Posted: August 20, 2020 Author: Becca Henrickson, Marketing Manager
Hot honey is hotter than ever, having emerged as a foodservice trend that is winning with consumers across applications and brands.
The origin story of hot honey in the US is a little sticky. Some claim “chili honey” is a staple in southern cooking. The US brand Mike’s Hot Honey identifies the real origin story begins when their founder discovered hot honey in 2003 at a pizzeria in Brazil. He brought the recipe home, introduced the condiment to his employer at a Brooklyn pizzeria and the business boomed from there.
More recently, hot honey has made its way to US menus, making the flavors first appearance in late 2015 as a dipping sauce at Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. From there, the flavor has grown to appear on several restaurant menus, including KFC, Papa John’s, Chili’s and Ruby Tuesday.
Retail is where the real opportunity lies, with 40% of US condiment users wanting more sweet and spicy flavors in their condiments according to a 2020 Lightspeed/Mintel survey. Already on board with the trend, Mama Cozzi’s frozen pizza recently launched an indulgent pepperoni pizza with a pretzel style crust.
Mama Cozzi’s Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza
According to Mintel consumer sentiment data, 64% of consumers would likely or definitely would buy this product. (Mintel GNPD)
Hot honey is the perfect sweet and spicy blend that is trending with consumers. If you’re looking to innovate with this flavor find, contact your Wixon sales representative to get started.