Twelve years after the cronut craze, croiffles are now the croi- du jour.
According to recent Circana analytics, snackers still love baked goods, but as they crave flavor variety, they are also trying to indulge more mindfully. They say 64.1% of snackers are actively seeking snacks that are healthier for their diet than treats with full fat and sugar.
Enter the croiffle — croissant batter that’s pressed in a waffle iron and presented with a variety of toppings. Unlike the croissant-doughnut hybrid created by French pastry chef Dominique Ansel at his New York City bakery in May 2013, the croiffle isn't deep fried and can be adapted to a number of forms and sizes.
Dawn Iho, principal of the bakery vertical for Circana, noted that consumers want a treat at least once a year. And despite a larger decline in snacking, bakery consumption has remained strong.
“Bakery is showing the greatest increase in spending, driven by both an increase in trips as well as spend per trip versus same time last year,” she said during a webinar on the state of the snack and bakery industries.
You might say a croiffle offers layers of possibility when it comes to fillings and topping options. But they also offer insight into how rising interest in fresh, minimally processed food is having positive ripple effects throughout the bakery section.
Bakeries, delis, produce and other non-center grocery aisles make up what's known as perimeter sales, which have become a $22.3 billion-dollar industry. Sales from these sections are outperforming snacks and packaged goods in center grocery aisles.
Croissant sales in both perimeter and center aisles are up 7% since last year. According to Circana, croissants are now the third largest category in perimeter sales next to buns and rolls, topped by traditional bread.
“Croissant performance should be no surprise when we think about all the social media [starting with cronut fever] that's fueled the popularity of croissants with all sorts of creative and fun ways to use croissants,” said Iho. “Boutique bakeries and pop-ups as well as bloggers are talking about croissants and making croissants exciting to consume, to bake and consume. There are flat croissants, croffles, which are croissant waffles.”
“The impression of freshness [and less food processing] that is more evident when shopping the perimeter in addition to the variety of options and flavors and size selections," Iho said. “While croissant success highlights the indulgent aspect of the baker's department, consumers are also searching for balance and functional benefits, both on package and baked in.”
However, center aisle marketing is keeping pace with the trend of international flavor mashups. More companies are also offering goods in new forms, package sizes, and flavor options that speak to calls for healthier grab-and-go consumption.
For instance, Wonder now makes individual Confetti Cakes and Little Debbie goes even littler with portion-controlled minis. Circana reports that 13% more consumers (up 2.3 points since last year) are making smaller, but more frequent snack food purchases overall and 20.9% are paying especially close attention to price per serving.
“Size matters, thin varieties, small cookies, even jumbo donuts,” Iho stated. For those who want to indulge, bakery sections have more options than ever.
