Inspired by dessert, Barista Bros. flavours go grown-up

Remember being a kid, super excited to wrestle your sibling for the chocolate stripe of Neapolitan ice cream for dessert? We do too. And while you’ve moved on, so too has the rest of Australia.

Our dessert tastes are more sophisticated and our snacking demands something better than the standard. This is the thinking behind Barista Bros. Café Creations range, featuring flavours of toffee almond panna cotta, butterscotch brownie and chocolate fudge.

Research from Dairy Australia’s most recent situation and outlook reportindicated the popularity of flavoured milk is rising. With a constant average growth rate of 8%, flavoured milk is on the up, growing faster than traditional milk by 6%.

What’s behind this popularity? According to Jason Wu, Barista Bros. brand manager, research overwhelmingly points to one key factor: what researchers call ‘sensory pleasure.’

“People are keen for something premium that tastes good,” Jason said. “We know indulgent flavours work for other products, like ice cream, so Barista Bros. is evolving to meet consumer needs.”

Going on a flavour journey

We spoke to boutique chocolatier Kaitlyn Massingham about her experience with the changing habits of Australians when it comes to desserts. She said she’s noticed there’s a lot more adventurousness in the way people are wanting to indulge.

“People are on board and excited to stretch their horizons more now than ever. They’re adventurous, open minded and willing to try something outside of their comfort zone,” Kaitlyn said. “That’s really exciting because that’s where you can be taken on a flavour journey.”

Kaitlyn’s flavour journey started in Paris, the city of croissants and pain au chocolat. She studied Pâtisserie, and grew to specialise in chocolate. She runs her own store in Brisbane, 31 Degrees, where each week her customers vote to select a new flavour to star in the chocolate cabinet.

“People love things that are decadent. They want to feel good when they eat them. If you go to a giant chocolate factory, or if you go to a teeny tiny chocolate shop, it’s still that real ‘oh, this is a treat.’”

Trends, tastes and unicorn lattes

So how do you keep up with the tastes and trends of the nation? According to Kaitlyn, social media has played a huge role in opening people’s minds to great new flavours, and sharing new and exciting innovations that go viral.

“We have access to what people are doing on a platform that we’ve never had before. In the last few years, it’s absolutely exploded.” Kaitlyn said. “There’s all these trends coming up because someone did something that was over the top, slightly ludicrous or attention grabbing.”

“There were donuts, then there were cronuts, then there were cupcakes, unicorn lattes. But flavour is hard to represent in picture form,” Kaitlyn said. “Because of the rise of Instagram, because of the connection to food and the gourmet that we haven’t had before, people are more willing to try interesting and new flavours.”

“We like to eat, we like to feel fancy and share on social media what we eat and say ‘hey, you can be a part of this’. It spreads the accessibility and joy of food around a bit more,” Kaitlyn said.

The rise of gourmet flavours

The rise of social media has also seen the rise of gourmet flavours and ingredients in more and more products. “The good thing about Australia is that you can get all these delicious and gourmet things at all different price points,” Kaitlyn said.

With products like the new Barista Bros. Café Creations range, you don’t have to go out to eat to have a gourmet flavour experience.

“When you have flavours like butterscotch, toffee and almond, you want to feel comforted, and indulged,” Jason Wu, Barista Bros. brand manager, said. “They feel good to eat and that’s exactly what we want to give to people, a treat, a delicious bright spot in their day.”

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