Food & Beverage

Tous les Jours' beverage expert reveals 3 trends to watch

Alex Hager, beverage research and development manager, at Tous les Jours, predicts a surge on cake-inspired beverages like the Tiramisu Latte and drinks with a uniquely Korean twist.

Photo: Adobe

March 19, 2025

The beverage industry is an ever-evolving landscape of ideas and trends. As the Beverage Research & Development Manager at Tous les Jours, I've had the opportunity to see firsthand the rapidly shifting nature of flavors and diverse consumer preferences. Additionally, my extensive background in coffee brands like Starbucks and Blue Bottle have shaped my approach to beverage development and navigating the industry as a whole.

Staying on top of consumer trends is a continuous process that is imperative for reaching success in the beverage industry. To do so thoroughly, one must embark on a combination of real-world exploration and online research. It's important to visit smaller specialty coffee shops, cocktail bars and restaurants, both locally and during travel, and pay attention to the flavors and drink styles that are popping up on their seasonal menus. It's also crucial to consistently scour the internet for ideas, trends and techniques that can be adapted to a beverage menu. For national brands, ensuring broad market appeal to meet diverse needs of various regions, supply chain limitations, and ease of operations for front-of-house staff is critical.

Below are several trends I'm watching.

1. Global flavors

Global flavors have always played an important role in introducing new flavors and beverage styles to consumers. However, as the trend of global flavors rises in popularity, it's more important than ever to use this aspect as inspiration and guidance when developing new beverages.

This growth in popularity of global flavors can be attributed to increasing international food programming on streaming services like Netflix, along with the ever-growing global reach of content creators on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. This immediate and constant access to content from individuals all over the world has enabled greater exposure of global flavors to an even broader audience of consumers. This has inspired such consumers to be on the lookout for opportunities to try internationally influenced flavors locally. Therefore, globally inspired tastes have become an increasingly important driver of innovation and a way to stand out in a very competitive beverage market.

2. Blending French, American, Korean influences

At Tous les Jours, our identity as a French-inspired Korean bakery plays a major role in the process of choosing the flavors and drink styles to highlight on our beverage menu. Take the Tiramisu Latte as an example. This luscious drink took its inspiration primarily from the Korean trend of cream lattes, in which a thick cloud of soft shipped cream is layered on top of espresso and milk. We took that concept and paired it with the flavors of the classic European dessert that is a steady seller in our bakeries. The result was a wonderfully crafted drink with a cream cheese-flavored sweet cream layered over a delectable blend of vanilla syrup, milk and espresso, and topped with a generous dusting of cocoa powder–just like the beloved dessert. This creation was a success because it blended the global flavor trend with our team's innovation, drawing inspiration from a well-loved treat and making it more enticing for consumers to try.
Tous les Jours has found success in its niche of approachable but unique beverages. Our team's creations combine visual appeal with well-balanced flavors that take advantage of our global background, authentically setting ourselves apart in the beverage space.

3. Unique flavors from the culinary world

As we dive further into 2025, there is a plethora of exciting, emerging beverage trends to be on the lookout for during the year. I'm most excited about unique flavor combinations from the culinary world finding their way into beverages. Imagine amazing sweet, salty and savory combinations like miso caramel or brown butter sage.

Specific flavors that are popping up as seasonal beverage flavors at specialty coffee shops include unconventional combinations such as Guinness butterscotch and rosemary bergamot. While some of these may remain niche flavor pairings, it's only a matter of time until many of them find a wider audience.

What's next at Tous les Jours?

As Tous les Jours continues to prioritize beverage innovation, we are increasingly looking to find synergy between our bakery offerings and our beverage menu. The best part? This combination intrinsically targets the ever-growing trend of global flavors. Be on the lookout for more fun cake-inspired beverages like the Tiramisu Latte, as well as more drinks with a uniquely Korean twist.

As trends evolve and new phenomena gain popularity, Tous les Jours will remain committed to delivering unique and timely beverages that appeal to a broad customer base.