Editor’s note: Debra J. Mednick is executive director and home industry analyst with NPD Group. This is an edited version of a post originally published here on April 11 under the title “Drink up!”
Thirsty or hungry or can’t decide? It doesn’t really matter these days, as a double-duty drink will fulfill both needs. I had no problem satisfying my appetite while also quenching my thirst at the recent International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago. Between the coffees and espressos, various smoothies and green-juice concoctions served in chocolate cups, I was able to drink my way through the day and get all the caffeine, antioxidants and flavor options I could possibly desire.
Small kitchen appliances made to produce beverages are currently getting a lot of attention from manufacturers, designers, retailers and most importantly, from consumers. According to NPD’s consumer tracking service, juice extractors, citrus juicers, blenders and food processors are the top-growing small kitchen appliance categories in the 12 months ending February 2013.
The fastest-growing small kitchen appliance is one of the lesser known: the juice extractor, which more than doubled in sales over the past two years, according to NPD’s consumer tracking service. But there’s more to the trend than just juicing. High-performance blenders effortlessly chop and pulverize just about anything to provide a finished product that is sure to please even the most finicky, while still retaining all of the whole-food benefits. This changes the game for how consumers “eat” their meals.
Many of us have been drinking our breakfast for years, if you count our morning coffee. Add lots of milk – conventional or soy – to that coffee (think latté) and it’s not a bad substitute. But now we can add even more nutrients, and save time, with the high-tech appliances that tout simplified healthy eating.
All indications point out that the food prep appliance craze is here to stay. The NPD Group data shows consumers are purchasing fewer cooking appliances, as that segment of the industry grew just 1 percent in 2012. This tells us more Americans have already started to rethink how they prepare and consume their meals. It’s a whole new approach to the liquid diet.