT
🍹 Smoothies, smoothies, smooooothies
🐟 Seafood as a breakout category
🥩 It's not all plant-based! Real meat! -
And that's a wrap!!
— Kristen LaFrance (@kdlafrance) March 15, 2023
The CPG industry is growing and shifting and modernizing and evolving constantly— we love to see it!
Which trend are you most excited by? Which ones did I miss? pic.twitter.com/2stA5icccT