The 20 Year F&B Trend Cycle
The 20 year trend cycle.
You see it in fashion.
You also see it in F&B.
What’s old becomes new again. Give it 2 decades.
Consumers respond well to a blend of novelty + familiarity. Between the generations that haven’t seen the trend (new) + those who have lived through the last trend cycle (nostalgic), revived trends get the benefit of both.
A brief look through time…
🥛 Dairy milk alt-milk: 1985 Lactaid commercializes lactose-free milk → 2000 A2 Milk Company launches its A1 beta-casein removed milk → 2020s A2 Milk starts showing up in Millennial + GenZ's fave indie cafes + bakeries like Faria Bakery
🐊 Crocs: 2002 Crocs debut and are immediately loved / hated → 2017 Balenciaga links up with Crocs for its SS18 runway → 2020s Gen Alpha royalty North West wears Balenciaga Crocs to Paris Fashion Week + current internet fave Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta is making Crocs adjacent footwear
🍋 Water Enhancing Powders: 2000 Kraft launches Crystal Light Pure → 2019 Liquid IV rolls out in Costcos nationwide + is acquired by Unilever a year later
👖 Low-rise jeans: 2002 so popular that Mattel starts making low rise pants for Barbie → 2020 low rise jeans search volumes surge + proliferate across runways + TikTok alike
🥐 Miniature food: 2002 Bagel Bites reign as a snack time GOAT + have Tony Hawk as a spokesperson → 2022 onwards has brought us L'Appartement 4F croissant cereal, Belgian Boys pancake cereal + general miniature mania on the internet
If you’re forecasting what product features / form factors / themes are next for F&B, start by studying what made a splash 20 years back.
What's old is about to become new again.