Pumpkin is everywhere these days. From your neighborhood coffee house to your local grocery store, this palate-pleasing player has spread like wildfire throughout restaurants and stores this season, and seemingly earlier than last year. Last year, pumpkin-flavored offerings in the U.S. grew 18.8 percent in Nielsen-measured retail outlets, selling over $290 million during calendar year 2012.
Though many pumpkin offerings are available year-round, there’s no denying the seasonal popularity of this particular brand of squash right now. Last year, 70 percent of pumpkin-oriented grocery sales in the U.S. occurred between September and November. And sales weren’t limited to pie filling; pumpkin pops up across the kitchen landscape—from breakfast foods to beverages to the ever-popular dessert items.
Pie filling, however, is a solid pumpkin performer. Last year, it accounted for 42.7 percent of all pumpkin sales, followed by coffee and cream (11.2% and 9.5%, respectively). The popularity of pumpkin in the grocery aisles has no doubt piggybacked on the rise of pumpkin outside of the grocery stores. Starbucks, for example, just celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Pumpkin Spice Latte. This specialty latte is Starbucks’ most popular seasonal beverage, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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