Imagine three days devoted to tasting the most delicious things from all around the world. The Speciality Food Association Fancy Food Show, which takes place twice a year, is a trade show where retailers, brokers, buyers, the media, and other industry professionals gather. At this year’s winter show in Las Vegas, attendees got a chance to try everything from a rare variety of Tasmanian cherries to caviar and cheeses from all over the world. “Specialty foods” is a wide category, including all kinds of beverages, condiments, snacks, candies, charcuterie, and so much more. 

Loads of new products and flavors are introduced at the Fancy Food Show, and while tasting everything is impossible, walking the show floor provides the ideal opportunity to see firsthand which products and flavors are making waves. Here are the five top trends we saw at this year’s show. You may not have seen all these products at your local supermarket yet, but you probably will soon.

Cheesy Comfort Mashups 

Macaroni and cheese is an all-time favorite comfort food for many people. How do you make it even more comforting? Combine it with yet another comfort food. Examples include The Popcorn Factory Kraft Mac and Cheese popcorn, Otoki cheese instant ramen from Korea, and Bertoncello cheese-stuffed gnocchi from Italy. The gnocchi cheese stuffings include gorgonzola, lemon and ricotta, and spinach and ricotta.

Peak Mango

It was mango, mango, mango, as far as the eye could see at the show this year. Mango showed up as a flavor in everything from cheese to cookies and candy. Some of the most compelling products included Paradise Green Mangoodles, a mango “noodle” shaped fruit snack, Rondele Mango Habanero cheese, a spreadable cheese, and Lakrids by Bülow Mango Vanilla Chocolate Coated Licorice.

Better Butter

Remember when butter only came in salted and unsalted varieties? Nowadays, there is European-style butter, flavored butter, cultured butter, and more. Some of the most interesting butter innovations we saw at the Fancy Food Show this year were maple butter from Pepe Saya, Bari butter-infused olive oil, and Buji Brown Buttersticks. The eye-catching butter sticks are topped with a layer of browned milk solids. They were delicious simply spread on a cracker but would also be great for cooking. 

Freeze-Dried Frenzy

Freeze-dried apples have been around for a while, and we are big fans of freeze-dried berries; now, the code has been cracked on freeze-drying less common fruits such as rambutan and mangosteen from Lafinita. Beyond fresh produce, innovations include freeze-dried chocolate ice cream from Pocas International and Happy Time freeze-dried gummy worms. Light, crispy, and snackable, these new colorful treats were irresistible crowd-pleasers.

Functional Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Non-alcoholic beverages aren’t just for Dry January anymore. One of the top drink trends for 2025 is that more and more non-alcoholic beverages are “better for you” and feature everything from protein to probiotics and adaptogens. Some, like the functional spirit alternatives from Three Spirit, are named for occasions—Livener, Social, and Nightcap. Others, like the Driftwest line of sodas, include plant-based prebiotics, are made with fruit juices, and minimal cane sugar.