It is believed that salted caramel was created by accident in France. A chocolatier, Henri Le Roux, was making caramel when he accidentally added some fleur de sel, a French sea salt, to the mixture.
Instead of throwing the batch away, he tasted it and was pleasantly surprised by the combination of sweet and salty flavors. He created a salted caramel confection called “caramels au beurre salé” or “salted butter caramels.”
Despite this accidental discovery, salted caramel became a favorite worldwide as it was introduced in hot beverages and desserts, which helped to create a buzz around the flavor. Salted caramel satisfies that sweet and salty craving.
Highlight Single Serve
The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) reports that in-store bakery shoppers are still driven to treat themselves. Indulgence is the top driver of shoppers to the in-store bakery. Single-serve and smaller items can help move products while consumers feel better about their choices.
Sweet and salty flavors, such as salted caramel, are favored by Millennials and Gen Z instead of typical desserts and flavors.
The Food Institute says that many in-store bakery purchases are impulse buys. Shoppers acknowledged that purchases of items such as donuts, cookies, snack/coffee cakes, single-serve desserts, and cupcakes are usually unplanned. Rather, these are the indulgences that shoppers say they “must have” when they see it.
Know Your Product Placement
The placement of salted caramel bakery products and hot beverages is key to improving sales.
However, shoppers are not so inclined to grab just anything that is prepacked; looks do matter. The Food Institute says that retailers must focus on the in-store bakery attributes—freshness, taste, service, and quality ingredients. This allows the bakery to be set apart and seen better compared to the commercial aisle.
Attractive private-label branding with colorful graphics can pull in customers further. Using Shelf2Cart’s custom label printing system, The Merchandiser®, retailers can print visually appealing and eye-catching labels to promote their array of baked goods.
The creator of salted caramel must have not expected the popularity that came from his accidental creation. By prioritizing quality and visually appealing label branding, retailers can continue to appeal to the trend of salted caramel towards Millennials and Gen Z. Salted caramel products can continue to be items apart from shoppers' impulse buys.