Van Leeuwen Ice Cream usually draws customers with gourmet takes on classics like vanilla and pistachio. But occasionally, the artisanal ice cream maker headquartered in New York slips in what it calls a 含羞草研究社渟hock flavor,含羞草研究社� like Hidden Valley Ranch or pizza.

Surprising flavor combinations 含羞草研究社� think gravy-flavored Jones Soda or Sour Patch Kids Oreos 含羞草研究社� are showing up more frequently in grocery stores and restaurant chains.

Hershey recently introduced pink lemonade-flavored Kit Kats, while IHOP and Lay含羞草研究社檚 brought out Rooty Tooty Fresh n含羞草研究社� Fruity potato chips, designed to taste like strawberry-topped pancakes with a hint of bacon. In the United Kingdom, Little Moons made fish-and-chips mochi ice cream in 2021, while potato chip brand Walkers is known to celebrate Christmas with a Brussels sprout-flavored edition.

Usually, these are limited-time flavors, although occasionally they含羞草研究社檙e so popular they wind up on store shelves permanently, as Lay含羞草研究社檚 Flamin含羞草研究社� Hot Dill Pickle chips did in 2019.

While it含羞草研究社檚 tempting to pass them off as social media stunts, experts say there含羞草研究社檚 more to the story. Food companies are responding to the changing and expanding tastes of consumers while also trying to keep brands relevant and distinct to win space on crowded store shelves.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e in a really exciting time of flavor development where consumers are not just one thing. You含羞草研究社檙e not just a sour lover or a sweet lover. You want a little of this and a little of that,含羞草研究社� said Kristen Braun, the senior brand manager for Oreo innovation at Chicago-based food and beverage company Mondelez International. 含羞草研究社淐ompanies are finding the freedom to explore a little bit more and get more creative.含羞草研究社�

Sour Patch Kids Oreos 含羞草研究社� vanilla cream-filled cookies speckled with colorful bites of the sour candies 含羞草研究社� are one of about a dozen limited-edition Oreo flavors that Mondelez plans to release this year. Braun said it takes the company one or two years to develop such products, which stay on shelves for about nine weeks. She含羞草研究社檚 already thinking ahead to future flavors that blur the lines between sweet, salty and spicy.

Oddball pairings aren含羞草研究社檛 entirely new in the food and beverage industry. Hubba Bubba released a bubble gum-flavored soda in the late 1980s, for example. But manufacturers and their suppliers have gotten more sophisticated and efficient, making it easier to experiment and put out limited-editions more frequently, said Mark Lang, a food marketing expert and associate professor of marketing at the University of Tampa.

Kyle Shadix, who as the corporate executive research chef for PepsiCo, has worked on beverages like Pepsi Maple Syrup and a strawberry shortcake Pepsi sold in Japan, said the members of Generation Z are also fueling innovation. They含羞草研究社檙e diverse, adventurous and pick up on food trends quickly through social media, he said.

含羞草研究社淭hey含羞草研究社檙e every chef含羞草研究社檚 dream to design for,含羞草研究社� said Shadix, who is currently experimenting a lot with Mexican, Korean and Japanese flavors. 含羞草研究社淕en Z is going to drive us faster. We含羞草研究社檙e going to start to see even more exploration quicker than in the past because they含羞草研究社檙e just so open to it.含羞草研究社�

Toying with flavors can boost brands in several ways. Sometimes they bring new customers to a brand. They might also nudge buyers to pick up the original flavor, Russell Zwanka, director of the food marketing program at Western Michigan University, said.

含羞草研究社淪our Patch Oreos sound interesting, but nobody wants to risk buying Oreos that don含羞草研究社檛 taste good, so people buy both,含羞草研究社� Zwanka said.

When companies combine brands, they含羞草研究社檙e trying to build an association in consumers含羞草研究社� minds. Peeps-flavored Pepsi, which came out last year, sends the message that Pepsi is current and fun, Lang said. Mustard-flavored Skittles, which came out last summer, made the 104-year-old French含羞草研究社檚 brand seem playful.

Enter Kraft Heinz, which approached Van Leeuwen Ice Cream a few years ago about macaroni and cheese-flavored ice cream. Ben Van Leeuwen, the company含羞草研究社檚 co-founder and CEO, was doubtful at first but found that Kraft含羞草研究社檚 powder blended well with the Brooklyn-based company含羞草研究社檚 ice cream.

Van Leeuwen含羞草研究社檚 Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ice cream came out to rave reviews in 2021 and was re-released for a short time last fall.

含羞草研究社淲e will only do a shock flavor if we can make it good and distinct. We will not do a shock flavor where it含羞草研究社檚 just shock in name but taste like vanilla,含羞草研究社� Van Leeuwen said.

But novel flavor combinations don含羞草研究社檛 always work. Van Leeuwen couldn含羞草研究社檛 eat more than a few bites of his company含羞草研究社檚 Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream, which contained onion and garlic powders. And shock flavors typically don含羞草研究社檛 end up on the permanent menu because of their lower 含羞草研究社渆at-ability,含羞草研究社� he said.

含羞草研究社淚 think you would taste our mac and cheese and you含羞草研究社檇 say, 含羞草研究社極h, that含羞草研究社檚 good,含羞草研究社� but do you want to take a pint of that mac and cheese from your freezer when you含羞草研究社檙e watching whatever show on Netflix and eat the entire thing? Probably not,含羞草研究社� Van Leeuwen said.

Candy brand Brach含羞草研究社檚 ran into that issue with its Turkey Dinner Candy Corn, a 2021 limited-edition version of the fall staple that tasted like turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, apple pie and coffee. Katie Duffy, vice president and general manager of seasonal at Ferrara Candy Co., which owns Brach含羞草研究社檚, acknowledged there was a 含羞草研究社済ross-out含羞草研究社� factor.

含羞草研究社淲e have learned from consumers that we don含羞草研究社檛 want to have something where they eat a few pieces of candy and then they toss it because there含羞草研究社檚 some things that they don含羞草研究社檛 want to repeat,含羞草研究社� Duffy said. 含羞草研究社淲e want it to be a delicious flavor journey.含羞草研究社�

Brach含羞草研究社檚 recently introduced Easter Brunch-flavored jelly beans, and they hit that mark, she said. The candy beans mimicked the flavors of blueberry maple pancakes, chocolate doughnuts, caramel cold brew, cinnamon rolls, berry smoothies and mimosa cocktails.

Shannon Weiner, senior director of insights and analytics at Ferrara, said the company closely tracks social media to see what flavors are trending. People are increasingly looking for dessert and dairy-flavored candies, she said. They含羞草研究社檙e also seeking more international flavors like Tajin, a brand of chile-lime spice from Mexico that recently did a collaboration with Pop Tarts.

Lang thinks the more time people spend in restaurants or trying out new foods, the more they seek out unusual flavors.

含羞草研究社淲e are variety-seeking animals. We constantly are seeking something new and different; it含羞草研究社檚 in our wiring,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淲e like to experiment.含羞草研究社�

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Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press