A growing number of American food and beverage companies are incorporating forest-inspired flavors into their products, reflecting a broader consumer trend toward nature-derived tastes. From juniper- and pine-infused drinks to botanical syrups and snacks, these “forest” flavors aim to evoke the sensory experience of the outdoors amid increasing public interest in natural and foraged ingredients.
In Knoxville, Tennessee, K Brew offers a Smoky Mountain Latte featuring steamed sage and juniper, while urban venues such as 425 Park in Manhattan serve cocktails like the Forest Old Fashioned made with pine liqueur, spruce tips, and alpine bitters. Meanwhile, Torani, a well-known syrup producer, has designated Forest Pine as its flavor of the year, blending pine notes with ginger and sage to avoid associations with cleaning products and present a more approachable forest aroma.
Industry research backs up this shift toward botanical and earthy flavors. Ashley Doolin, a product development scientist at PepsiCo, noted that consumer interest is increasing for outdoor-inspired tastes globally, even as the company has no immediate plans to release products such as wild mushroom-flavored potato chips that have found popularity in Europe and Asia.
Market analyst Sally Lyons Wyatt of Circana explained that consumers are showing growing enthusiasm for flavors tied closely to place and landscape, as well as craftsmanship. This interest follows earlier food trends centered around tropical fruits, global cuisines, and sweet-spicy combinations. The current wave is driven by a desire to connect with nature and an evolving palate favoring authenticity and environmental resonance.
Demographer Eve Turow-Paul linked the trend to broader societal anxieties and a distrust of food systems, corporations, and government oversight. She said that consumers seek reassurance through flavors associated with nature, which feel safer and offer a sense of control over what they consume. This dynamic, coupled with the rise of movements emphasizing natural and healthy living, contributes to the appeal of forest-inspired food.
Stephanie Mattucci, a strategist at Mintel, compared the trend to historical periods of rapid change, such as the Industrial Revolution, when interest in rustic and alpine experiences surged in popular culture. Alpine flavors offer consumers a symbolic retreat from overstimulation and technological disruption.
The forest flavor trend has also been influenced by New Nordic cuisine, which popularized the use of foraged ingredients and fermentation techniques in the early 2000s through restaurants like Noma in Copenhagen. Such culinary innovation has helped bring botanicals like juniper and spruce into mainstream awareness.
Despite this momentum, forest flavors have met with mixed consumer reception. Some products, such as Dunkin’s Blueberry Breeze Refresher with juniper berry and Poppi’s Alpine Blast prebiotic soda, have not achieved widespread popularity. The latter’s more conventional soda-like taste contrasts with the authentic mountain flavors the trend promotes.
Experts caution that part of the forest flavor phenomenon may reflect the ongoing quest for novelty in American food culture, as well as consumers’ tendency to adopt trends simply because others do. Helen Zoe Veit, a food historian, noted that many flavor trends arise less from intrinsic appeal and more from imitation.
Still, with mentions of botanicals like lavender increasing on menus by over 30 percent in recent years, the forest trend appears to be carving out a distinct niche in America’s evolving culinary landscape, driven by a complex mix of cultural, emotional, and marketing forces.