Winter Fancy Food Show 2012: Day 1 Coverage

San Francisco has welcomed the Winter Fancy Food Show, now in its 37th year and bigger than ever. The latest food innovations and flavors were ready for the tasting, and Day 1 showed a number of trends on the rise. Among them, certain fruit flavors are coming back in favor this year. Peach, mango and pear are everywhere, whether as the star ingredient or a part of a perfect pair.

Peach

Liquid sweetness was found in peach, which took the spotlight in products like From Napa’s Bellini Raspberry Peach Mixer, Numi Tea’s Peach Pu-erh tea, and Hint Fizz sparkling water. The fuzzy fruit also appeared in dried fruit snacks from Think Fruit and Fruitzio.

Mango

Mango is making its comeback as a sweet counterpart to spicy offerings, such as Mango Chili Lime Sorbet from High Road Craft Ice Cream, Flats from Pure Indulgent Foods in Mango Chili and One Planet’s Pure Passion Granola, featuring the tropical fruit mingling with ginger, banana and pistachio.

Pear

Sweet pear got saucy in such products as Antelope Creek Farm’s Pear Gourmet Dressing and Cooking Sauce, Meadow Lakes’ Pomegranate & Pear dressing and Chaparral Garden’s Limited Edition Balsamic Vinegar in Pear, Ginger & Wasabi.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon, too, showed its worth as a loyal companion to these sweets and beyond. Torie & Howard’s healthier, organic hard candies sport grown-up flavors such as D’Anjou Pear & Cinnamon, while Sparrow Lane introduced a cinnamon-pear vinegar. And joining Somersaults’ line of healthy, crunchy, nut-free snacks was Cinnamon Crunch.

Two days remain, so keep checking in at foodspring.com for the scoop on the specialty food industry’s biggest show.—Eva Meszaros

> Go back to the 2012 Winter Show Event page