Van Leeuwen Ice Cream usually draws customers with gourmet takes on classics like vanilla and pistachio. But occasionally, the artisanal ice cream maker headquartered in New York slips in what it calls a B次元官网网址渟hock flavor,B次元官网网址� like Hidden Valley Ranch or pizza.

Surprising flavor combinations B次元官网网址� think gravy-flavored Jones Soda or Sour Patch Kids Oreos B次元官网网址� are showing up more frequently in grocery stores and restaurant chains.

Hershey recently introduced pink lemonade-flavored Kit Kats, while IHOP and LayB次元官网网址檚 brought out Rooty Tooty Fresh nB次元官网网址� Fruity potato chips, designed to taste like strawberry-topped pancakes with a hint of bacon. In the United Kingdom, Little Moons made fish-and-chips mochi ice cream in 2021, while potato chip brand Walkers is known to celebrate Christmas with a Brussels sprout-flavored edition.

Usually, these are limited-time flavors, although occasionally theyB次元官网网址檙e so popular they wind up on store shelves permanently, as LayB次元官网网址檚 FlaminB次元官网网址� Hot Dill Pickle chips did in 2019.

While itB次元官网网址檚 tempting to pass them off as social media stunts, experts say thereB次元官网网址檚 more to the story. Food companies are responding to the changing and expanding tastes of consumers while also trying to keep brands relevant and distinct to win space on crowded store shelves.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e in a really exciting time of flavor development where consumers are not just one thing. YouB次元官网网址檙e not just a sour lover or a sweet lover. You want a little of this and a little of that,B次元官网网址� said Kristen Braun, the senior brand manager for Oreo innovation at Chicago-based food and beverage company Mondelez International. B次元官网网址淐ompanies are finding the freedom to explore a little bit more and get more creative.B次元官网网址�

Sour Patch Kids Oreos B次元官网网址� vanilla cream-filled cookies speckled with colorful bites of the sour candies B次元官网网址� are one of about a dozen limited-edition Oreo flavors that Mondelez plans to release this year. Braun said it takes the company one or two years to develop such products, which stay on shelves for about nine weeks. SheB次元官网网址檚 already thinking ahead to future flavors that blur the lines between sweet, salty and spicy.

Oddball pairings arenB次元官网网址檛 entirely new in the food and beverage industry. Hubba Bubba released a bubble gum-flavored soda in the late 1980s, for example. But manufacturers and their suppliers have gotten more sophisticated and efficient, making it easier to experiment and put out limited-editions more frequently, said Mark Lang, a food marketing expert and associate professor of marketing at the University of Tampa.

Kyle Shadix, who as the corporate executive research chef for PepsiCo, has worked on beverages like Pepsi Maple Syrup and a strawberry shortcake Pepsi sold in Japan, said the members of Generation Z are also fueling innovation. TheyB次元官网网址檙e diverse, adventurous and pick up on food trends quickly through social media, he said.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e every chefB次元官网网址檚 dream to design for,B次元官网网址� said Shadix, who is currently experimenting a lot with Mexican, Korean and Japanese flavors. B次元官网网址淕en Z is going to drive us faster. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to start to see even more exploration quicker than in the past because theyB次元官网网址檙e just so open to it.B次元官网网址�

Toying with flavors can boost brands in several ways. Sometimes they bring new customers to a brand. They might also nudge buyers to pick up the original flavor, Russell Zwanka, director of the food marketing program at Western Michigan University, said.

B次元官网网址淪our Patch Oreos sound interesting, but nobody wants to risk buying Oreos that donB次元官网网址檛 taste good, so people buy both,B次元官网网址� Zwanka said.

When companies combine brands, theyB次元官网网址檙e trying to build an association in consumersB次元官网网址� minds. Peeps-flavored Pepsi, which came out last year, sends the message that Pepsi is current and fun, Lang said. Mustard-flavored Skittles, which came out last summer, made the 104-year-old FrenchB次元官网网址檚 brand seem playful.

Enter Kraft Heinz, which approached Van Leeuwen Ice Cream a few years ago about macaroni and cheese-flavored ice cream. Ben Van Leeuwen, the companyB次元官网网址檚 co-founder and CEO, was doubtful at first but found that KraftB次元官网网址檚 powder blended well with the Brooklyn-based companyB次元官网网址檚 ice cream.

Van LeeuwenB次元官网网址檚 Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ice cream came out to rave reviews in 2021 and was re-released for a short time last fall.

B次元官网网址淲e will only do a shock flavor if we can make it good and distinct. We will not do a shock flavor where itB次元官网网址檚 just shock in name but taste like vanilla,B次元官网网址� Van Leeuwen said.

But novel flavor combinations donB次元官网网址檛 always work. Van Leeuwen couldnB次元官网网址檛 eat more than a few bites of his companyB次元官网网址檚 Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream, which contained onion and garlic powders. And shock flavors typically donB次元官网网址檛 end up on the permanent menu because of their lower B次元官网网址渆at-ability,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 think you would taste our mac and cheese and youB次元官网网址檇 say, B次元官网网址極h, thatB次元官网网址檚 good,B次元官网网址� but do you want to take a pint of that mac and cheese from your freezer when youB次元官网网址檙e watching whatever show on Netflix and eat the entire thing? Probably not,B次元官网网址� Van Leeuwen said.

Candy brand BrachB次元官网网址檚 ran into that issue with its Turkey Dinner Candy Corn, a 2021 limited-edition version of the fall staple that tasted like turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, apple pie and coffee. Katie Duffy, vice president and general manager of seasonal at Ferrara Candy Co., which owns BrachB次元官网网址檚, acknowledged there was a B次元官网网址済ross-outB次元官网网址� factor.

B次元官网网址淲e have learned from consumers that we donB次元官网网址檛 want to have something where they eat a few pieces of candy and then they toss it because thereB次元官网网址檚 some things that they donB次元官网网址檛 want to repeat,B次元官网网址� Duffy said. B次元官网网址淲e want it to be a delicious flavor journey.B次元官网网址�

BrachB次元官网网址檚 recently introduced Easter Brunch-flavored jelly beans, and they hit that mark, she said. The candy beans mimicked the flavors of blueberry maple pancakes, chocolate doughnuts, caramel cold brew, cinnamon rolls, berry smoothies and mimosa cocktails.

Shannon Weiner, senior director of insights and analytics at Ferrara, said the company closely tracks social media to see what flavors are trending. People are increasingly looking for dessert and dairy-flavored candies, she said. TheyB次元官网网址檙e also seeking more international flavors like Tajin, a brand of chile-lime spice from Mexico that recently did a collaboration with Pop Tarts.

Lang thinks the more time people spend in restaurants or trying out new foods, the more they seek out unusual flavors.

B次元官网网址淲e are variety-seeking animals. We constantly are seeking something new and different; itB次元官网网址檚 in our wiring,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e like to experiment.B次元官网网址�

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Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press