What’s Trending: Breakfast is branching out in a big way.  Exotic breakfast items such as bacon naan, Malaysian kaya toast, Japanese egg sandos, and breakfast burritos/tacos are gaining popularity in the West.  

What’s more, 56% of Americans say that they now love breakfast more than they did a year ago. Cal-Maine Foods, America’s largest egg company, saw a 62% YoY increase in sales in Q4 of 2020.

Popularity of breakfast and brunch foods has been on the rise for a while, but less time spent commuting to work in the morning since the pandemic has accelerated the trend. Ongoing lockdowns and mandates have also forced people to socialize earlier in the day.

The Opportunity: Capitalize on the breakfast boom by thinking about:

• Breakfast foods with functional ingredients like protein and fiber (e.g., keto cereals).
• Experiential dining such as elaborate brunch events, harvest tables, picnics, platters, and charcuterie boards (searches for “breakfast charcuterie board” are up 5x on Pinterest).
• Breakfast/brunch meal kits, which are already popular in London. Thirty-six percent of Americans say that they would like to be able to purchase them from their favorite restaurants. 
• A new take on traditional breakfast foods such as mac and cheese waffles and pancake cereal, or “brinner” and “bressert” foods (79% of Americans have eaten breakfast foods outside of traditional breakfast times in the past year).
• Convenience foods, like these Egg Bites and Smart Eggs from Organic Valley,  and “take and bake” products.
• Plant-based breakfast options like these frozen folded eggs made from mung beans.

Adventure Foods Are Climbing Just As Fast As The Breakfast Boom

Interest in lightweight, easy meals for camping, hiking, and trail running is growing. 

The r/trailmeals subreddit (“a community devoted to recipes you can cook while backpacking and camping”) has doubled in the past two years from ~47k in August 2019 to ~100k today. 

Source: Subreddit Stats

Mountain House, which specializes in freeze-dried adventure foods, is making millions every month on Amazon, according to Jungle Scout. For example, this bucket of 12 assorted camping meals makes $760k/mo., while this breakfast skillet makes $340k/mo.  

The market for convenient adventure meals is set to grow as people continue to embrace camping and pilgrimages in the wake of COVID-19. The trend may intersect with the vegan, vegetarian, and health-conscious movements, too.  

Don’t be afraid to get fancy, either. Airlines such as Finnair have started selling their Business Class meals in grocery stores, suggesting that bougie convenience foods to match high-end glamping experiences may just be a thing. 

Next Steps: If you have a craving for more new business in an “eggsploding” sector, the breakfast boom and adventure foods are both something to take a bite out of… (excuse the puns).  Prospect smAARt, pitch with purpose, and most importantly, with passion.