Products for sober-curious consumers were prevalent at the NACS Show 2023. While alcohol-free options were plentiful, so were hard sodas, fruit drinks and even iced tea. Such “hard” beverages tend to have 5% to 7% alcohol by volume, making them a lower-alcohol choice compared to other adult beverages, such as beer, wine and spirits. Several everyday family brands are entering the hard beverage space with their signature flavors. Tampico, for example, now may be found on fruit punch and pineapple coconut malt beverages that come in 12-oz sleek cans.

Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., continues to innovate with its Planters brand. The company now offers flavored cashews in three very different flavor profiles. For those who crave sour pucker, there’s dill pickle. Cinnamon brown sugar provides a sweet treat, while rosemary sea salt has a savory herb profile.

Snack’in For You is a new snack brand from Sigma US, Scottsdale, Ariz. The products also are rolling out in the global marketplace through varied business ventures. The baked protein puffs are made with either broccoli or cauliflower, along with rice flour, chickpeas and pea protein. Flavors include sour cream and onion, cheddar jalapeño, mesquite barbecue and Buffalo ranch. Ranch, alone or with another flavors, is trending in the savory snack category.    

Rich Products Corp., Buffalo, NY, introduced several dairy desserts at NACS. In the refrigerator, there’s new Specialty Treat Shop Tres Leches Style Cake Cups. The desserts are made in Mexico and distributed frozen. Retailers thaw for refrigerated merchandising. Each 6.6-oz cup features soaked sponge cake, whipped icing and cake crumbs. Varieties are chocolate, strawberry and traditional. The line is in response to data showing that 47% of US consumers are interested in global desserts, according to Datassential World Bites Global Desserts 2023. The company also is rolling out two new limited-edition f’real milkshake varieties: birthday cake batter and cinnamon churro. The f’real milkshake machine for convenience stores is a turnkey self-serve program that enables shoppers to create their own milkshake with the touch of a button.

With the rising popularity of high-protein lifestyles, pre-packaged hard-boiled eggs have been gaining traction in c-stores, said David Hayes, national accounts, NestFresh, Fullerton, Calif. In response and to add excitement to the category, NestFresh, as well as other egg suppliers at NACS, now offer unshelled flavored eggs in convenient two-pack pouches, often with salt and pepper packets. Varieties include buffalo, dill, mustard and red beet.

Miniature apples branded as Rockit are grown and packed in New Zealand, and now available in convenient, on-the-go plastic tubes, three apples to a pack. The small-core apples are washed and ready to eat. The special packaging provides a long shelf life and ensures a crisp bite, according to the company.

Top-selling snack brands are committed to the hot and spicy craze. Conagra Brands Inc., Chicago, for example, is adding Slim Jim Monster Chile Limon to its meat snack business. Chile limon-flavored snacks had more than $1.6 billion in annual sales in the United States for the 52-weeks ended Aug. 27, 2023, according to Circana data. Conagra’s BiGS sunflower seeds brand now has a spicy dill pickle variety, while its Andy Capp’s brand is rolling out Fire Fries. Available in 3- and 8-oz bags, the new flavor is a hotter take on Andy Capp’s famous Hot Fries.

From squeaky curds to cracker-size slices, cheese marketers show no signs of slowing down when it comes to making this high-protein food more convenient and snackable, with many products becoming more demographic focused. Greenridge, Elk Grove Village, Ill., for example, is rolling out the “rugged” Ridge Mix, which combines the company’s original beef bites with pepper jack cheese cubes. And, at the same time Cheesewich Factory, Hodgkins, Ill., contemporizes its packaging to better appeal to younger c-store shoppers, the company also is rolling out new “all-natural” meat and cheese snacks featuring mozzarella cheese sticks wrapped with uncured meat. Options are pepperoni, salami, prosciutto and turkey bacon.