Why are muffins so popular with consumers, and how can you make them work for you?
While on-trend bakes like cronuts and cruffins might be growing in popularity, you just can’t beat the mighty muffin. With 70 per cent of breakfast menus featuring this sweet treat[i], there’s no shaking the muffin off its pedestal. And with the market set to continue to grow, it’s a product every food service, out of home and retail business should have on their menu.
But why are muffins so popular with consumers, and how can you make them work for you?
Why? Muffins are made for convenience
Whether it’s a hands-on snack for your toddler in your favourite coffee shop or a pre-packed breakfast to grab and go, how muffins are made and wrapped make them so easy to enjoy. Research from Kantar suggests that demand for individually wrapped small cakes like muffins and mini loaf cakes is growing +5.7 per cent, and ease of purchase and eating plays a major role in those sales successes.
How? Pick the muffin format that works for you
From thaw and serve perfect for busy food service businesses or pre-packed, ready branded muffins for food to go and retail, muffins work for so many locations and consumer needs. At QBC we can provide ready to serve options in a range of flavours, plus wrapped branded and white label muffins to serve up muffins wherever and however you need them.
Why? Muffins are the perfect portion
Small but perfectly formed, the muffin is a cake that is OK to eat whole. It’s easy for consumers to see what they’re getting nutritionally in a single serving, and to quickly factor into their daily allowances. As with many sweet treat trends, muffins are increasingly appearing in smaller formats to appeal to consumer demand for balanced treating, making muffins even more accessible for health-conscious consumers.
How? Mix up your muffins
From full-sized chocolate-packed recipes to mini bakes and options with reduced sugar or fat, QBC can help you find the balance of muffins for your business. Buy in multiple flavour and format combinations, adding in gluten-free and vegan options to make sure everyone’s catered for.
Why? Muffins are so versatile
From classic chocolate chip to kid-friendly recipes with added fruit and fibre hidden inside, the muffin offers so many flavour options and eating occasions. They’re the perfect product to update with the seasons to create newness and interest, from on-trend pumpkin spice to delicate summer rose. Add in classics like blueberry, chocolate and lemon and you’ve got the perfect mix.
How? Look at what you can add or replace to your muffins
With 73 per cent of shoppers looking for healthier cake options, there are lots of ways to make sure muffins are still on the menu. Adding fruit, nuts and seeds adds flavour and texture, and can reduce sugar and fat content, and plant-based options broaden their appeal even further. At QBC we can provide vegan options in your muffin order and work with you to develop new recipes tailored perfectly to your customers’ needs.
Why? There’s so much innovation in muffins
Muffins offer the perfect canvas for innovation, and unique and exotic flavours like matcha and lavender are moving off restaurant menus and into the muffin mainstream. And it’s not just the cake itself where you can play – glazes, crumble-toppings and vibrant frosting and sprinkles can add newness and interest. If you’re looking to expand your muffin sales to the lunch market, savoury innovation could be the answer, with cheese, vegetable and Mediterranean flavoured options giving consumers an interesting alterative to a standard sandwich.
How? Pick from on-trend flavours or develop your own muffins
At QBC, our bakers can work with you to find the right innovation for your business, whether that’s innovation in our wholesale wrapped and unwrapped range or creating a bespoke muffin recipe just for you. You can play it safe with twists on best-sellers or try something completely new tailored to what you know works for your customer.
Ready to explore how muffins could increase your sales success? Check our QBC’s extensive offer on our muffin page.