Tastykake combines indulgence with wellness
By Melissa Hillebrand , assistant editor
The impacts of trans fat, bad carbohydrates and obesity have had minimal effects on the snack cake aisle.
Sales are consistent because consumers still want to reward themselves with an indulgent snack, Vince Melchiorre, Tasty Baking Co.'s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, says. However, many consumers are looking for lighter snack cakes that still provide indulgence.
Indulgence and wellness are two of the three trends that Melchiorre identifies as driving the snack cake industry. The third is relevance. Consumers must feel that the product will fit into their lives, he says.
Tasty Baking satiates these trends with its Tastykake Sensables™ snack cake line, which was launched in August.
Products under the Sensables™ line are sugar-free and contain four to eight net carbohydrates per serving. Due to the success of Sensables™, a second wave of the products was launched in January.
"We had forecasts for the Sensables™ line in the millions of dollars, and we exceeded that forecast by millions of dollars," Melchiorre says.
The Sensables™ line includes cookie bars and finger cakes in flavors such as chocolate chip, chocolate chocolate and orange. Melchiorre says that the orange finger cake is selling so well that the company launched a lemon poppy version.
"We've been surprised by the lemon poppy and orange," he says. "People who want those kinds of snacks are looking for something a little lighter."
Ending Feb 20 Dollar Sales |
Prior Year |
Unit Sales |
Prior Year |
|
Bread |
$5,798,251,136 |
0.6% |
3,381,032,960 |
-3.7% |
Cookies |
$3,533,324,032 |
-4.1% |
1,642,158,656 |
-5.7% |
Crackers |
$3,175,432,960 |
-0.2% |
1,452,516,992 |
-1.2% |
Rolls/Buns/Croissants |
$1,780,858,112 |
-0.1% |
1,199,131,776 |
-2.4% |
Cupcakes/Brownies |
$799,874,240 |
-0.3% |
579,917,184 |
-4.2% |
Donuts |
$772,236,992 |
0.8% |
332,689,216 |
-3.8% |
Pastry/Danish/Coffeecakes |
$619,183,104 |
-6.4% |
306,492,384 |
-5.1% |
Cakes (excl. snack/coffeecakes) |
$589,495,616 |
-0.3% |
128,248,520 |
-2.4% |
Bagels/Bialys |
$433,747,296 |
3.5% |
171,856,640 |
0.1% |
English Muffins |
$385,814,432 |
-0.3% |
190,138,784 |
-2.9% |
Muffins |
$220,731,568 |
2.6% |
86,159,688 |
3.4% |
Pies (excl. snack pies) |
$192,167,648 |
0.6% |
49,229,896 |
1.3% |
Source: Information Resources Inc. |
||||
Ending Feb 20 Dollar Sales |
Prior Year |
Unit Sales |
Prior Year |
|
Baked Bread/Rolls/Biscuits |
$449,804,544 |
1.9% |
188,703,328 |
0.7% |
Pies |
$327,645,248 |
2.1% |
87,780,840 |
3.6% |
Sweetgoods (excl. cheesecake) |
$311,062,944 |
-0.6% |
115,188,600 |
0.4% |
Bread/Rolls/Biscuits/Pastry Dough |
$122,138,984 |
-8.0% |
45,598,944 |
-8.7% |
Pies/Pastry Shells |
$107,885,136 |
-3.7% |
53,989,800 |
-6.2% |
Cheesecakes |
$82,098,896 |
-4.9% |
18,099,204 |
-8.8% |
Bagels |
$60,609,472 |
-17.1% |
47,072,260 |
-19.5% |
Cookie Dough |
$5,246,623 |
-0.4% |
1,162,024 |
-13.2% |
Muffins |
$4,204,667 |
-15.7% |
2,010,985 |
-17.7% |
Cookies |
$31,533 |
-64.1% |
8,815 |
-64.2% |
Source: Information Resources Inc. |
||||
Ending Feb 20 Dollar Sales |
Prior Year |
Unit Sales |
Prior Year |
|
Cookie/Brownie Dough |
$419,246,912 |
4.5% |
150,758,416 |
0.2% |
Biscuit Dough |
$378,848,320 |
-6.7% |
340,717,632 |
-8.0% |
Pastry/Dumpling Dough |
$253,586,672 |
0.7% |
119,462,256 |
-0.3% |
Bread/Roll/Bun Dough |
$233,113,984 |
-2.2% |
122,360,272 |
-1.6% |
Cheesecakes |
$96,770,832 |
8.3% |
17,715,602 |
6.7% |
Bagels/Bialys |
$59,189,120 |
-18.6% |
43,459,384 |
-16.4% |
Cakes (excl. snack/coffeecakes) |
$60,673,476 |
-4.2% |
7,565,978 |
-7.6% |
English Muffins |
$27,756,374 |
-2.0% |
17,102,566 |
-6.2% |
Pies (excl. snack pies) |
$27,340,052 |
-18.4% |
5,593,942 |
-25.0% |
Bread |
$5,305,734 |
-8.7% |
2,568,116 |
-13.2% |
Snack Cakes/Donuts |
$5,017,542 |
% -26.4% |
1,394,227 |
% -37.0% |
| Pastry/Danish/Coffeecakes | ||||
| Croissants/Dinner Rolls | ||||
| Muffins | ||||
Source: Information Resources Inc. |
||||
Statistics for this chart were supplied by Information Resources Inc., a Chicago-based firm. Its scanner data covers more than 11,300 supermarkets and represents 90% of all supermarket volumes.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2009 Penton Media Inc.
Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus
Bakery-Net Viewpoints: |
|
 |
Heather Henstock: |
| Read More Editor's Notes | |
Product Information
Visit our online resource to find products and services offered by advertisers featured in Modern Baking magazine.
advertisement
Modern Baking Buyer's Guide
Indentify new equipment, ingredients and supplies for your retail, in-store, foodservice or specialty wholesale bakery while keeping up with the latest contact information, product lines and services for your business.
The Bakery-Net e-Newsletter
Subscribe to the best baking e-Newsletter in the business. The Bakery-Net e-Newsletter brings monthly the best of Modern Baking and Baking Management magazines. Subscribe Now!
