This post is sponsored by Creamy Creation.
Consumer demand for for natural, less processed food and beverage products is on the rise, and the trend extends to the alcoholic beverage industry. Seeing a lack of cream liqueur options to fulfil this demand, Creamy Creation launched its B2B Craftsman’s Finest line. Marketing Manager Floris Daamen discusses the inspiration behind the line and how brand owners can partner with Creamy Creation to create a pure and unique cream liqueur.
What was the inspiration behind the Craftsman’s Finest line?
For the past few years we have been seeing a growing demand for originality and high quality products within the alcoholic beverage market. Consumers, and especially millennials, have a higher interest in original, artisanal and craft products. In addition, they seek more natural and less processed options. Our goal at Creamy Creation was to come up with a B2B product line that would help our customers differentiate their product, while also tying into the artisanal trend. With that in mind, we developed Craftsman’s Finest — a range of high quality cream liqueurs based on premium and natural ingredients.
How long did it take to develop the five products in the line, and what are some of the challenges of creating a cream liqueur that features natural ingredients?
Through partnerships with customers, industry experts and mixologists, as well as ideation tours in Amsterdam and New York City, we gathered valuable insights into consumer preferences and ingredient trends. Based on those insights, we started working on a premium product range that would feature natural and pure ingredients. We developed hazelnut, cocoa, coconut, lemon and orange essential oils, but quickly realized these concepts could easily be extended into numerous products and that the possibilities are endless. One of the challenges when working with cream liqueurs that contain natural ingredients and no artificial flavors is that it is hard to create a stable emulsion. Our R&D department worked tirelessly for two years to ensure Craftsman’s Finest not only tasted great but also met our high quality standards.
How did you choose the five flavors?
Based on the market, consumer and customer insights gathered in the first phase, we decided to start working on a range of products that would incorporate the true taste of timeless cream liqueur favorites such as hazelnut, cocoa and coconut. Working with all those different ingredients was of course a learning process and there were multiple revisions required to make sure we meet the high quality standards of our Creamy Creation cream liqueurs. We worked with multiple ingredient partners throughout the development process to ensure that all ingredients performed perfectly in the product. There are still numerous products in development which we delayed launching until they can meet our strict quality and performance requirements.
What are some popular flavor combinations and applications for the Craftsman’s Finest line?
One of the many things we love about this product line is that all these flavors we’ve built can be seamlessly blended with each other, allowing our customers to develop their own signature cream liqueur. My personal favorite is the Chocolate Orange concept. What wins me over every time is that rich taste of real cocoa, followed by the subtle hints of orange peel you get at the very end. We are excited to be featuring the Chocolate Orange concept at the WSWA Convention in Orlando March 31 – April 1, and invite attendees to stop by our Booth 1301 to try this concept or create their own signature cream liqueur at our Craftsman’s Finest innovation bar!
How can this product line help your customers differentiate themselves in this market?
In the past, cream liqueurs were considered more traditional and old-fashioned, but this has changed due to their versatility and indulgent profile. Craftsman’s Finest gives distillers and brand owners the opportunity to enter the premium spirit segment through a unique range of concepts that offer a true flavor experience and meet this emerging, consumer need for indulgent yet natural flavored beverage solutions.
What other opportunities or trends do you see in the cream liqueur and spirits category?
Consumers nowadays are willing to experiment with different flavors, as well as ingredients, which means there is more space for unique cream liqueur products. The cocktail trend still remains strong, giving mixologists a lot more options when it comes to creating a signature cocktail — from introducing fermented components to their creations, to brightly colored drinks, pronounced botanicals and non-alcoholic spirits that fit the no- or low-ABV trend.
Our Marketing and R&D teams hold frequent ideation sessions where they collaborate to blend trends into innovative products that will help our customers differentiate in the market. A great example of Creamy Creation innovation and technical expertise is the ability to produce a versatile, smooth and low-pH product line that will not curdle whether consumers decide to add coffee, lemon or soda. Another project we are working on is extending our Craftsman’s Finest categories to incorporate botanicals and herbs. Spirits companies have started to tap into this trend the last few years by introducing ingredients like orange blossom, ginger, spearmint and chamomile during their distillation process. The possibilities are endless and we cannot wait to have this category introduced to the market!
As marketing manager, Floris Daamen is responsible for the development of new concepts and filling the product development pipeline for Creamy Creation.
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