Fall Office Snack Trends

As the air turns crisp and sweaters emerge from hibernation, your employees are more than ready to embrace the cozy vibes in your office.

This doesn't mean you need to completely overhaul every single product in your office pantry to align with the seasons. In fact, we recommend against that. Routine is an essential part of your team and company's success, and food is a massive part of building that routine:

• Employee: Research shows that taking the guesswork out of meal planning can help employees lock in healthier habits. Those healthy habits lead to employees who are less stressed, more productive and produce a better quality of work.
• Company: Consistency within your pantry helps keep your budget on track. The more you switch up your pantry, the easier it is to go off course.

At the same time, you don't want a stagnant pantry. You want some flexibility to keep things fresh while maintaining desired consistency. Instead, leave room to mix things up within the boundaries of your team's unique routines. The key to doing so: adding flavor.

"Switching up flavor is a simple way to align your pantry to the season while maintaining your employee experience and budget," says Jeff Nash, Crafty's Senior Director of Merchandising. Playing with flavor ensures your product spend remains consistent while providing fresh new options within your pantry. Here are a few examples:

• Office Coffee Station: You may always have the same coffee beans, but you can easily swap flavors of syrups or creamers to match the season.
• Office Snack Bars: You may always have the same brand of bars, such as Larabar or RXBAR, but swap more indulgent flavors in the fall/winter and brighter flavors in the summer/spring.

We tapped the Crafty Merchandising Team to give us the tea and tell us what flavors they recommend most coming into fall.

Top Fall Flavors for the Office

1. Pumpkin Spice

Yes, we said fall is not all about pumpkin, but the truth is, it's mostly about pumpkin. Pumpkin spice dominates the market of lattes and snacks, with over $802.5 million in sales in the last 12 months. Whether you're browsing the grocery store or your office pantry, expect to see pumpkin incorporated into your protein bars, coffee, coffee sweeteners, and beyond.

2. Coffee

Is it even fall without coffee? Coffee flavors are brewing up a storm, extending far beyond your morning cup. Many brands create products inspired by their favorite latte, such as Go Macros Mocha Chocolate Chip MacroBar. Another favorite among Crafty clients is also chocolate-covered espresso beans.

3. Cinnamon

Bring on the cozy vibes with a touch of cinnamon. This ingredient is packed with antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties, keeping your employees in tip-top shape during the fall season. Plus, who doesn't love anything that remotely reminds them of eating a delicious cinnamon roll?

4. Ginger

Ginger is gaining momentum as the demand for spicier food has increased. If you want to get science-y, most spices, like peppers, stimulate the nerve endings in your mouth, while ginger can deliver the same kick without burning your mouth off. Plus, it has major health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and helping those with an upset stomach.

5. Sage

Sage emerged as part of the botanical and spice trend of 2023, and it's here to stay. This flavor often combines with other fall flavors, such as pumpkin and sweet potatoes. We won't be surprised when a brand's next innovation is sage-flavored sweet potato chips.

6. Clove

With its bold, aromatic flavor, clove is stepping into the spotlight this fall. Clove is used alongside cinnamon and nutmeg to give both sweet and savory items that nostalgic holiday taste. New research found that compounds in cloves may also have several health benefits, including supporting liver health and helping stabilize blood sugar levels.

7. Apple

Apple is a timeless fall flavor that never goes out of style. Last fall, Crafty clients spent $30,000 on apple juice alone during this season. Aside from juice or a basket of fresh apples, many workplaces also incorporate apple-flavored shelf products that range from bars to dried fruits to sweet treats.

8. Pear

Pear is a more subtle yet equally delightful flavor for your fall office pantry. Sure, you could enjoy a fresh pear in the office at the peak of its season, but why stop there? La Croix makes a peach-pear-flavored sparkling water, which could be the perfect addition to your fall lunch routine.

9. Chocolate

Chocolate is probably our favorite way to indulge this season, and we're not alone. Nearly two-thirds of global consumers purchased some sort of chocolate in the last year, with 55% saying chocolate made them happy and 36% saying they did it to treat themselves.

The Best Office Snacks For Fall

Now that we've unpacked the best flavors for the fall, you're probably looking for some actual products to stock the shelves with. Don't worry, we've got you covered.

We went to our product extraordinaire Vaibhav Shastry, to get the list of all lists to share with you:

• Pipcorn Cinnamon Twists
• Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cup
• Rishi Tea Turmeric Ginger
• Zee Zees Berry Apple Crisp Nutrition Bar
• LaCroix Peach-Pear
• KIND Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond

Conclusion

Employees have their rituals in the workplace, whether grabbing a breakfast bar, flavored water with lunch, or a sweet treat at the end of the day. Swapping the flavors is the perfect solution to keep your office pantry fresh for the season, enable your employees to stick to their routine, and ensure you stay in budget along the way.

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