Somehow four baking spices became a whole season. The interesting part is what happens when you pull them apart. Don’t lie. The second the air turns crisp, you go looking for something pumpkin spice. Lattes, protein bars, creamers, cereal, candles, dog treats. By September it has escaped the pie plate and turned up just about…
Label decisions come down to who’s buying and what the brand wants to be. Somewhere right now, someone in a meeting is saying, “Make it natural, but keep it the same.” Marketing is picturing the package while Procurement opens a spreadsheet. R&D is trying to work out which part of the same everyone means. Someone…
There is a version of your product nobody on your development team has ever tasted. You followed the directions. Two minutes, stir, one more minute. Simple enough. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t the thing on the box. Maybe you blamed the microwave. Maybe you blamed the price. Maybe you decided the photo on the…
Changing one ingredient can affect a lot more than one line on the label. Flavor compounds help explain why—and can offer some clues when a product that used to taste right suddenly doesn’t. You changed something because you had to: less sugar, more protein, a cleaner label, longer shelf life, maybe an ingredient that became…
