Fire up the barbecue for these smokin' hot BBQ seasoning insights

Fire up the barbie because summer is just around the corner. Everyone has their own secret stuff whether it be a sauce or dry rub. Currently the global spice and seasonings market is worth $3.76 billion and the global savory applications will register a compound annual growth rate of over 4.5% by 2025. This increase can be contributed due to growing disposable income and rapid product innovations that are increasing the industry size.

Recently, the team at Caddle sent out a survey to our users asking them what their purchasing habits are like when it comes to barbeque seasoning. After gathering the results from 10,322 respondents, we’ve generated some insights that align with the industry and potentially promote new ideas.

What’s cookin’?

I’ll tell you that I made it from a few spices I had laying around the kitchen, but really, it’s the name brand stuff (shh!). But that’s because it tastes so darn good! Our respondents seem to agree, as 49% of consumers said that they purchase their barbecue seasoning based off taste.

Studies have shown that we Canadians love our traditional sweet and sour sauces or anything with a bit of heat. But that doesn’t mean that the basics can’t be improved upon. The seasonings market works hard to manufacture and formulate several products that enhance the flavour, essence and taste that we know and love.

For those who are a little more daring, the industry thanks you! McCormick flavour solutions discovered that 12% of Canadians said that they like exotic or topical ingredients in their sauce. Not only does this contribute to our findings that consumers purchase their seasoning based off price, but this also allows for some interesting concoctions to be produced.

Spice up your life

Looking to travel the world from the comfort of your own home? Look no further because we have the solution for you. With the rise of ethnic food consumption being scattered throughout different lands, this foresees the opportunity for the seasonings market to increase. Having cultural rubs and sauces such as Jamaican, herbs de Provence, Japanese or African blends could become a real trend setter.

On the innovative side of barbecue seasonings 27% of respondents said that they are interested in themed flavour multi-packs when given a list of possible innovations. With a whole new cultural line added to their products this could allow for a competitive advantage for industry leaders. On the flip side, this could also allow new entrants who specialize in ethnically diverse spices to enter the market and generate a profit.

Fresh innovation

There’s nothing like making a delicious barbecue meal that is packed full of flavour. You can almost taste every spice that was used in the process of making it, but when you make it again the next month it just wasn’t as flavourful as the first time. Freshness is key. Consumers are more likely to feel that sauces are fresher when they don’t contain preservatives but rather contain spices and herbs in them instead. Perhaps another way to maintain freshness would be pre-packaged single use sachets. This is another innovation that 25% of our respondents said that they would be interested in trying. Instead of buying large containers of barbecue seasoning that doesn’t contain its freshness over time, single use sachets would be an innovation that not only allows for optimum freshness, but also allows for the diversity of trying different flavours.

So what?

There’s something about barbecue that has a spot in all our hearts. It acts as a great way to infuse all the seasonings into whatever we’re cooking. Whether it be the traditional sweet and sour, or Jamaican jerk spices, the seasonings industry is a large market that is proven to see growth over the coming years. With trends showing that consumers are interested in trying ethnically diverse seasonings while also maintaining optimum freshness, our survey results help provide insights into how industry leaders and new entrants can satisfy the wants of consumers via themed flavour packs and pre-packaged single use sachets.

If you’re in the CPG industry and are interested in gaining insights on your consumers, we encourage you to reach out to us and see how we can transform your questions into insights.

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