Wixon is launching a new line of French cuisine-inspired flavors. The culmination of the company’s most recent WIXON INNOVATES flavor exploration research, the line reflects the bounty of France’s local terroir while giving a nod to its culinary traditions. The flavors capture the distinctive tastes of the French countryside, including fruit, herbs, flowers, wine and cheeses.
“We chose to innovate in this niche because the basic elements of French cuisine are the foundation of modern Western cuisine,” said Rachael Jarzembowski, Wixon marketing manager.
Since French cuisine is already blended into American cuisine, its flavors have a comforting familiarity for people. Despite the outsize influence French cuisine has on the American foodscape, only 86% of consumers say they know it, and 74% have tried it, according to Datassential.
“Today menu innovators are using French cuisine as a vehicle for safe experimentation and mashing it up with other lesser-known global cuisines, novel flavors and ingredients, and in new applications,” said Jarzembowski. “This introduces consumers to something new yet not too different…and there’s an opportunity for brands to do the same with their product development.”
French gastronomy, or the art of good eating and drinking, was added to UNESCO’s lists of the world’s “intangible cultural heritage” in November 2010. “A huge part of French gastronomy is using in-season, quality ingredients and produce and letting their flavors star,” said Wixon Corporate Chef, Ryan Kukuruzovic. “What we set out to do with our French-inspired flavors is to create a similar sensory experience, evoking regional specialties and seasonal ingredients.”
Key flavors from the WIXON INNOVATES French Flavors research include Anjou Pear, Lavender, Leek, Tarragon, Beaujolais Wine Type, Shallot, Sherry Wine, Blue Cheese, Sauternes Wine, and Truffle.
The Wixon team created multiple applications featuring the new flavors to showcase their versatility and distinctiveness.
Source: Wixon Inc.
