Firmenich Announces Magical Botanical as 2022 Flavor of the Year

The flavor was designed around a core of botanical ingredients and culinary herbs to inspire new creativity across sweet goods, savory foods and beverages.
The flavor was designed around a core of botanical ingredients and culinary herbs to inspire new creativity across sweet goods, savory foods and beverages.

Firmenich’s 2022 Flavor of the Year is Magical Botanical, drawing inspiration from the transformative nature of botanicals. The flavor was designed around a core of botanical ingredients and culinary herbs to inspire new creativity across sweet goods, savory foods and beverages.

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This is the first time that Firmenich created a new flavor for its Flavor of the Year launch. Through its sensory partnership with Pantone, both companies introduced new creations for the Firmenich Flavor of the Year and Pantone Color of the Year—which is Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri, a periwinkle blue hue enhanced with a violet-red undertone. Firmenich created the fragrances for the Pure Imagination collection inspired by Pantone Very Peri.

Data collected by Mintel GNPD and provided by Firmenich indicates that products with botanicals are increasing in popularity and the botanical flavor segment has grown at a 29% CAGR since 2017.

Mikel Cirkus, global creative director, Taste & Beyond, Firmenich, said, “Like Pantone Very Peri, Firmenich’s Flavor of the Year aims to capture the emerging themes we’re seeing in the world around us, by translating new trends and consumer emotions into positive sensory experiences. For 2022, we have tuned in to the global transformation and heightened focus on wellbeing. Over the last 18 months, our collective experience of radical uncertainty has sparked a great transformation. From this, our perspectives, priorities and expectations are changing. Still unsure of what the altered landscape holds, people are nonetheless embracing its possibilities with hope. We created our Magical Botanical collection to reflect this societal transformation and the new consumer needs it is creating, as people nurture their own creativity, hopes and personal wellbeing.” 

Jeff Schmoyer, global head of Human Insights, Firmenich, said, “What is particularly noteworthy is that brands are calling out botanicals across an exceptionally wide array of categories. Hot drinks, alcoholic drinks and baked goods are the most common applications, and we also see substantial numbers of brands talking about botanicals on pack in applications from sauces and snacks to juices, dairy and nutritional drinks.”

Emmanuel Butstraen, president, Taste & Beyond, Firmenich said, “This is our tenth Flavor of the Year, something our customers have really come to look forward to. To help serve the consumer-driven diet transformation with food and beverages that are better for people and the planet, we aimed to develop a creation that embodies this transformation. We tapped into the extraordinary talent and creativity of Firmenich flavorists across the world to create something entirely new, inspired by the transformative and healing notions of botanicals.” 

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