Don’t Wait to Cozy Up to Pumpkin for Luscious Holiday Celebrations

The comforting, yet festive flavor of pumpkin, along with the spices that accompany it, is a favorite for autumn. Its growth has been steady, nearly phenomenal over the past few years.

In 2012, pumpkin-flavored offerings in the U.S. grew nearly 20% according to Nielsen. Last year’s early introduction of the powerful squash will happen this year too, as competitors vie to capture customers seeking their favorite fall flavors. This year, customers are likely to see pumpkin items as early as August.

In autumn, pumpkin is everywhere—candles, shampoos, breakfast foods, beers, lattes, doughnuts and, of course, luscious desserts from Sweet Street.

Micheline Maynard, contributing writer for Forbes, wrote last year about pumpkin spice popularity: “It could be the scarcity, since it’s seasonal, or because . . . [we want] to be among the first to get something . . . . [or] that it is the perfect cross-cultural flavor,” appearing in a wide variety of cuisines.

To take advantage of this fall/winter appetite for pumpkin, seasonal menu mentions in the top 500 chains doubled in 2012, according to Technomic’s MenuMonitor, primarily because seasonal flavors work so well in competitive traffic-building LTOs.

At Sweet Street, we find that pumpkin tastes warmly embracing as the weather begins to cool and is reminiscent of pleasant memories of happy gatherings. And, of course, in our kitchens, pumpkin comes out tasting so good.

We have made pumpkin cravings luscious with specially crafted desserts created to wow customers. Pumpkin Cranberry Stack and Pumpkin Cranberry Bash^® are both luscious celebrations perfect for the holidays. Pumpkin Spice Bundt makes its own fabulous crème Anglaise when heated.

With so much popularity, it’s smart to stock up on pumpkin items right away so that customers can follow their seasonal cravings right through your door.