Cover images courtesy of PepsiCo and Crumbl

The editors of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery love reading about innovative new products, whether they’re doughnuts tempting sweet-toothed consumers, better-for-you savory bites, snacks from big brands, cookies from an up-and-comer, etc. It is always fascinating to see what innovative eats and classic treats producers come up with.

It turns out we aren’t alone in our fascination with product releases—while our readers devour our producer profiles, ingredients pieces, technology articles, and other impactful content, it is our daily details on new products that consistently draw in eyeballs. It might be because the companies that manufacture cookies, cakes, chips, breads, and other goods want to see what their potential competitors are up to. Perhaps it is because they also are curious consumers interested in what new items might be greeting them the next time they hit their local grocery store. It could be a combination that fuels the fascination.

Knowing that product introductions are among our most popular articles, it is therefore probably not a huge surprise to know that one of our most-read pieces each year is the annual Best New Snack & Bakery Products piece. Here, we share the most-viewed new bakery product, and the most-viewed new snack product, and share insights from the companies behind the items telling the story of these innovations.

Before we discuss the two products getting top honors, here is how the process of determining the Best New Snack & Bakery Products of 2024 went:

• We dug into our website analytics platform to see which of the pieces we shared during 2024 on snackandbakery.com were viewed by the most site visitors,
• Next, we went into that list of popular pieces and picked out the new product announcements.
• We then sorted the product announcements into three columns—the snack and bakery launches (and some honorable mentions included for fun) are profiled here, and the candy product will be shared on the candyindustry.com microsite later this year

If you have thoughts about the snack and bakery product introductions that topped the 2024 list, we would love to hear them. Also, if your company has recent or upcoming new products you think have the potential to reign in 2025, please send those. My email is spinnerj@bnpmedia.com so feel free to use it, because it’s always a pleasure to hear from our readers. SF&WB

PepsiCo //
Doritos Baja Fiery Mango

Doritos hit the snack stage in 1961 as the first nationally distributed tortilla chip in the U.S. Since then, the R&D team behind the tasty triangles has had fun with its innovative and influential flavor launches.

“Nearly 40 years ago, ranch flavor was just ranch until Doritos Created Cool Ranch for a new generation of snackers—I’m one of those people so I’d consider myself part of the cool ranch generation,” shares Curtis Calloway, director of brand marketing for Doritos with PepsiCo. “Doritos has cemented its reputation as a global snack icon known for bold marketing campaigns like Doritos Crash the Super Bowl, and beloved innovations that continually push boundaries, delivering flavors like newly released Doritos Golden Sriracha and limited-edition flavors like Doritos Baja Fiery Mango.”

The latter snack is the most-viewed snack product on snackandbakery.com for 2024. The sweet and spicy snack merges Doritos and Mountain Dew, two PepsiCo-owned brands, together to celebrate a milestone.

“2024 was the 20th anniversary of Mountain Dew Baja Blast and we celebrated the ‘Bajaversary’ by teaming up with Mountain Dew to bring this unique combination to life, blending two fan favorites into one epic chip, he says. “Doritos and Mountain Dew are both such beloved household brands, so we knew this was a mashup people would be excited about and was the perfect way to mark the 20th anniversary of Mountain Dew Baja Blast.”

As for what Doritos innovations might come out to compete for 2025’s most-viewed snack launches, Calloway reveals PepsiCo’s brands likely will have a number of contenders, including a new addition to its core lineup, Doritos Golden Sriracha.

“This launch marks the beginning of an exciting year for Doritos as we continue to push flavor boundaries throughout the year ahead, with Doritos Golden Sriracha setting the pace for unexpected, fan-driven innovations,” he states. “You’ll just have to stay tuned for more from both brands.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS // SNACK PRODUCTS

Crumbl //
Tres Leches Cake

The name Crumbl has been most closely associated with the bakery chain’s sizeable premium cookies since cousins Sawyer Hemley and Jason Sawyer first dreamed up the concept in 2017. However, last year it branched out from its rotating menu of cookies and diversified into new territory with its line of cakes.

“We had already begun expanding into new territories, starting with the launch of our Cinnamon Square [in January 2024]—the first product that officially marked the beginning of our dessert program,” relates Amy Eldredge, Crumbl’s vice president of menu. “It was so well received that we embraced the challenge and answered customer requests to continue innovating and rolling out new dessert offerings.”

Soon after came SF&WB’s most-viewed bakery product of 2024: the Tres Leches Cake. According to Eldredge, the process of getting the Latino-inspired treat to Crumbl patrons involved thought and effort.

“It went through our extensive testing program to perfect the flavor, texture, and visual appeal—capturing everything people love about a classic Tres Leches Cake,” she shares. “This cake has long been a favorite among our internal teams and founders, and it had been one of our most requested cookie flavors for years, so when it came time to launch, we were committed to getting it just right. We're proud of the final recipe—and our customers love it too.”

The Tres Leches is one of several foodservice bakery innovations ranked high in the list of most-viewed product launches in 2024. When asked if Crumbl might have more in store for 2025, Eldredge says, “Not a day goes by that our team isn’t baking up something new in our test kitchens, and we have a lot of exciting new desserts and programs about to launch in our test stores. Stay tuned!”

HONORABLE MENTIONS // BAKERY FOODS