One of the biggest trends to hit the fruit and veg aisle – the Crossbreed fruit – is now available to food and drink manufacturers in the form of natural flavours, created by flavour house I.T.S.
Tapping into consumer curiosity about trying something new along with the trend for exciting twists on everyday favourites, crossbreed fruits fit perfectly into the hybrid phenomenon and are perfect for NPD.
The challenge with real fruit crossbreeds is availability, seasonality and price as Mike Bagshaw, owner and founder of I.T.S explains:
“Crossbreed or hybrid fruits like pineberries, and tangelos have been making waves recently in UK supermarkets, with retailers such as Waitrose championing them and showing consumers that fruit doesn’t just have to be a boring old apple or banana,
“These exciting, crossbred fruit flavours provide great scope for innovation in drinks, snacks, bakery or dairy. Unlike real fruit hybrids, there are no issues with seasonality, price or product availability meaning manufacturers can move fast and capture the buzz. Some of our new crossbreed flavours are pretty brave too so there’s lots of potential for inspiring new products!”
I.T.S’ crossbreed fruit flavour range includes:
Melon Berry Flavour – for summer product launches.
Tangelo Flavour – for soft drinks or confectionery.
Limelon Flavour – for beverages and frozen treats.
Blood Lime Flavour – a flavour for cocktails, desserts or dairy.
Pineberry Flavour – ideal for yogurts or bakery.
Boysenberry Flavour – for sauces, fillings or premium drinks.
Peach Berry Flavour – versatile across applications.
