Sweet Innovation: Chocolate Trends to Expand your Menu

Chocolate has established itself as a fundamental ingredient in dessert menus. In fact, 75% of all foodservice menus across Canada feature chocolate as one of their ingredients.¹ Chocolate's widespread appeal makes it an incredibly advantageous ingredient when creating new menu items or breathing new life into existing ones. Wondering how you can leverage the full potential of chocolate for your business?

Read along to uncover new ways for leveraging chocolate to elevate your menu, informed by the latest insights from Canadian consumer trends and the ever-evolving Foodservice industry. By embracing these strategies, you can captivate your customers with a delectable array of chocolate-forward food and beverage creations that are sure to leave them delighted.

Pairing Coffee and Chocolate

While chocolate is most associated with traditional desserts such as cakes or ice cream, you can embrace its boundless potential by incorporating it into other areas of your menu. Whether you're curating a café menu or seeking to expand your restaurant's post-meal coffee offerings, chocolate can be a fantastic ingredient for crafting indulgently sweet coffee beverages that are sure to leave your customers wanting more.

As Canadian consumers continue to seek out sweet beverages as treats or snacks outside of their regular mealtimes², leveraging chocolate becomes a strategic move to meet this evolving demand. By infusing chocolate into your coffee creations, you not only cater to your customers’ coffee needs, but also provide a more affordable way to satisfy their sweet cravings!

Looking for inspiration for your coffee menu? Check out our recipes for a Coffee Crisp^® Macchiato and a NESFRAPPÉ made with KitKat^®. Both creations are sweet, creamy, and feature our confectionery inclusions that accentuate coffee’s rich and bold flavour.

Chocolate and Global Flavours

It is crucial to keep your customers in mind when creating menu items, and as a business in the Foodservice industry, younger consumers play a huge role in the success of your operation. When we look at 18 to 34-year-olds—the greatest users of foodservice—36% say they are more interested in trying global flavours and cuisines than they were just one year ago.² Chocolate can become a great asset when introducing global flavours to your menu.

The familiar taste of chocolate will help create the perfect balance and provide your customers with the opportunity to try new cuisines while experiencing a sense of comfort and familiarity. By incorporating chocolate into your global-inspired dishes, you can bridge the gap between adventurous exploration and culinary satisfaction.

Ready to globalize your menu? Look to Mexican cuisine and flavours for inspiration. Many traditional Mexican dishes feature the pairing of chocolate and chili. This famous duo, commonly featured in Mexican desserts, offers a delightful harmony of sweetness and spiciness that is sure to captivate your customers' taste buds. Our Sweet and Spicy Churros using KitKat^® Spread are a great example of how you can use this pairing to your advantage. You can read the full recipe here.

Sustainable Chocolate

Whether you’re developing your own unique chocolate dish or using our recipes for inspiration, keep in mind that sustainability is back in a big way. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have placed some initiatives on the back burner, the Nestlé Professional 2023 Food Service Trend Report indicates that consumers have renewed their focus on sustainable practices.² As a result, businesses must rise to the occasion and respond to the growing demand for the health of our planet and communities.

If you’re looking for 100% sustainably sourced cocoa, you can add any our confectionery spreads or confectionery inclusions to your menu. We’re proud to say that all Nestlé Professional chocolate products are made with 100% sustainable cocoa thanks to the Nestlé Cocoa Plan.

Our sustainability initiative, the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, focuses on five fundamental pillars for responsibly sourced chocolate: farmer education, sustainability, supply chain efficiency, improving conditions and working with partners. For more information, please visit our Nestlé Cocoa Plan page here.

1 Technomic 2023 National Food Trends in Canada, Chocolate, 2 Nestlé Professional’s 2023 Canadian Foodservice Trends

The information presented here offers a general industry perspective and may not directly apply to your specific business operations. Consult with the appropriate subject matter experts before making any business decisions.