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The New Look of Soups: Hearty, Healthy, Ethnic

Move over Cream of Mushroom.

Always crowd pleasers, heartier, healthier soups with expanded flavor profiles are bolstering the sluggish sales of mass-market staples. Undoubtedly still a companion to Sandwich, soup is also becoming a year-round one-dish-meal, showing off homemade styles, quality ingredients, ease of preparation and identifying with myriad nationalities.

According to the NASFT 2006 State of the Specialty Food Industry report, specialty soup sales increased by 10.5 percent from 2003 to 2005. According to Mintel International Group, the soup category will post modest gains through 2008. Factors that will grow the market include an emphasis on health and nutrition, products that are innovative and convenient and higher-quality savory soups in a range of traditional and new flavors.

“There is a ton of innovation going on in the soup category. Retailers need to cut out the deadwood and make room for new products that are bold and interesting, says Jamie Brent, national category manager, grocery, Wild Oats Markets, Boulder, Colo.

Chic Ingredients
Manufacturers with ready-to-serve products are making an effort to duplicate restaurant-quality soups. Cutting-edge ingredients in convenient, ready-to-serve lines are defying the norm, making over age-old classics. “We are valuing-up our flavors with high-quality ingredients, says Rod Harris, president and CEO of Harry’s, Portland, Ore. Its refrigerated Cream of Broccoli with Stilton, USDA Organic Tomato Gorgonzola and Alaskan King Crab Sweet Corn Chowder are a few examples of how it “upscales classics.

“A slightly different ingredient in a traditional soup can spark consumer interest, notes Neil Fusco, owner, Cucina Antica, Bedford Hills, N.Y. Fusco’s glass-jarred Tomato Basil Soup contains organic heavy cream, the twang of Pecorino Romano cheese and less salt than traditional canned tomato soups.

Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co., Cundy Harbor, Me., has differentiated itself by creating a complex gourmet lobster bisque buoyed by smoked scallops. Made with Maine lobster, heavy cream, butter and smoked Maine scallops, the bisque fills a need for those looking for a twist on an old classic. The ready-to-serve frozen product’s competitive edge is its distinct flavor.

Chefs too are upping the ante, creating fresh buzz around certain soups by adding chic and artisanal ingredients. Hot restaurants such as Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City are redefining ramen, a Japanese noodle soup commonly known in America as a dried, instant product. The restaurant attracts long lines of every nationality waiting to eat ramen studded with high-quality trendy ingredients such as Berkshire pork belly and locally grown Swiss chard.

Hearty Packages, Creative Cans
Carving a niche on store shelves and in gift baskets, packaged soups are gaining recognition thanks to quality ingredients, ease of use and clever packaging (see sidebar, below). “Packaged soups are not just instant, one-dimensional, just-add-water types, says Trisha Anderson, owner of Frontier Soups, Waukegan, Ill. Anderson feels that consumers want to get involved in the actual soup-making process—yet not take all day to achieve a finished product. Soups from Frontier as well as Cugino’s, Lake in the Hills, Ill., have a hearty, homemade appeal, encouraging the consumer to add fresh ingredients.

Some retailers claim that customers still like to make soup from scratch. Evelyn Ignatow, owner, Hyde Park Gourmet Food & Wine, Cincinnati, has noticed a surge in ingredient-type items such as lentils. “It depends on how much time the person wants to invest in the preparation and what they want the end result to be, she says. Ignatow suggests adding anything fresh, like a ham hock, to a packaged soup to enhance flavor.

Canned soups that once got a bad rap for high sodium are getting healthier, more flavorful makeovers. “Low-sodium meant low flavor in the past, notes Wild Oat’s Brent. “Today, companies have better R&D; and are producing healthier, more flavorful products. Brent notes that canned soups such as Amy’s Organic are innovative and full of flavor. Canned soups with uncommon flavor profiles and those that contain meat or fish protein are also gaining shelf space. Thai coconut, salmon and lobster chowders and chicken Parmesan with pasta are some examples. “Products that are selling well are those with hearty meat options, observes Brent.

Chuck Richards of Reid’s Fine Foods, Charlotte, N.C., carries more than 15 different brands of specialty soups. “Compared to five years ago, that is about 50 percent more, he notes. Richards has noticed an influx of organic soups and those that cater to specific nationalities, such as black bean. With the season for soup expanding, Reid’s sells prepared hot soups year-round. “Our customers perceive soup as a healthy food that is quick and easy no matter what time of year, he notes.

Global Flavors
Whether they evoke a bit of Americana or provide ethnic flair, soups are tied to tradition and provide a level of comfort that consumers identify with. “People pride themselves on their region, says Frontier’s Anderson. All of Frontier’s soups have American regional themes such as new Chicago Bistro French Onion and Washington State Squash and Lentil, part of the company’s 100% Whole Grain line—developed in response to the new food pyramid guidelines.

Purely American, Norfolk, Va., uses heirloom beans in many of its soups. The company’s regional American soups—from Hawaiian Sunset Portuguese Bean to Bourbon Street Black Bean—provide a bit of memorabilia. “Our soups allow people to remember an experience or a place they have been, says Purely American Owner Ray Leard.

Albuquerque, N.M., La Comida Loca’s NASFT Product Award-winning Green Chile Chicken soup evokes a taste of the Southwest. Made from an old family recipe, this soup with eye-catching packaging is revered as a true Southwestern delicacy.

Soups with an international bent that offer convenience are also garnering interest. Annie Chun’s Inc., San Rafael, Calif., captures traditional Asian flavors with selections such as Korean Kimchi and Miso soups that microwave in one minute. “People are eating at multi-cultural restaurants and want to mimic menu items, says Chun. Chun’s FreshPak noodle soup bowls are convenient and offer consumers a nice change from dried ramen noodles. “Consumers have no problem paying a little more for higher quality and convenience, she adds.

Nueva Cocina, a new line of Latin soups represented by Bear Creek Fine Foods, includes Sopa de Calabaza (Roasted Pumpkin), Frijoles Negros (Black Bean with Chipotle or Cuban-style) and Tortilla Soup with Cilantro and Lime. These packaged dried soups provide both English and Spanish names, giving the product a universal appeal. “This is our first move into the ethnic soup category, says Mike Chittick, president, Bear Creek Fine Foods, Woodinville, Wash. “We feel ethnic soups—especially Mexican and Spanish—have a lot of potential.

Whatever nationality, customers look for authenticity. “Our biggest selling point is that people say our soups look like ‘what grandma used to make,’ says Anthony Marciona, vice president, that’s a nice, Los Angeles, of his best-selling Italian soup Zuppa Tomato, a Sicilian-style pasta fagioli. “We created a traditional product that people can recognize from their childhood.

As customers experiment with different soups, you may wish to expand shelf space to give more options. Merchandise packaged soups near the meat or seafood departments or include soups with creative packaging in gift baskets. The future for soups is innovative high-end, quality products that pique consumer interest and spike category sales.

Nicole Potenza Denis is senior editor of Specialty Food Magazine.