4 Key Takeaways from the Vistar Show to Incorporate into Your Office Pantry

Innovations are Rolling Out

If you're not innovating, you're falling behind, especially in the food and beverage space. Throughout the year, our team has attended multiple shows where brands unveiled more sustainable packaging and health-forward options, all of which continued to hold true at the Vistar Show. 

Here are the big themes our crew has continued to see across the board: 

• Sustainable Packaging: Brands are prioritizing sustainability in their packaging, such as Hint Water, which is making the move to aluminum cans. The commitment to sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have but a standard.
• Private Labels: Companies are creating versions of popular products and bringing them to life through co-packing. Co-packing is when a brand outsources the production and packaging of its products to an expert manufacturer. We did this with Big Shoulders when we rolled the Crafty Blend across office coffee stations in Chicago. Why reinvent the wheel when you can team up with USA Today's Best Independent Coffee Shop?
• High-Protein Options: Protein continues to be the star of the show. New entries, like a high-protein shake from Chobani, offer exciting choices for consumers who want to prioritize their macros. 
• Innovative Ingredients: Brands are looking to the international stage to source the next big ingredients, with Asian flavors such as ube, yuzu, and mushroom chips taking center stage.

Expert Advice: "The CPG world is moving at an unprecedented pace at this moment in time," notes Jeff. "Consumers are pushing brands to look outside the box when it comes to flavors, health and sustainability, and brands are responding to that. Flavors from around the world are becoming more mainstream, and at Crafty, it's our job to pay attention. We're constantly adjusting our product catalog to bring innovative, versatile, quality products to enhance the overall experience." 

Vaibhav added, "I'm excited to see more brands with healthy, value-centric missions take on the giants. Offices are a great testing ground for folks to try something new and seek it out at their local grocery stores."

Office Snack Collabs Have Gone Wild

Collaborations in the snack industry have evolved from predictable pairings to unexpected and thrilling combinations. At the Vistar Show, we witnessed one surprising collab that, upon closer inspection, makes perfect sense:

Jack Link's x Dr. Pepper has entered the chat! 

At first, you might think that we have gone too far as a society, but allow us to present our case for why this works.

• Consumers are seeking out high-protein snacks and jerky falls into that category. The jerky market is set to reach $7.64 billion by 2030.
• Dr. Pepper has replaced Pepsi as the #2 soda in the United States. 
• Dr. Pepper has long been a staple in BBQ culture, appearing in BBQ sauces, marinades, glazes and mix-ins for pulled pork, ribs, chicken wings and beyond. 

It makes perfect sense for Jack Link's to join forces with Dr. Pepper to bring that classic BBQ combination into a jerky format. They get the might of the Dr. Pepper brand while creating a new flavor that hits close to home. 

Expert Advice: "Brands that perform well in Crafty pantries know their customer and use their products to create a better experience," says Vaibhav. "Winning collaborations share similar customer profiles and are not afraid to lean into experiences that are already happening. For example, people were making Rice Krispies with Peeps long before the brands rolled out their collaboration in 2023. They didn't reinvent the wheel by coming together, they just cut out the cooking part to make it easier for customers to enjoy this colorful and festive treat."

Mini is Here to Stay

The trend towards mini snacks is gaining traction. Sometimes less is more, and it boils down to a few factors: 

• Sustainability: Roughly one-third of all food produced is wasted, contributing to 4.4 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Smaller products mean less of everything across the supply chain, from ingredients to packaging, shipping and so on. 
• GLP-1: One in eight adults in the US is on medications such as Ozempic. The peptides in these medications slow down the movement of food through the body, resulting in people eating smaller, more frequent meals versus larger portions. 
• Shrinkflation: Inflation has impacted brands and consumers over the last three years. According to an article by CNET, "Shrinkflation is the practice by companies of reducing the size or quantity of a product while keeping the same price. It can mean fewer chips in the bag or fewer scoops of ice cream in the container."

At the Vistar Show, our team noted a few of the brands that were experimenting with half-sized snacks: 

• Nature's Bakery
• RXBAR
• Blue Diamond
• GoMacro
• LoveCorn
• Stellar Pretzels
• Undercover Quinoa

Expert Advice: "In today's economic environment, office managers also have to get creative to stretch their dollar," says Jeff. "Keeping employees and CFOs happy simultaneously is no small feat. One strategy we're seeing success with is adding smaller, guilt-free bites rather than full-size indulgences. For offices with tighter budgets, going with a KIND Mini Bar might be a great way to stave off mid-day cravings while simultaneously serving more employees with the same spend."

Brands are Letting Consumers Lead 

Creating any product is a bit like raising a child—you can shape it, guide it and prepare for every possible scenario, but once it's out in the world, it starts to develop a life of its own. The same is true for brands when they create a new product. No matter how much planning goes into a launch, consumers might find a use or perspective you never even considered once your product hits the shelves.

Our team spotted a few brands that decided they wanted to lean in: 

• Freeze-Dried Skittles: Originally intended for food preservation, people in Utah started experimenting by freeze-drying candies like Skittles, creating a new, crunchy version of the classic treats. The process removes moisture, leaving behind a fizzy, crispy texture that offers a whole new way to "taste the rainbow.
• Philadelphia Frosting: This product feels like a no-brainer for anyone who's ever mixed cream cheese into their own frosting. Beginning in October, it will be available nationwide, offering Philadelphia's signature creamy texture in a convenient, ready-to-use format with no prep or cleanup required.
• Jack Daniel's x Coca-Cola: We almost put this in the collab section above, but these two brands pay homage to the Jack and Coke drinkers of the world, finally delivering what the people want!

Expert Advice: "Take inspiration from these brands," says Vaibhav. "You may have an idea of what your employees want, but a smart pantry looks to the data to validate and adjust. We do that on our end all the time! We're using consumption data within the Crafty Platform to decide what categories to explore and what products to  stock."

"I'm regularly looking at our historical data to predict trends and products that will resonate with our clients," continues Vaibhav. Each city tends to have different preferences of flavor, package format, etc. Diving into the nitty-gritty details has helped our team successfully launch and swap products at the right time and in the right place so everyone from our clients, partners and brands sees the most success."

Conclusion

And there you have it—the latest and greatest in office pantry trends from the Vistar North Buying Show. Big shout out to Jeff and Vaibhav for feeding us the trends so we can continue to level up our office pantry game. 

If you take one thing away from this roundup–it's not about hopping on the bandwagon of every trend out there. You just need to hop on the right one that resonates most with your team!