Donut makers are thinking miniature versions may maximize sales.
Flowers Foods, Inc., Thomasville, Ga., in 2015 introduced Tastykake brand mini donuts in the varieties of pumpkin spice, caramel apple, gingerbread, salted caramel and red velvet. Under the company’s Mrs. Freshley’s brands, Flowers Foods partnered with Cinnabon to unveil a cinnamon variety of mini donuts. Also in 2015, McKee Foods, Collegedale, Tenn., launched cinnamon sugar mini donuts to its line of mini donuts, which already come in the varieties of powdered, chocolate frosted, glazed and coconut crunch.
Smaller donuts make up the Donettes brand from Kansas City-based Hostess Brands. Pumpkin spice and maple glazed varieties joined the Donettes portfolio in 2015.
Smaller donuts fit into a bite-size/mini dessert trend, which ranked second among all dessert trends in the 2016 “What’s Hot” survey from the National Restaurant Association, Washington. House-made/artisan ice cream was the No. 1 dessert trend.
Miniature desserts appeal to younger consumers, according to a Dessert Consumer Trend report from Technomic, a Chicago-based source for food and food service industry data, intelligence and commentary.
“Incremental dessert sales, and thus higher check averages, could result from brands taking risks and putting a new twist on an old standby, such as the Boston Kreme Croissant Donut at Dunkin’ Donuts or the Strawberry Nachos at Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom,” the report said.
Dunkin’ Donuts will feature a new version of its croissant donut to start 2016. The fudge croissant donut features a glazed croissant donut with a fudge filling. It is topped with chocolate and white icing drizzle.
