Savoring Sun: Flavoring Sports Supplements for Summer
The snow has melted, the air is getting warmer and the days are getting longer. For those of us who live in the world of dietary, nutritional, and sports supplements, all of these signs point to one thing – time is running out for brand owners looking to bring their sports supplements to market this summer.
When we say summer, you say…
It’s time for a little word association experiment: What are the first three words that come to your mind when you see or hear the word “summer”? Take a second or two to think about it.
Alright, do you have your words and/or images? Chances are, your thoughts included of one or more of the following: beaches, vacations, tropical locales, backyard barbecues, ice cream, iced tea, piña coladas, fresh strawberries, chilled watermelon slices, homemade lemonade, a myriad of sweetened and iced adult beverages – the list can go on indefinitely.
Keeping all of these thoughts and flavors in mind, let’s consider how they’re primed to influence the flavoring decisions of a brand owner looking to bring a supplement to market during the summer months…
Sports Supplements Flavors and the Tastes of Summer
As our little thought experiment helped point out – sweet, fruity, and tropical flavors are the undisputed kings of summer supplements. Not surprisingly, consumer preferences have a tendency to shift with the seasons. While a hot cocoa flavored post-work out could most definitely hit the spot in January, the same can’t necessarily be said in July (even if there is a handful of die-hard hot cocoa fans who would opt for the flavor year-round).
The classics of the summer flavoring world – like strawberry, watermelon, and fruit punch – are classic for a reason: People love them and continue to love them. That being acknowledged, some of the best performing newflavors are those that can take the classics that we know and love – and turn them on their heads.
The Combination Renaissance
For certified food scientists, sports supplement manufacturers, and brand owners, the name of the game has always been to craft products that can meet consumer demand for new, exciting, and – above all else – delicious flavors. Over the last five years or so, industry insiders and consumers have witnessed a flavoring renaissance that has turned the world of sports supplements on its head – the birth and rise of complex flavoring combinations.
The days of being limited to the chocolate and vanilla classics have long since passed. Swinging with the seasons, some of today’s hottest flavors include things like-
- strawberry kiwi,
- cookies & cream,
- rainbow Italian-ice, and
- iced chai latte (which, though it isn’t technically a combo flavor, is fairly complex).
This summer, the sports supplements that are most likely to perform best will be those that are able to push the flavoring boundaries to their limits and meet the overwhelming consumer demand for complex flavors that scream summer. Fruity-fresh flavors (especially those that are reminiscent of some of the alcoholic favorites) like mango-peach lemonade, strawberry margarita, and piña colada are primed to hit the spot.
Flavoring Your Sports Supplement
When it comes to flavoring any sports supplement – be they pre-workouts, post-workouts, or something in between – for any time of year, there’s one rule that brand owners and manufacturers should honor before all others: Know what your customers want. Time and time again, we’ve seen that some of the best performing products are those that are able to offer outstanding quality while filling their ideal customer’s needs.
