Food Trends for 2026: 1. A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 = cheeses. milks. creamers. yogurts. kefir. i have deep conviction on this one. 2. stemming off of A2, we’ll see a rise in interest and awareness around Sheep’s milk cheeses, Goats milk cheeses and butter, and Water-Buffalo cheese. 3. gut health 4. a rise in functional foods. what do i mean by this? functional foods are foods that go above and beyond their nutritional value. they support digestion, inflammation, heart health, skin health, hair health, anti-aging properties. 5. the rise of Africa (something I learned from Gary Vaynerchuk). so when i think of the food space and culture i think of spices. Spicy food and spices will be a theme for 2026 6. Big company’s like Pepsi and Coca-Cola will start offering healthier versions of their nostalgia classics while also offering prebiotic sodas. 7. Fermented foods - we’ll see more CPG brands offering a variety of fermented foods. 8. Honey. Specifically raw honey and Mānuka honey 🍯
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6. Print isn’t dead — it’s emotional and needs to be done strategically for it to work. Food & Wine and Better Homes & Gardens directly impact specific purchases. Magazines aren’t just media. They’re collectibles + identity. Being able to smell the pages. Hold the magazine. Bring it with you as you shop 🛒. These are all emotional characters that runs deep into the subconscious mind. 7. Product placement matters. I watched 7/10 people scan the Parmigiano Reggiano table yet still ask where it is. Just because a persons scans something doesn’t necessarily mean it registers. Marketers used to guess in the boardrooms (and many still do). Before I spend ad dollars, I don’t care if it’s $1.00 — I’m watching first. I’m documenting second. And this is all done organically. It’s only after the fact I’ll run ad $$. This is called PCS (Post Creative Strategy).
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what months of watching real customers taught me behind the artisan cheese counter: 1. across every generation - Gen Z to Boomers most people purchase an average of 2 cheeses 🧀 🧀 at a time. a third happens based on influence. 2. attention moves shelves. whether it’s a LinkedIn post, TikTok trend, or a magazine recipe, digital + print drive real-world buying behavior. the key 🔑 is knowing WHEN to spend ad dollars behind print (spoiler alert: it’s *after* you’ve tested it digitally and it’s done well on its own organically — this is called SOC. 3. Mornings have a pattern Men (mostly Millennials, Gen X and Boomers) come in wanting soup 🍲. they almost always add on a small block of cheese or box of crackers. Comfort food during colder months = easy upsell. 4. Loyalty — for the chosen few. Boomers and Gen X pick their ride-or-die cheeses 🧀. 5. Signals that make me smile. Men across ALL generations are now reading nutrition and ingredient labels. continued ⬇️
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