From mango mania to a continued rise in functional everything, the better-for-you grocer reveals its top predictions on what Midwesterners will be reaching for most in their local grocery aisles next year
Fresh Thyme Market, a better-for-you, Midwest-based grocer with a mission to foster healthier communities by offering real, fresh food, vitamins, and body care products, is unveiling its second annual food trend predictions for 2025. Driven by an engaged team that actively sources a wide range of local and national products from reliable vendors, Fresh Thyme has secured itself as a trusted grocer for innovation and leading trends. The report – which is in collaboration with the leading retail data and intelligence provider SPINS – is the only one of its kind in the region and leverages shopping behaviors to spotlight the top 10 food trends that will shape the way Midwesterns will shop and eat in the coming year.
“At Fresh Thyme Market, we believe creating a phenomenal experience for our shoppers and team members begins long before they walk through our doors,” said Fresh Thyme Market President, Liz Zolcak. “Our annual trends report helps us not only understand the needs of our shoppers but ensures we’re exciting them by curating our shelves with the most fresh, innovative, and local products. Our shoppers are savvy, so it’s important they know innovation is at our core and we can help them discover new products – often before they’re available anywhere else in the Midwest.”
Here are Fresh Thyme Market’s top 10 Midwest grocery trend predictions for 2025:
- Functional Ingredients: Consumers want more than just basic nutrition from their diets and will be seeking out products that incorporate functional ingredients – ingredients that provide more targeted and specific health benefits – like colostrum for its immune-boosting properties or probiotic cultures for better gut health.
- Try the trend: Symbiotics Colostrum Plus, Coconut Cult, Pure Memory Water- located in select Fresh Thyme Market IN stores, Heywell
2. Evolution of the Mushroom: Adaptogenic mushrooms – which may help the body manage stress, anxiety, and fatigue including varieties like Chaga, Lion’s Mane, and Turkey Tail – will start to gain momentum. Expect to see more mushroom-based products in everyday pantry staples like pasta, broth, and coffee, allowing consumers to effortlessly add their anti-inflammatory and sleep aid properties to their diets.
- Try the trend: Goodles, Om Mushrooms Mushroom Coffee Blend
3. Rise of Non-Alcoholic, Mood-Enhancing Beverages (Part II): Non-alcoholic beverages will become even more sophisticated as a way to cater to an array of holistic needs. For example, we’ll see a spike in drinks made with plant-based and mineral ingredients like kava and magnesium because of their mood-enhancing benefits. Beverages that contain multiple cannabinoids like CBD will also be trending thanks to their popularity in social settings.
- Try the trend: Recess, Kin Euphorics, Athletic Brewing
4. Spicy Foods Takeover: Consumers are demanding more complex flavor profiles and will be bringing on the heat through expanded use of more fresh and dried chilis like ghost chilies, Chilis De Arbol, and jalapenos. Keep an eye out for more hot sauce varieties too – anything with Pepper X is not for the faint of heart!
- Try the trend: Lola’s Hot Sauce, That’s Tasty Dried Ghost Chiles, STL Pure Heat- located in select Fresh Thyme Market MO stores
5. Mango-Everything (and Everywhere!): Mangos are finally getting their time in the spotlight with mango-flavored products showing up in everything from drinks to snacks, and for good reason. According to Meghan Sedivy, Fresh Thyme Market’s registered dietitian, mangoes are a “nutritional powerhouse” packed with vitamin C to help support the immune system and are great for adding sweetness and a creamy texture to foods.
- Try the trend: So Good So You Energy, Synergy Raw Mystic Mango Kombucha
6. Nature’s Natural Sweeteners: Natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and dates will become more prevalent in 2025 as consumers continue to look for ways to limit their refined and processed sugar intake.
- Try the trend: Fresh Thyme Organic Maple Syrup, Realsy Peanut Butter Cacao Dates, Rebel Bee- located in select Fresh Thyme Market IL stores
7. Boosting Brain Power: Improved cognitive function will be on everyone’s minds with supplements like ginkgo biloba, magnesium, and GABA on the rise. These ingredients are known to enhance mental clarity and focus.
- Try the trend: Pym Attention Chews, MagMind
8. We’re heading to Seoul: The rising popularity of Korean BBQ in recent years will pave the way for other Korean ingredients like gochujang and kimchi to pop up in even more kitchens. This growing trend reflects consumers’ desires to incorporate bold, global flavors into their everyday cooking.
- Try the trend: Ofood Gochujiang Korn Spicy Miso Sauce, Cleveland Kitchen Classic Kimchi
9. Next-Gen Sustainability: Grains and produce grown using Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), like greenhouse farming and other next-gen practices, that have significantly less impact on the environment will have shoppers buzzing, as they should! These items will see explosive growth in the new year not only because they’re just as delicious as conventionally produced items, but they’re more sustainable too.
- Try the trend: Purely Elizabeth’s Ancient Grain Granola, Brixy Shampoo Bars, Bim Bam Boo Kitchen Towels
10. Prioritizing Protein: While Fresh Thyme is known for its fresh protein sources like quality meat and seafood, protein will be breaking out into new categories in 2025. Shoppers will be flocking to more protein-boosted options when it comes to everything from cereals, oatmeal, pasta, pasta sauce and even flavor-bursting queso and jalapeno burgers for added fuel and nutrition.
- Try the trend: Fresh Thyme Market Better for You Chickpea Penne Pasta, Seven Sundays Protein Oats, Mighty Spark Turkey Burgers
As the leading better-for-you grocer in the Midwest region, Fresh Thyme seeks to inspire its communities through its carefully curated selection of innovative products from both established and emerging brands, fresh meat, seafood and produce offerings, and more. By providing shoppers an experience where discovery is encouraged whether they’re in-store or online, Fresh Thyme makes it easier to lead delicious and healthy lives.
For more information on the products highlighted in this year’s trends report, recipe ideas, or Fresh Thyme Market, please visit www.freshthyme.com.
About Fresh Thyme Market
Fresh Thyme Market, a local, community-focused grocer with 70 stores in 10 states throughout the Midwest, was born from a genuine desire to help people live better and healthier lives. Every day Fresh Thyme Market works to be a trusted resource in our communities, bringing people access to real food at real affordable prices. With a local focus on what the community needs, each store provides fresh, natural, and organic food at affordable prices. By offering an immersive, intuitive shopping experience, Fresh Thyme Market meets people wherever they are on their journey to living a healthier lifestyle. To learn more, visit freshthyme.com.
About SPINS
For 20 years, we have been on a mission to increase the presence and accessibility of Natural and better-for-you products that help people live their healthiest and best lives and drive sustainable production practices in North America. From our founding in 1997 to now, our data and industry definitions have become the common language of the Natural Products Industry, helping brands communicate their growth to retailers to scale their distribution and helping retailers understand and maintain their points of difference. As the Natural Products Industry has emerged as a driving force of retail in the US, we have been thrilled to be part of a movement…watching the Natural Products Industry double in size again…and again to a $137B market. To learn more, visit spins.com.
SOURCE Fresh Thyme Market
