No sooner had the seasons’ greetings ended than the unveiling began. 2025 feels like a year to make one’s mark, and several did so just in time for the last Winter Fancy Food Show as we have known it. Below are some of the standouts that continue to dazzle my mind and my palate.
Brooklyn Cured Dirty Martini Salami and Tuscan Red Wine Beef Salami
I already love a good salami, which may make me seem a little biased. But when you like everything in a category, it can mean that nothing stands out. Enter a genius marketing move on the part of Brooklyn Cured: If there is one thing I remember, it is always my bar order. Hence the brilliance of a cocktail-inspired salami line, and all the better that one expands the company’s pork-free reach. A fun-loving twist on traditional flavors, the Dirty Martini Salami and the pork-free Tuscan Red Wine Beef Salami are a memorable pair in a sea of products.
Henning Wisconsin Cheese Rebrand
I had the pleasure of meeting the company face to face in Las Vegas, and am thrilled it has created a logo and modernized packaging to match its personality! The revamped line of Cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack, Cheese Curds, and more add a promising color palette to align with the distinctive flavors and story they hold in their packs. Celebrating 111 years, this is a legacy worth its cheese.
Belgian Boys Love Bites and Spring Bites Heart-Shaped Pancakes
Pancakes really are the perfect, cinema-level breakfast. The thing that makes them extra special? Every childhood show and movie showed a specially shaped pancake to really drive home that someone cared. Now, these heart-shaped pancakes deliver the skill and love in a convenient offering, while still delivering the light, airy treat that is this breakfast favorite.
Schuman Cheese Delve Dips and Spreads
I am sure I’ve said it before that a promising debut comes in threes. In this case, three tasty flavors I can’t wait to experience: Basil Pesto Parm, Garlic Herb Asiago, and Whipped Feta.
With an award-winning Dodoni Feta Cheese made from 100 percent Greek, pasteurized sheep's and goat's milk, not to mention flavors that entice all corners of consumers, this debut is one I will not be surprised to see win out in the aisles.
FrieslandCampina A Dutch Masterpiece Rembrandt® New 12-Month PDO
While walking the bustling aisles of the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show with a videographer who had not been to one of our industry’s events, I got to see with new eyes the products that have become home for me. Specifically, Gouda cheese. Therefore it is with reviewed appreciation I eyed and considered the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), high-quality, and artistically focused A Dutch Masterpiece Rembrandt. If you are considering a sample station in your stores, this should absolutely be on your list of items to showcase.
Who says celebrations need to end with the holiday season? In this industry, where taste and experience are a grocery trip away, there is clearly much innovation to anticipate in the months ahead. Stay tuned as we bring them here to you.
