The food and beverage industry is a lot of times shaped by seasonal changes. For instance, fresh farm-grown produce is in full swing come summertime, and many organic restaurants rely on these ingredients to create seasonal dishes. When autumn swings around, we see an uptick in pumpkin and apple recipes. These trends affect the beverage industry as well, leading to a few key fall beverage flavors that typically dominate the market.

Pumpkin

To start out with the obvious, pumpkin is quite possibly the most popular fall flavor in existence. As soon as the leaves start changing or the air gets a crisp feel to it, individuals flock to coffee houses and grocery stores to pick up a pumpkin-flavored drink. Perhaps one of the most common drinks is the pumpkin spice latte, which, despite its simplicity, is one of the most beloved drinks of the season. However, there is also a great deal of other caffeinated and non-caffeinated pumpkin drinks, including pumpkin milkshakes, that consumers seem to love.

Apple Cider

Apple cider is another one of those classic fall flavors that pick up in popularity each year. With its adaptability, apple cider has been able to be made in a variety of ways. Companies have experimented with making hard apple cider, apple cider lattes, apple cider energy drinks and more. One cocktail that some businesses have begun experimenting with is the apple cider mimosa. Rather than using orange juice, you simply replace it with apple cider, giving the popular brunch drink a fall makeover.

Cranberry

As fall progresses, cranberry becomes a more dominant flavor in the market, especially around Thanksgiving. The food and beverage industry capitalizes on this demand, creating cranberry-flavored products and drinks. As customers attempt to find a fitting cranberry beverage for their celebrations, they’ll be happy to discover multiple cocktail recipes, cranberry ciders and cranberry beers. But this recipe does not only have to be enjoyed at fall dinner parties; it is also a popular energy drink flavor this time of year.

Caramel

It is hard to imagine autumn without a bit of caramel drizzled in. While caramel is an accessible ingredient year-round, it is paired best with fall when the demand for comfort food and sugary flavors spikes up. Throughout the autumn, consumers do not find it too challenging to find a caramel-flavored beverage. It seems impossible to enter a grocery store, coffee shop, or bar without finding a caffeinated caramel beverage, a salted caramel White Russian and even a caramel-flavored energy shot.

As these steady flavors continue to dominate the market, the food and beverage industry will undoubtedly continue to experiment with new drink ideas in order to keep consumer interest. But they will also likely continue releasing their classic flavors that are sure to draw in customers each fall.