Esarom is placing the spotlight on cherry flavors this year, tipping the ubiquitous flavor for continued growth, particularly in the run-up to the Northern hemisphere summer. “Just the thought of the full, bright red fruit lets you start dreaming: the luscious blooming cherry tree behind the house, the crunchy fruits that announce in the summer, Aunt Erna’s stewed cherries and Grandma Martha’s sweet cherry jam, that brightens our mind with a touch of summer,” promotion from the Austrian-headquartered flavors supplier reads.

However, Esarom flavorists don’t regard that view as romantic. For more than a hundred years, the aroma of cherry has been the subject of analytical work. Many individual flavor components make “the cherry a cherry.” The palate detects them as fresh, green, somewhat flowery, a little bit spicy, sometimes slightly astringent. And of course, fruity.

“What makes the typical cherry taste in industrially produced foods for most consumers is the cherry stone note, which is reminiscent of bitter almond,” explains Senior Flavorist Isolde Tomann, Head of Esarom Flavor Creation. “For some time, there has been a growing demand for cherry flavors with a stronger hint of pulp. But you do not necessarily have to decide on pulp or stone. With our flavor components, we can combine both in the desired shade. According to regional or personal preferences.”

Despite the tip, growth in cherry flavor has been pretty flat, however, with Innova Market Insights reporting 1 percent average annual growth in food & beverage launches with cherry flavor (Global, CAGR 2014-2018). There has been 3 percent growth in food & beverage launches with cherry flavor globally when comparing 2018 vs. 2017 launch numbers. The top categories featuring cherry flavor globally in terms of market penetration in 2018 were: confectionery (27 percent), soft drinks (13 percent) and bakery (11 percent). Sports nutrition (+24 percent) was the fastest growing category featuring cherry flavor (Global, CAGR 2014-2018), with +95 percent growth between 2017 and 2018. 

Around the world, around 500 different types of sweet cherry are known, while sour cherries are about half as many. The wild cherry – also called bird cherry – is the wild form of sweet cherry. Compared to the cultivated form, it tastes more tart and is very popular to be distilled to schnapps.

Among the cherries one also can find some celebrities: The Amarena cherry, the Maraska cherry, the Piedmont cherry and the Cocktail cherry.

The flavor house points out, however, that these varieties are not all cherry fruits. The classic cocktail cherry, which decorates cocktails and sweet treats, is originally a Maraska cherry in Maraschino. And the Piedmont cherry takes its name from the Piedmont-based Italian confectionery producer and is inside world-famous alcoholic chocolate – botanically speaking, it does not exist.

While most cherry varieties are red, ranging from bright red to rich dark red, some varieties are also yellow like the Dönissens. From the heart cherry there is also a white variety. One of the oldest cherry varieties from France is the Black Cherry. To play with the colors of the cherry fruits has inspired the creative minds of Esarom product development. 

“For example, we took the red cherry together with green tea. The concept Black & White includes white tea with black cherry and black tea with white cherry,” says Dieter Zimlich, Head of R&D Beverages and Head of Innovation at Esarom. 

“Tea drinks are still a segment with nice growth forecasts and are perfect for the current health & wellbeing trend. With the cherry, which is native to all continents, the beverage concepts go well with the trend local-regional, fruit from the orchard,” he continues.

Amid the rise of storytelling in product development, the cherry has a long and exciting history, offering “stories that make the heart of marketers and brand managers beat faster.” In the spotlight, historical aspects and one or the other myth comes into light. The fact is, the cherry is native to Asia Minor, the Turkish port Kerasos gave it the name and it was the famous Roman General Lucullus who brought the cherry to Europe. In ancient Asian narratives and ancient epics, the cherry is glorified as the fruit of heaven, the fruit of gods. The legend says, the cherry tree is the home of the legendary Phoenix. Buddha is said to be born under a cherry tree. 

The Esarom product range includes flavors, bases and compounds, emulsions, extracts, distillates, concentrates, colorings and additives. They are used in beverages, confectionery and fine pastries, in ice cream and dairy products.

In FoodIngredientsFirst’s latest special report, we look at a new wave of summer flavors, wher citrus reigns supreme as the warm weather approaches in the Northern Hemisphere.