Symrise’s Marketing and Consumer Insights Group has conducted an in-depth research study of the super premium soup market. 

Symrise’s expertise in the soup category leads them to be on the forefront of what’s happening in this space, and as part of the continuing desire to always know more, they conducted this study. Results of the study are available to customers upon request.

The key objectives of the study, titled, “Understanding Super Premium Soups,” were to explore what defines super premium soups for the Millennial consumer; to identify the key drivers of premium/high quality in soups; to understand the relevance and perceptions of premium across key soup categories; and, to uncover opportunities for innovation in the category.

Symrise’s consumer research team used a versatile online and mobile platform to assist in engaging consumers in creative ways to capture meaningful and relevant data. Blogs, forums and picture books were among the research tools that were employed. Subjects were targeted Millennial consumers in key U.S. locations from New York on the East Coast to Seattle on the West Coast. Targeted subjects were creative and articulate Millennial consumers, ages 18-34, who regularly shop and consume a combination of fresh and ambient soup products. The group was comprised of a mix of ethnicities.

When asked to define super premium soups, functional and emotional dimensions were cited by participants. Functionality was associated with positive product attributes such as quality ingredients, authentic recipes and see-through packaging. Emotional dimensions were identified by the comfort that soups provide, satisfaction that leads to joy and the feeling of caring for oneself and others.

Respondents told Symrise that super premium soups triggered familiarity and good memories, as well as impressions of heritage and nostalgia. Yet, novelty was also linked to these premium soup products, too. The feeling that something is new and different was being brought to the table was highly valued. 

It was uniformly agreed that super premium soups should look and feel as though they were man-made locally in small batches rather than mass produced in a large factory. They were perceived as being fresh, holistically healthy, and full of flavor, with beautiful looking ingredients packaged in clear containers. Most concurred that super premium soups should be filling – delivering an entire meal with surprisingly great taste and texture.

Respondents saw soup as cozy, warm food, delivering comfort, satisfaction, relaxation, joy and the feeling of a human touch—the impression that someone who cares about you has put it all together for your well-being. In general, super premium soups accentuate high levels of positive emotion.

Using the research from the study, Symrise was able to create fully developed super premium soup concepts that they can now present to their customers. The Symrise culinary team and flavorists worked with a wide variety of tools to create the concepts, including the Symrise Discover Beef and Discover Chicken flavor collections, a wide array of vegetable flavors, including expertise in onion and clean label culinary bases. 

Soups have been created to cater to multiple target Millennial consumers, varying from upgrading “nostalgic” classic soups to expanding into global flavors and authentic ethnic concepts. The Symrise culinary team is ready to work side by side with customers to create breakthrough products that meet the demand for appealing and nutritious soup innovations.

About Symrise

Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavors, cosmetic active ingredients and raw materials as well as functional ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.

With sales of approximately € 3 billion in 2017, Symrise is among the global leaders in the market for flavors and fragrances. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group is represented with more than 90 sites in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Latin America.

Symrise works with its clients to develop new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an indispensable part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked as part of this process. 

Visit www.symrise.com for more details.