Dive Brief:
- Meat and cookies are new sources of material for a once simple industry item — straws.
- The straws are both functional and add unique flavors to drinks, such as bacon straws for a Bloody Mary-like Caesar cocktail or a cookie straw for Starbucks' Frappuccino.
- Experts see these unique straws as a way for companies to enliven beverage products, though some are concerned about the amount of calories the straws could add to a drink.
Dive Insight:
Food straws can add a bold contrast to a beverage or enhance other flavors, such as meat straws for fruits and vegetables or cookie straws to add a sweet kick.
While these straws seem focused in the food service sector for now, the industry may want to keep an eye on these products for potential at-home use. Certain retailers like Williams-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel are experimenting with other gourmet straws outside of the food sphere. However, the Benny's Original Meat Straws inventor, Ben Hirko, doesn't anticipate the trend growing too large as there's only so much workable make-up for such straws.
Another unique addition to the food and drink combination spectrum is beer-inspired or infused snacks. These include everything from beer-based cake mixes and barbecue sauces to Jelly Belly's draft beer jelly beans and Guinness Luxury chocolate products. Several of these products were unveiled at Chicago's Sweets & Snacks Expo held earlier this month. These snacks are just another example of how the craft beer industry can uniquely fit itself into the food industry beyond pairing.