Food and Gift Trends for 2019
We have spent the last few months scouring shows, the internet, and input from customers to come up with an exciting new line of products for 2019. At the Ridge this is a teamwork effort with input from purchasing, marketing, sales, art and production. We work hard to find a combination of new products that follow new trends, but fit the needs of the discerning business gift buyer. Here are some of the major trends in the food gift and gift packaging industry.
Team effort at a national gift show
Team members at a national gift show discovering new packaging ideas.
White, black, grey and garnet red accent colors were the predominant color combinations trending at gift shows. Muted tones are also hot for 2019. You will see muted neutral colors such as crème – ivory, silver greys, and matted golds. Matte finishes are replacing gloss. You will still see plenty of kraft materials that first appeared on the scene last year; they remain popular in gift packaging as their artisan look and green appearance add to their popularity.
Patterns that are currently trending include plaids in greys, buffalo, and green and black. Stripes and polka dots are popular, as are snowflake patterns and zig zags.
Themes that we saw repeated at the packaging shows include word sayings (think “Chocolate Anyone?”), wood with metal accents, thick-weave baskets and Acacia wood. There were also lots of new mixed media cutting boards, which are an amazing new look!
Images that were featured heavily include woodland themes (winter birds, owls, and deer), truck and tree images.
Ribbons are running wide or narrow and are being shown in matte finishes, lots of gold and silver, whites and blacks. New interesting bows are featured on many of the new packaging options. Grosgrain ribbons are making a strong comeback!
Clear boxes are still very popular, but are shown featuring new wraps, labels and trims. They are evolving into very interesting packaging options! They show the food and add an air of minimalism.
Sleeves on boxes are hot! Watch for many of new exciting options in this category. We featured a variety of sleeves last year which proved to be popular. Sleeves are a great option for increasing brand awareness!
Our favorite part of the search is looking for new flavors, finding new food trends, trying out various recipes, and of course lots of taste-testing!
Probably the biggest trend is liquor-infused chocolates. Bourbon seems to be the flavor du jour. Toffee and caramels remain very popular as well. Snack mixes and drizzled popcorn are being featured with more flavor profiles in the savory and sweet categories.
A major trend in the food industry is bite size portions, with anything from cookies to candy to snack mixes featured in single-service packs. Lots of options are being reimaged as bite-sized minis, as well!
We are still in the selection phase with packaging design, flavor testing, new photography and general product development. Stay tuned for the exciting 2019 Maple Ridge Farms holiday lineup within the next few months to see our new take a-ways from what’s new for 2019!
